Getting the TI Off the Truck Earlier Can Make a Huge Difference
Every month, I encourage firefighters to e-mail me questions, comments or suggestions. As you might imagine, I receive numerous e-mails every month from firefighters all over the world asking all sorts of questions. This month, I received this e-mail from the chief of a medium-size department in the northwestern U.S.:
"How do I get my firefighters to take the imager off the apparatus earlier in the incident?"
This chief felt that he had "...made an investment in equipment that I felt would save time, money and most importantly provide an extra margin of safety to my firefighters, but it seems that all they want to use it for is hot spots during overhaul."
Here is the hidden beauty in his question -- he gets it. In an era when many firefighters must battle their administration to purchase expensive equipment to improve their personal safety, this chief gets it -- his firefighters don't.
So, what causes a firefighter to leave the imager behind and only retrieve it for overhaul purposes? Is it habit? Is it a lack of training? Is it complacency? Is it over-aggressiveness?
Firefighters are an aggressive bunch -- we have to be in order to fare well in this business. A typical fire scene contains plenty of hard-charging, adrenaline-pumping action. Get in there, get to it and knock it out. Many firefighters simply feel that a thermal imager slows them down and is "unnecessary" during fire attack. Unnecessary for what? Unnecessary for fire suppression? Fire engines are technically "unnecessary" for fire suppression. Firefighters, for that matter, are even technically unnecessary for fire suppression as eventually, the fire will run out of fuel and suppress itself.
When you pull up on the scene and see thick, black smoke pouring from the structure and flames leaping from the windows, it is easy, in that adrenaline-soaked moment, to lose sight of your primary mission. Many firefighters mistakenly believe that their primary function at a structure fire is to put the fire out. Not true. Your primary function at any fire scene is to go home in one piece. The "it won't happen to me" syndrome is an important part of the firefighter psyche, but the truth is it happens to over 100 of us every year.
You can help accomplish both your goal to move quickly and your desire to go home in one piece through the early use of your thermal imager. If you are the first-arriving piece of apparatus, use the thermal imager to view the structure as you approach. Roll down the window (remember, a TI can't see through glass) and look at the structure as you make your approach. Areas of excessive heat buildup and the effects of natural ventilation can be assessed before the apparatus even comes to a complete stop. Once on scene, fire suppression can be accomplished with just three quick glances at the TI. One glance just inside the structure determines direction of heat travel. One glance upon arrival in the area of origin helps to determine fuel source and room configuration and once after initial suppression helps to determine spread and ventilation efforts.
The situation I illustrated is the most typical incident encountered; one where everything goes as planned. The real benefit of the TI, however, is its abilities when everything does not go as planned. What if during that first glance to determine heat travel you identify a partially collapsed ceiling or floor? What if during that second glance at the area of origin you identify a 20-pound propane cylinder heavily impinged by fire? What if you lose contact with other members of your team? Are they just a few feet behind or did they fall through to the basement? Your TI can make significant contributions to risk reduction -- if given the opportunity.
In order for your TI to help in these situations or intervene in these situations, it must be present and implemented. If I cannot convince you to use your TI early and often or convince you that it will speed your fire attack rather than slow it down, please let me convince you to take it with you "just in case." If you refuse to use it or see it as a hindrance, then buy the smallest TI you can find and clip it on to the airpack and forget it, but take it with you. If you are an officer, then there is an extra burden on you as you are ultimately responsible for the integrity and safety of your crew. You owe it to them and their families to take every measure possible to ensure their safety.
Bottom line: The thermal imager must come off the apparatus early and it must come off often. Getting your thermal imager off the truck early can make a huge operational difference and help increase everyone's chances of going home.
BRAD HARVEY is the Thermal Imaging Product Manager at Bullard. He is a veteran of public safety as a firefighter, police officer and paramedic and is certified through the Law Enforcement Thermographers' Association (LETA) as a thermal imaging instructor. Harvey has worked as a high-angle rescue instructor and is a certified rescue technician and fire instructor. If you have questions about thermal imaging, you may e-mail him at [email protected].
