Signs of Collapse

By Frank Viscuso | Published: February 15, 2012

Consider the following signs when determining collapse potential:
- Fire size and location
- Heavy fire for an extended period of time
- Pieces of the building falling off
- Cracks in walls
- Leaning or bowing walls
- Building age and condition
- Faulty/poor construction
- Foundation failure
- Extraordinary loads
- Lack of water runoff
- Sagging floors or beams
- Spongy roof or floors
- Previous fires at this location
- Explosions, flashovers, or backdrafts
- Water and/or smoke pushing through solid masonry wall
- Smoke through mortar joints
- Accidental cutting of structural support members
- Lightweight construction components
- Extreme weather conditions
- Fire reaches the truss roof
- Unusual noises (creaking)
- Any combination of causes

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Mentoring

By Frank Viscuso | Published: January 22, 2012

People rarely improve when they only have themselves to copy. When it comes to mentoring, remember that those who surround themselves with people who are smarter, more talented and just as driven then they are, profoundly increase their chances of success. Don’t ever reach a point in your career where you foolishly believe you don’t need a mentor of your own. Every day, remind yourself that you will not learn anything new by talking. If you are going to learn anything at all, it will be through asking the right questions to the right people, and listening.

For more on mentoring, check out my officer development section on www.FireOpsOnline.com.

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The Subordinate interview – using the “3U” method

By Frank Viscuso | Published: January 11, 2012

Fire officers must learn to deal with subordinate issues like conflict resolution or sub-standard performance. There is a lot of information out there teaching you how to conduct a subordinate interview and address problems, but I found the best way to determine what actions to take is by using the “3U” method.

The goal of the subordinate interview is to determine what the problem is and to attempt to develop a solution together. This can only be done after concluding if the firefighter is Unaware, Unable or Unwilling (otherwise known as the 3U’s). The fact is if you fail to make this determination, the interview did not fulfill its purpose.

Here is a brief description of the 3U’s:
 Unaware: Not aware or not conscious of what is going on.
 Unable: Lacking mental or physical capability or efficiency; incompetent.
 Unwilling: Boldly resisting authority or having a defiant attitude.

Your job, as the officer, is to determine if the subordinate is unaware that there is a problem, unable to fix it, or unwilling to fix it.

As you gather facts during your interview with the subordinate firefighter, you should begin to think of your course of action. You can do this by thinking:
If he’s Unaware, I will…
If he’s Unable, I will…
If he’s unwilling, I will…

(Check out the article on FireOpsOnline.com for additional thoughts on this topic and for an example of how to deal with each “U” individually)

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Fire Service Puts On a Show For Child With Cancer in New Jersey

By FireOpsOnline.com | Published: December 26, 2011

Eleven year old Kyle McGetrick, from Barnegat, NJ is losing his long battle with cancer. As a saddened community learned of this, the local fire department surprised Kyle and his family by driving 100 fire trucks past his house last night (Wednesday) complete with sirens, flashing lights and a visit from Santa and Mrs. Clause. In this beach town, Barnegat, Kyle’s dad, Gene, has also served as a firefighter. What started as an email that went out which expected to bring about 20 firetrucks became a spectacular convoy.

From an article by Graelyn Brashear at Barnegat-Ocean Patch:

“I don’t know how they orchestrated it all,” Gene McGetrick said. His son has been spending most of his time in bed, exhausted from his fight against the disease he’s battled for more than half his life. “But he got himself up to go and wave to everybody. They made his night last night.”

“We thought maybe 20 trucks would show up,” (Barnegat Fire Company president) Gary Brown said.

But then a member forwarded the email along to friends all over the county. Several more people posted the news of the planned convoy on Facebook. By the time the rigs were ready to roll, 92 trucks and other vehicles manned by more than 400 people from 34 Ocean County departments had packed the streets around the downtown firehouse. It had been only 24 hours since the first notice was sent out.

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Modern room fire… a must watch.

By FireOpsOnline.com | Published: December 21, 2011

A brief video illustration of the dangers we face today compared to that of 40 years ago.

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FDNY “Black Sunday” Bailout

By FireOpsOnline.com | Published: December 18, 2011

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Test Promotion Scenarios for the Fire Department

By FireOpsOnline.com | Published: December 12, 2011

If you are currently preparing for a fire service exam, check out our Test Your Knowledge page on FireOpsOnline.com. Dont forget to review our articles page for additional tips that you will not find anywhere else. One of our goals is to help our subscribers advance their professional careers within the fire service.

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Worcester, MA LODD Fire – 12/8/2011 – Dispatch Audio

By FireOpsOnline.com | Published: December 9, 2011

We at FireOpsOnline would like to extend our deepest sympathies to the family, friends and members of the Worcester Fire Department.

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Apparatus Safety

By FireOpsOnline.com | Published: December 5, 2011

According to the United States Fire Administration, in 2010 the second leading cause of firefighter fatalities was motor vehicle collisions. Below is a video of an apparatus collision while responding to an incident. Please remember to use caution when operating emergency vehicles and always wear safety belts when inside the apparatus.

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Firefighter Close Call – Garage Door

By FireOpsOnline.com | Published: November 11, 2011

A routine garage fire goes wrong when a lack of protecting the means of egress could have turned deadly. All firefighters must remember that securing your main means of egress is one of the most vital tasks to complete upon entering any structure. In this case the garage door came down on firefighters operating inside and took the actions of a large group of exterior firefighters to get them out.

Feel free to post your thoughts on the most effective way to secure overhead garage doors.

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