Firefighter Intern: Day 65 and 66
Mar. 3rd, 2019 11:14 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
grim23What you call a hero, I call just doing my job. ~Author Unknown
We started with a very short meeting; apparently, last shift got 5 calls at once and didn't get any chores done. We did all of the house chores for them. I cleaned all the bathrooms and started laundry as usual, and we washed four rigs, taking advantage of a nice day - Medics 481 and 483, U482 and C4801, the Chief's command vehicle were all washed. Then we went for firefighter fitness, and I walked my usual two miles.
I sat down to lunch and was just finishing up ... when we were toned out out a residential fire! When we arrived on the scene, which was just a few blocks from the station, we could see the alpha and delta corners fully engulfed in flames. Engines 481, Engine 488, Rescue 481, Utility 482, C4801 and C4802 all responded. I was second in on initial fire attack and we battled the fire into the house, using the hose to break windows for positive air ventilation. We were told that everyone got out of the house safely, but we did a victim search anyway. We could see there had already been a flashover. We heard both of the smoke detectors going off while we were sounding the floor and looking for heat and fire with the TIC (Thermal Image Camera). We cut holes in the roof to ventilate further and we cut holes to get into the attic space to see if the fire had spread there (fire extension), but it hadn't yet. We swapped air bottles and went back in, and started with salvage and overhaul. A sad note though - a young lady who lived there and had safely gotten out asked if we could look for her cat, and I was tasked with that assignment. I did find her cat under the bed, but unfortunately, it was quite dead.
Once we were cleared from the scene and when the State Fire Marshall and the Fire Investigators were there, we started the long and dirty process of loading hose and used air bottles and dirty equipment into U482, and I drove U482 back to the station and unloaded everything, and helped get Engine 481 back into service, reloading fresh hose and bottles and checking that everything was restocked and back in place for the next fire. We had damaged a ladder, and that had to be fixed, and we had to get the mud and soot and dirt out of everything. We were at the fire for about two hours, and getting Engine 481 back in service took four more hours.
We ate a quick dinner, and I went back with U482 for the rest of the hose and equipment, and we put Engine 488 back in service. We also started to wash turnouts and hoods and gloves. My turnouts are still dirty, but sprayed off and drying, as I don't have a backup set. My hood and gloves are now washed and dry. We went back at 9 pm and checked to make sure that there were no hot spots that could reignite the house, and we used some plywood to board up the windows and door we broke through.
We stayed up a little bit until we admitted to each other that we hurt and that we were exhausted, and went to bed. I eventually fell asleep - only to be toned out at 5:12 am for an older gentleman with breathing problems, already diagnosed with asthma and COPD, and possibly pneumonia, who we transported after a DouNeb treatment and positive wheezing chest sounds. An easy transport; I sat in the airway management chair and helped with the DuoNeb treatment, the blood glucose check, and cleaning and restocking the gurney and Medic 483.
There was no point in going back to bed when we got back, so we drank coffee and discussed/debriefed the fire yesterday. Nobody had anything bad to say about my performance, especially since it was my first working fire, except that I hadn't been taught how to load the Minuteman and speed loads on Engines 481 or 488.
After breakfast, we were toned out again to an older woman (one of our regulars) with medical, mental health, and substance abuse issues, who had just been in the hospital for four days but hadn't eaten or drank anything since she was discharged, and who had fainted and was briefly unconscious on the floor of her residence. We transported her, and I took vitals and helped, and cleaned and reloaded the gurney. While we were on the call, the rest of the crew very nicely washed and hung our used hose to dry.
In the afternoon, I/we got some training in loading and pulling the Minuteman and speed loads, which I had never done before. I loaded it almost correctly but I needed some help from the other Firefighter Intern because I forgot a pull loop. Afterward, I also walked another two miles for Firefighter Fitness, taking advantage of the sunshine.
Just after we were getting into bed, we got toned out for a mutual aid assistance for what was initially a diabetic problem, but it turned out to be more likely a cardiac issue in our neighboring district. Columbia Fire and Rescue Engine 476 got to the call first as it was in their district, but they had a heavy call with an actual fire, so we were called as a Mutual Aid resource. I got the monitor and vitals, but somehow I didn't connect a lead tight enough, and our four-lead didn't give good data. I placed it correctly, but the electrode didn't stay attached. *sigh*
Once we got back to the station and restocked Medic 483, we went back to bed. We were, however, toned out again at 3:43 am for an elderly lady who had fallen the day before and was having severe back pain and a swollen tongue, suggestive of something systemically wrong, we transported her as a high priority patient. I helped with just about everything, and watched the other paramedic start an IV and monitored vitals.
When we got back and restocked everything, we again went back to bed - and then we were toned out again at 5:54 am for a resident of our local care facility who was having difficulty breathing and hand swelling, and who was already on oxygen for COPD, and who was confused and having some cellulitis on his legs. We transported again, and I successfully (but a bit slowly) got my four-lead placed correctly and vitals, and managed his oxygen and airway.
Once we again got back to the station, it was time for me to grab a quick cup of coffee and head for my office, as I had a full day of clients at my practice. Not much sleep for me!
Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta sides – these terms are used to designate the sides of a structure. Generally speaking, the “alpha” side is the front of the structure, the “bravo” side is the left side of the structure, “charlie” is the back of the structure and “delta” is the right side of the structure.
Positive Hydraulic (Water) Ventilation
Ventilation is the process of removing heat and products of combustion from a structure by use of natural, negative, hydraulic or mechanical means. Ventilation is one of the tactical necessities during the evolution of a fire that can be initiated at any point of the scenario to enhance a team's need to attack fire and make rescues. That means that ventilation can be utilized at the onset of a fire attack such as seen in the positive pressure fire attack process, or it can be used at the end of a fire attack such as when a fire has been extinguished quickly enough that clearing a structure of smoke is one of the final acts necessary for investigation.
Ventilation is a tactic that can greatly contribute to a team's ability to accomplish basic firefighting objectives. This tactic assists in many different means.
Primarily, ventilation increases visibility for victims and rescuers, which reduce the hazardous impacts associated with primary search and fire attack. This in effect allows the interior teams to be more rapid in their completion of tasks while reducing the possibility of injury. This allows for quicker and easier entry of attack crews to locate the seat of a fire. Rapid location of the seat of the fire reduces the ability of the fire to spread beyond its area of origin, find where fire may have spread and stop fire growth/expansion.
Ventilation also reduces the chances that environmental parameters may be moving toward a flashover or backdraft. Ventilation assists in cooling areas that are pre-flashover by moving the larger quantities of heat out of that general area and allowing fuel in the area to cool and prevent the auto-ignition possibility from fuels in the fire area.
Ventilation reduces the possibility of a backdraft by removing high heat from an area and venting that to the environment, reducing flammable/explosive fire gases that are looking for fresh sources of oxygen to deflagrate. Properly accomplished ventilation increases the effectiveness of most operations.
A final, but primary cause for ventilation is that ventilation saves lives! A victim's environment becomes more survivable by the removal of heat and smoke and reduces dangers to trapped occupants. In addition, the improved environment also serves to save those lives of firefighters operating inside a structure by removing heat, steam and smoke. The need to crawl through the fuel-laden smoke is removed and improves the firefighter's operating environment.
We started with a very short meeting; apparently, last shift got 5 calls at once and didn't get any chores done. We did all of the house chores for them. I cleaned all the bathrooms and started laundry as usual, and we washed four rigs, taking advantage of a nice day - Medics 481 and 483, U482 and C4801, the Chief's command vehicle were all washed. Then we went for firefighter fitness, and I walked my usual two miles.
I sat down to lunch and was just finishing up ... when we were toned out out a residential fire! When we arrived on the scene, which was just a few blocks from the station, we could see the alpha and delta corners fully engulfed in flames. Engines 481, Engine 488, Rescue 481, Utility 482, C4801 and C4802 all responded. I was second in on initial fire attack and we battled the fire into the house, using the hose to break windows for positive air ventilation. We were told that everyone got out of the house safely, but we did a victim search anyway. We could see there had already been a flashover. We heard both of the smoke detectors going off while we were sounding the floor and looking for heat and fire with the TIC (Thermal Image Camera). We cut holes in the roof to ventilate further and we cut holes to get into the attic space to see if the fire had spread there (fire extension), but it hadn't yet. We swapped air bottles and went back in, and started with salvage and overhaul. A sad note though - a young lady who lived there and had safely gotten out asked if we could look for her cat, and I was tasked with that assignment. I did find her cat under the bed, but unfortunately, it was quite dead.
Once we were cleared from the scene and when the State Fire Marshall and the Fire Investigators were there, we started the long and dirty process of loading hose and used air bottles and dirty equipment into U482, and I drove U482 back to the station and unloaded everything, and helped get Engine 481 back into service, reloading fresh hose and bottles and checking that everything was restocked and back in place for the next fire. We had damaged a ladder, and that had to be fixed, and we had to get the mud and soot and dirt out of everything. We were at the fire for about two hours, and getting Engine 481 back in service took four more hours.
We ate a quick dinner, and I went back with U482 for the rest of the hose and equipment, and we put Engine 488 back in service. We also started to wash turnouts and hoods and gloves. My turnouts are still dirty, but sprayed off and drying, as I don't have a backup set. My hood and gloves are now washed and dry. We went back at 9 pm and checked to make sure that there were no hot spots that could reignite the house, and we used some plywood to board up the windows and door we broke through.
We stayed up a little bit until we admitted to each other that we hurt and that we were exhausted, and went to bed. I eventually fell asleep - only to be toned out at 5:12 am for an older gentleman with breathing problems, already diagnosed with asthma and COPD, and possibly pneumonia, who we transported after a DouNeb treatment and positive wheezing chest sounds. An easy transport; I sat in the airway management chair and helped with the DuoNeb treatment, the blood glucose check, and cleaning and restocking the gurney and Medic 483.
There was no point in going back to bed when we got back, so we drank coffee and discussed/debriefed the fire yesterday. Nobody had anything bad to say about my performance, especially since it was my first working fire, except that I hadn't been taught how to load the Minuteman and speed loads on Engines 481 or 488.
After breakfast, we were toned out again to an older woman (one of our regulars) with medical, mental health, and substance abuse issues, who had just been in the hospital for four days but hadn't eaten or drank anything since she was discharged, and who had fainted and was briefly unconscious on the floor of her residence. We transported her, and I took vitals and helped, and cleaned and reloaded the gurney. While we were on the call, the rest of the crew very nicely washed and hung our used hose to dry.
In the afternoon, I/we got some training in loading and pulling the Minuteman and speed loads, which I had never done before. I loaded it almost correctly but I needed some help from the other Firefighter Intern because I forgot a pull loop. Afterward, I also walked another two miles for Firefighter Fitness, taking advantage of the sunshine.
Just after we were getting into bed, we got toned out for a mutual aid assistance for what was initially a diabetic problem, but it turned out to be more likely a cardiac issue in our neighboring district. Columbia Fire and Rescue Engine 476 got to the call first as it was in their district, but they had a heavy call with an actual fire, so we were called as a Mutual Aid resource. I got the monitor and vitals, but somehow I didn't connect a lead tight enough, and our four-lead didn't give good data. I placed it correctly, but the electrode didn't stay attached. *sigh*
Once we got back to the station and restocked Medic 483, we went back to bed. We were, however, toned out again at 3:43 am for an elderly lady who had fallen the day before and was having severe back pain and a swollen tongue, suggestive of something systemically wrong, we transported her as a high priority patient. I helped with just about everything, and watched the other paramedic start an IV and monitored vitals.
When we got back and restocked everything, we again went back to bed - and then we were toned out again at 5:54 am for a resident of our local care facility who was having difficulty breathing and hand swelling, and who was already on oxygen for COPD, and who was confused and having some cellulitis on his legs. We transported again, and I successfully (but a bit slowly) got my four-lead placed correctly and vitals, and managed his oxygen and airway.
Once we again got back to the station, it was time for me to grab a quick cup of coffee and head for my office, as I had a full day of clients at my practice. Not much sleep for me!
Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta sides – these terms are used to designate the sides of a structure. Generally speaking, the “alpha” side is the front of the structure, the “bravo” side is the left side of the structure, “charlie” is the back of the structure and “delta” is the right side of the structure.
Positive Hydraulic (Water) Ventilation
Ventilation is the process of removing heat and products of combustion from a structure by use of natural, negative, hydraulic or mechanical means. Ventilation is one of the tactical necessities during the evolution of a fire that can be initiated at any point of the scenario to enhance a team's need to attack fire and make rescues. That means that ventilation can be utilized at the onset of a fire attack such as seen in the positive pressure fire attack process, or it can be used at the end of a fire attack such as when a fire has been extinguished quickly enough that clearing a structure of smoke is one of the final acts necessary for investigation.
Ventilation is a tactic that can greatly contribute to a team's ability to accomplish basic firefighting objectives. This tactic assists in many different means.
Primarily, ventilation increases visibility for victims and rescuers, which reduce the hazardous impacts associated with primary search and fire attack. This in effect allows the interior teams to be more rapid in their completion of tasks while reducing the possibility of injury. This allows for quicker and easier entry of attack crews to locate the seat of a fire. Rapid location of the seat of the fire reduces the ability of the fire to spread beyond its area of origin, find where fire may have spread and stop fire growth/expansion.
Ventilation also reduces the chances that environmental parameters may be moving toward a flashover or backdraft. Ventilation assists in cooling areas that are pre-flashover by moving the larger quantities of heat out of that general area and allowing fuel in the area to cool and prevent the auto-ignition possibility from fuels in the fire area.
Ventilation reduces the possibility of a backdraft by removing high heat from an area and venting that to the environment, reducing flammable/explosive fire gases that are looking for fresh sources of oxygen to deflagrate. Properly accomplished ventilation increases the effectiveness of most operations.
A final, but primary cause for ventilation is that ventilation saves lives! A victim's environment becomes more survivable by the removal of heat and smoke and reduces dangers to trapped occupants. In addition, the improved environment also serves to save those lives of firefighters operating inside a structure by removing heat, steam and smoke. The need to crawl through the fuel-laden smoke is removed and improves the firefighter's operating environment.
