Firefighter Physical Fitness

by Howard Cohen

Firefighting is a dangerous and physically demanding job. Firefighters operate in harsh and challenging environments, use heavy, hard-to-handle tools, and wear many kilos of protective gear. We need to keep ourselves in great shape to do our jobs. This means we must care for ourselves through proper nutrition and hydration, physical exercise, and sufficient rest. This is what is minimally required to properly and safely perform our jobs.

If you stop and think about it, what is the one “tool” every firefighter uses at every call? It’s our body. We depend on our bodies for all aspects of firefighting. In this sense, firefighters are like elite athletes. While we may not have to jump, sprint, or throw a ball, we are often required to crawl, drag, or haul awkwardly shaped heavy objects in extreme heat conditions that greatly tax our cardiovascular systems. But there are important differences too. Elite athletes generally perform under optimal conditions. Firefighters respond to calls during the worst weather conditions. Elite athletes typically get a good night’s sleep before their big events. First responders are often woken up multiple times during the night. Elite athletes eat a well-balanced meal with regard to their upcoming sporting event. First responders' meals are often rushed, gobbled on the run, or interrupted by calls. However, the biggest difference is that it is all about winning or losing for elite athletes. What’s on the line for firefighters is often life or death; yours, your fellow firefighters, or a civilian’s.

The good news is that achieving a firefighter's operational level of physical fitness is not hard. However, it does require a commitment to exercise regularly. There are many great ways to hone your fitness level. If you can access YouTube, search for a type of workout that appeals to you. You will discover many free options to choose from.  Ideally, your workouts will include strength training with weights or whatever heavy objects you have available to you and cardiovascular exercises, such as lunges, jumping jacks, running, climbing stairs, or any activity that gets your heart rate up. You don’t need a specific or fancy program to get in good workouts. All you need is to make a personal commitment to move your body and get your heart pumping. Any well-rounded program will benefit you in all aspects of fitness.

A good workout routine for first responders ideally includes four types of exercises.

1) Active movement exercises

2) Strength building

3) HiiT: High Intensity Interval Training

4) Deadlifts

Active movement: Exercises such as Bear Crawls, Mountain Climbers, or Spider Lunges engage nearly every muscle group and build core and cardiovascular strength and agility. Their primary purpose is to improve mobility.

Strength Building (Dumbbells): If you have them, dumbbells are preferable to barbells for first responder strength training because they allow for a greater range of motion and enhance overall muscle stabilization and activation. Dumbbells also help identify and eliminate strength imbalances by forcing the limbs to work unilaterally. If one side is significantly weaker than the other, there's no way to compensate.  They are safer to use if you are working out alone. Finally, there is no limit to how you can use them in your workout.

HiiT: High-Intensity Interval Training: HiiT workouts consist of bursts of intense activity followed by short rest periods. They provide the most benefits in the least amount of time. The advantages of HiiT workouts include burning calories quickly, improving cardiovascular health, and enhancing metabolic function. Additionally, a HiiT workout increases muscle mass and effectively improves overall fitness levels.

Deadlifts: There is a tendency to think that deadlifts are just when you bend over and lift a heavy weight.  In fact, there are many variations of the deadlift. They include squats, lunges, single leg deadlifts, suitcase squats and farmer walks. All are excellent exercises for building stronger Legs, core grip, and lower back strength.

There are no downsides to exercising and being physically fit. Physical fitness has been shown to prevent or treat various chronic health conditions resulting from unhealthy lifestyles, and it even counters certain aspects of the aging process. Studies indicate that regular exercise strengthens the heart and, when combined with a healthy diet, can reduce the risk of cancer and enhance the immune system. Being physically fit also helps lower the risk of injuries that can hinder your ability to work. Sometimes, firefighters overlook that physical fitness involves more than just working out; it also requires taking care of your body through proper nutrition, staying hydrated, getting enough sleep, and avoiding or limiting harmful substances like alcohol, recreational drugs, or tobacco.

The biggest obstacle to sticking with a fitness plan is boredom. Therefore, it is important for you to find or create a routine that holds your interest. Mix it up too. Don’t do the same workout day after day. Work out with a friend or your other brigade crew members. Make it fun. To the extent your schedule permits, making your fitness program a fixed and regular part of your daily routine is also helpful. Some people like to get their workouts in early in the morning. This way, no matter how the rest of the day unfolds, it’s a good day because you got your workout in. Other people like to work out at the end of the day. This way, they figure they have something to look forward to no matter what kind of day they are having. I get my workout in every morning after having two cups of black tea and reading the headlines in the paper. After my workout, I’m ready for whatever is coming my way.

In conclusion, this article aims to inspire you to find and commit to a personal fitness program that excites and motivates you. Honor your body—after all, it is the home of your holy soul. Now get moving and get your heart pumping!

If you want to learn more about fitness training for first responders, I recommend this article. If you would like to learn more about cancer prevention for firefighters, read this recent AFM blog post.

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Howard A. Cohen was a volunteer firefighter for 20 years. He began his firefighting career as a chaplain and retired as the deputy chief. He is currently AFM’s online program content director. He frequently presents for the weekly virtual trainings and contributes to the AFM blog.

Cancer Prevention for Firefighters: A Vital Mission

Firefighters face unique and significant health risks due to their exposure to hazardous materials during their duties. Understanding these risks and implementing effective prevention strategies are crucial for promoting firefighter health and well-being.

Understanding Cancer Risks

Firefighters are regularly exposed to hazardous substances like benzene and formaldehyde, which can lead to serious health issues, including various cancers. The increased cancer risks make awareness and understanding essential for protecting firefighters' health.

Prevention Strategies

Employing effective prevention strategies can significantly reduce the cancer risks firefighters face during their careers. Key strategies include:

• Use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE): Wearing appropriate PPE is essential for minimizing exposure to harmful substances during firefighting. Regular maintenance of PPE ensures its effectiveness and keeps firefighters safe from hazards.

• Health Monitoring Programs: Regular health screenings and monitoring programs can help detect early signs of cancer in firefighters, promoting timely intervention.

• Training in Hazard Awareness: Providing training on hazard awareness helps firefighters recognize and mitigate risks associated with harmful exposures.

Wellness Practices

Promoting wellness practices among firefighters can enhance their overall health and well-being, mitigating health risks. Key wellness practices include:

• Healthy Lifestyle Choices: Adopting a balanced diet, engaging in regular exercise, and getting adequate rest are essential for maintaining good health and a strong immune system.

• Stress Management Techniques: Incorporating stress management techniques like mindfulness and relaxation can greatly benefit firefighters' mental well-being.

• Regular Health Screenings: Early detection of potential health issues through regular screenings can significantly improve treatment outcomes.

No matter what your position in the emergency services is, it is important to keep your health in mind!

Conclusion

Firefighters face unique cancer risks due to exposure to hazardous materials. Awareness, effective prevention strategies, and wellness practices are key to reducing these risks and promoting firefighter health. By prioritizing these measures, we can ensure the safety and well-being of those who bravely protect our communities.

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James Nyadwe is a Water Survival/Safety Expert and Trainer, Open Water Scuba Diver, and a Fire Advocate. James is passionate about sharing knowledge on safety issues on land and water that impact first responders. Additionally, James has served as an instructor for AFM’s virtual firefighter training.

Department Standardized Training

by Jeremy Ayers

It is often heard that fire departments operate differently across shifts and stations. This variation arises from differences in managerial styles and the emphasis placed on training. While diverse leadership styles can be beneficial, as they bring unique experiences and perspectives that help tackle various challenges, consistency in certain areas is crucial—particularly in training. Standardized training ensures minimal gaps in capabilities between shifts, fostering operational efficiency, and safety.

In the face of national challenges in recruiting and retaining firefighters, many departments are increasingly relying on overtime. This trend exacerbates capability gaps since different crews may prioritize distinct areas of training. When overtime personnel are assigned to shifts, they often have not trained with the regular crew throughout the year. This creates a significant challenge for company officers, who cannot feasibly address all high-risk, low-frequency scenarios during a single shift with temporary personnel.

Standardized training can help departments work together better.

Training and education are the foundation of the fire service. Therefore, it is imperative for departments to communicate a unified training agenda that ensures all personnel receive consistent, high-quality instruction. To address this need, the Pflugerville Fire Department (Travis County ESD2) has prioritized high-risk, low-frequency training by forming specialized training teams. These teams undergo advanced training throughout the year and deliver that knowledge to the entire department. They achieve this by visiting stations, conducting multi-company scenarios, or providing materials for officers to facilitate training sessions.

These specialized training programs cover essential topics such as vehicle rescue, swift water rescue, technical rescue, and Vent-Enter-Isolate-Search (VEIS). The key benefit of this approach is that all personnel, regardless of shift or station, receive the same foundational training annually. This consistency has led to notable success stories, demonstrating the positive impact of these initiatives on community safety.

One such example occurred late one night around 1:00 a.m., when the department was dispatched to a structure fire with a victim visibly trapped and hanging out of a window. The unit was recognized for its rapid rescue, with it only taking a few minutes from arrival to rescue the victim from a third-floor window without delays.

The truck was staffed with a lieutenant acting as captain, a probationary firefighter, a senior driver, and a relatively new firefighter. Remarkably, half of the crew members were from different shifts or stations. Despite this, they performed cohesively and at a high level, throwing a ladder to the third floor, masking up, and safely removing a victim from the window. This underscores the importance of VEIS training, which equipped all crew members with recent, standardized skills to handle such critical situations. Members were presented with similar training months before the incident occurred that outlined comparable rescue conditions.

Standardized training can help difficult emergency responses, like rescue operations, easier.

From the community’s perspective, firefighters are seen as a unified team ready to address emergencies, regardless of their individual roles or experience levels. For example, the probationary firefighter performed at a high level, and anyone observing from the outside would not have been able to tell he was the newest firefighter because of his prompt critical decision-making. To meet these expectations, firefighters must train rigorously and prepare for high-risk scenarios.

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Jeremy Ayers is an Apparatus Specialist with the Pflugerville Fire Department (Travis County ESD2), where he has proudly served since 2020. Pflugerville Fire Department is a career agency serving approximately 150,000 residents with eight stations and responding to around 14,000 calls annually.

Additionally, he actively contributes to the department’s recruiting, mentorship, peer support, and honor guard team. Jeremy is an advocate for the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation.

Jeremy holds a Fire Officer designation from the Center for Public Safety Excellence and an associate’s degree in Fire Protection Technology from Austin Community College. Jeremy earned his bachelor’s degree in Organizational Leadership from Texas A&M Commerce and his Master’s degree in Public Affairs with a concentration in Public Administration from the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.

Bush Fires

by Brad Fiore

Just like any other fire, there are two main strategies in fighting bush fires: Direct and indirect. Topography, fuel types, and resources may vary between the US and Africa, but the basic tactics are the same. In a direct attack, we remove either the oxygen or the heat, and in an indirect attack, we remove the fuel.

The best tool we have for fire extinguishment is water. Unfortunately, a lot of times, the fire is in an area that makes it difficult to get water to. Hand tools play a significant role in fighting bush fires. The basic types are cutting, digging, scraping, and smothering tools.

In a direct attack removing the oxygen is accomplished by smothering the fire. We can throw dirt on the burning material or pat small flames out with our tool. I’ve seen fire flappers used to beat the flames of large bushes. I am not familiar with how well this works, but from another point of view, in North America, our flappers are smaller, and we use them on small creeping fires. The technique is to drag the flapper over the burning material, maybe using a slight patting motion. Beating a fire uses a lot of energy in one concentrated area. It also seems that embers are kicked up into the air, which could start a spot fire. Other tools, such as hoes and fire rakes, can all be used to pat out small flames.

Smoke coming from trees can be a sign of a potential bush fire.

When you use water to remove the heat, use it sparingly and wisely. Always walk in line with the fire, spraying water along the fire edge. This will make your water work smarter. Any water that bounces will bounce into the flames ahead. If you stand perpendicular to the fire, the overspray and bounce will fall into the already burned area, wasting that water. It doesn’t take a lot of water to douse the flames, so attaching a low-volume nozzle to your hose will extend your water.

The indirect attack is more labor intensive, but provides a safer environment for the firefighters. The indirect attack is the process of cutting a fire line around the fire. You and your team will be cutting and scraping away the fuel so that when the fire reaches the fire line, there is nothing there to burn.

Tools for this are anything you can use to cut through the ground material and dig down to the soil. Hoes and rakes made for this are great, but a garden hoe that is sharpened will do the trick. That shovel we used before to throw dirt on the fire, hold it parallel to the ground, and you now have a scraping tool. Chainsaws work wonders, but a hand saw, and a pair of loppers will handle small bushes and brush. A hatchet or fire axe can help clear small trees.

Your goal is to get down to mineral soil, and the width of the line needs to be one and one-half the height of the fuels. If you are cutting in grass that is a foot and a half tall, you need to make a line that is 3 feet wide. Always start and end at an anchor point. A road, trail, open dirt area, or body of water. The best practice for cutting the line is to space your crew a few feet apart so that swinging tools do not hit a team member. Each member will take a swipe and move forward along the line. As the team moves, each member is clearing more along the line.

Once the line is cut, and if you have time, you can backburn. This intentionally burns the material between your fire line and the main fire. The main fire will be intense and may make its own weather, causing high winds. Lighting a fire ahead of this will make the fire small and manageable. It will grow as it gets closer to the main fire, but at this point, it is within your control lines.

Anytime you are fighting bush fires, always have escape routes planned and made known by all members fighting the fire.

From my experience teaching a couple of the virtual classes for AFM, I have come to find out that you, like most firefighters, are extremely inventive. With the knowledge all the instructors provide, you find ways to make the resources you do have work. That’s what firefighting is.

Be safe!

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Brad Fiore is a volunteer firefighter of Cottekill Volunteer Fire Company and former Fire Chief. He also has experience as a 911 dispatch supervisor. Brad has served as an instructor for AFM’s virtual firefighter trainings.

Hazmat Awareness

by Brad Banz

In our world, we are surrounded by chemicals. From the fuel we use to power our vehicles and cook our foods to the pesticides used to keep insects away from crops, chemicals are everywhere. Chemicals benefit all of us, unless they are used improperly or released from their containers when they shouldn’t be. That’s when they become hazardous materials. As first responders, all of us need to know how to recognize possible sources of hazardous materials and signs that a release has occurred.

I want to start by introducing some locations to be aware of that might have the presence of hazardous materials. As a first responder, it is important to be knowledgeable of your response area. If you are dispatched to a specific occupancy, you should have an idea they may have hazardous materials just by recognizing their name and address. Perhaps you may even know what types of materials are involved.  Chiefs and station officers, it’s your responsibility to preplan. Occupancies to watch for include factories, processing plants, warehouses, agriculture, transportation routes, and water treatment. These are not the only ones, but the most common. Sometimes potential hazardous materials at some of these occupancies may be identified by the type of manufacturing or processing they do. That’s why it’s important to preplan your area. Roads can even be preplanned by doing vehicle counts for container types and placard information at specific locations. Agriculture will have pesticides and herbicides, which are poisons. They will also have fertilizers and fuel. Water treatment facilities will have chlorine gas. 

Different kinds of vehicles may have different materials inside.

Sometimes large container shapes can help us determine what product type might be inside. At fixed facilities, there are several different types of tanks to be concerned about. A tank with rounded ends will contain liquified, compressed gas such as LPG. A spherical tank could contain the same products as well. Sloped roof tanks can contain liquids of any type. The occupancy type may help determine the type of product in the tank. Large, round tanks with a floating roof indicate petroleum storage. A cylindrical, vertical tank at a medical facility or manufacturing plant indicates a cryogenic such as oxygen or nitrogen.

Trailers with rounded ends indicate the presence of a liquified, compressed gas. An oblong-shaped trailer usually carries petrol, diesel, or jet fuel. Small diameter, tube shaped trailers with reinforcing rings and splash protection on top are indicators of an acid. Larger tanks with splash protection on top may contain combustible liquids, bases, toxic liquids, or waste material. 

Forms of non-bulk packaging you might see include drums, boxes, bags, carboys, bottles, and dewars. Drums can contain flammable, toxic, corrosive, and waste materials. Boxes can carry the same types of materials, as well as oxidizers, explosives, and radioactive materials. Bags will hold explosives, toxic materials, and fertilizers. Carboys and bottles can carry corrosives. Bottles will also hold toxic materials as well.  Dewars typically contain cryogenics. Labels and shipping papers are very important when attempting to identify contents in non-bulk packaging.

Senses are important in detecting a possible release. Hearing a boom, a hiss, or a loud roaring sound are all clues. Seeing sights such as a vapor cloud, liquid on the ground or water, dead fish, dead animals, or dead vegetation are indicators. If you smell a peculiar odor, it may be time to relocate.

I alluded to shipping papers and labeling earlier. Placarding and labeling on large and small containers are very important. They can have the 9 hazard classes, which can help guide you to initial actions.    Containers may have a 4-digit UN number. Shipping papers, such as manifests, are also very helpful because they will tell you exact product information. These can be found with a vehicle driver.

I would like to discuss the US DOT Guidebook briefly. The DOT Guidebook is a reference for first responders and is used as a guide for initial actions in a hazmat incident. It can be found in paperback form as well as online and in Google and iPhone apps. Products can be researched by container shape, hazard class, product name, or 4-digit UN number. Spill information, fire information, PPE information, first aid, and evacuation distances can all be found. The online address is: www.phmsa.gov/hazmat/training. The app for Android phones is in the Google Playstore-ERG for Android. The app for iPhone is in the iPhone App Store-ERG for iOS.

Finally, if you have identified a hazmat release, I want to share some initial response actions. Your responsibility as a first responder is not to mitigate the incident but to help keep the public safe. To keep the public safe, you must stay safe. If you are responding in an outside area, approach the scene from an uphill and upwind direction if possible. In a building, stay out of the suspected area. Your responsibility is to secure the area. In an outside area, set a perimeter. A good starting point is 100 meters, although common sense must be exercised to either increase or decrease the size as necessary. If you have access to the Emergency Response Guide, use it as a reference to establish your perimeter. In a building, isolate the room or floor as necessary.  Inside your perimeter, make sure that all occupants are evacuated. It is also your responsibility to notify additional resources to help with the incident.

This is a very quick size-up of what any first responder should expect when assessing for a possible hazmat release. If you suspect a possible release, always be cautious about your size up and response. Thank you and stay safe out there.

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Recently, Brad Banz led a virtual training session about Hazmat Awareness. If you would like to learn more about this topic, listen to the AFM virtual training session here. For additional virtual trainings, subscribe to our YouTube page and register for our virtual trainings today!

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Brad Banz has been involved in the fire service for 40 years, serving with the Colwich Fire Department as a volunteer from age 20, including a 10 year term as Chief. Brad Banz has served with AFM on several mission trips.

The After-Action Review

by Nicholas J. Higgins

The size-up is, for all intents and purposes, our game plan or battle plan against the structure we are working at. The size-up is where firefighters and fire officers gather information in order to make safe, efficient, and effective fire ground decisions. Fire ground decision making, as we know, is meant to be quick, with an emphasis on safety and ensuring the tactics are done efficiently and effectively.

One aspect we do not stress enough is the fact we do not take into account the culmination of the incident. After fire command is terminated and all units are back in quarters and in service, we must remember the pre-planning is not over just because we cleared the incident and everyone is back in the station and safe. This is where the add-value work is put into place and now it is time for the after-action review or post-incident size-up.

Firefighters review a building’s fire prevention equipment

After-Action Review

During the after-action review (AAR), firefighters and fire officers can discuss and share information obtained from the alarm and also discuss the success and failures they have experienced during the incident. This is a time to ask a few questions:

• What did we expect to happen?

• What actually occurred?

• What went well and why?

• What can we improve upon and how?

The benefit of asking these questions allow for strengths to be easily identifiable, making it easier to uncover areas of weakness. By uncovering areas of weakness, you can develop ways to improve them!

If you do not identify what went wrong, how could you ever expect to improve? On the contrary, if you do not understand what went right and why, duplicating that same success in the future will not be easy. Ensure necessary changes discussed in the AAR are implemented sooner than later, as the longer it is on hold, the likelihood of any changes being implemented diminishes. 

The size-up as a whole is a valuable step by step process for all firefighters to obtain knowledge of their response district, riding assignments, and strategy and tactic implementation. By beginning this process, formally or informally, it will allow for continual growth for each firefighter and fire officer. The key to success as an individual and team is to get ahead of the game and prevent ourselves from being reactive, rather proactive.

Until next time, work hard, stay safe & live inspired.

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Nicholas J. Higgins is a firefighter and district training officer for Piscataway Fire District #2 in Piscataway, New Jersey. He is a New Jersey State Level 2 Fire Instructor, a National Fallen Firefighters Foundation state advocate, and a member of the Board of Directors for the 5-Alarm Task Force—a 501 (c) (3), non-profit organization. Nick is also the founder and a contributor of The Firehouse Tribune website and has spoken at various fire departments and fire conferences nationwide. He is the author of both “The 5-Tool Firefighter,” a book that helps firefighters perform at their highest level and the companion book, “The 5-Tool Firefighter Tactical Workbook” along with being the host of “The 5-Tool Firefighter Podcast”.

Advocacy and Action After Disaster

by Mike Kull

If you've been in the Fire Service for long enough, your Fire Brigade has experienced an incident that overwhelmed your capabilities. It's happened to all of us. Despite our best efforts, we couldn’t perform at the level we wanted, or the level we were expected to perform at. It may have been a technical rescue that you didn't have the proper equipment to make the rescue, or it may have been a large fire that you couldn’t stop because you didn’t have enough fire engines, enough manpower, or enough water. The result after the incident may be the loss of life or a large value of property damage. So, what do we do now?

Fire Brigades everywhere are facing challenges with funding, equipment and manpower. Some places are much better off than others but there are very few places in the world where firefighters will tell you they have everything they need. A Fire Brigade must be prepared for every possible disaster or emergency that you could ever imagine. Accidents, vehicle crashes, fires, electrical emergencies, agricultural emergencies, industrial accidents, weather related emergencies, victims trapped or lost, water rescue -- the list goes on and on. It is almost impossible to have specialized equipment and training for absolutely every type of incident you may be called to. Again, we must ask ourselves, what do we do now?

One of the first things that we need to do is to take care of ourselves. The job of a firefighter is stressful and can be very detrimental to our mental health. We need to look after each other, we need to talk to someone if we are feeling depressed and we need to support each other in both our professional and personal lives. Make sure everyone is alright and staying healthy, both physically and mentally. Once we are sure everyone is alright, we need to make ourselves better.

Learning is a lifelong process. There will always be new skills and new knowledge to learn. Technology is always changing, and the world is always changing so there will always be something new that will help us to be better firefighters. There is a vast number of resources available to firefighters that have access to the internet. Simple internet searches will turn up large volumes of information on every topic imaginable. Read and learn as much as you can about the types of threats you will face. After an incident where you’ve faced something new or something you’ve never seen before, you need to research it. Learn as much as you can about it so that you are better prepared to handle it in the future. This makes for some great Company Level Drills during which you can share this knowledge with everyone in your Fire Brigade.

Finally, what can fire service leaders do after an incident that overwhelms your Fire Brigade. The first step is to ensure that you utilized all the resources that you had available. Ensure that you have mutual aid agreements with other resources in your area that may have equipment or resources that you may need. This could include other Fire Brigades, police agencies, military units or civilian resources with access to heavy machinery, water bowsers or other resources. Arrangements should be made to outline how to activate or call upon these resources and other details such as how billing or payments will be managed if necessary.

Once you have ensured that all local resources available have been accounted for, advocacy must begin. Many times, these types of incidents will be reported in the media and on social media. The Fire Brigade may be blamed for the outcome of the incident even if they have done everything to the best of their ability. It is critical to accurately document every shortcoming experienced. Did you have enough manpower? How many more were needed? Did you have enough of the proper equipment? What equipment do you need to change the outcome? Did you have enough resources such as water? What would have helped with a lack of water?  Everything must be documented, and that list of needs must be provided to the local authority having jurisdiction over the Fire Brigade. To supply you with the equipment you need, the local government must know exactly what your needs are, as well as having justification for the expense. Try to find reports or news stories about other similar events that had a better outcome due to the Fire Brigade having the resources it needs. Use these as an example of how your incident could have had a better outcome with the appropriate resources. Advocate for whatever your needs may be, whether it is more manpower, more fire engines, more fire hose, breathing apparatus, rescue tools or an adequate water supply. Make your list and prioritize it, starting with the needs that will have the biggest impact. Provide information about locally available resources that can be quickly acquired.  Give them as much information as possible so that they can make informed decisions and stress the need for a plan to reach full operational readiness.

Fire Brigades may face incidents that overwhelm their resources, leading to significant loss of life or property due to insufficient funding, equipment, or personnel. To mitigate these issues, it is essential for firefighters to prioritize their mental and physical health, pursue continuous training, and document deficiencies encountered during emergencies. Fire service leaders are encouraged to optimize local resource use and advocate for improvements by clearly communicating their needs to local authorities. By highlighting documented gaps and comparing them with better-resourced responses, they can underscore the necessity for adequate support to improve operational readiness for future incidents.

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Mike Kull is a retired Fire Chief from Central Pennsylvania. Mike has over 25 years of experience in the fire service and teaches firefighting in both the US and Africa. Mike now serves as Programs Director for Africa Fire Mission and as a firefighter at his local volunteer fire company.

Facing Electrical Issues

by Brad Banz

As firefighters, we respond to a wide variety of scenarios involving electrical hazards. Immediately, downed lines calls come to mind to most responders because of the obvious hazards they pose. In this article, I would like to discuss other types of incidents in which electrical hazards could be encountered and address our response as first responders.

Since I started the conversation by bringing up the topic of downed electrical lines, what should you do if you encounter such a situation? As in many other emergency situations, your job is to secure the area and keep people out. Electrical lines can carry many thousands of volts of electricity, with cross-country transmission lines carrying up to 345,000 volts. What does that mean to you? That means that you don't have to be in contact with the line for an electrical path to be established. Electricity from energized high voltage lines can jump several meters to things such as ladders if they are establishing a path to ground. The area around an energized downed line can also form a ground gradient, an area which is energized, and which will still be a shocking hazard.  That's why it's important to secure the area in between poles and keep all ladders a minimum of 3 meters away from energized lines. Treat all lines as energized. Also have the contact number available for your local electrical utility so they can be notified of the situation. If electrical lines are downed across vehicles, have the passengers jump to become free from the vehicle if they can do so. If they cannot, then make them stay in the vehicle until the electrical lines have been shut off by the electrical utility. 

Structure fires are another common instance when electricity can be an issue. While electrical service may not always be involved in the fire, regardless of cause, it's a good idea to secure electrical power to ensure that it doesn't become a hazard. Electrical power can usually be secured by turning it off at a circuit breaker if safe to do so. If electrical service is a major issue, the electrical utility must be notified so they can secure power outside the structure. The utility company should also be notified in areas such as informal settlements where illegal wiring arrangements are involved. The illegal wiring can be dangerous, especially with the iron sheet construction of many of these homes. Finally, one last consideration is hidden fire. If you have an electrical fire, or suspected electrical in wiring, open the wall up. 

Many machines, especially in industrial settings, use lots of electrical power. Many times, an electrical fire or smoldering electrical fire can be controlled by simply securing electrical power to the machine. Even if the machine has any fire involvement at all not involving the electrical systems, it's still good to secure power. If power cannot be secured, a powder extinguisher suitable for electrical fires should be used. One set of machines in which powder should not be used on are computers or other types of electronics. Many computer centers have their own halon extinguishing systems. CO2 extinguishers are the preferred agent for use on computers and electronics. 

While there are other electrical issues that you as a first responder may run across during your career, I tried to come up with the ones that you would be most likely to come across. I hope that everyone has gained something from this article. As always, stay safe out there.   

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Brad Banz has been involved in the fire

service for 40 years, serving with the Colwich

Fire Department as a volunteer from age 20,

including a 10 year term as Chief. Brad Banz

has served with AFM on several mission trips.

The First Five Minutes

The First Five Minutes

by Mark van der Feyst

Every day in North America, fire departments are responding to structure fires that involve residential buildings. The bulk of the workload for the fire department will be the residential home as statistics show that every 86 seconds a fire department is responding to a residential fire. Once a fire department arrives on scene, they need to act quickly as the number one priority on the fire scene is life safety. This involves the occupants inside the residential building as well as the responding personnel. In 2014, there were 2,860 civilian fire deaths attributed to a structure fire.

The time a fire department’s first arriving officer and crew have to affectively size up situation and decide on what action to take in order to address the life safety priority is less than 2 minutes. Within that timeframe, many factors need to be considered, evaluated, processed and then decided upon based upon priorities. The first five minutes are crucial to any fire ground operation and sets the tone for the remainder of the call – it will either set the tone for a successful outcome or it will set the tone for a not so favourable outcome.

Studies have shown that fire grows at a rate that doubles in size every minute. Modern fuel loads and heat release rates add to the fire’s intensity. Every minute that we are indecisive on scene is another minute of rapid-fire growth. By using information gathered during pre-planning and from Dispatch updates, coupled with situational awareness and a strong size-up, the Incident Commander should be able to formulate tactical decisions that have positive influence on truck placement and task assignments taking into consideration manpower issues that face many smaller departments.

The First Five Minutes starts with how to correctly size-up an incident scene, and then how to get the information clearly and concisely to incoming units and Dispatch. As we all know, size up begins when the call comes in and ends when all are back at the station. How can we prepare ourselves ahead of time so that our size up will be streamlined and efficient when arriving? We can do this by sizing up our response districts during our down time or when we are driving around in our response areas. By observing the present clues that are in front of us on a daily basis, we can build a data bank within our minds of what we know exists within our boundaries.

One such area is knowing your response district and the types of residential buildings that comprise it. Knowing the common construction types, the common layouts, the average age of the homes and so on will help with creating different rescue profiles. By having these different profiles, the firefighter and company officer can gauge ahead of time what exactly they are dealing with and when the call comes in, they will have a better understanding of where they are going to and what they are getting into.

Another factor that can be added into the equation of knowing the area is with the demographics. Knowing who in terms of average age, in terms of type of population such as seniors or retirement type of people or maybe students will help with creating a rescue profile. This can be accomplished by searching for this information from local government or from just observing the response district.

Other aspects of the size up is with knowing common locations of where fire victims are found within the residential structure. They are usually found in exit areas such as windows, doors, top of stairs, bottom of stairs, middle of stairs, and in the hallways, at the fire location or in their beds depending upon the time of day. Knowing these common locations helps with the effective rescue and where to begin the search or which tactic to use.

The fire apparatus is another area that can be addressed for the first five minutes. One focal point is with the equipment options available to the membership. This involves setting up the apparatus for quick and easy access of required hand tools for any rescue operation. This involves utilizing compartment space effectively and placing certain tools on the right side of the apparatus.

Along with this is the aspect of combat ready tools. This is where the fire department can have certain tool combinations pre-made or pre-arranged and then placed in a spot on the apparatus that will be sensible and quickly grabbed. Such examples may be the hailgan and the axe, the haligan and the roof hook, the haligan and the maul, or the hailgan and the water can. There are many different tool variations that can be pre-arranged ahead of time.

Having pre-arranged seating assignments is also a good idea to quicken the rescue operation. This is where no matter who sits in what certain seat in the back or the front of the apparatus, they have a specified job function that is standard. This cuts down the time and decision making ability on who will do what – instead allowing firefighters to react based upon their assigned function.

One last area that can be looked at is our tactical options. There are many tactical options that are available for any one fire department to use – it is just a matter of using the right one for the right situation and being efficient with it. Tactics starts with training and becoming familiar with how they are beneficial, the reasons why they are different from each other and how they can be incorporated into the department’s operational capabilities.

Tactical options include things such as VES or VEIS, PPA, tactical ventilation, transitional attack, offensive attack, defensive attack, fast attack, blitz attacks, all hands rescue and so on. Tactics are a great tool for the firefighter and enable them to be effective on the fire ground – but only work when they are trained on time and time again. The place to use a tactic for the first time is not on the fire ground, it is to be used for the first time on the training ground.

By focusing upon these areas and others such as communications, the culture of the department, rescue plans and SOG’s and SOP’s, the fire department can be effective within the first five minutes.

Mark van der Feyst has been in the fire service since 1999 working in both Canada and the USA. Currently he works for the Fort Gratiot Fire Department in Michigan after taking early retirement from his career department at the end of 2020. He is an international instructor teaching in Canada, USA, India and many large and regional conferences such as FDIC, Firehouse World & Expo. He holds an MS in Safety, Security & Emergency Management from Eastern Kentucky University and has been providing virtual training sessions for Africa Fire Mission for two years.

Importance of Active and Passive Recovery for Firefighters

Importance of Active & Passive Recovery for Firefighters

by Nick Higgins

Firefighters are athletes. Taking care of ourselves means not just getting evaluated by our primary care or department physician but truly embracing a healthy lifestyle. Being able understand your body and prepare your body is equally, if not more, important to ensure our personal protective equipment is in check, self-contained breathing apparatus bottles are topped off, and the apparatus is in working order. The rigors and demands of the job place a toll on our physical and mental well-being, and it is vital we prepare our body and mind for the work potentially ahead of us, not just for one shift or call but for an entire career.

Active Recovery

Active recovery is beneficial to the body and may help us recover faster after difficult workouts or strenuous activity. I recommend that this type of recovery be on shift day or the day before or after to allow the body to recuperate from any physical activity performed on off days and to provide your body with some type of active, low-intensity recovery during shift so your body does not go into complete relaxation mode while on call. Limit active recovery exertion to no more than 75% of your typical workout level. The 75% level is just enough to keep the muscles warm and not enough to induce muscle fatigue.

Before we outline a few methods to perform active recovery, here are some of the benefits it provides.

• Reduction of lactic acid buildup in muscles.

• Elimination of toxins.

• Helps keep muscles flexible.

• Reduction of soreness.

• Increase in blood flow.

• Helps keep an exercise routine.

• Release of endorphins usually associated with regular exercise.

Here are a few methods of active recovery that are simple, yet highly effective:

• Walking

• Swimming

• Cycling

• Stretching

Passive Recovery

Passive recovery is a type of recovery that entails resting for considerable periods of time after strenuous activity. Unlike active recovery, with this type of recovery, your body is allowed total undisturbed rest to repair muscle damage and recuperate.

Proper passive recuperation is necessary for firefighters who are sick, are injured, or need physical and mental relaxation. For firefighters, rest is highly important and needed to perform at an optimal level. Rest has physiological and psychological benefits.

A healthy and optimal life is all about finding the right balance. From a 24-hour shift to 48 hours off in most cases, it is critical to take a day in between every now and then to relax and balance out the body.

By allowing the body to rest and avoid weariness of the muscles, it is allowing the body’s glycogen stores to refill, therefore attributing to the enhancement in muscle recovery. While exercise depletes your body’s energy stores or muscle glycogen, leading to muscular tissue breakdown, adequate rest helps your body correct this problem by restoring muscle glycogen, balancing blood flow, and rebuilding damaged tissue.

Here are a few methods of passive recovery that are simple, yet highly effective:

• Sleep

• Rest

• Hydration

• Massage Therapy

How to Use Recovery in Your Regimen

Adding active recovery into your training sessions can be done in two methods, and both are greatly beneficial to your recovery. The first is to add it into your current training session as soon as it has been completed, as a cool-down approach. This is where you will allow your body to ease itself out of your workout, allowing your heart rate and breathing to return to their normal states and reducing the amount of lactate in your blood. The lactate in your blood is an organic acid made by tissue and red blood cells in your muscles, which is what causes the muscle burn felt during exercise. This is the same approach as if you were driving your car and approaching a red light. Instead of slamming on the brakes to make the stop, you gently ease on the brakes for a gradual stop at the light. This same method applies to cooling down after a workout with respect to your heart rate and breathing, by going for a light walk or jog or adding in some dynamic and static stretches and yoga poses. The other option for active recovery is to incorporate this as a full active recovery day and implement the methods listed above as active recovery for the day, through swimming, walking, or yoga to name a few.

Both forms of recovery are crucial within your training cycle regimen to allow your body to find its balance repeatedly as you progress in your training. I highly recommend incorporating cool-down recovery, especially after high-intensity workouts and after fireground training sessions, for optimal recovery of the heart and body with at least one recovery day (active and passive) each week for maximum recovery and performance. In the end, listen to your body and what it is telling you. After all, it is the only place we truly have to live.

Nicholas J. Higgins is a firefighter and district training officer for Piscataway Fire District #2 in Piscataway, New Jersey. He is a New Jersey State Level 2 Fire Instructor, a National Fallen Firefighters Foundation state advocate, and a member of the Board of Directors for the 5-Alarm Task Force—a 501 (c) (3), non-profit organization. Nick is also the founder and a contributor of The Firehouse Tribune website and has spoken at various fire departments and fire conferences nationwide. He is the author of both “The 5-Tool Firefighter,” a book that helps firefighters perform at their highest level and the companion book, “The 5-Tool Firefighter Tactical Workbook” along with being the host of “The 5-Tool Firefighter Podcast”.