If you're gonna be stupid, you had better be tough

[EFD840]

I really hate to post this because not only is it from Alabama, it is just one county to the west of us....

The story that goes with the pic can be found in the Montgomery Advertiser .

Some ironic notes:

If you look to the left, there's a gloved hand that appears to belong to someone wearing at least a turnout coat but he isn't on the nozzle.

You can't tell from this little picture, but in the the larger printed version the shirt of the guy on the right side appears to say "SCBA something" across the bottom.

According to the story, a propane tank BLEVED and blew the doors off the place as the first units arrived, but apparently it wasn't impressive enough to warrant the use of turnout gear or a helmet.

I don't mean to pick on these guys. This town was hit very hard by a tornado roughly a month ago, and now they've suffered a major fire but DANGIT, there's no reason to take chances like this!

[cozmosis]

As I've said before... If you are at a fire and the air is so nasty to breathe that you need SCBA... Don't you think you need bunker gear, too?

Seriously. How does that work? "Earl, that's sure is a lot of smoke -- better put an airpack on. 'Course, you ain't gonna be in the fire... so you'll be safe in your t-shirt and jeans there."

[HeavyRescueTech]

The propane tank, stored in one of the buildings, exploded just as members of the Autaugaville Volunteer Fire Department got to the scene.

so with that much fire showing, and the tanks EXPLODING just as you are arriving, and you don't think maybe i should put gear on for this? maybe at least so my jeans don't get dirty?

and people wonder why volunteers get such a bad reputation....

[stm4710]

Hey billy bob, come take a look at this.

[scfire86]

Originally posted by DrParasite

and people wonder why volunteers get such a bad reputation....

I stopped wondering years ago.

[ZootTX]

Good job fellas, thanks for making the rest of us volunteers look like backwards idiots.
Thank God my department is not that way...

[EMTfinally]

WOW! You know, at the dept I vol. for, I don't know of a single member that would not snatch that person off the nozzel and banish him to the engine, IF we were even allowed that closed to anything without gear.

[HenryChan]

I'd do that only if there was a life at stake inside (structure or vehicle).

[CaptOldTimer]

Maybe, just maybe this is ALL they have! Just the breathers and no other gear. I am only guessing at this, but anything is possible.

[hwoods]

There ARE places out there where you have to get 20 people to show up, just so you can assemble 4 sets of gear. I have no idea if this company is in that shape or not. If they are, and anyone knows them, tip them off to Helping Our Own Inc. If they have the gear and don't feel like using it, That's a different story, and I have no sympathy for them. In my 46 years in this business, I've found myself needing to do something, barehanded, a couple of times. I know the feeling. BUT, if the apparatus is there, then the gear should be too.

[SpartanGuy]

It's embarassing to say, but I've seen that at fires. Not in our juristiction, and it's a little bit better than that in the immediately surrounding rural territories, but we've made runs in the daytime out towards the state line into the BOOONIES due to our manpower situation(our average manpower per call is 10).

If any of you read my Help Needed thread, you'll get a great example of some of the stuff I've seen. But, as I think back, the best example has to be an interior crew of 4 guys from a neighboring company hacking their guts out, hunched over the front porch railing after roughing it inside w/o SCBA. Then my crew came out, took their masks off, and were fine. I've never been more proud


It's a shame that this is allowed to happen. There's so much state, federal, local, and private money out there to help department's out that that should be illegal.

[blueeighty88]

Why would it make other volunteers look like idiots?

I'm a volunteer; it doesn't make me feel or look like an idiot; or injure my reputation in any way when another department or firefighter 10, 100 or 1000 miles away breaks the law, doesn't follow their own procedures, doesn't operate safely, burns thier station down; hell I don't care how they operate!

It doesn't effect me one bit, sure you feel sad in your heart when these actions kill them; but it doesn't make me feel any different about being a volunteer firefighter. And I don't see why anyone else would look at it as being bad for everyone.

The only people that look stupid and should be given that bad reputation here are the firefighters of the "Autaugaville Volunteer Fire Department" in Alabama.

[Rigin1]

This dept just got money for a brand new fire fighting vehicle. Maybe they should have invested in gear and training. That guy with the nozzle should be removed from the department and have his picture posted every place imanginable as a what not to do pic.

Rigin

[SPFDRum]

Look at the bright side;
At least he has a spotter to direct the hose stream, hate to waste any water.

[Weruj1]

Harve,Capt.I have to respectfully disagree with your posts. Granted it is 2004 and there are areas that are hurting for sure. I could understand if they were in cotton duck and Topgaurd helmets and 3/4 boots, and while we are NOT there certainly if you think you need SCBA then you need whatever PPE you are issued. Chang, that is what is going to get you killed...........I can only hope you are joking as well.

[SPFDRum]

HenryChan

I'd do that only if there was a life at stake inside (structure or vehicle).

the only problem with stunts like this, the life is usually your own "at stake".

[Medic162]

Wow That is really sad...

[cozmosis]

Originally posted by CaptOldTimer
Maybe, just maybe this is ALL they have! Just the breathers and no other gear. I am only guessing at this, but anything is possible.

If I was creating a fire department... I think cheap, old, used turnouts would be a higher priority than SCBA. Why do you have SCBA? So you can do interior attack. Can you do interior attack without bunkers? Nope.

[RyanEMVFD]

and the sad thing to me is that guy with airpack on is wearing an SCBA that is better then what we use right now.

[Firemanjoe213]

If a Vol. from our dept. is dumb enough to even show up at a scene without his gear, he is Made to leave the scene by the OIC.
I'm not gonna knock these guys, cause I wasnt there. but personally I aint going anywhere near the fire without my bunkers and scba.