Why We Need To Get Out And See The Rest Of The Country.....

Having pride in your department, and its operations, are a good thing.  However, when pride gets in the way of progression, it can begin to effect operational effectiveness.  I think many firefighters and fire departments are coming up short because they fail to look at how other departments are doing business.  Often firefighters, or fire departments, get in to a “comfort zone” within their department and forget there are lots of other firefighters and fire departments out there doing good things.  Realizing there generally isn’t a “one size fits all” approach to firefighting, we can draw from many other department’s experiences and procedures to possibly improve our own efficiency and effectiveness.

Some departments preach from day one: “we don’t care how you did it somewhere else, we have our way and that’s how it will be done”.  I respect and agree with this mindset while training new members, as it ensures everyone is getting the same, and consistent, baseline training.  However after a member is proficient with the basics, allowing them to fall back upon the basics should all else fail, it behooves them to seek out other ways of performing tasks.  The more methods you know to perform a task, the less likely you are to fail at performing the task.

The 21^st century fire service offers us so many opportunities to see how other departments are conducting business.  The internet provides a ton of avenues to learn new methods as there as a ton of fire service websites and blogs, Facebook or Twitter pages, and fire service YouTube videos.  Your ability to seek these things out is truly only limited by the amount of time you want to spend doing it.  I, like many others, have my list of fire service websites and blogs that I check out on a daily basis.  I also have “friends” on Facebook or people I follow on Twitter who are affiliated with many different fire departments across the country.  Routinely these folks are putting up photos or other information that can be used as quick training material and you don’t have to leave the comfort of your own home to get this information.  With that said, you must leave the comfort of your home to get out and apply this information.  Simply looking at how another firefighter or department operates won’t always work, you actually have to go out and try it to see if it will work for you and/or your department.  Limiting factors may include apparatus, equipment, or personnel.  However, you will never know until you actually get out and try this stuff.

Formalized training events are also seemingly more popular than ever.  This is an excellent thing!  It may be due to the fact folks are able to widely advertise via the internet or it may because firefighters are doing a better job of networking.  Regardless of why it’s occurring, we need to ensure it keeps occurring.  These are great ways to learn the “how and why” of different methods and also apply the different methods in a controlled environment.  As I eluded to earlier, there isn’t a “one size fits all” approach to the fire service.  With that said, just because you’ve been 20 classes on forcible entry doesn’t mean you aren’t going to learn something new by taking your 21^st class.  If nothing else, taking “hands-on” classes will allow you more opportunities to practice skills you already have.  Earlier this week I attended a swiftwater rescue class hosted by Richmond Fire and Emergency Services in Richmond, VA.  A few acquaintances of mine asked why I would go to this class as I have already taken a few different swiftwater classes.  It was simple for me to answer.  Richmond does a lot more swiftwater calls than most in my area so they probably have some “battle proven” techniques, it’s a different location than where I’m accustomed to training, and I don’t get a ton of opportunities beyond our required CE hours to swim in moving water.  It was a no-brainer and I’m glad I went as it was excellent training.

Too often I see firefighters or fire departments operating with outdated practices or equipment simply because they won’t go out and look at how others are doing things.  This is unfortunate because the fire service is evolving around them and it’s often very hard to play “catch-up” when you’re so far behind.  As I stated earlier, there are lots of great firefighters and departments across the country doing things that may improve your own efficiency or effectiveness.  There are folks from Charlottesville(VA), South Carolina, Ohio, North Carolina, and Michigan doing great stuff with vehicle extrication.  There are folks from Washington D.C., Florida, Washington State, and Pennsylvania doing great stuff with Engine Company operations.  There are folks from the FDNY, Indiana, Michigan, Massachusetts, and California doing great stuff with Truck Company operations.  There are folks from Arizona and Oregon doing great stuff with Rope Operations.  My point is that there are tons of folks out there showing different ways to remain efficient and effective.  You may find this information via the internet, word of mouth, or through training. Regardless, it’s your responsibility to go out and find the information to determine if it will improve your efficiency and effectiveness.