In recent posts Robin Lawson and Frank Vento have shared their personal experiences with cancer; Robin as a two-time breast cancer survivor and Frank as one who’s just learned that he’s going into battle with the “Big C”. I once again thank both of them for their courage in sharing their stories.
One of my readers, Greg Petersen, responded to Frank’s post with the following comment:
Robert, what an interesting post – after 48 years in the fire service, many of them prior to every one having an SCBA, I was diagnosed with a brain tumor and sent to a hospital to have it removed.
This is one of those things that is supposed to happen to others, and not me, after all, I am now the Fire Chief of a small City and don’t go interior [fighting fires] that much anymore. The take away from all of this is that the “youngsters” need to mask up EVERY FIRE EVERY TIME” if they want to avoid having their brain worked on.
Keep up the good work in keeping all members informed, especially about safety (job #1)
This was my response to such a moving comment:
Great comments, Greg. Thank you for contributing to the conversation. I’m stunned everyday as continue to see firefighters and officers needlessly breathing smoke–with their SCBA on their back and face piece hanging from their neck. And even more stunned when I read a comment from another reader about such a photo that “takes the firefighters to task” over their unsafe behavior.
Now, I’m not taken back by the original comment [taking the firefighters to task], but rather the dozen or so other “commentators” who “pile on” to the first comment with phrases like:
- “You weren’t there!”
- “It’s easy to Monday Morning Quarterback!”
- “Firefighting is a dangerous job. Get out if you can’t take the heat.”
- “What do you know desk-jockey? When’s the last time you were on a job?” (Especially if the original comment was made by a chief officer)
When I read those kinds of on-line “attacks” from brother (?) or sister (?) firefighters I’m reminded of the story I heard many years ago about boiling lobsters. The story goes that when you put several lobsters into a pot of boiling water, whenever one of the lobsters tries to climb out of the pot the other lobsters pull them back into the boiling water. Sound familiar?
IAFC (International Association of Fire Chiefs) President Bill Metcalf, is the fire chief for the North County Fire Protection District in Fallbrook, California In the August 2013 edition of the IAFC’s newsletter, On Scene, Chief Metcalf wrote a piece entitled, An Inconvenient Truth.
You might recall that former Vice President Al Gore, after leaving office, added that phrase to popular cultural through his presentations, and subsequent book and documentary, about global warming. Gore used that phrase to emphasize his point that the evidence is clear that global warming is occurring and it’s doing significant damage to the earth.
But we don’t like hearing the message—it’s an inconvenient truth—because the issue is complicated, the solutions are complex and messy and they cause us to realize that we’re to blame. Chief Metcalf wrote:
I’ve come to realize that firefighters dying in fires is our very own inconvenient truth in the fire service…In spite of all we know about fire, in spite of all of the advances that have been made in technology, in spite of all of the advances in the science of fire prevention and suppression, in spite of the billions of dollars spent—firefighters still die.
We still dress wildland firefighters in Nomex shirts, pants, a hardhat and a pair of leather gloves and send them out with hand-tools to fight fires that are releasing energy equivalent to that of a nuclear warhead.
We dress firefighters in sophisticated turnout gear, slap a helmet on their head and SCBA on their back and send them into burning buildings we know are going to fall down.
Then we wonder why some don’t come home.
A year ago, Lieutenant S. Brieanne Nix, a career lieutenant 
and paramedic with Hanover (VA) Fire EMS, published a piece in the On-Scene newsletter in which she discussed Company Officer Leadership: Inspiring a Culture of Safety. In that piece, Lieutenant Nix wrote:
“Departmental culture is generally defined as a way of thinking, behaving and believing that members of an organization have in common. To achieve a true culture of safety, officers must addresses the real and underlying causes of the gap in safety measures. Do you suffer from any pitfalls of poor safety responsibility? Do you or the officers around you ever:
- Show more concern for not upsetting others than for fixing problems?
- Feel powerless and see safety as a have-to, not a want-to?
- Lack interest; avoid making commitments; or shift responsibility to others?”
(Lieutenant Nix is also a member of the IAFC’s Company Officer Leadership Committee).
Indeed, then we wonder why some don’t come home.
Battalion Chief (Ret.) Robert Avsec served for 26 years with the men and women of the Chesterfield County (VA) Fire & EMS Department. Contact him at robertavsec@fireemsleaderpro.org
After reading the comments I think about the many firefighters killed because of roof collapse, not wearing their SCBA equipment properly, or in many cases not at all.
I think about early in my career studying offensive and defensive fire attacks and regconizing the difference regarding both. We all have read about firefighters killed while making entry into abandoned structures, structures where life saving is not of question and old structures already partially collapsed. None with exposure concerns.
I believe in these cases we faced these questions; was there a proper size-up conducted, was the commander briefed on the actual results of the size-up before a decision was made to conduct entry operations, was the safety officer involved in the decision making process, were all firefighters trained and certified?
This brings to question, are fireground officers and today’s firefighters receiving adequate training?
The question remains, is proper size-ups being conducted to allow for a decision regarding whether it is a offensive or defensive fire attack?
It all comes down to decision making capability and fire ground safety. We simply need to focus on the basic fundamentals of fire fighting.
We have been placed in a position as firefighters to be experts in every hazardous category know to man. This thought process simply isn’t possible. No one can be an expert in everything. Think about it, firefighting, Hazardous Material Operations, Vehicular Rescue, Technical Rescue, Rope Rescue, Swift Water Rescue and the list goes on and on. Firefighters may be trained to fight fire, but are they truly focused on firefighting with all of these other training expectations?
Many firefighters in their youth feel that their indestructible. Others are very lucky and carry this same culture throughout their careers until they die of lung disorders, skin cancer, etc.. In many cases this mindset continues over into the next group of rookie firefighters and allows for the same culture or mindset.
Over the years I’ve overheard firefighters at various fire conferences, make the statement, “that if you don’t burn the toes out of your fire boots and melt your face shield, you’re not fighting fire.” Is it any wonder why we lose firefighters?
Jerry L. McGhee
Chief
Marmet Fire Department
Two by two: Too many….My thoughts and prayers are with the families, friends and fire team members that have ever experienced a LODD or LODI.
Moons ago (served 1967-1999), we were losing our FFs one by one, so we changed to fighting fire in teams of two on each nozzle thinking there was safety in numbers.
We did not change how we were attacking the fire: oh maybe from booster line to 1 1/2 to 1 3/4; and from fog to smooth; from steam to base, from water to foam and back.
As we did then, we are in “unsuitable for life” conditions. Construction materials have changed in the past fifty year not giving us the 15 minute window we once had and older construction that supported interior attacks is worn-out.
The lives to be saved are before any fire begins. Good codes enforced, early detections, training of our citizens prevention and to get out at the sound of their alarm. Owners should expect a loss stop defensively.
Nope, I am not chicken to fight fire; was burned and injured more than once for being too deep, and as a Chief/Incident Commander, got FF’s burned or injured more than once for sending them too deep. As an old goat, I can look back and see my mistakes.
Two by two is too many!
Beth Nevel
retired old goat
Beth, from one “retired old goat” to another, thank you for your open and insightful comments. And thank you for participating in the conversation! Best wishes, Robert