Try Before You Beat Your Brains Out!

Good afternoon from the jumpseat! It amazes me sometimes when the things that you are suppose to learn on the first day on the job come back to get you today! We all have heard the old adage "try before you pry," but every now and then you get smacked in the face with it! 

At a recent structural response I noticed a crew approach a garage door made of wood and they proceeded to grab an axe and knock the windows out and beat the door in half. This sounds like a doable job since the door was wood. Not a difficult task, but it was time and energy consuming at the least.  No one would have thought twice about this operation until the end....hmmm. As the firefighter finished clearing the glass and three panels, he bent over and lifted the garage door up.  Oops! It's amazing how sometimes the simplest tasks get overlooked or forgotten. I'd say this firefighter had a few years on the job.  I'd say he had seen a few fires in his time.  But how many of us have forgotten the basics like trying before you pry?. I would venture to say that this happens a lot around the country. More than ever, this reinforces the need to remember our training and save energy as much as possible. So remember the next time you are faced with a door that could potentially be locked or some other type of obstruction, remember your training and "try to open it before you beat your brains in!" I know one thing with certainty - the firefighter writing this blog is going too. Because, when I realized the door was unlocked, it seemed like the eyes of the world looked at me and said...duh! Thanks for the visit to the jumpseat and be safe everyone!