HANDS-ON CLASSES

According to 1910.134 we must have a team of firefighters consisting of at least two geared up firefighters outside of a structure fire ready at any time to come to the aid of any firefighter in trouble within the structure. Whether you call that team a RIT Team or a FAST Team you would want the best trained and equipped firefighters coming for you. 
What level of training and experience do you require your members to have to be a member of your team. Is it the first five or six guys that run through the door including probies and old timers, or is it the guys that come to the FAST training and know how to package and remove a trapped brother. Can they remove a firefighter in full TOG from below grade? These and many other topics will be discussed.

Who's coming for you? Is your mutual aid FAST / RIT Team trained as well as you are? Do they have a SOP for team members and a mandate for training, or is it the Chiefs buddies? Have they taken the required classes that will make them just as proficient as you are to remove your firefighters?

This saying has been a favorite of engine company officers for as long as fires have been fought with water. Only one crew actually extinguishes the fire and that's the crew manning the initial line. All other first due operations, other than search, are meant to support and aid in the positioning of that stretch. Where to stretch, when to stretch, and what to stretch, will be addressed in depth. Probably the most important initial decision on the fire scene will be the placement of that first line. The class will deal with where we are going to enter, what type of hose loads are we going to use. Are we going to get caught stretching short due to pre-connected lines. These and many other aspects of the initial stretch will be discussed with an open forum of your departments SOP's and first due areas needs.

FIRST DUE OPERATIONS WITH LIMITED PERSONELL

Firefighting with today's limited manpower has become a challenge for both career and volunteer departments. This four hour course is designed to deal with first operations that are vitally necessary, whether we are dealing with four firefighters or forty. The "two in two out" rule from 1910.134 will be discussed at length, as will other mandatory issues, such as incident management systems. The class will show tips on every aspect of the first due operations from easy to deploy hose packs to truck operations vitally necessary in the first moments after arrival on scene.

THE ENGINE COMPANY OFFICER

Being an officer in the fire service today is so much more than it was years ago. Putting the wet stuff on the red stuff is the easy part of the job today. Who needs their physical or has to complete their haz/mat training? Things an old time officer would never even think of are some of the basic skills necessary to ride in the office's seat of today's fire service. After attaining all of the above basic office work, the officer has the ever important job of estimating the stretch, deciding where entry to the building should be made, and guiding the troops towards the seat of the fire. What size line is going to be stretched? Will it be a well stretch or are going to have to use the stairways? Nothing is more important in today's fires with their high fuel loads than to get the initial lines on the seat of the fire.

THE ENGINE COMPANY CHAUFFER

One of the most important firefighters on the scene is the engine company chauffeur or MPO. His or her job starts the second he enters the fire station by making sure the rig is in the proper working order to both get the brothers to the scene safely while also making sure that they will get the water they need to protect themselves and the victims. Where is the hydrant? How can I secure a positive water feed when no hydrants are available? How many lengths have been stretched from what size hose, to what elevation? From doing quick inspections of the apparatus to safely driving the rig to and from the scene, this class is designed for those currently operating on a daily basis to those who are planning to drive in the future.

One of the most dangerous alarms we in the fire service respond to is the vehicle fire. A general feeling of complacence can lead to serious injuries and death. What are you responding to? Is it a car fire in a driveway or a major interstate? Is it in a garage attached to the house or an underground garage at a large shopping mall? Do you need AR-AFFF foam to extinguish the burning gasoline that is now mixed with 10% ethanol? Or are there burning metals involved? Many different hazards face us with every alarm we answer to a vehicle fire. All of the above will be discussed as well as trucks, bus, and construction vehicle fires.

"VENT ENTER SEARCH"

One of the most important tasks in the ladder company is the outside vent man. His job is both exciting, and dangerous. He must figure out a way to get into the building to save a life in the area closest to harms way while also being in place to do horizontal ventilation for the engine company. Every aspect of ladder work comes into this one job. Portable ladders, forcible entry, ventilation, and search are all necessary to carry this important task. The students will receive a three hour presentation with hands on training that will offer some tricks of the trade.

PORTABLE LADDERS

Although in today’s fire service we have million dollar tower ladders, I have yet to see one that can get behind a building to pluck an endangered firefighter out of a third or fourth floor window. There can never be enough portable ladders throw at a structure fire. The firefighter given the outside vent (OV) task must at times be able to handle a ladder by himself while bringing along a haligan and a hook. Where do I place the ladder for ventilation? Where do I place the ladder for rescue? Do I need a 35’, 28’, or a roof ladder. These and other vital decisions regarding portable ladders will be discussed along with hands on training and tips to make the job easier for the firefighter.

LARGE AREA SEARCH

It’s 3 am and you and your department have been dispatched to a fire in a movie theater. Thick black acrid smoke pours from the front doors of the building upon arrival and the manager informs you there are still people inside. It could happen to you today. Are you ready for the difficult task of large area search? Do you have a search rope? When was the last time it was checked? Do you drill on large area search with your firefighters masks completely blacked out? Large area searches have been the cause of many firefighter fatalities in the past. How are you going to communicate? Do you have a plan for multiple searches? These and other tips will be discussed at length along with hands on blacked out searches.

"GET THE DOOR"
ADVANCED FORCIBLE ENTRY

This three hour presentation will discuss the difficulties of forcing our way into burning buildings quickly and with as little effort as possible. Today’s locks are more difficult and the population, as always, are more concerned with burglars getting in then of us getting in during a fire. Roll down doors are starting to reappear as are increased numbers of locks on peoples doors. We will show different methods of gaining entry in each type of door and go over each type of tool available to us gain entry. Methods of holding the tools correctly and making the tools easier to use in combat envoirnments will be demonstrated.

FIREFIGHTER SAFETY AND SURVIVAL

Each time the wheels of the rigs move the chance of one of us not returning is present. We have to have every possible tool of self survival training well ingrained into our head for the moment when we may have to use it. Bailout ropes are the hot topic with New York actually making it an enforceable law that every department must do an assessment of their fire protection area and if necessary provide systems to their firefighters. How are you going to get out? Can you find the window to bail out of? Will you have to do a head first ladder slide to save your own life? These and many other techniques will be discussed and practiced during a full day of training.

THE TRUCK COMPANY OFFICER

In today’s fire service there is so much more to being an officer. It’s not just putting on bunker gear and rushing into a fire building. It’s a responsibility like no other, safely guiding your members into any emergency and having them return home safe. Today’s officer needs to know who has there medicals, haz-mat refresher and blood-borne pathogens? These are basic skills necessary to ride in the officer’s seat.

After completion of the above work, the officer now has the important job of what doors to force, how to attack the fire, placement of the apparatus. Deciding whether or not the priority is to search for life or search for fire.

TRUCK COMPANY OPERATIONS

Topics discussed will be fire ground size-up, forcible entry, ventilation, ground ladders, thermal imaging, and the vent-enter-search technique. Along with this comprehensive PowerPoint presentation there will be several hands-on stations. All participants will have vital one on one time with all instructors so all necessary questions and tips learned can be applied. This class will be enjoyed by the seasoned veteran as well as the recruit.