Fire Rescue EMS Education and Training

By Mike Coffey | 01/11/2012

Loss control — originally a civilian affair (in the city of New York until a few years ago) by the insurance companies of the day — is designed to assist fire companies in reducing damages to property before, during and after fires and other occurrences. Within this category are two specific tasks — salvage and overhaul. Salvage is a task that can be done during and/or after fire attack — usually an afterthought of command officers. Providing protection for one’s or a family’s personal property is, by far, the best way to enhance our reputation. Overhaul is seeking hidden fire and beginning to determine the cause of the fire. Both can actual... Read More...

Relevant Tags: fire, damage, water, loss control, pre incident, returning foundations, fire attack, foundations ventilation, after fires, salvage overhaul, incident planning, primary damage

By David Pease | 01/11/2012

As I write this column we are celebrating Veteran’s Day. We should honor our Veterans every day for the sacrifices they have made for our freedoms. Those that have gone before and laid down their lives, those that serve us now, and those who will be serving us in the future, perhaps our children and grandchildren. They deserve our respect and gratitude more than one day a year. May they always be blessed, along with their families for the hardships they have faced. Read More...

Relevant Tags: Extrication Education, bags, frontal, airbag, seat, impact, extrication education, frontal bags, seat belt, smart systems, frontal impact

Glenn Clapp | 10/14/2011

Whenever hazmat responders discuss the most exciting and interesting facets of the hazmat response world, decontamination is usually not at the top of the list. Decontamination is, however, an essential and technical part of the entire hazmat response that may not appear to be as glamorous as entering the hot zone, but is as vital to the safety and well-being of Entry Group personnel as any other action performed on scene. In reality, Decontamination Group personnel oftentimes spend longer periods of time “suited up” in their personal protective equipment (PPE) than Entry Group personnel, and perform true manual labor work. Read More...

Relevant Tags: Hazmat, personnel, level, decontamination, hazmat, responders, decon group, group personnel, hot zone, responder decon, decon area, mass decon, technical responder, hazardous materials, technician level, operations level

Amar Patel | 10/14/2011

In the first article of this four-part series on medical simulation and gaming, I encouraged you to consider using innovation when educating your first responder staff members. The best way for educators to convey information and have students retain that information is to make learning fun, interesting and interactive. With the rise of technology has come the rise of technology-based educational programs, and there is an ever-increasing demand for programs that allow the student to learn on their own time, complete their coursework, have fun and be able to immediately apply what they’ve learned. More and more people are asking for flexible e... Read More...

Relevant Tags: EMS, training, simulation, medical, education, simulation training, educational programs, medical simulation, simulation gaming, bin laden, health care, return investment, first responders

Karen Jarvis | 10/14/2011

The 37th annual Piedmont Fire Expo, scheduled for Jan. 13–14, 2012, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, will feature low-cost training opportunities for fire and rescue personnel across the southeast. The annual event has one of the largest displays of new equipment and other offerings in the region and attracts emergency personnel throughout North and South Carolina, and surrounding states. The Piedmont Fire Expo is the annual fundraiser for the Forsyth County Fire and Rescue Association and the organization has kept entry fees at a nominal fee of $5 for the last four years. Read More...

Relevant Tags: fire, training, expo, rescue, piedmont, association, jan, fire expo, piedmont fire, 37th annual, fire rescue, rescue personnel, training opportunities, forsyth county, fire training

Mike Coffey | 10/14/2011

If we as humans give the chemical process of combustion human-like characteristics, we find that the process uses solids, liquids and gases as fuel and oxidizers combined with a heat component in the right combinations — it eats, drinks and breathes just as we consume solids or liquids and breathe. If we apply those concepts within a compartment — room or structure — the same results happens to combustion as would to us under water — a limit of the available oxygen needed to sustain the living process — the air within our lungs vs. the air available within the enclosure. Read More...

Relevant Tags: fire, ventilation, air, smoke, gases, pressure ventilation, forced ventilation, positive pressure, products combustion, solids liquids, hydraulic ventilation, returning foundations

| 10/14/2011

Statistics show that over 40 percent of all teen fatalities are due to vehicle accidents. Yes, almost half of the teenagers that die, will die in an automobile crash. The VIP for a VIP program (Vehicle Injury Prevention for a Very Important Person) was founded after a fatal teen crash in 1998 on the concept, “if they could only see what we see” as emergency responders, maybe they would make better choices when presented with risky opportunities. Read More...

Relevant Tags: program, vip, teen, students, fire, school, session, vehicle, vip program, vehicle injury, injury prevention, emergency responders, vip team

| 10/14/2011

Fifty-eight front line supervisors, training officers, mid-level managers, head administrators, and aspiring leaders from the fire service and EMS fields joined UNC Charlotte’s growing Southeast alumni network upon graduating from the EMS Management Institute and Fire and Rescue Management Institutes earlier this year. The EMS Management Institute celebrated its 30th anniversary offering in 2010-2011 with 22 students enrolled from across North Carolina and South Carolina. Many eagerly participated with the help of a NCOEMS grant which subsidizes up to 40 percent of program fees per student. Students devoted 15 days of the fall and spring to ... Read More...

Relevant Tags: fire, ems, management, rescue, program, students, unc, charlotte, fire rescue, rescue management, management institute, unc charlotte, north carolina

| 07/25/2011

Charlotte, NC - Fifty-eight front line supervisors, training officers, mid-level managers, head administrators, and aspiring leaders from the fire service and EMS fields joined UNC Charlotte’s growing Southeast alumni network upon graduating from the EMS Management Institute and Fire & Rescue Management Institutes earlier this year. Read More...

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By Brad Maness | 07/05/2011

By now, most firefighters worldwide are familiar with rapid intervention teams (RIT) and I hope that many departments are finding ways to staff them on the fireground. No doubt we have all been playing catch up the last few years in developing answers to firefighter rescue. NFPA has even stepped up with the development of NFPA 1407, a standard that outlines organization and training for these teams, while NFPA 1500, 1710 and 1720 has given us a good foundation in developing a response plan. Whether career or volunteer, we must find a way to have a trained team of firefighters ready to deploy should an emergency arise. Although a rapid interve... Read More...

Relevant Tags: Education And Training, rapid, intervention, equipment, training, rit, rapid intervention, intervention team, our department, education training, intervention teams, fire department

By Greg Jakubowski | 07/05/2011

Almost every community currently has buildings that firefighters and fire officers drive by and ask themselves, “I hope we never have a fire in that place.” If you haven’t thought about it, you might want to look around a little harder — as there are plenty of buildings out there that are potential death traps for firefighters. Even newly constructed buildings can present any number of challenges to those charged with handling emergencies in them. Read More...

Relevant Tags: Education And Training, incident, fire, information, emergency, facility, pre incident, pre emergency, incident information, education training, building intelligence, fire rescue, planning fire, greg jakubowski, intelligence pre

By Carr Boyd | 07/05/2011

Like all humans, firefighters are limited in their ability to consistently orchestrate complex operations. If we truly are interested, as an industry, in significantly reducing firefighter injuries and deaths, it is time to focus attention on decision-making and risk analysis pertaining to fire ground and rescue operations (Hallinan, 2009) . Firefighter injuries and deaths on emergency incidents are, with few exceptions, caused by human error. However, the fire service has become quick to search for ways to react to poor decision-making outcomes, rather than inculcate a culture that emphasizes good decision-making. Read More...

Relevant Tags: Education And Training, decision, expedition, firefighters, decision making, sunk costs, recency effect, expedition leaders, rapid intervention, fire service, cognitive bias, making decisions

Amar Patel | 07/05/2011

“Practice makes perfect.” It’s something we all learned in childhood. Who can forget sitting on a piano bench and hearing mom say, “If you want to get better, you’ll have to practice your music scales,” or listening to a math teacher explain the value of practicing multiplication tables? Practice made us better little league pitchers, better ballerinas, better students — basically, better people with a solid foundation of fundamental skills. In the world of emergency services, practice doesn’t necessarily make us perfect, but it certainly does help us to be prepared. And in our line of work, preparation can mean the difference between life an... Read More...

Relevant Tags: Education And Training, simulation, medical, gaming, practice, education, ems, simulation gaming, medical simulation, education training, health care, patient simulation, decision making

By Joe Mancos AAS NREMT-P | 07/05/2011

Have you ever been sitting in a class staring at your watch and the only thing you can think of is, “when is this going to be over?” or “just give the test so I can go home.” I think we all have. Believe it or not this is not the worst problem that students have. Some things we do as instructors actually put our students and the public we serve in danger after they leave our class. In all disciplines of training there are problems that we as instructors have the ability to change. Are you as an instructor doing the best you can by your students? Read More...

Relevant Tags: Education And Training, instructors, rescue, fire, class, ems, students, fire rescue, rescue ems, ems instructors, deadly sins, education training

By Douglas Cline | 07/05/2011

Becoming a leader is like making a sound investment. What actions you take today will impact the results tomorrow. Leadership by definition is the position or function of a leader. What matters the most in the development of a leader is what occurs day-by-day over a long period of time. Leadership develops daily, not in a day. Read More...

Relevant Tags: Education And Training, leadership, phase, lead, learn, education training, fire service, service lead, leadership fire