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1. If you’re reading blogs like this, you’re a “fire nerd” – or at least care a good deal about the job.
2. Everyone needs a little inspiration or pick-me-up, especially in these times when the “modern” fire service can get you down.

As such, here are a few of my all-time favorite texts (did you know I can read?)….

1)  The Last Men Out,  Tom Downey – Written by the nephew of the legendary “founder” of FDNY Rescue Companies, Ray Downey, this is a more modern text about Rescue Co. 2 in Brooklyn.  Though it doesn’t say it, and he’d have never told you about it, one of the first stories in the book is about Pete Lund & his crew, at a tragic fire which claimed the last Rescue 2 Fireman before 9/11.

2)  Report From Engine Co. 82, Dennis Smith - I think I was probably about 8 years old the first time I read this.  This was the first time I realized I was born about 20-30 years too late.

3)  The Rescue Company,  Ray Downey – Much more of a learning book then a story book, this tells the story of the beginnings of the FDNY’s Special Operations Command by it’s founder, Ray Downey.  Also included are many thought provoking ideas, concepts, and skills for anyone riding around on a rescue or ladder company.

4) Fire Officer’s Handbook of Tactics, John Norman – One of the most authoritative and recognized manuals on modern firefighting, if you didn’t already know that.  While I don’t regard everything in this book as “gospel”, I do reference it frequently and use it’s ideas as a jumping-off point or thought-provoker.

The article can be found here.

By: Danny Doyle

Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire

The infamous statement “The fire goes as the first line goes“  has either become a harsh reality to  you or something that you might have read in the latest fire service journals.  We are going to dig into that statement regarding the first line, one position at a time, starting at the tip!   It could be said that this topic has been beat to death, “you can put a monkey at the tip”, or even “this isn’t rocket science!”  Well…  The only way to have a crew with continuity is to know the game plan and know each other!   A “monkey” with a few good techniques, sure, “rocket science”  no.  Common Sense, YES!

1. Knowing your district: Ok…  Another topic that gets mentioned all the time right?  If you don’t know what the building looks like or at the very least what types of buildings are on the street,  you are already a step behind.

2. Line Choice: Depending on the staffing at your particular place of business, let’s say…  You as the senior firefighter are tasked with deciding what line to deploy.  Is it a warehouse, store, apartment building, or a single family?   Marry that up the building type/design with what you see upon arrival.   You may need to account for set backs, the size of the building, and the fire location.  OCCUPANCY can often dictate the diameter of line to be deployed and so can the amount of FIRE.  Oh yes, this is the great debate of small line/big line!  It is actually Speed/Mobility vs Volume/GPM….

3. Size Up: You’ve chosen your line and are moving toward your target.  On your way there take a look at where it is that you’ll be disappearing into.  More than likely you’ll get to see at least two sides of the building as you approach.  Size-up is everyones job!  For you, on the tip, you can read the smoke or catch a glance of the fire location.  As the line is flaked quickly, here is a good survival technique:  notice where the windows are, where the ladders thrown, and if there a porch roof.  A shortage of staffing mixed with that first 20 minutes of the fire can be a breeding ground for a MAYDAY!  Keep those eyes and ears open.

4.  Stretch/Flake the line: You can encounter a fire situation anywhere, from the front door to a good fire in the attic.  These two fires can drastically change how your line is flaked out and when it should be charged!   Do we have to fight our way into the building with a charged line because fire is at the front door?  Or can we stretch in and up those stairs dry because fire is in a rear apartment on an upper floor?  Wherever we flake/charge the line, it needs to be flaked out properly to maximize your flow…  ELIMINATE KINKS.  The best case scenario for stretching is when we are in-line with the door.  The less friction generated around corners and obstacles as the back-up FF pulls line, the more energy we will save!  But today, we’re on the tip, we really shouldn’t have to grunt out pulling for more line with our team working effectively.  We will cover the backbone or the back-up position in a blog to follow!

5.  Am I Ready: Ok… Whew… deep breath.  This is where it all pays off!  Lets Talk “COMBAT READY” shall we?  In all reality Combat Ready starts before the call comes in.  It can go all the way back to when the buildings were being built and you walked through them or on a recent building inspection or area familiarization drill.   During your last call to these type of buildings you looked around just a little more…got a layout. You were in early tonight, as usual, you checked your personal and company equipment and know its operation intimately!  Now its time for work, you’re down with a knee on the nozzle.  You put your face piece on and are calling for water!   As the seconds pass you are bleeding the line with an eye on that nozzle pattern!

6. Moving In: All the while, the fire that has begun to consume the first floor and has lapped out and caught the porch roof and vinyl siding on fire!  In order to make a safe advance with no surprises,  sweep the front of the house with your stream, knocking fire down as we move.  We leave nothing behind or it will tap you on your shoulder when your not looking!  Moving in the front door can be rough.  Use your stream to cover the outline of the door and hallway as you push in.  Hitting the ceiling, then contents/walls, then floor!  Flow the water that you need to make the hit.  REMEMBER…  Enough to make the hit.  To much of a good thing can be bad also, too much water with no place for converting steam to go can cause the steam to push down on you!  If you’re able to move in prior to flowing, take a glance down low for victims and layout.

7.  Operating the Tip: Think “ Tactical Nozzle!”  Listen for the sound of the stream hitting walls out in front,  you’ll notice hallways, doors, windows and at times be able to tell the size of room your in.   It’s all in the sound change…  Something else that I consider tactical is not just flowing the water but positioning my line for primary attack, along with protecting an advancing search crew that might have ascended the stairs or went down the hall.  Remember – if by chance you are instructed to back out, MAKE SURE THE SEARCH CREW HAS COME OUT BEFORE YOU LEAVE!!!  YOU MAY MAKE OR BREAK THEIR EXIT!!!

8. Forward… MARCH!  Keep moving in and knock the fire down in each room or at the very least control the floor making headway.  If you’re “digging in” or ” holding your position”  you may be in a losing battle.  Those terms may embellish a story back at the station but we know what it really meant.   If you can’t push, you will be over run or pushed back!

9. Commercial Occupancies:  UNCOMMON GROUND? Lets just throw out a few tips for the not so familiar fire.

• Think larger line!  With the larger line you may need to invite more troops (additional alarms/units on arrival) you’ll need the help moving that line.
• Keep that 2 1/2 nozzle a good foot and a half out in front.  Kneel on it and pull up.  This will both direct your stream to where it needs to be and your body weight along with the change of direction pushing down will absorb the nozzle reaction.
• Check above you every 25 ft! Open the ceiling, using a hook or the stream!  NO FIRE ABOVE OR BEHIND YOU!
• Your the frontman on the line!  SOUND THAT FLOOR! You never know!  Duck walk so that you can keep your weight from pushing you forward.  This will bring your head up so you can see the fire above!  Do Not be crawling blind looking down at the floor!

10. Residential Fires:  All right,  last but not least the biggest killer and where we do the most work

• Most of our work is done here with 1 1/2 or 1  3/4.  Yup your right!  So much easier to move however still a workload even when done right!
• You can be on your own at the nozzle with this size line!  While your officer is watching conditions, your back-up FF is getting that hose to you.  I know, I know,  We don’t work alone!  You’re right, you are not alone …. you are operating as a part of the hose team.    Everyone needs discipline, you are all on the line in different places.  Don’t leave the line.  Reality Check!!!  Depending on staffing, IF THE BACK UP FIREFIGHTER IS UP AT THE NOZZLE, THEY MAY NOT BE DOING THEIR JOB!   Use the walls, doorways, or corners to brace yourself.  You can hit and move and work your way down a hall or into a room.

Just a few tips for the tool box.   There’s so much more, what can you add?  The BACK UP position will be coming soon!

Everyone stay safe and have a happy new year!

I’m going to share with you the recently revised policies for the DCFD on this topic.  Let me start off by saying that I don’t think this “the light”, or the only way.  I do think it’s a good idea, and that they work well.  But ultimately I’m just sharing what we do.  Hopefully you guys have some better ideas to share back, or maybe you’ll pick up something to take back and make work for your department….

To bring you up to speed:

• Our engines are staffed with FOUR (driver, officer, lineman, layout) and truck have FIVE (driver, tiller, officer, barman, hookman).  
• Our box alarms get 5 engines and 2 trucks.  The 5th due engine has the “initial” RIT responsibilities.  They lay a separate supply line (the 3rd supply line BTW) from an independent source and report to side A with a independent attack line.  
• When an incident is discovered to be a “working fire”, that brings (among other things) a 3rd truck company which is teamed up with the 5th engine to be the “RIT Group”.

So in summary, if that bored you, we have 1 engine & 1 truck with a total of 9 FF’s as our RIT group.

Truck Company Responsibility

The truck company’s role is to locate the downed firefighter, get them on air, package the downed-FF and begin removal, if possible.  Let me interject my own thought here:  locating the downed-FF and keeping them on fresh air is critical.  If that FF runs out of air before you find them, or because we can’t get fresh air on them, the rest is a recovery…  

Another personal point on this – companies should prepare for the fact that they may not complete the extrication.  As firefighters, we train & learn to complete our tasks:  you start forcing the door, YOU finish it… Your first due?  YOU put the fire out, etc…  In RIT, situations can be so complicated and STRENUOUS that it is likely that the first team to put their hands on the downed FF may not complete the removal process.  That’s not to say we shouldn’t TRY, but we need to accept this, put down our egos, and work together to do what’s necessary…

So back on track – our 5 person truck splits into two teams.  This mimics our regular fireground operations where we have an entry team (OIC, bar, hook) and roof team (driver, tiller).  

Reconnaissance Team (OIC, Bar, Hook):

The primary goal of these FF’s is to locate the downed-FF as quickly as possible.  They use a tag-line as orientation to themselves and to provide rapid access to the downed-FF, once located, for those coming to assist.  This team must be LIGHT, FAST, AND MOBILE.

• Officer: search line bag & TIC, out front of the group.
• Hook: RIT SCBA pack
• Bar: Halligan & Axe, Hydra-Ram.

Equipment Team (Driver, Tiller):

These guys are on the “ready 5″ (Top Gun reference, BTW).  They are outside, STAYING FRESH.  They may be gathering additional tools dicataed as the situation unfolds, establishing egress to the specific area where the FF is thought to be, etc…

Their BIG role is to be FRESH BODIES that can scurry in on that tag line once the downed-FF is located and start removing the downed-FF.  Again, more than likely that Recon team is going to be whopped and out of air after they accomplish their goals (if not, great!) so the Equipment team has to be fresh so they can keep the operation going as additional resources are gathered.

• Assemble tools in staging area.
• Place lighting, ladders.
• Open up means of egress.
• Be in a rested, ready state to head in and assist the recon team as needed.

Engine Company Responsibility

The engine has a simple, straightforward, yet CRITICAL mission: create a “defendable space” (translation: KEEP THE FIRE OFF US).  Their job is pretty much to make sure the truck can do theirs.  In most situations, if week keep the downed FF on air and keep the fire off them, we can take as long as we want (figuratively) to remove them.

• Engine Driver: insures the team has water.  Ideally, the RIT Engine’s line should come off their OWN rig (redundancy in pump, supply, etc).  However if, for some reason, it CAN’T, the driver will physically stand at the pump panel of the rig that line does come off of to make sure it has water when needed.
• OIC, Lineman, Layout – advance & operate line to protect the RIT operation.

This has been a really quick overview of our operations – most things here could of course be pages & pages on their own, so go easy on me if I over looked something

A lot of our policies were revised over the spring & summer and were part of the Department’s “Back to Basics” program, which I was fortunate enough to be a part off… Taking 1200 of our personnel through this program certainly allowed the instructors to see a lot of pro’s & con’s and how things really played out.

Again – this isn’t the only way, it’s just our way (currently).  I think it shows a lot of pro-active thinking for RIT though, and I’d hope everyone would take away the concept of having SOME plan for your Department’s operations.  As always just make sure it fits your typical staffing & operations.  If you don’t have enough manpower on the 1st alarm to handle these duties, you probably need to beef up that 1st alarm assignment…

Take Care & Happy Holidays,

-Nick

So for those of us in an engine company – WHAT IS COMBAT READY?

This is quite an extensive topic, so here are a few of my first thoughts.  I’m sure this will lead to a few more posts expanding on these thoughts, and hopefully some comments from everyone else on what they think a “combat ready” crew should focus on.

First – EVERY ALARM IS THE “FIRE OF YOUR CAREER” UNTIL YOU PROVE OTHERWISE, ACT ACCORDINGLY.  There are babies trapped, everyone’s counting on you, you’re actions will make or break this fire.  If you take every action with these thoughts in mind, it doesn’t matter if they’re true or not – you’ll be performing at your best.

A quality engine is nothing without a quality crew.  It seems like an obvious statement, but the rig doesn’t put out the fire – you do.  So what are the essential skills for an engine crew?

Come off dressed, with firefighting gloves on.  I see guys getting off with no gloves, leather gloves, or rescue gloves.  What are you going to do with that?  Any fire worth anything is going to burn the hell out of you if you’re not wearing the correct gloves.  Oh, you’ll put them on when it’s time?  As stupid as it sounds – putting a pair of gloves on can take up to 30 seconds. Try telling the father in the front yard who’s screaming about his trapped kids to “hang on a sec”…  You had that whole response time to get dressed, NOW is not the time for it.

In my opninon, when you come off the rig it is TIME TO WORK.   Your hands will be pulling line, maybe forcing a door, whatever.  If you rip you fingernail off, cut your wrist, or break your finger because you didn’t have gloves on, YOU ARE OUT OF THE GAME.  

Nobody wants to wait for you. Be ready!

Oh you can’t work well in your gloves?  Poor dexterity?  SUCK IT UP.  Practice.  Get different gloves.  Soak your gloves and let them dry on your hands.  Whatever you need to do – it is not impossible to mask up, tie nots, or do anything else wearing firefighting gloves.  If you can’t, its because you haven’t tried/practiced hard enough.

Mask up at the fire entrance quickly.  I am NOT a fan of coming off the rig with your face piece on.  After my tirade about gloves, you may wonder why. When you’re stretching lines, you need to be able to see where you are going.  At night, in poor weather, or when stretching over long distances the face mask reduces your vision – even more so if it starts fogging up.  You may not know the obstacles you’ll encounter during your stretch until you encounter them, so you need to be able to see.

When we encounter smoke, it’s time to mask up.  A “combat ready” crew should be able to do this in under 30 seconds.

The firefighter in that video is a probationer with about 5 months in the fire service, no prior experience, no other training than the academy.  After about 10 minutes of mentoring, as you can see, he can go from dressed to masked-up in about 15 seconds.  Trust me, if HE can do it – so can YOU… PRACTICE.

Setup the rig for your first due.  Your engine should be setup to reflect your typical manpower and the buildings & challenges in your first due area.  Many departments operate with the same setup they had 50 years ago, “just because”, or emulate the setups of other fire departments.  Borrowing ideas from other places is great – IF THAT IDEA FITS YOUR FIRST-DUE.  But if you’re running a pumper/tanker setup in an area with McMansions, what a FDNY engine in the Bronx has on it is probably irrelevant to you.

Attack lines should be quick/easy to pull and VERSATILE.  Attack lines should ideally be at shoulder height on the rig.  I shouldn’t have to climb a ladder to pull a crosslay.  We should know how to use the limited lines we have to accomplish multiple evolutions such as extending lines, covering long distances, well stretches, window stretches, etc…

Establish a water supply every time.  If you’re responding to a reported structural fire, PUT HOSE BETWEEN YOUR WATER SUPPLY & YOUR RIG EVERYTIME.  ”Nothing showing” means nothing.  That big 8-alarm fire we had in DC last march started out as “nothing showing”.  You & me both have seen plenty of places BURN DOWN due to water supply issues.  If you run out of water, GAME OVER.  If you got dispatched to a reported fire and didn’t take steps to establish a continuous water supply, sad to say, IT’S YOUR FAULT.

If it’s an interior attack, it’s an AGRESSIVE interior attack.  There are two options in interior firefighting: winning & losing.  There is no such thing as “holding it”.  When you open the line, work the ceiling, work the walls, sweep the floor, and MOVE IN – repeat.  If you’re not moving, you’re losing.   

Back-up firefighters make or break the operation.  The nozzleman is the glory-guy, but he’s basically got the easiest job.  If the back-up FF’s don’t feed the line and move it around obstacles, the nozzleman get’s nowhere and the company fails as a whole.

The nozzle FF only has fun because the backup FF GETS HIM TO THE FIRE.

These are just a VERY FEW of my first thoughts regarding a combat ready engine company.  What are yours?

Happy Holidays,

-Nick

The sign above Pete’s gear locker at Rescue 2, the true Vulcan God of Fire Lt. Pete Lund

To follow up on the previous article, there are two more tools that I wanted to share with all of you. I personally loved carrying these two tools with me when I was assigned to be the driver of the truck at Bailey’s Crosssroads. I currently still carry both of these in my Buggy in Clearwater. But enough from me I will let Pete tell you the story behind these tools and their uses…

VULCAN HOOK

You think it is easy coming up with names for these tools? Well, the Vulcan Tool was a true test of originality!!! Once again, the “Boys of JAF” outdid themselves. The original design came from an idea created by Mark Gregory of Rescue 2. He was looking for a better tool for the Roofman to take to the roof and he came up with the idea of cutting the adz and fork ends of the Halligan tool and putting them on about a 5′ piece of steel rebar. Well, it didn’t take long for us to come up with something a little better.

The present day Vulcan Tool consists of a 5′ steel New York Roof hook with a chisel end (which we have removed) and the fork end of the Halligan bar. Our first attempts to make the tool a little stronger included a steel sleeve that was placed over the weld and then pinned and welded in place. The problem was that it a considerable amount of weight to the tool. So we went back to the drawing board and came up with the present design and it seems to be working quite satisfactorily. We have taken the chisel end off the roof hook and drilled two holes in the handle of the hook. We have taken the adz end off the Halligan bar and ground it down slightly so that it fits neatly inside the handle of the steel shaft of the hook. We tack weld the handle of the adz end in place through the two holes we drilled in the handle and then put a bead of weld around the entire “joint” to strengthen the point of connection up. It has lightened the tool up considerably and made the tool a fine addition to the tool inventory of Tower 33.

So who is “Vulcan”? Any good, self-respecting mythology student knows the answer to that one – Vulcan is the God of Fire and Volcanoes!!!!!

MELISI BAR

Melisi Bar on the left, Standard halligan on the right. What a difference that extra bite makes when forcing doors. So what do we do with the “leftover” adz end of the Halligan bar after we make the “Vulcan Tool” you ask? Well, it is simple – we take it to the resident expert welder at Rescue 2, none other than Sam Melisi, and have his work some of his magic. Sammy is not only one of the most talented people that I had been fortunate enough to work with in my career but he is also one of the most creative! When posed with the dilemma of having all these extra parts of the Halligan bars after we made all of the Vulcan Tools, we took the problem to Sammy for some fast thinking. Lo and behold, Sammy came up with a way to “fatten” the adz end of a Halligan bar up and give it considerably more leverage when used to exert downward pressure while forcing an inward opening door. Not only will it do that, but it also gives more “bite” on the bar when forcing an outward opening door also. So how did Sammy accomplish this? Not a big problem for him at all. He merely took a portable band saw and cut the adz end off the parts left. Then, he put the adz in the vise at “JAF” (Jackass Fabrications) and cut the adz two more times lengthwise, thus yielding three separate pieces, each about ¾” wide. Then, he worked his magic with the arc welder and added a ¾” piece on to the adz end of one of our existing Halligan bars. He then put his talents to work with his 4” grinder and came up with what you see here. A modified and much improved version of our original Halligan bar; as you can see from the attached pictures, it is quite apparent that Sammy is excellent with his grinder also! There is barely any evidence at all that the tool was modified with the additional piece. The man is a genius! And now we have another “unique” tool to add to our repertoire on Tower 33. I am sure it is going to get much good use within the bounds of the Tower 33’s response district!

Pete grinding on the Lund Bar

The Lund Bar

The Lund Bar has an interesting history. Due to union agreements in the FDNY, the officers are permitted to carry a small tool for personal use only. I felt that I wanted a tool with a little heft to it so I approached the charter members of “JAF” and asked them to shrink a Halligan tool down for me so as not to cause union problems on the fire floor.

We simply took the middle 6″ or 8″ out of the center of the tool, prepared it for welding by bringing the two pieces to a point (to insure better welds)and then rejoined the two pieces with welds. After having one made for me, and seeing the success of the tool, other officers asked the men of “JAF” to make one for them.

After the welds had been ground down and made smooth, we put the finishing touches on the tool by first putting a line of wrapped medical tape under a layer of thick, rubber electrical tape to make the tool easier to grip. In the past couple of years, the tools have been made by Jimmy Jaget, Sam Melisi and Vinnie Tavella for me – I have tried not to burden any one of our expert welders too much!!!

Interestingly enough, I have noticed that Firemark Tools is now marketing a 20″ Halligan Bar in their catalog but it was Jackass Fabrications that was in the forefront several years ago with this tool!!!

The Lincoln Bar

So what is “the Lincoln Bar” that is carried on Tower 33 and where did it come from? Well, the birth of the Lincoln Bar actually took place back in the early 1980s in the FDNY’s Rescue Company 2 in Brooklyn, better know as “The Boro of Fire.” The originator was actually Glenn Harris of Rescue 2 and his idea was simple – he took two Halligan bars, cut off the fork end of one, the adz end of the other and welded the two pieces together. When combined, essentially what you ended up with is a 54″ Halligan bar. The uses were endless BUT you had to be a weightlifter to use the tool because when Glenn had the two pieces welded together, he had a sleeve added to cover the weld and it added a considerable amount of weight to the tool. But it was great for pulling ceilings, especially tin ceilings; it gave a huge amount of leverage IF you had the room to force a tough door in the “PJs” (the Brooklyn project buildings like the Albany Houses on Bergen Street right down the block from the new quarters of Rescue 2). In fact, some guys liked to carry the Harris Tool instead of the 6′ wooden hook when they carried the can if Rescue 2 was “first due” in the projects – the thinking being “what am I going to do with a 6′ hook in the projects – no ceilings to pull!!! The Harris Tool was also good on the roof when prying roof boards after a roof had been cut or when prying up a tough scuttle cover. Well, that’s the background on the tool – now where does Lincoln Quappe come into the picture. Well, many years ago (back in the “War Years” of the late 1960s and early 1970s), the FDNY was loaded with what I termed a lot of “colorful characters”. Over the years, the FDNY lost a lot of these color characters through attrition and it was something that I always missed. Well, Lincoln Quappe was a “throwback” to those years – he was our modern day answer to the colorful characters that our job so sorely missed

Lincoln came to Rescue 2 after fine tuning his skills at Ladder 123, right in our own backyard; and one thing became evident about Lincoln right away – he loved to “putter” and “tinker” around the firehouse. He loved to take things apart and see what made them tick. He loved to test new tools to ensure that they were actually “fireman proof.” But one of his greatest loves was to weld. In fact, the workshop at Rescue 2 became known as “Jackass Fabrications” (better known as “JAF”) because of all of the things that Lincoln fashioned out of scraps. No one that worked with Lincoln will ever forget his rendition or should I say “collection” of Barnyard Animals….these creations were some of the best works of JAF.

Anyway, I asked Lincoln to fashion one of the Harris Tools for me for Tower 33 in his spare time and he obliged. But being the master creator that he was, he managed to make the weld strong enough so that the sleeve and consequently, the additional weight were eliminated. He made a great grip out of rubber Con Edison tape and Tower 33 was the proud owner of a second generation Harris Tool – minus the additional weight and they coined it “The Lincoln Bar.”

And then, on 9-11, Lincoln was unceremoniously ripped away from us at Rescue 2 along with six of his other Rescue 2 brothers, the victims of the bombing and collapse of the WTC. We took a big hit that day but losing Lincoln was one of the toughest losses of all.

He was true “character” in very sense of the word – he had an incredible sense of humor, he was always involved in some sort of kitchen prank. He was a terrific firefighter – he was probably one of the most tenacious firefighters that I ever had the pleasure of working with at Rescue 2.

FF Lincoln Quappe Rescue 2

Lincoln Bar carried on Tower 33

These are two of the tools that JAF created, I will add the other two contributions that JAF made to our equipment inventories in the near future. As we at Traditions Training travel around doing classes you will always catch us going through your compartments. We are looking for what you and your department have in the way of tools, and any new or modified tools that you might have that work for your department and your response district. I hope you enjoyed Pete’s stories on how the tools were developed and named. Please share with us tools that you or your department have developed, we all would like to see what else is out there….

The fortunate aspect of our occupation, the associated LODD’s, and subsequent comprehensive reports that follow is that they validate what we train on and why we train on these particular skills. The contributing factor and recommendations in the report that each and every firefighter should review, and is the focus of this posting, is surrounding the chocking of doors. FF Roberts and his crew became trapped inside the dwelling when they fell back into the front metal door which caused the 1 3/4″ hoseline to became jammed under the door. Aside from this obstacle that was limiting their egress, they also had to deal with the fact that the three of them were piled up behind the door in high heat / zero visibility conditions. Essentially, no one could get in or get out because the hoseline was jammed under the door. If this scenario sounded unrealistic before, now we know it is not, and can happen to anyone. So what do we learn to take this factor out of the equation? Chock every door we go through.

So, you ride an Engine with primary task of getting that line on the fire or at least getting your line between the fire and occupants (remember Truckies are occupants).

• What do you carry in your gear to chock those doors?
• Do you chock every door?
• Do you assign one person this task on the line?

I operate under the premise that it is every fire fighter’s responsibility to chock the door. That means the guy on the nozzle, the officer, the back up guy taking a feed, the truck guy trying to trample over you and get an award (ha-ha-ha). If it is done by the first guy, great! Check and make sure it will stay (and don’t steal it). If is not or he has run out of chocks because it is the 10Th door he has went through with the line than it’s your turn chock it.

A good drill is to get your members together and see what everyone carries in their pockets.

• What kind of chocks do you carry?
• How many do you carry?
• Any 1st due buildings with a copious amount of doors that will need to be chocked?

Below is a pix of some of the more common chocks I carry, please add to the list by sharing what you carry and why? Never know, it may save your brothers life!

Wood Chocks, Grooved Wood Chock, Cherry Bombs, Hinge Locks, and Nails

1. Have the key.  If we’re pro-active about our box alarm district, the manager might give us a key to keep in the map book or the rig so we don’t break his gate (see step 2).
2. Cut the chain.  If it’s chain driven… But which chain?  There are two: short & long.  If you look, you’ll notice the shorter chain is under tension – cut that one.  Cutting the long one will do nothing for you.
3. “Inductive Loops”.  Dave Pylar, a good friend from Tower 3 in DC and a part time TT instructor, shared with me this quick & simple way of opening these gates in a non-destructive manner.  Check out the PDF below for more information on how to look like an all-star the next time you encounter one of these….