LETTERS
Stress’n Health
I totally enjoyed your January issue of Fire Engineering pertaining to Apparatus and Equipment Maintenance and Upkeep.
Now, due to budget restraints, the majority of us are going to take better care of our apparatus and equipment.
But what about the men who man the engines, rescues, etc.? Isn’t it time we devoted some care to them?
What I venture to suggest is that you devote an entire issue of Fire Engineering to the fitness, health and happiness of the American fire fighter What can management or a municipality do to help Paramedic and even EMT stress?
Due to the fact we have a heart and hypertension law in Connecticut, we do get fire fighters who become incapacitated. Also, the city of New Haven (with approximately 400 fire fighters and line officers in a fully paid department) has lost, within the last nine years, three fire fighters and a captain all due to on the job coronary attacks.
What are the various departments doing, around the country, to promote good health, good health habits and physical fitness among their members?
Also, relating to the city of Los Angeles and the city of New York, do an article on “radio alerting vs. bells”. An L.A. study showed radio tones are far better for fire fighters’ health than bells.
David Titus
New Haven, Conn
Save $$ on Wetting Agents
The Langley, British Columbia Volunteer Fire Department, which until recently had tankers from six firehalls as its sole water supply, found that using wet water approximately doubled its effectiveness, but at a cost of $20 to treat 1000 gallons it was going bankrupt. Someone then was inspired to try Amway L.O.C. (Liquid Organic Cleaner) which is also a powerful wetting agent and found that one cup treats 1000 gallons of water at a cost of only 50 cents.
We have put L.O.C. in all our booster tanks and tankers routinely for several years and found it highly effective, particularly for overhauling, and extinguishing ground fires, since it spreads and penetrates much better than plain water. There is a good description of the way it works on page 621 of the Fourth Edition of The Fire Chief’s Handbook by Jim Casey.
Bruce Edwards
Deputy Chief
Wabasca Alberta Fire Department
Canada
Continued
Rope Replacement
The December 1982 issue of Fire Engineering contained an article “Using the Figure Eight Descender” followed by an article in the January 1983 issue entitled “Don’t Forget About Your Lifebelt.”
(See also the April article on carabiners, Ed.) These articles present a most interesting coincidence, or were they intended to promote discussion?
During 1982 our department embarked upon a rope replacement program. After long research and deliberation the decision was made to replace all department 100 percent manila life lines, purchased in 1980, with new %-inch rescue kernmantle synthetic ropes and appropriate rope bags for storing in apparatus compartments.
During the research period required in a new rope selection process, I repeatedly came in contact with various articles and demonstrations at fire department seminars and conferences expounding upon the use and advantages of the figure eight descender and carabiners for rescue purposes in the fire service. I found in researching these two devices that they had been in common use by recreation climbers and mountain rescue units throughout the world for a considerable span of time; thus their value was well proven and documented over this extended period
I requested a carabiner and figure eight for evaluation purposes and was pleasantly surprised at the modest cost of less than $40 for the two items. We had in stock an approved commercially manufactured web seat similar to a socalled “Swiss Seat” so that we now had a complete system that either met or exceeded OSHA standards, ready for evaluation. Would this type of rescue system be safe, practical and efficient for fire service use?
During some 10 weeks of training sessions conducted on a daily basis to acquaint line fire personnel with the new synthetic life lines and their use in conjunction with standard issue fire service life belts, the figure eight/carabiner/web seats were used by all personnel receiving training (150) also.
Our observations were that the alternate rescue system was far superior to the old fire service standby – the life belt. The new system was easier to use, less complicated in rigging for use and far more comfortable. The Swiss Seat produced less back strain and by locking in would allow a rescuer to stop at any point of the descent and work in complete ease and safety with both hands free to perform whatever operations a particular rescue incident might dictate.
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Continued from page 15
Descent can still be controlled by a safety man on the ground putting tension on the running part of the line, as with a conventional life belt.
Other advantages are evident with the figure eight/seat rescue system. Besides being simple, safe and comfortable, the cost factor for the three pieces of hardware will be appreciably less than the average fire department life belt – and the entire system will easily fit in a turnout coat pocket.
My own experience leads me to the conclusion that the life belt may be relegated to that honored place in fire service antiquity along with “iron fireman” and hand-pumped wooden apparatus.
Gordon W. Maycumber
Deputy Chief
Syracuse fire Department. N. Y.
Interdepartment Education
The knowledge one gains from practical experience cannot be measured easily or replaced by other means of learning Many times it is painful and costly to educate people by waiting for events to transpire that will teach them something We cannot afford to burn an entire city block down to give officers the experience of sizing up for such an event. In some departments, fires of this magnitude may be a two or three year occurrence. With a three-shift department, there is only a one in three chance that an officer will be on duty when a large call comes in. We are now talking that an officer will have this experience one in 10 years-twice in a careerin some departments. This is just not enough for personnel to learn from. It is not easy to coordinate a large number of units and individuals when the majority of the time you have dealt with just one crew or one piece of equipment. The size-up and set-up is crucial in these situations, and the superior arriving at the scene will have to work with whatever the initial decisions were.
Some departments are finding themselves being faced with cut-backs and are being forced to scale down. Many times the adjustment is hard on a department Smaller departments are forced to and learn to function with less. Major departmental adjustments should be given a lot of thought, study, and preparation.
Combining some practical experience and seeing for oneself can be very beneficial at a minimal cost. Having more interaction between departments can solve many of our seemingly impossible problems.
For example, to train officers to handle large scale situations. If large departments would let other departments come in and ride with them and observe, they could gain the experience of the situation and not be under the weight of command. On-the-spot observation can teach a lot, a chance to step back and see how it all falls into place. Large urban departments deal with problems of exposures, more people to evacuate and larger structures. These departments work with these things every day. We can learn from them.
As with the scaling down problem.
The smaller department can teach the large department as well. Watching a department function efficiently with just three men per apparatus while you’ve been doing the same thing with five makes you feel there are some tricks of the trade worth looking at.
It is too costly both financially and in time lost to learn the hard way. We can all learn from each others experiences, both good and bad.
Donald E. Bytner
Assistant Chief
Macomb Fire Department
Illinois
Lloyd Layman Rebuttal
This letter is in response to Gene Carlson’s February Volunteers Corner.
“Lloyd Layman’s theory: Has Its Time Really Come and Cone?” I think not. Was it misunderstood? There is no question – it was.
I think that it is only right that I answer Gene Carlson’s February Volunteers Corner with a modest rebuttal. Gene and many of his peers seem to be completely missing the boat by not utilizing techniques such as Lloyd Layman’s indirectattack and, by applying a little ingenuity, incorporating them into a modern day attack for special situations.
Chief Layman never advocated indirect-attack for conditions where human life was at risk, other than the fire fighting personnel involved. He advocated a coordinated attack with ventilation at an appropriate location some distance from the attack point.
I agree with Gene Carlson that a 30degree fog stream through a window at a superheated atmosphere near the ceiling level is not a very good attack procedure for all of the reasons he has enumerated, plus a few of my own.
The great majority of fires lend themselves to Gene’s “getting inside theory of getting ahead of the fire, by placing a line between the fire and those in need.
His dissertation on protective clothing is absolutely correct in most instances, however, an aggressive attack is inappropriate for a fully involved cellar fire where adaquate ventilation cannot be performed. Protective clothing will not prevent a fire fighter from being blown out of a cellar due to heat explosion, flash-over etc., when adequate ventilation cannot be provided.
It is great to get inside, but what if you can’t.
John Chatfield, Jr.
Product Development Consultant
Easton, Conn.
What Good is a Locked Door?
Would you believe that with all the hotel fires, with their record of loss of life and injuries, that there is still a multistory hotel in the United States that locks its exit doors at night and the security guard carries the key. In the event of a fire he intends to unlock the exit doors.
I spoke to the manager about this dangerous procedure, but I dont’t think that I made any change in their policy.
I am writing to you so that fire chiefs and other inspection agencies concerned will schedule inspection activities for the early morning hours, so that dangerous practices can be discovered and corrected.
Herman Sager
Tribes Hill, NY
