A few weeks ago, longtime Firehouse columnist and Loveland-Symmes, OH, Fire Department Deputy Chief Billy Goldfeder sent out one of his infamous Secret List emails featuring the Skellefteå Model, described as the healthy firefighters’ method for reducing the risks that firefighters are exposed to related to hazardous substances.
The video of the Skellefteå Model depicts a Swedish firefighting crew responding to a mock incident while demonstrating their prescribed methods of risk reduction as it pertains to hazardous substance exposure, including smoke, toxic gases and other forms of contaminants, while actively engaged in firefighting, post-knockdown operations, and cleanup.
Chief Goldfeder described his reaction to the video as such: “When I saw this video, I was very uncomfortable. VERY uncomfortable. I saw things in this video that are so far off the scale of how most of us operate at a fire—and after the fire. The video is nothing at all how we do business ... or at least how I have since 1973.”
I had watched this video previously, so the shock value for me was now far removed, but as I watched the video again, my mind kept going back to Chief Goldfeder’s statement, “I was very uncomfortable.”
It’s critical that we always step back and seek the root of our discomfort. Why would any of us, even highly progressive chiefs, be uncomfortable? Sure, Swedish firefighters dress a little different than us; they wear space-age motorcycle helmets for firefighting, and they respond to fires in sticker-laden minivans, but not much else is different. The first-arriving officer performs a quick 360-degree size-up to formulate an effective strategy, the apparatus operator positions the apparatus to support an effective attack on the fire while minimizing the potential for smoke/heat exposure to the apparatus and related equipment, the crew aggressively attacks the fire, and they perform salvage and overhaul operations, all while consciously considering their level of exposure to contaminants, airborne or otherwise.
Truth be told, our comfort level is not based on what’s best for the customer or even us; it’s based on what WE like, what brings us satisfaction and personal gratification.
In his email, Chief Goldfeder acknowledged that change is hard, and I couldn’t agree more. WE, firefighters and civilians alike, all struggle to accept changes that disrupt OUR comfort level.
As firefighters, we’ve long accepted the reality that change is inevitable: People retire and a new batch of rookies fill our ranks, training standards change, and now we simply crunch on a patient’s chest, no more mouth to mouth.
But it’s those radical changes like removing firefighters from the tailboard, requiring protective hoods, setting up a stationary command post and accounting for the personnel operating within the IDLH, and assigning a team of firefighters to “standby” at a working fire in case a firefighter needs to be rescued that bring about true discomfort.
But step back for a minute and consider that25 years ago, with the introduction of NFPA 1500, firefighters of all ranks endured the greatest degree of discomfort imaginable: We were removed from the tailboard and placed in fully enclosed riding positions for all occupants; we were required to wear protective hoods and somehow still forecast impending flashover conditions; command posts were required to be established, and crews were assigned specific tasks by an incident commander with routine personnel accountability reports (PARs); and RIT teams were required at all working fires. And despite all this, the world has not stopped spinning, buildings throughout the country are not burning to the ground, and we as firefighters are still recognized for the incredible services we provide.
As firefighters, we’ve long borne the title of selfless public servants, dedicated to serve for the betterment of others. When the policies we embrace, the purchases we make or the tactics we deploy are solely based on our personal comfort levels, the lines of selfless service become distant and distorted.
If pain and discomfort are signs of progress, it’s time WE become uncomfortable and challenge ourselves to once again redefine the way we do business. Our mark in history is not measured by the traditions we cherish, but rather by the challenges we endure and overcome.
Let us not forget that the discomforts we endure today will soon become the marks of forward progress for the safety and well-being of those who will soon follow.
What’s your comfort level, and just how uncomfortable are you willing to be?
