All content is not endorsed for use without training and verifying with individual department sog compliance.
Also I am not speaking for or am in any way affiliating this site with the Austin Fire Department.
This site is a place to share training ideas to make us all work safer and smarter.
This is a good video of an aggressive fire attack on a well involved fire. An 1 3/4 line will put out alot of fire. Notice as they go in they are standing, this allows you to feel your environment and get as low as you need too. Starting off crawling makes you move slower and there could be a bad situation your not assessing. Get low when necessary be aggressive always!!!!
For several years I didn't see much use for the trash hook. I would use it to move trash around after a putting out a dumpster fire, but it didn't really do a good job at that. The best use I found at the time was to push or pull around debris after a structure fire.
A while back we attended a truck company class put on by TC ESD 11, and learned the huge value of a good trash hook.
The trash hook is great for sounding a roof. You can hunch over an axe or you can stand up-right with a trash hook and sound a few feet in front of you.
It can be used to pry.
It can be used to punch ceiling. If you purchase one with a good solid handle it has two working ends. The handle can be used to deliver a lot of power and it won't get tangled in wires and duct work.
This handle will not last long if used to punch ceiling.
If getting tangled is not a concern, the forked end will do major damage to a sheet rock ceiling.
It can also be used to give an additional warning of a roof edge.
If you are not accustom to using your trash hook, go grab it and check it out.
Do you use your trash hook? What else do you use it for?
Highway safety is not as cool and exciting as smashing doors and cutting roofs but it is still important. The following video compares different levels on PPE on a traffic accident. (This is the raw video, I will edit it later and repost)
How many firefighters do you see?
There are five firefighters in this video. From left to right they are wearing the following PPE.
1) New bunker gear with a new style or reflective (far left)
2) New bunker gear with the previous style of reflective
3) Station wear, traffic vest and helmet
4) Station wear and traffic vest
5) Station wear
Quick view of the set-up
A big thanks to those who helped out making the video, you know who you are.
These videos are 35' ladder throws performed by multiple firefighters at Station 8 . There is a 2 person 35' throw, a 1 person 35' throw using the wall, and a 1 person 35' throw free standing. There is some technique to completing these throws so watch the videos a couple of times.
The 2 person throw is a staple in the FD and can be completed quickly with or without a wall to stabilize. Watch the foot placement of the firefighters creating stability for the ladders, it is important. Look at how the ladder is straight up in the air, the butts have four feet so use them. Let me know what you think.
The 1 firefighter using the wall is for say a commercial occupancy or apartment with no eaves. It is important to use the wall for stability. Again check foot placement. This is an easy throw if you take your time. Watch your step when you bring it down.
The last video is the freestanding 35 foot raise. We are doing it on slick concrete to show you worst case scenario. If the apartment has grass throw it there. The rope we are using is attached to the airpacks we carry. I used this rope because it will be with you all the time. It would not be practical to go all the way back to the unit to get rope. It is also easy to step on and more than adequate for the job. This throw was completed by everyone at 8's and the single firefighter using the wall was completed by stations 8, 23, and 30. Give them a shot let me know, it may save a life some day.
Please send your videos to me with a message of what your trying to accomplish. I will post all training. If you know a quick tip for plumbing, send it...high rise ops, send it.
This prop was created to teach (or refresh) the fundamentals of striking without risking an injury. I think we all know someone who has been hit while holding the haligan, and teaching proper technique can prevent that from happening. The idea behind this was to use it during cadet PT and various other times to teach proper technique before wasting forcible entry consumables or doors on a rare acquired structure. Although it is easy to use for cadets there are plenty of us in the fire service that could brush up our skills before we run into the next door to force.
The prop was made by bolting together two treated 6x6's with 2x4's connecting the two. The fork end of the haligan was cut square and placed in a chiseled hole. We placed a thick piece of rubber in the hole to cushion the blow a little and protect the prop.
We purposely used an old three piece haligan because there was no real benefit in using a one piece drop forged haligan. The first haligan used was broken by The Pig and highlights the weakness of a three piece haligan.
Do you know anyone who has been hit while holding the haligan?
The
inspection hole is a diagnostic tool used by the truck company to
assess the roof they are about to encounter. This cut tells you how
many layers of roof material there is and the types. It also tells you
the size of the rafters you will be working on. These are very
important to know when going to the roof. The hole will never be bigger
than your boot. If it was it could be a dangerous hole for
firefighters to fall into. The first cut is at a 45 degree angle to the
bearing wall. This will be your longest cut because it goes until you
find a rafter and roll it. Then make the other 2 cuts to complete the
triangle. This video is on a pitched roof but it works for flat
also.
Smoke Indicator Hole
The
smoke indicator hole is another diagnostic I use to asses smoke
conditions for my egress to my ladder off the roof. It has replaced
the kerf cut in my eyes because it more accurately will assess smoke
conditions. It is simple just drop the tip of the saw in 3 times
creating a triangle.
Kerf Cut
The
kerf cut is less effective because if the roof tar starts to melt it
will seal off the kerf cut not allowing you to assess the roof
conditions or more dangerous lead you to believe conditions are not
deteriorating when they are
rapidly
These are a couple of training videos on how to turn the standard Austin Fire Dept. bundle into a coil for confined space deployment. This is not an every time method, but if you get in a bind it may bail you out some day. We had a lot of success with it.
The first 75 feet goes back to the wye appliance and you coil the other 75 feet. It does not have to be perfect.
The last video shows some hose rolls and also shows how quickly you can move with the coils once the line is charged.
From time to time we receive a new tool at the station with limited info. A while back we received two saw blades, the diamond blade and the "nugget" blade. We all had our opinions about what we thought they'd be good for but we took them out for a test run anyway.
Diamond Blade
Aggressive Random Carbide "Nugget" Blade
Close-up
This video compares the diamond blade and the nugget blade on various roofing materials. The first blade in the video is the diamond followed by the nugget. The diamond blade was about 20 seconds slower and seemed to slow down in the wood. The nugget blade slowed down on the thicker metal but was more effective overall.
Here we tested both blades on thick metal. The nugget blade bounced around a lot but got the job done. The diamond blade was much more smooth and efficient though. The nugget blade is really designed for thinner metal. It will cut thicker metal, but throws large chucks of debris and can damage the blade. The cool thing is if the blade dulls you can flip it over and you have a new blade.
In conclusion, we decided to keep the saws as we had them. One with the diamond blade for forcible entry (outboard) and the other with a nugget blade for taking to the roof (inboard).
The diamond blade is great for almost all metal and masonry but not wood.
The nugget blade is great for wood and thin metal (up to 3/16") but not masonry.
Roof Saw- Inboard
Forcible Entry Saw- Outboard
What is your experience with these or any other saw blades?
This is a picture of the floor above the fire apartment in 40's territory. This is lightweight cement covering a wood OSB floor. This is common in new construction apartments.
The fire ran up an outside wall and burned all the fooring away leaving the lightweight nonbearing cement. Luckily, when firefighters entered the room they were moving slowly because of smoke conditions or they would have fallen through.
This is a case of new style "through the door through the floor" collapse. Yet another reason to be familiar with your territory.
