Code 3 - The Firefighters Podcast

Are you tired of being told to “think outside the box?”Well, if you are, I have good news: today’s show is about thinking inside thebox.It's about looking at structures as a series of boxes, determining which box has theactive fire in it, and how to attack that fire. Boxes determine flow path inlarge modern residential structures.It’s an interesting idea, and it was developed for the Plano, Texas fire departmentby Eric Wahlberg, a 30-year veteran of Fire/Rescue and an assistantchief. He is also a Master Firefighter with the state of Texas.

One of the least exciting jobs for a firefighter is the dreaded Community Risk Reduction assignment.In an urban environment, CRR may mean doing a meeting with the people you serve. Or maybe you’re changing smoke alarm batteries.Either of those—not exciting, but not so much work, either.But if your department covers urban and rural areas, where you could be tasked to fight a brush fire, well, now you may have to do some physical labor ... plus those meetings.Not all, or even many, departments have dedicated crews to community risk reduction. Often, CRR is one person, whose job may include other responsibilities.Today, I’m talking with one of our favorite guests, Chad Costa, about what CRR can do for your community…and what you can get out of it, too.Chad is assistant fire chief for the Petaluma, California, fire department. He has over 25 years on the job.

Incident commanders, here are some questions for you:How much thought do you put into where you set up your command post?Is it usually on the alpha side of a structure? Why is that? Routine? Street access?What about distractions? For example, noise. That can not only give you a headache but also make you miss an urgent radio call, right?My guest on this edition of Code 3 has been considering questions like this for a while. He has suggestions for things to think about the next time you pull up to the fireground and are ready to drop that tailgate.Robby Bergerson is the executive deputy chief of the Waco, Texas Fire Department. He’s got three decades in the fire service, having served in every rank and supervising every division. He’s also a credentialed Chief Fire Officer through CPSE.

Firefighters around the country are looking at the possibility of a new OSHA ruling very carefully.I’m talking about the two-in/two-out rule, contained in NFPA 1500.There’s a new report written by five prominent members of the fire service that says two-in/two-out doesn’t make firefighters any safer. Instead, the time wasted waiting for a RIC crew to get ready makes it more likely that civilian victims will be killed.The report uses data from Project Mayday to support this claim. It points out that when firefighters die in the line of duty, it isn’t usually in a mayday situation.It also says that if a mayday is called, it’s more likely that another interior crew member will make the save. The rule is routinely circumvented by departments that need to get inside a building but don’t have enough people on the fireground to do it.An OSHA ruling would add some enforcement teeth to NFPA 1500. The report’s titled, “Removing Two-In/Two-Out: A Modern, Data-supported Defense of Our Core Mission." It was written by Bill Carey, Sean Duffy, Nick Ledin, Chris Thompson and Scott Thompson.Sean Duffy is acting as the PIO for the group and spoke to me about the report.

Every firefighter who rides an engine has a favorite tool: The Halligan Bar. As nearly all young firefighters learn, it was invented in 1948 by an FDNY Deputy Chief named Hugh Halligan.Not long after that, he created the Halligan Hook. Sometimes it’s called a New York Roof Hook.This six-foot bar is a favorite of truckies who need to open up roofs.But there’s another way to use the Halligan Hook: as a rescue tool. It takes a little creativity to see a bar meant for ripping open a roof as a way to save a firefighter's life. Today’s guest is here to explain how to do it.AB Turenne is the captain of training and safety with a career department in Middlesex County, Connecticut. He’s got 25 years on the job and is a certified Level III Fire Service Instructor.

Fire departments around the U.S. are approaching a tipping point.At the same time career departments are seeing a drop in applicants, they’re also losing existing firefighters.This is a problem. Once upon a time, not so long ago, it was tough to get a job in the fire department.But now, fewer people line up for those spots. Maybe it’s generational, maybe it’s just a natural cycle and it’ll change.Or maybe it’s something more.Here to discuss that with me is Dr. Reggie Freeman.He’s the chief risk officer for the HAI Group, based in Cheshire, Connecticut. He’s served as the fire chief of three departments: Oakland, California, Hartfort, Connecticut and Lockheed Martin Aeronautics. He’s also a member of the board of directors of the NFPA.

What’s potentially harder to locate victims in than a hoarder house?A stuffed-full self-storage locker.But that’s exactly what can happen. And even if the victim’s not inside at the time of the fire, their activities may have caused it.Those storage spaces are frequently climate-controlled, and they’re cheap…maybe $100 a month for a small one. That makes them seem like a great place to live for someone who can’t afford to rent an apartment.They aren’t, of course, and occupants who choose to try living in one can become the victim of a fire they can’t escape.This week, my guest tells us about his experiences with homeless people who tried to make a storage unit home…and regretted it.Tim Thompson is chief of the Georgetown, Kentucky Fire Department. He’s worked his way up over 19 years of service from firefighter to the boss. He’s also a member of the Kentucky Association of Fire Chiefs.

A recent study done at North Carolina State University took a look at PFAS chemicals used in turnout gear and came to some interesting conclusions.PFS layers are what give current turnout coats and pants their oil and water repellency.They're also a known carcinogen, so donning PPE made with PFAS is dangerous even before you step onto your engine or truck. Unfortunately, when the study looked at alternatives, it found that all oil repellents can also repel water, but all water repellents don’t necessarily repel oil. My guest on this show is Bryan Ormond, an assistant professor of textile engineering, chemistry and science at NC State. He also wrote up the results of the study.