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Single Firefighter Ladder Deployment

A quick search of "ground ladders" on YouTube will pull up dozens of videos showing how to deploy a ladder using any number of methods. Some videos look like they came right out of the academy textbook, some are a bit more non-conventional, and others still show a single firefighter throwing a ladder with so little effort, the ladder might as well have been a paper airplane. I have come to realize that I may never be able to duplicate the latter. My height and muscle mass make it obvious to everyone that I was not born of Zeus.

Regardless of my stature, I cannot just say, "it's impossible for me to throw that ladder." No citizen in need of rescue is going to accept that answer. No firefighter tasked with saving lives should accept that answer either. It was in this light that I began searching for ways to get the job done. 

So imagine with me for a minute that you have a visible occupant trapped at a third floor window. The ground below the window is concrete. Unfortunately, you don't have the ability to rest the butt of the ladder against the structure to assist in the raise due to overgrown landscaping. Can you get the ladder in place by yourself? 

Hopefully this video will help in answering that question.

Survivor

On the recommendation of a friend, I read Lawrence Gonzales' book Deep Survival: Who lives, who dies, and why*. The book chronicles multiple stories of survival and their intersection with science to help explain why a person may or may not make it through  their own life-threatening challenges. What becomes evident in studying stories of survival is that there are commonalities among those who are able to overcome their dire circumstances. Lawrence states that among the key common attributes of the survivor are: the ability to turn fear into focus, the ability to think, analyze and act, a willingness to do whatever it takes to live, and having "never give up" attitude.

As firefighters, we are often placed in the midst of dangerous settings. There is no assurance that each one of us will being going home at the end of the shift despite efforts to mitigate the hazards. Far too many factors lie outside of our realm of control. Our training, experience, and efforts can influence the factors within our control, however. It is the job of the fire service to help foster attributes of a survivor within each member our departments.

Eddie Would Go

On the Hawaiian island of Oahu, thousands of people are gathering to watch what is considered to be the most prestigious surfing event in the world. The Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational matches some of the top surfers on the planet with swells towering higher than many of our houses. In fact, the event does not even take place if the waves do not exceed heights of twenty feet. It is for this reason that the event has only been held nine times in last 31 years. Organizers refuse to sacrifice the purity of this competition for the sake of simply making it an annual spectacle. It is in this light that they choose to honor the event's namesake, Eddie Aikau.

Eddie Aikau

Eddie was the first official lifeguard at Waimea Bay on Oahu's north shore, where the event is held. During the late 1960s and into the 1970s, he solidified himself as one of the foremost big wave surfers in world. It was, however, his work as a lifeguard that made him legendary. There was not a single death on the bay while he was on duty during his ten years of service. He and his brother, Clyde, are credited with over 500 saves. This was all done without jet ski or boat. They simply paddled out into the swells on their surf boards. While conditions were by no means ideal for many of these saves, Eddie would paddle out anyway. To this day, the local mantra is still "Eddie Would Go."

Motivation Killers

With 2016 just under way, I join many others in reflecting on the past year and looking forward to what the new year will bring. The recent turn-over in the calendar year has served as an excellent reminder that I have a lot left that I want to do. The drive to excel in my profession  remains steadfast. I have specific goals and dreams that I am earnest in working towards. This isn't to say, however, that I do not struggle with what I need to be doing on a daily basis to accomplish each of these. The small decisions that are made in the day-to-day grind will dictate the ebb and flow of who I will become as a fireman. As that motivation wanes, I have to find ways to combat the rut of remaining stagnant, or even worse, becoming dissatisfied.

It is a daily battle to stay on track. A long term fix to the motivation slump is what is really needed though. What may seem to be random occurrences of demotivation are often rooted in specific motivation killers. Learning to recognize these preventors-of-productivity will aid in permanently removing them from your path. Within myself, I have been able to narrow down the following as major killers to my own motivation. I doubt that I am alone in many of these, and I hope this list starts you down the path of eradicating your own hindrances.

Reliance on others' approval- When your actions are controlled by the praise or perceived acceptance of others, more often than not, you will end up disappointed. This is an unfortunate, but true reality. Why? Other people will not recognize your efforts as regularly as you think you deserve.  Instead, your call to action should come from within. It should be a desire to succeed, rather than a desire to be accepted or recognized. At times, it can be a healthy motivator to use others' opinions as a part of your drive. Caution should be taken, however, when you act due to anger, jealousy, and vindication. 

Comparison- There are three detrimental mentalities that can come with comparison. The first says, "others are making it by with much less effort/knowledge, therefore, I don’t need to work any harder." The second says, "I am on the same level as everyone else, so why work harder." Finally, the third says, "others are too far ahead; I'm never going to get where I want to be regardless of whether or not I work harder." Comparison is nothing more than flawed logic when applied in any of these three ways. Each of us has been gifted with our own set of skills and abilities. In that light, our perception of others should not dictate our drive to become better. Drive should come from within, and be personalized to you.    

Idleness- I have no problem admitting that there is a direct correlation between the time I sit in a comfortable recliner, and the desire I have for a nap. The fact is, I am going to be asleep if I allow myself the time. This should not be a surprise. With all else being equal, rest wins out over work.  Idleness breeds inaction. For this reason, it is important  that I hedge against the things that keep me idle (ie. movies, Facebook, sports on tv, that comfortable recliner). Recognition of your triggers will help you remain productive.

Pessimism- In a career driven by teamwork and mutual effort, negativity will cripple the team. It spreads like wildfire, and it takes little time to create a kitchen table surrounded by dissatisfied firemen. Those who are lucky enough to see the negativity coming tend to flee from a pessimist. Each of us needs teammates, mentors, teachers, and leaders; the last thing you want is to push these people away because of your own attitude.

Lack of goals or vision- Goals are used to provide focus and drive. There are any number of clichés that state their purpose in our lives, but they are ultimately a formal target that you are aiming for. In reference to goal-setting, American author Napoleon Hill said, "goals are dreams with a deadline." Take some time to list out what you hope to achieve in the next couple of months, in the short-term, and finally, over the course of your career. Decide what you can do today to move towards those achievements.

Forgetting to be patient- All too often my discouragement comes from things taking place outside of the timeline that I have established. Whether it is specific call types, educational opportunities, promotions, etc., none of them seem to happen in the frequency that I desire. I can beg for wisdom, skill, and a career's worth of experience, but it does not change the fact that these things come with time. A peace comes with recognizing that patience is sometimes the best course of action.

Having little identity outside of the fire house- I love being a firefighter. Everyone around me knows I am firefighter. It's on my clothing; it's in my typical conversations; it's on my license plates. My time is spent training, reading, and discussing all things firefighting. The preparation is completed in hopes that I will perform better on the incidents that I am called to.  With that being said, relying on call volume or a "good burner" to bring me happiness is futile. There is absolutely a high that comes with that, but as you well know, it's fleeting. My family, my faith, my friends, and my community are all deserving of my time and  energy. I also have to be present and available outside of a tour of duty. The greatest firefighters are often those who are well-rounded in all areas of life.

The One With All the Answers

One of the top reasons I love being a firefighter is the possibility of encountering something I have never seen before. My day can go any one of one hundred different ways each time I am on shift. The potential to encounter the unknown is there every single time the tones go off for a run. I have worked in retail settings. I have worked behind the counter in a bank. I have worked in a cubical day after day. My lack of satisfaction in each of these jobs was not based on the usual suspects of a terrible boss, mistreated employees, or even poor pay (though I would have always been happy to have more in my wallet). What drove my desire to find something greater was the monotony of doing the same things every day with little long-term impact.

Firefighting is a profession unlike any other. During any given shift, you could be called upon to perform CPR, put out a car fire, stop a gas leak, open a stuck elevator, administer medications, stabilize an overturned piece of construction equipment, and then install a car seat.  Realistically speaking, this does not all happen on a daily basis. However, I can almost guarantee that you can throw together any number of random call types, and someone out there has had it happen to them. With that being said, are you prepared, regardless of what is found once the apparatus pulls up to the incident?

Thankfully, we are not expected to be subject matter experts for every response type we encounter. It is expected that we use the collective knowledge of both our crew and other available resources to come up with logical solutions. Most of us can relate to a time (or perhaps many times) when we truly had no idea what that solution was going to be. That helpless feeling should drive us to be better. Let that be the last time that particular scenario leaves us feeling stumped; in this profession, odds are it will come up again at some point in our career.

Hopefully, you have had the opportunity to work under either an officer or senior firefighter who had the uncanny ability to find a resolution. As if by some magic, these guys are the ones who seem to have all the answers.  I can remember one particular incident in which multiple companies were called to a smoke investigation. The first arriving company was unable to locate any incident at the location provided. For several minutes, three engine companies were traveling up and down a residential block with no signs of smoke trying to locate anything that even resembled an emergency. Within a minute of arrival, the District Chief got on the radio and made the bold statement that the companies should be looking for a chiminea, based on what he smelling. Shortly thereafter, the first-in engine reported that a lit chiminea was found in a backyard. It was, in fact, the source of smoke. For those living in the southwest, this probably would not sound like a farfetched scenario. I can assure you though, when it happens in intercity Houston, one can really only laugh and shake their head in amazement.

Many will argue that the only way the aforementioned could be possible is through experience. There is no doubt that hands-on, life experience will do wonders for a firefighter’s ability to find the needed solution. Obviously, it takes time to build a similar repertoire of knowledge. However, for those with experience, there is always room for more. Likewise, we should not use lack of time or experience as a crutch for not striving for better. I would submit that pointed efforts can also net similar results to that of the previously mentioned District Chief. There are steps that we can daily take to become “that guy.”

Enter into each shift with the mindset that you will walk away a better firefighter than when you
came. This will set the tone for your time on-duty, and leave you seeking opportunities to make that possible. Maybe you don’t remember a particular EMS protocol. Perhaps it has been a while since you last looked over a friction loss chart. It could be that you are unaware of the location of high voltage wiring on a particular hybrid vehicle. In many cases, these small bits of information can be committed to memory in a short period of time. Why not take that little bit of time to correct the shortfall the moment you realize a particular area of weakness? Surely, we would not let pride keep us from doing it, right? The trade-off could be an easily avoided cluster on an incident scene.

It is also well known that one of the best ways to learn a complicated task or concept is to teach others about it. In preparing for passing on that knowledge, it will hopefully clarify those areas of difficulty for yourself, also. Remember that teaching can take place both formally and informally. A five minute coffee-table discussion might be all that is required.

The flip side to teaching is listening. Truly, listening. This is a skill that is vital up and down the ladder of authority. In an age when many of us listen only in passing, waiting to get back to whatever distraction is on the cell phone, we have to get back to listening intentionally. It is easy to forget that each person brings something different and usable to the table. Each time something new is presented, add it to your own mental roll-a-dex. Shadow those who have shown themselves to be a valuable resource. Learn from and apply the knowledge that they have passed along.   

As the analogy goes, you cannot walk a mile without first taking a step. It is the small decisions that we make on a daily basis that will get us further over the course of a career. Put forth the effort to step into the role of a firefighter that others can count on when it matters. I have no problem admitting that it feels like I am far from having all the answers; I guess that makes it all the more easy to keep striving for more.

Believing the Lies

For too long now, I have relied on other peoples' opinions to dictate how I operate. Like little devils on my shoulder, there has always been a barrage of voices telling me what is and is not possible. "You have to shut down the nozzle to make any kind of advance with a 2 1/2" line." "You have to have at least two people to carry a 35' ladder." "You don't gear up for an automatic alarm; the dispatcher would have told us if it was on fire."

These voices continually have won out before I even attempted to prove them wrong. Even worse, there have been numerous times that I passed along these false gospels. This only perpetuates the cascade of short-comings. Senior men wonder how the fire service has evolved to what they deem as "weak." It happens when we trade dedicated effort for the comforts of the dayroom.

I am here to admit that I have bought into some of the lies.
With that being said, I am tired of it. Watching how others have managed to put in hard work and push the envelope has proven that, far too often, I have given up too early. That is not acceptable.

The fire service was built by people who were willing to put everything on the line; the same people who saw an opportunity to take an unwanted job for the outcast immigrant, and elevate it to profession of greatness. What right do I have to do things differently?

The digital age of fire service training has seemed to blur a lot of the lines when it comes to finding the truth that I seek. Social media has allowed firefighters to pass along trainings and new techniques unlike any other time before. No longer do we have to wait for annual conferences to hear the latest and greatest. This information is now immediate. Unfortunately, the approach to this mass sharing of knowledge is often taken to one of two extremes.

On one hand, we criticize, deny and negate the feasibility of the things we see. I'll be among the first to admit that not all information is valid just because it goes viral, however, shouldn't we explore the possibility that the information is helpful prior to deciding upon a final verdict? All progress halts when we intentionally disregard what is being shared before any attempts are made to apply, or if needed, tweak and apply.

The other extreme occurs when all things are taken as truth, and then immediate attempts are made to implement them on an incident scene. You will likely hear our profession referred to as a craft. This implies that firefighting requires a calculated, skill-based execution of duties. The majority of the time, we cannot assume that this will be accomplished by watching a video several times. Yes, there are people capable of carrying a set of irons, a hook, and a vent saw while balancing a 28' extension ladder in a high-shoulder carry, but that does not mean that it anyone can replicate it effortlessly.

Where I have failed so often is by not even making an initial attempt. Say, perhaps, that I am one of those people who can carry the entire ladder truck on my shoulders. Yet, instead of doing so, I never try it. What, then, is the outcome when choose to believe the lie that tells me that these people are only an anomaly? No one benefits! My lack of action provides zero opportunity to make a substantial difference. These are the instances where the lies cannot win.

It's on me to test what my capabilities are. It's on me to sort through the garbage, and apply what I find to be true. I'm done believing the lies.