Safety on the Fire Ground

Mittendorf Truck Ops

Veteran fire ground commander and author John Mittendorf came to Hillsboro Fire Department to provide our firefighters a new perspective on safety. The retired Los Angeles City Fire Department Battalion Chief talked at length this week with our firefighters about changes necessary to avoid unnecessary risks when fighting structure fires. Mittendorf has examined the tasks responsible for the annual loss of over 100 firefighters across the country each year and offered ways to avoid those fatalities.

Citing the deaths of nine firefighters in the South Carolina Sofa Super Store fire in 2007 and the six who perished in the 1999 Worchester, Massachusetts, warehouse fire, Mittendorf discussed critical decisions that all incident commanders must make and where their priorities should be placed. The priorities always start with life safety.

The presentation also looked at apparatus placement at single family residential fires and at multi-story residential and commercial buildings to provide for the maximum use of the aerial ladder aboard the truck. Those placements may be different based on the circumstances.

We are grateful for the knowledge that Retired Chief Mittendorf has shared. We hope that his sharing of his experiences and wisdom will make our firefighters better and safer in the days ahead.

Standpipe Operations

Picture a fire in a multistory building and the stairwell is already compromised by the blaze. How do you get firefighters into the upper stories to fight it? With a ladder, of course! But the task is complicated by having to bring hose along with you to fight the fire. That’s why Hillsboro firefighters this past week have been drilling on what’s called “standpipe operations.”
Standpipes are normally water pipes built into multi-story buildings to help supply firefighting water to the upper stories. In cases where they are installed in buildings or parking structures, firefighters bring hose bundles with them and attach to the pipes. The pipes are either fed by the municipal water supply or by the fire engine attaching to an “FDC” or fire department connection on the exterior of the building. Once attached to the standpipe, they can charge their hoses and advance on the fire.



In multi-story buildings where there are no standpipes, firefighters have to essentially create their own by bringing a larger diameter hose up the ladder to their floor of entry, attaching a gated “Y” valve to split the larger line into two smaller attack lines for maneuverability, and advancing to the fire’s location. The process is not complicated, but requires several critical steps to ensure a smooth fire attack, one of which includes securing the larger diameter hose to the ladder to ensure it doesn’t fall and pull the smaller lines down with it when the lines are charged with water.

Firefighters Are People, Too!

CISM Training by Chaplain Brodehl

Despite their image of America’s bravest, firefighters are human and subject to the emotional toll of seeing tragic and horrific events, sometimes on a daily basis. To ensure they don’t suffer long-term stress-related illness, Hillsboro Fire and Rescue provided training this week about Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM).

Hillsboro Fire Chaplain Steve Brodehl provided the program that showed the old philosophy of “just deal with it” often resulted in emotional problems, family discord and addictions. Those add up to an untimely end to a promising career. Today’s concept of CISM is to “talk it out.” That means to discuss with fellow crew members the impact a particularly tragic call had. It could be that the child injured or killed looked like or was the same age as the firefighter’s own children that prompted the emotional impact. Whatever the reason, an open discussion around the dinner table after the call goes a long way toward alleviating the emotional impact a bad call has had.

Company officers can also organize an informal Defusing session within a few hours of the incident to help facilitate the frank and open discussion of the toll a tragic call has taken. These sessions are voluntary.

If more than a couple of crew members are still feeling impacted by a call for more than a day or two, a closed-session Debriefing can be ordered by the Chief. Attendance is mandatory. This session is led by a facilitator from outside the department who may be aided by chaplains, also from outside the department.

HFD invests heavily in training firefighters to provide the best possible service for our citizens. We want to ensure the firefighters retire mentally and physically healthy and capable of continuing to invest in their families and our community after their career as a firefighter ends.

Fire Prevention Week Open House

Hillsboro Fire and Rescue kicked off National Fire Prevention Week with an open house at Fire Station 1 on Saturday, October 3rd. More than 300 people showed up to pick up safety information, tour the station, climb aboard fire engines, play games, and see demonstrations. Kids particularly liked the miniature fire engine built by HFD Engineer Mike Banta. There was a line most of the day waiting to crawl into the tiny cab and blow the siren. Take a look at our photos of the event.



Fire Prevention Week is organized each year to bring awareness to the most serious fire safety issues. This year's theme: Stay Fire Smart! Don't Get Burned. It points out the simple yet necessary habits to avoid tradegies: Test the bath water before putting a baby in it; use short or close-fitting sleeves when cooking on the stove top; set your hot water heater to no more than 120-degrees(F); and have a three-foot kid-free zone around your stove.

Additionally, this year's focus included adult burn prevention. One of the most common and preventable severe burns in Oregon is adult males using gasoline to start burn piles, barbeques or cleaning car parts. The unexpected explosion that occurs when an ignition source, such as a lit match, finds accumulating gas fumes has sent many men to the area's burn center. Please avoid using gasoline for anything other than a fuel for motorized equipment and vehicles.

Thermal Imaging Camera Drills

TIC

Thermal imaging cameras (TICs) have been around for years and have been a valuable tool for firefighters. Some are helmet-mounted. Most are hand-held devices that measure the differences in temperature of objects in its viewing path. TICs help firefighters see through dark, smoky rooms to find the seat of the fire that is often hidden by the smoke, and most importantly, find victims or injured firefighters who may only have only minutes to live.

All firefighters have been taught the basics of how to use Thermal Imaging Cameras. Hillsboro Fire & Rescue crews are undergoing advanced training on how to better use this tool in the early stages of the fire, particularly during fire attack. It is another way in which HFD continues to improve on existing skills and provide faster and better service to our citizens.

This week's drill is being conducted at a home that is slated for demolition later this fall. The home may be used in a few months for a live fire drill. If so, we'll be sure to bring you photos of that drill here on this blog.

Mass Casualty/Decon Equipment Drill

With so many high technology manufacturing plants within the City of Hillsboro, Hillsboro Fire and Rescue must be ready to respond to possible spills or leaks of the toxic chemicals that are sometimes used in these companies' processes. Due to the large numbers of employees at these plants, there is a potential for mass casualties in the event of an accident. Hillsboro Fire and Rescue has a MASS CASUALTY DECONTAMINATION TRAILER in its fleet of apparatus that can bring the necessary additional equipment to help decontaminate workers who may have come in contact with any chemicals. The unit is also outfitted to respond to terrorism incidents, with chemcial, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosive (CBRNE) to provide triage and treatment equipment. Hillsboro Firefighters practiced setting up and operating the equipment this week.

The trailer carries additional trauma kits, radiological detection equipment, chemcial spash protection suits, and other gear. It also is equipped with two diesel-powered water heaters that can heat water coming from a fire engine so that it can be sprayed on patients who may have come in contact with chemical, biological or radiological materials. A tent that provides for modesty and protection from the weather allows patients to walk into one end, disrobe, walk through soapy and then rinse water, and emerge from the other end in temporary issued garments.

September is Preparedness Month

If all utilities were cut off to your home, would you be able to survive without outside help for a week? How about three days? If not, now is the time to start your Emergency Kit.

Think about it for a moment. If we had a violent earthquake.... If we had a repeat of the 1964 windstorm.... If....

Your emergency kit and a family communication plan would be your most important asset. Don't let the thought of creating an emergency kit overwhelm you. You can do it in short segments by visiting the Take Five to Survive website.

Otherwise, you'll need the following in one location, preferably in one or more containers that can be quickly retrieved:

Water - One gallon per person per day for three days minimum (7 days is better if you have the space.) Don't forget your pets!

Food - Nonperishable food the whole family will eat for three days (7 is better). Canned meats, peanut butter, crackers, granola bars and a manual can opener. Again, don't forget the pet food.

Medicines - An additional supply of critical medicines (such as heart or asthma meds)

Radio - Battery-powered or hand-cranked portable radio with NOAA weather radio tone alert and extra batteries.

Flashlight(s) - One for each person with spare batteries.

First Aid Kit - Start with a small one and add to it. Include a first aid book on dealing with common traumas and first aid issues.

Whistle - You'll need it to signal for help if you are trapped or lost.

Protective Gear - Dust mask because that will likely be a major issue following an earthquake. Plastic sheeting and duct tape for sheltering in place for a chemical leak.

Personal sanitation - Moist towelettes and garbage bags for sanitation use if the water and sewer lines are severed.

Tools - Wrench and/or pliers to turn off utilities, if necessary.

Documents - Copies of important family documents (birth certificates, home mortgage and insurance contracts, wills, banking records, etc.)

Cash - With power outages, ATMs and banks may not be able to dispense cash. You may not be able to make credit or debit card purchases. Cash will be your only means of making a purchase of possibly valuable resources.

And finally, the family communication plan is critical, with so many families having two income-earners, active children and distant family members. Visit the Take Five to Survive website.

You will always rest easier if you PREPARE, PLAN, and STAY INFORMED.