Editorial: Waiting for the Cavalry

It is an amazing, almost helpless feeling for a chief officer to arrive on the scene of a working fire and, besides calling for additional help, have nothing to do but wait for help to arrive. I recently responded to a mid-morning activated residential fire alarm. As I arrived on scene, I thought I saw smoke coming from the roof. A police officer who also is a fire department captain was walking up the driveway and said he smelled smoke. He then said smoke was coming from the dwelling. I radioed a possible working fire to dispatch, requested a rapid intervention team and an additional ladder to the scene and an engine to relocate to my station.

The fire, which originated in the basement, had quickly spread upward through a laundry chute and involved portions of the first and second floors. The first hoseline was directed to the basement and the truck companies vented and checked for extension. Several more units were requested and all who responded quickly went to work. The best I could do was to request additional resources and communicate with the units upon arrival. The fire eventually was knocked down and despite some extensive damage the structure was saved. In this issue, Chief John Salka discusses the importance of knowing how to use hand tools to force entry, check for extension and ventilate (see page 142). Everyone who responded to this fire certainly had their work cut out for them checking for hidden fire in the walls and ceilings. No matter whether you are assigned to a truck or an engine, these basic skills are as important as stretching and operating the hose. I have always said a six-foot hook doesn't need to be tested annually and can work equally well in a high-rise or a cellar, but you can't beat the fire out with hose. At this fire, we needed four lines and all were in operation at one point or another.

Another key point while "waiting for the cavalry" to arrive is making sure that the apparatus on which you are so dependent do, in fact, arrive safely so the companies can perform their mission to confine, control and extinguish. For the majority of calls, we like to go fast and make a lot of noise. With civilian drivers listening to blaring music, talking on cell phones or wearing headphones, they usually can't hear us until we are right on top of them. Many firefighters are killed and injured in the line-of-duty each year in accidents while responding to the scene of an incident. These accidents can involve fire apparatus or their private vehicles. There have been six line-of-duty deaths already in 2008 and the year is only three weeks old as I write this. A reader wrote to me a few weeks ago suggesting that maybe we can't control a lot of line-of-duty deaths. There are certainly those we can control by slowing down to those "frequent-flyer" calls we respond to at the same addresses over and over. Using seatbelts can't hurt either. A recent apparatus accident in Queens, NY, involving a tractor-trailer and an engine company resulted in the hosebed being ripped off the chassis. Slow down and buckle up.

In this issue, Mark Emery begins a new series called "The Fire Station Pyramid of Success." His previous series, "The Ten Command-ments of Intelligent & Safe Fireground Operations," drew praise from many readers. Mark's new series, fashioned after legendary UCLA Basketball Coach John Wooden's principles of success, can be found on page 72.

This issue will be distributed at our first show of the year, Firehouse World in San Diego. We are proud to offer presentations on the recent devastating wildland fires in Southern California. A report on the progress being made after the tragic fire in Charleston, SC, where nine firefighters were killed in June 2007 also will be made. Many Firehouse® contributors will offer presentations to keep the fire service aware of the latest in strategy, tactics and safety on the fireground. Our other shows for 2008 are Firehouse Expo in Baltimore, July 22-26, and Firehouse Central, located in Las Vegas, NV, Oct. 13-17. The preliminary program for Firehouse Expo can be found within this issue. Visit www.firehouseexpo.com or www.firehousecentral.com for the latest details.

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