Inspired by Badge, this thread will hopefully inform the questioning Doper with respect to any issues about firefighting, home fire safety, vehicle rescue, and perhaps EMS, as I’m a former EMT/Paramedic, in addition to being a firefighter/HazMat tech with 30 years service.
I’ll start by answering the unspoken question which the folks in print journalism continue to perpetrate: “Is that an oxygen tank on your back?”
Answer: NO! Although there was some experimentation with oxygen fed rebreather units, they never gained acceptance within the fire service, owing to the inherent dangers. Think Apollo 1. What we wear is an SCBA, or self-contained breathing-apparatus, fed by a cylinder made of aluminum combined with a wrap of fiberglass, Kevlar™, or a carbon-fiber matrix, allowing light weight and great strength. The cylinders are rated to hold anywhere from 2200 to 4500 PSIG and contain what is called Grade ‘D’ breathing air, as defined by NFPA Standard 1989.
NFPA stands for National Fire Protection Association.
The short read on that standard is purity & absence of moisture.
My business travels will preclude immediate responses some days, but your queries are welcomed. Now it’s over to you Dopers-ask away!
How heavy is all the equipment you wear when going into a burning building? I imagine firefighters have to be in incredibly good shape to carry everything.
My hubby is a firefighter for the city of Dallas. He tells me about maybe 5% of the horrible things he sees on a daily basis. In Dallas, you ride the box (ambulance) and are a paramedic half the time; then you’re on the truck (engine). He works a 24 hour on, 48 hour off shift. He’s been on the force for 10 years.
Firefighters/police officers are the most under-paid workers in the U.S.A.!
My question is: my hubby doesn’t tell me much about his job; I know he sees death every day. Should I ask him to talk about it?
Given space age materials, the SCBA, turnout gear and pocket tools add a minimum of 50 pounds.
While we’d like everyone to be in optimum shape, that isn’t the case, myself included. Perhaps that is why heart attacks continue to be the main cause for Line of Duty Death as reported to the NFPA and USFA.
I’ll presume from the way your question was phrased that you are thinking of a career (paid) department, as opposed to a volunteer department.
Career department members perform station maintenance and cleaning, apparatus checks, community education, occupancy inspection, and much more, yet this differs from one municipality to the next. As such, it is tough for me to render an accurate answer for your town or city.
As a volunteer, I operate a construction business, and attend weekly drills, serve as an elected officer and assist however I can when time permits. I firmly believe in continuing education, and thump the tub on that topic with all new members.
That’s a tough call, Blonde. I’ve never tried to hide the nasty aspects of my life from a loved one, but don’t wish to overwhelm them, which might be what your husband is trying to do, because he loves you.
We share dark humor with compatriates, and do our best to hang the cloak inside a locker, lest we burden our families with the foul baggage seen on a daily basis.
My suggestion is to indicate a willingness to listen if he wants to talk, and let it be at that. Take care, and thanks for your support.
Geeze, Louise, Grade D? Can’t they afford any Grade A air for you guys?
Okay, a serious question. What exactly does the term ‘alarm’ mean? You hear of a two alarm or a four alarm fire. Does it signify the number of companies that are responding to the fire? Is the term even used any more in the profession, or is it just something reporters use?
What are the most common home safety issues you might mention (afraid I’m going to hear the word clutter…)?
And thanks to you and yours. When Carl had a big insulin reaction in the middle of the night, they were here before I was off the phone, and did everything right. (Came out OK.) I saw them in the parking lot later and gave them a dazed Thank you.
I’m stumped by this one. If you would email me with the address of a subject building, and the city it is located in, I’ll call them and do my best to get the answer. You’ve made me curious, now.
You’re quite welcome. I was recruited by the son of a fallen firefighter, and was impressed by the dedication necessary for the task, particularly as a volunteer. I’ve been at it so long, I wouldn’t know what to do without it. There are big paybacks, such as seeing a little girl’s face when you walk out of the house and a scared kitten pops it’s head out of your bunker gear jacket.
That gives you an all-day smile.
The alarm term refers to the predetermined equipment request for a given property dispatch. In my county, we use Local boxes for alarm system activations not verified, grass fires of small area, dumpster fires without building impingement, and other situations of low life hazard. This will typically bring out one engine company.
Tactical boxes indicate verified fire in a dwelling, either by the occupant or the party who called 911. The first alarm on a tactical will bring out 2 engines and 1 truck (rescue or aerial).
Box assignments refer to multi-family buildings, commercial and industrial occupancies of large square footage. 3 engines and 2 trucks is common for a 1st alarm assignment.
When the Incident Commander decides that things are going downhill, the box card, or screen the dispatch operator sees will direct additional complements of equipment with successive alarms, such that the IC does not have to individually list the equipment he or she desires with additional alarms. The system helps to ensure consistency, frees up the IC for doing more important things, and helps keep the radio free of chatter.
I’ve sat at home and listened on the scanner to somebody else’s job (fire), heard it going badly, and headed to the station, knowing we’re on the next alarm-and find 8 guys who had the same thought. In that context, it saves time.
Sorry for the lengthy reply-I was trying to do justice to your query.
How long do you live at the fire station at a time? If you’re married, is it difficult on your relationship? Can a spouse/girlfriend visit you at night or when you’re feeling particularly lonely??
Untested smoke detectors, missing batteries, or unit >10 years old. Improper location of same. Very few fatal fires that I’ve attended had properly installed and functional smoke detectors.
Improper handling of smoking materials and fireplace ash. Just because you think it’s out, don’t put ashes in a plastic or paper bag and place them on the back porch or in the garage. I’ve seen dwellings burned to the ground owing to this practice. Put ashes in a can of metallic construction together with a tight fitting lid, and set the can outside, away from the house, period.
Improper application of extension cords. The words temporary and attended are key to safe use of flexible cords. They are not intended to be a substitute for installed wiring, and are not to be fished under carpets, through walls or ceilings, or used indefinitely.
Lack of Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter protected outlets/circuits in required areas. Lack of Arc Fault Circuit Interrupter protected outlets/circuits. If your home is older, please upgrade.
Improper handling and storage of flammable/combustible materials and associated products.
Continued use of products under Consumer Product Safety Commission/manufacturer recall.
In the fire service, we don’t call it clutter-it’s ‘bad housekeeping’.
That said, if you take care to address everything above, it’s doubtful you’ll have a face-to-face with me and my buddies. Be well.
Personally, I’m a volunteer, so I sleep in my own bed unless I’m on an alarm. We do have bunk-in crews during times of inclement weather to ensure timely response, and also when we are covering for another department which is out of service.
Most spouses/significant others know up front that they’re involved with a crazy person-I run into a building which all ambulatory intelligent forms of life have eagerly fled.
Although spouses and SO’s are welcome for visits and special times, the physical relationship between a FF and their SO does not belong in the station.
Apology-I failed to fully answer the previous query: career departments have rotating shifts which usually consist of 24 on, 24 off, 24 on, 48 off, or some variant thereof, depending on whether they are daytime only career or 24 hour.
Great thread, danceswithcats. I have utmost respect for you all, probably spawned by our basement catching on fire when I was five (vivid memories), and our neighbor’s house getting struck by lighting when I was nine (even more vivid memories). Thanks for all your work.
To my question: A friend of mine’s father is a firefighter, as is just about every male member of his extended family - seriously. If you look at the names from local fire companies, his last name is all over. Is this common - meaning, does the desire to go into firefighting generally run in families? Or is this just a sort of anomoly?
Secondly (and forgive me if this is a little personal) - what on earth makes you do this? I, for one, like to think that I could run into a burning building to save a life if I needed to, but I would not like to make a profession out of it. It seems a bit counter-instinctual to me. Can you (or your co-workers, for that matter) explain it quantifiably, or is it just a sort of intrinisic urge? Were you fascinated by fire when you were younger (seriously?) Also - how did your family react to your career choice? (I’m sixteen and I feel my maternal instinct kick in if an imaginary son tells me that they want to run into burning buildings for a career!)
But again - you guys are really appreciated. Thank you.
Regarding the familial disposition, it varies. From what I’ve learned, no person in my family has exhibited similar behavior patterns. My forefathers stuck to trades like engineering, farming, construction, and so forth. That said, I know many folk who are second and third generation firefighters, career and volunteer alike.
What makes me do it? I don’t have a good answer, other than a desire to serve my community, and to honor the memory of a man I’ve never met. Having been at it for a while, I’ll admit that there is an adrenaline rush, the ‘go in and beat it’ feeling, and having taped my badge with black and carried a brother, it’s now something I do because the service has become part of me, and I of it.
My parents didn’t speak for or against involvement. I never had a fire fascination of any kind. I’ve found a level of friendship in my fire brothers and sisters which transcends those of blood relations.
