BY STUART GRANT AND LES STEPHENS
Several techniques presented below may help you get the job done more efficiently. We firefighters are ingenious people and are always trying to improve the way we do business. But before using any of these suggestions, make sure your department’s administration approves of them, and run them by your officer or discuss them around the kitchen table. Remember, modifying tools or using them for a purpose for which they were not designed may void the manufacturer’s warranty and could expose you to potential injury.
RADIO STRAP FOR THE TIC
A thermal imaging camera (TIC) is an expensive investment for most fire departments. Little extras like a strap or a retractable keeper are many times overlooked, and then getting funds to purchase these accessories seems to get lost in the shuffle. But an extra radio strap works great as a TIC strap, and it usually has clips at each end that allow for the attachment to the camera.
A leather belt is another easy fix. Buckle it at the desired length and then cut it directly opposite the buckle. Take it to a shoe repair shop and have each cut end folded back over the belt about one inch and sewn in place. Purchase a snap hook or a trigger snap hook for each end, and you will have an inexpensive strap for your TIC (photo 1).
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| (1) Photos by Stuart Grant unless otherwise noted. |
GLOVE HOLDER
In a previous article, we recommended you carry certain items in your coat pockets, which sometimes leaves little room for your gloves. Also, sticking your wet gloves in your pockets leaves them damp and mildewed when you return for your next shift. With a simple purchase from the hardware or home improvement store, you can have a glove holder that is easy to access and will keep your gloves securely at your side.
Purchase a spring-loaded clamp and drill a hole in one of the handles. Put a split-ring through the hole and then clip the ring to one of the D-ring clips on your coat. Now grasp the clamp, spread it open, and insert your gloves into the open clamp. These clamps are very strong and will hold your gloves securely by your side (photo 2).
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EXTEND LADDER FULLY FOR VENT
Have you ever watched a crew going to the roof for ventilation and seen them struggle to get off the ladder and onto the roof? When they reached the tip of the ladder, they had to crawl onto the roof and had to do the same thing to get back on the ladder to come down. You’ve thought to yourself, “There’s got to be an easier way!” The solution is simple: Use the entire ladder. You brought a 24-foot extension ladder with you, so use all of it. Don’t simply set the ladder or just put a few rungs above the roof—extend it to the full height. This way you can just step off the ladder, and when leaving the roof you can just step from the roof onto the ladder. It is also easier to locate in the smoky conditions when it’s extended to its full height. Also, align the ladder rung even with the roof line so that you do not have to step up or down to get off or on the ladder. This will make it so much easier, especially when you have tools with you. Pick a ladder that will work for you and make your job safer and advantageous (photos 3, 4).
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SCENE TAPE AT MVAs
During inclement weather, we are often dispatched to the same accident scene several times because the wreckers cannot remove the vehicles from the roadway quickly enough. At a motor vehicle incident, if you have to leave a vehicle on the side of the road, the median, or even in a parking lot where the public may see the damage and call it in again, wrap “fire-line” tape all around the vehicle so that it is visible to motorists from any angle. As you clear the call, inform the dispatch office of your actions so that if the call comes in again, the dispatchers can ask if the vehicle has the distinctive tape around it. If it does, they can inform the caller that the vehicle has already been checked and thank him for his concern. You have saved yourself an unnecessary run to the same location again (photo 5).
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FUEL CAP KEEPER
How many times have you left the gas/diesel cap on the tire and then run over it? I bet it has happened several times, and each time you tell yourself, “It won’t happen again.” The next time, you place it on the desk or the workbench, and you forget it again. The fix is simple and requires only two pieces of hook-and-loop fastener. Place one piece of the material on the inside of the gas/diesel cap door and the other on the cap itself. When refueling the vehicle, simply attach the cap to the inside of the fuel door using the fastener material. By doing this, you ensure the cap will not be lost or damaged—it will be right there. If you forget to replace it, you know exactly where to find it (photos 6, 7).
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| (6) (6-8) Photos by Les Stephens. |
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LAPEL MIC HOLDER
Many times on the fireground, we may see a firefighter unknowingly dragging a radio microphone on the ground or dropping it on the concrete. This not only damages the microphone but also endangers the firefighter, who may miss important radio transmissions or become entangled in debris. The microphone may be damaged such that it remains in the transmit mode and disrupts all emergency scene radio communications. To avoid this, purchase from a home improvement store a small keychain carabiner clip (sometimes marked “Not for climbing”) through which to run the microphone. Clip the carabiner to a D-ring or a strap on your turnout coat. You can keep this inexpensive lapel-mic holder where you can use it (photo 8).
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ROPE/CARABINER FOR LADDER RAISING
Many times, because of shrinking dollars and staffing, a single firefighter is sent to accomplish tasks on the outside of the building. This is true of placing ladders on the exterior of the building. Many times, you can use the building to “heel” the ladder. Simply place the butt of the ladder against the building and walk the ladder up. Once up, pull the base out to provide the climbing angle you need, or roll the ladder into place. If the roof line or some other obstacles do not allow you to raise the ladder against the building, you need a way of heeling or anchoring the ladder so you can raise it. Take a rope and tie a figure 8 on a bight in one end. Place a carabiner through the 8, and wrap it around the bottom rung of the ladder. Next, place the working end of the rope in the carabiner, and stretch out enough rope for the length of the ladder’s bed section of the ladder. Once the ladder is in the proper position, place the rope under the ladder running the length of it. Lift the end of the ladder up, and step on the rope. Continue to walk the ladder up while walking on the rope. Your body weight will keep the rope from slipping, thus anchoring the base of the ladder as you walk it up. Be sure to check for overhead obstructions before raising the ladder (photo 9).
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DRILLING LOCK CYLINDERS
Many times, we perform forcible entry operations and really do not consider the property damage that we are inflicting. In a previous article (“Prying and Opening Tips,” Tricks of the Trade, Fire Engineering, March 2009), we described how to use the halligan and a rotary saw to gain entry. Another option is to use a battery-operated drill with a ¼-inch drill bit. Drill the lock at the top of the keyway, making sure you drill between the top of the keyway and the top of the rotating cylinder. Drill in approximately one to 1½ inches to get through all the tumblers; you should be able to feel the drill bit go through each. Next, tap on the doorknob with a small tool to help the tumblers fall out. Once you have done this, you should be able to manipulate the lock keeper with a flat screwdriver and gain entrance. The door will not sustain any damage, and the building owner will have to replace only the lock cylinder.
You can do the same thing with a deadbolt lock, or you can remove the deadbolt itself. To accomplish this, you need to drill the holes on both sides of the rotating cylinder. This will drill out the screws that hold the deadbolt on. Once the housing and cylinder are out of the way, you can manipulate the deadbolt throw with a flat tool such as a screwdriver or the picks from a K tool (photos 10, 11).
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SOFT STANDPIPE SYSTEM
With more and more mixed-use buildings with limited ingress points appearing in our communities, the standpipe systems may not be in the places that we need them, or they may require a long hoselay to reach the involved area. An alternative to this is to use 2½- or three-inch hose as your standpipe system. You can place this anywhere in the building that you need to. For example, if you have a fire in a third-floor apartment and the standpipe is not accessible, you can run a line up to an adjacent apartment and place a wye or water thief on the end. Your attack lines are then connected and laid out in that apartment. Your attack is then just a couple of turns away. The only limitation to this is the pressure to which you test your hose. An additional advantage is that you do not tie up your aerial device. Be sure to secure the hoseline by tying it off to a railing, banister, or pike pole across the corner of the window so the water weight will not pull it out of the building (photos 12, 13).
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AERIAL STANDPIPE SYSTEM
Another alternative to the standpipe is using your aerial device as a standpipe system. You must examine the diameter and threads of where your nozzle attaches to the aerial’s waterway. If the size allows you to connect your 2½- or three-inch hose to it, great! If not, you will have to get an adapter. Once that is accomplished, you can attach a section of hose to the aerial and run it into the area where it’s needed so that the hose can be flaked out and staged for your operation. The disadvantage of using your aerial in this manner is that it will be tied up in that area. It can still be used for egress of that area but cannot be moved. If you need it for rescue or ventilation, you will have to assign another truck company to that function (photo 14).
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STUART GRANT, CFO, a 32-year veteran of the fire service, is a battalion chief with Dallas (TX) Fire Rescue. He is a certified master firefighter and fire instructor with the Texas Commission on Fire Protection. He has served in many capacities within the department, including academy commander, hazmat officer, paramedic, and rope rescue member. He is a Task Force leader for the Dallas Regional USAR team and the state’s second USAR TX-TF2 team. He has been a H.O.T. instructor and speaker at FDIC and instructs at Collin College in McKinney, Texas, and at the Texas A&M University Municipal Fire School. He has two associate degrees and a bachelor’s degree in fire administration. He has also been recognized by the Center of Public Service Excellence as a Chief Fire Officer.
LES STEPHENS, a 19-year veteran of the fire service, is chief of the San Marcos (TX) Fire Department. He is a certified master firefighter and an instructor with the Texas Commission on Fire Protection. In addition to serving two years as a training officer in the Garland (TX) Fire Department’s Training Division, he was also an instructor with Collin College’s fire science program, Dallas Fire Rescue’s recruit academy, Texas A&M’s municipal fire school, and FDIC. He has an associate degree in fire protection from Tarrant County College and is enrolled in the National Fire Academy’s Executive Fire Officer program.
