When will the jobs come back?

If there is one thing about the recession that has caused my heart to ache it’s the reduction in firefighter staffing in many communities. Some economists have argued that economic downturns can force businesses and governments to examine their operations and find more efficient ways to operate. On the surface that sounds good. We want our governments to operate efficiently and we want to be good stewards of the public dollar.

However, the budgets of many fire departments have been chiseled away over the past ten years and all the while these departments were taking steps to reduce expenses and improve their efficiencies. Stated another way, they have become mean and lean, finding creative ways to provide the most essential services with minimal staffing. There was no more proverbial blood in the turnip. So, when cities looked for the next round of cuts there was nothing left to cut except personnel.

Now we’re being told by the economists and the federal government that the recession is over. So what is to come of fire departments in a post-recession (recovery) period? Will the jobs come back? My prediction is they will not (at least not in the short term). I am not a pessimist and I so much want to see the jobs of my brothers and sisters restored.

In my travels I have kept tuned in to what local leaders have been saying, both publicly and privately. This is what I hear them saying… Fire departments have been over staffed and over funded for years and the recession gave elected and appointed leaders the opportunity (a good excuse) to cut out the “excess” with a good reason to propose reductions (the economy). Some of these elected and appointed officials give me the appearance they are actually smug and gloating in their successful attempts to reduce the size of the fire department.

Some fire department leaders have vocally opposed the reductions. Some leaders have resigned their positions or retired out of protest. Union leaders have stood their ground, but only with marginal success.

So when will the jobs come back? My prediction is the jobs will return very slowly, if at all. I also predict that it will take a crisis to reinstate firefighter (and for that matter police officer jobs). We all know this type of reaction is commonplace. There has to be an incident that results in serious injuries or fatalities. Then, and only then, do the elected and appointed officials begin to take grief from their constituents and the calls for action are heeded.

My concern is this: Firefighters are sworn protectors of humankind. Firefighters are wired for action. And unlike some elected and appointed leaders, firefighters will not play politics with the lives of residents. All of this spells the potential for the crisis previously mentioned to involve the lives of firefighters.

I am hopeful that firefighters and their command officers are having meaningful discussions about how the strategies and tactics should be adjusted based on cuts in staffing. I fear that firefighters will continue to fight fires the same way they always have and that is the recipe for a disastrous outcome.

To all my brothers and sisters I ask you that in these challenging times, if your department’s line staffing has been reduced, work smarter and discuss among your colleagues how to adjust your standard operating procedures. Remember that you mean the world to someone… act accordingly and take steps to ensure you safety.

Fire Chief (ret.) Richard B. Gasaway, PhD, EFO, CFO, MICP
www.RichGasaway.com

Houston's 10 Rules of Survival

I read where the Houston Fire Department implemented ’10 Rules of Survival’ in the aftermath of multiple line of duty death incidents. I think they are on the right track, so long as these rules become institutionalized and are reinforced in an effort to change their culture.

The one thing that was noticeably absent from the list was the need to conduct a risk-benefit assessment prior to committing firefighters to an interior attack. Part of the risk assessment means evaluating if the fire has began to consume the structural components of the building (e.g., rafters, joints, beams, studs, etc.). It is also essential to assess the speed at which the incident is moving. To accomplish this, the officer/commander must look at the fire’s progress in the context of the passage of time. Under stress, you can lose your perception of the passage of time (temporal distortion is the term for it). Paying attention to the passage of time (even if it is just seconds or a few minutes) and looking at how fast the fire is progressing and how quickly the smoke is building and moving helps you understand the speed of the fire and whether or not your resources (firefighters and water) can get ahead of it. There is a limit as to how fast your firefighters and your water can move and if the fire is moving faster, your firefighters will be overrun but it. It’s a pretty simple concept, but one that is so often overlooked in the size-up phase of the fire.

The second part of the risk-benefit assessment is determining the benefit of engaging firefighters in an interior structural attack. Now, before the comments start flying about wimps and sissies, I will go on the record that I am a proponent of aggressive attack. However, it cannot be blind aggression. It must be a calculated attack – assessing what is to be gained from it. Is there a savable life inside? For those who may not know, skin begins to melt at 160 degrees. Crawling through a super-heated, zero-visibility environment with the objective being “search and rescue” is a misnomer. In this environment, it would be “search and recovery.” Even if you were able to extract the body before death occurred, third degree burns over 80% of the body are not injuries compatible with life and the victim will succumb to their burns.

To engage firefighters in the highest risk environments should be predicated on what benefit comes from that risk – and be realistic.We are firefighters. We are in a risky business. However, we should not be taking excessive risks to save unsavable lives and unsavable property. Nor should we be engaging in firefights when our resources (firefighters and water) are outmatched by the volume and speed of the fire.

Fire Chief (ret.) Richard B. Gasaway, PhD, EFO, CFO, MICP
www.RichGasaway.com
RBG3100@aol.com

[Note: This was also posted on the Kitchen Table blog.]

What's the chances?

I've been doing a little research for a class I am teaching at Firehouse Expo in Baltimore this month. The program is titled "Does someone have to die before things will change?" It is focused on the changes that have been made in the commercial airline industry as a result of catastrophic accidents. In preparing this material, I was curious about the odds of dying in a plane crash today. This led to a broader curiosity about the chances of dying other ways. Here's the 4-1-1.

Your chances of:

Dying from heart disease: 1 in 5

Dying in an automobile accident: 1 in 18,585

Dying from a bee sting: 1 in 56,789

Dying from a lightening strike: 1 in 83,930

Dying in a airplane crash: 1 in 8.47 million (flying in one of the 25 safest airlines)

Why are your chances of dying in an airplane crash so low? Because the airline industry has learned from their mistakes and invested a lot of money in design and training to improve airline safety.

Aviation accidents are front page news, even if no one dies. Vehicle accidents, even when someone dies (unless they are someone famous), hardly get a mention... maybe page three of the local section.

As expensive as it is for airlines to design and implement safety programs (and all of us who fly thank them for their investment), they also know the cost of accidents are far greater. The old saying... an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure... applies here.

If you are one of those white-knuckle flyers, take respite in knowing that statistically speaking, you should be far more concerned with your daily commute to work than in taking that plane ride to you vacation destination. There... feel better? Now you can be a white-knuckled driver instead of a white-knuckled flyer. Safe travels... whatever your means of transportation.

By the way... your chances of dying (in general) are 1 in 1 (100%). We're all going at some point... so enjoy your time here.

Richard B. Gasaway, PhD, EFO, CFO
http://www.richgasaway.com/
http://www.woppyjawed.blogspot.com/

Righteous fire chief throws self on sword

Fire Chief Donald Barnes of the Shaker Heights (Ohio) Fire Department took a stand against more cuts to the fire department and it cost him his career. He is not the first chief to stand up for what he believed in and it cost him his career. I personally know several who have and I hold them in hero status. Nonetheless, it is a shame that fire chiefs have to throw themselves on the sword for the sake of trying to protect the lives and property of their citizens.

As fire chiefs, we take an oath to protect our citizens and that includes never doing anything that would jeopardize their safety. When a fire chief feels they are violating their oath, then they have to take a firm line.

Unfortunately, there are plenty of fire chiefs who would rather roll over and do whatever the administration wants done for the sake of saving their jobs. While that is shameful, it is also the stark reality that some leaders are more selfish than righteous.

I have always taken the stand that I would do what is right without regard to what the consequences are. It has cost me dearly on several occasions but at least I am able to wake up in the morning and look myself in the mirror and know that I did the right thing when I stood up to my boss.

There have been, along the way, a few times when I did acquiesce to the boss and did what I was told to do, even when I knew the outcome held great potential to harm public safety and firefighter safety. When that happened, I found myself wallowing in guilt and praying every one of many sleepless nights that no one would be harmed from the decisions I had been forced into making. It was a miserable existence.

I applaud Chief Barnes and I am confident he will land on his feet. As for the administration in Shaker Heights, I am hopeful that your residents will revolt against you for what you have caused to occur. You are one step closer to balancing your budget by saving $140,000 of pay and benefits from your fire chief. Congratulations. Your budget shortfall is nearly solved. Don’t worry at all about the consequences of public safety or fire department morale you have destroyed.

Richard B. Gasaway, PhD, EFO, CFO
http://www.richgasaway.com/
http://www.woppyjawed.blogspot.com/

Get Involved... Make a Difference

For the past eight years I have had the honor of serving as a peer evaluator for candidates seeking accreditation (Chief Fire Officer) through the Commission on Public Safety Excellence. Among the requirements to be accredited is the candidates must make professional contributions. Most often, these contributions are in the form of serving in local, regional, state and national committees or candidates serving as instructors at regional, state and national conferences.

Once a person reaches the top level of their career ladder it would be easy to sit back, relax a little and relish your accomplishments. In fact, many, many chiefs do just that. They have lots of reasons for not getting involved and making a difference on the broader scale. If you try hard enough you can think up a good excuse to avoid doing anything you want. Equally, if you try hard enough you can find the time to give more than what your employer requires. Once you climb to the top of your career ladder, get involved... make a difference. It feels good and it's the right thing to do. My hat's off to the CFO candidates for giving back and making a difference.

Richard B. Gasaway, PhD, EFO, CFO
website: http://www.richgasaway.com/
Another Blog: http://www.woppyjawed.blogspot.com/
E-mail: RBG3100@aol.com

A Few Good Men

I just got done watching A Few Good Men, one of my favorite movies. One of my favorite scenes in the movie is where Tom Cruise is prodding Jack Nicholson to admit he ordered a "Code Red." Cruise asks Nicholson for the truth and Nicholson responds with "You can't handle the truth!"

I can't tell you now many times throughout my 22 years as a fire chief I wanted to tell the elected officials and my bosses "You can't handle the truth" as they were contemplating budget cuts that would impact public safety. Most of the time, they didn't even ask the hard questions about impacts because... they couldn't handle the truth... and they knew it. Or, my boss would order me to make the council report devoid of the stark realities of the impacts... because the boss could not handle the truth.

As I read the headlines on fire service websites, I am saddened to see the fire service sustaining so many cuts, while other things move ahead full steam - like the one I recently read where they were cutting firefighter positions, but building a new baseball stadium. Good God!

It's easy for electeds to feel all warm and fuzzy when talking about building a new baseball stadium and it's damn uncomfortable to talk frankly about the stark reality that if you cut staffing, service levels suffer and the duties performed by the firefighters becomes more dangerous. There's not way to avoid it. That's the truth. But, as we sadly know, they can't handle the truth.

Richard B. Gasaway, PhD, EFO, CFO
website: http://www.richgasaway.com/
Another Blog: http://www.woppyjawed.blogspot.com/
E-mail: RBG3100@aol.com

Hyper Vigilent... it can save your life.

2009 Fire/EMS Safety, Health and Survival Week is June 14-20. The purpose of this week long event is to get fire and EMS personnel thinking... and talking... about safety. Don't take your safety for granted. More than 100 firefighters die in the line of duty each year. I bet not one of them thought it would happen to them, but it did. Today's buzz phrase... is hyper vigilent. To be hyper vigilent is to be extra perceptive of your surroundings and pay attention to the things that you might otherwise take for granted and overlook. When you go a long time without having an accident or a near-miss event you can became overly confident and complacent. Don't let that happen... become hyper vigilent.

Richard B. Gasaway, PhD, EFO, CFO
website: http://www.richgasaway.com/
Another Blog: http://www.woppyjawed.blogspot.com/
E-mail: RBG3100@aol.com

Much to be thankful for

As we all know, the type of work we do does not take a holiday during the holidays. In fact, many fire and EMS services are often busier because of the stress and anxiety people have in their lives. In our profession we see the best and the worst of humanity and the Christmas holidays often put us in a position to see some pretty bad things.

Please take time to reflect on how good your life is and how fortunate you are to have been called this this vocation. No everyone can do what you do. That is why firefighters, paramedics, EMTs, police officers and all who provide public safety are so revered. Under the worst conditions, when everyone else would turn away, you rush in to help. It's your nature... its your duty... it's your calling.

During this holiday season, pause, give thanks to God for all your blessings, and thank those around you for standing by you in the good times and the bad times. Your support system (family and friends) is so incredibly important. Don't forget to let them know that. Merry Christmas to you all... and to all a good and fire safe night.

Richard B. Gasaway, PhD, EFO, CFO
www.RichGasaway.com

Automatic aid can improve firefighter safety

I am hearing more and more about fire departments entering into mutual aid and automatic aid agreements. There are many reasons why this makes good sense. The first and most important reason I can think of is improved firefighter safety. If additional resources are dispatched from a neighboring department at the same time your department is dispatched then it stands to reasons the delay in their arrival will be reduced significantly. This can improve firefighter safety. By increasing the number of firefighters on the scene, the stress and strain on everyone is reduced. Simply stated there are more people to share the workload. An automatic aid department can also serve as your rapid intervention team/crew.

Depending in the size of your community and the proximity of the neighboring department's station(s), there is a risk the neighboring department could arrive at the fire before your department does. Short of bruising the ego of your firefighters, I struggle to see the downside of having the closest and quickest fire department arrive first.

The mission of all fire department is to reduce the loss of life and property while ensuring the safety of the firefighters. Automatic aid will help you achieve your mission.

Richard B. Gasaway, PhD, EFO, CFO
www.RichGasaway.com

The foundation of a great fire department

The foundation of a great fire department is built in three things: A strong organizational MISSION, an articulate and forward-thinking VISION, strong CORE VALUES. When I talk with departments that are having problems it almost always comes down to problems with members being out of focus as to the real reason they joined the fire service in the first place. As leaders, we have an obligation to ensure our members are involved in the development of the mission, are well-informed of the department's vision (direction), and live by the core values that are non-negotiable.

It doesn't matter if you are a formal leader or an informal leader, holding each other accountable for behavior that is consistent with the mission, vision, and core values is everyone's responsibility. Remember, if you allow undesirable behavior, it is the same as giving your permission for it to occur.

Richard B. Gasaway, PhD, EFO, CFO
www.RichGasaway.com

Finding the good in a bad economy

We are officially in a recession. Now what? Companies are laying off record numbers of workers. Now what? State and local governments are predicting huge deficits. Now what?

As tax revenues decline, local governments will be forced to reduce budgets. This can result in significant challenges to the providers of local government services, especially those who provide essential services.

Fire departments who have done the same thing the same way for a long period of time may find it difficult to find creative solutions in these difficult times. However difficult it it may be, fire department leaders must break out of the "that's the way we've always done it" mold and think creatively. I know of no vocation that is required to be more creative on a regular basis than the fire service. However, you are used to solving other people's problems and this time the problem is yours.

It is harder to solve a problem when you are emotionally attached to it. No fire department wants to cut any services that dedicated personnel have worked so hard to provide. No fire department wants to see members receive a pay raise that does not keep pace with inflation. No fire department wants to merge with a neighboring department and risk giving up their identity. But all these things are on the table.

Challenging economic times like these do not create character, but such times will expose the character of your members and challenge your leadership. I encourage you to be strong, principled, rational, and above all else, open-minded as you look for innovative ways to weather this stormy economy.

Richard B. Gasaway, PhD, EFO, CFO
http://www.richgasaway.com/

Firefighter Safety

A while back I had an opportunity to do a ride-along with a large metropolitan fire department. I don't get the chance to do that very often so it was a real treat for me. As I was sitting around the dinner table with the crew, they were complaining about the city's lack of concern for their safety, citing example after example of where the city had denied purchases of equipment and gear that would make their jobs safer. It all seemed legitimate.

Then we got dispatched for a call and I got to watch, as they bolted to the trucks, donned their gear, mounted the rigs, and sped off to the emergency... and not one of them wore their seat belts. If you're going to complain about your city's lack of concern for your safety, don't be a hypocrite by failing to take the steps to ensure your own safety by wearing your seat belt. The quickest way to lose your credibility is to complain about what someone else is doing, only to do the same thing yourself. Wear your seat belts! It's the easiest thing you can do to improve your safety.

Richard B. Gasaway, PhD, EFO, CFO
http://www.richgasaway.com/

Lightweight Truss Construction

While this blog is dedicated to improving fire and emergency services leadership, I want to take some editorial privilege to discuss a fire we had in Roseville yesterday at a four-unit apartment complex (a "quadplex" in the size-up given by Neil Sjostrom). The two-story building had heavy smoke emitting from the front door and a basement egress window. The attack crew was at the front door reporting hot, zero visibility conditions. Assistant Chief Tim O'Neill (Operations reported an all-clear on the unit from information provided by civilians, bu there was a dog inside. I ordered a defensive attack strategy... on a building where only one unit out of four is burning and the fire was spreading quickly. The crew used a thermal imager to assess heat conditions and try to locate the fire. There was high heat in the basement and on the first floor, consistent with the hot, angry, brown smoke that I was observing. They broke out the living room window and flowed some water into the structure. Bingo! The bulk of the fire was knocked down. Positive pressure ventilation was started which improved visibility and the crew entered to find a portion of the living room floor burned away. If they would have entered with high heat and zero visibility, they would have fell through into the basement... and we all know from the NIOSH reports how those usually turn out. I commend the discipline and experience of this crew led by shift commander David Brosnahan to know when NOT to enter. It saved their lives. When the fire was out, we went in to observe lightweight truss construction in the flooring (2x2s with particle board between them). In the end, one unit suffered heavy damage and the other three were completely spared... and we all returned safety to the firehouse! Amen.

Richard B. Gasaway, PhD, EFO, CFO
www.RichGasaway.com

Dr. Gasaway Recipient of International Research Award

Dr. Gasaway Research on Situation Awareness Wins International Research Award

Roseville (MN) Fire Chief Richard B. Gasaway, PhD, was selected as the recipient of the prestigious FIRE/W. L. Gore Research Excellence Award at the 2008 Fire Related Research & Developments Conference held November 12-13 at the British Fire Service College in Moreton In Marsh, Gloucestershire, England.

The award was based on conference organizers evaluations of 32 research presentation submissions on topics related to fire and emergency services. Gasaway’s research paper and presentation were titled Fireground Command Decision Making: Understanding the Barriers Challenging Commander Situation Awareness. The presentation was based on scientific research Gasaway conducted to help improve the safety of firefighters operating at the scenes of emergencies.

“In light of the exceptional group of talented researchers who presented at this year’s conference, I am incredibly honored to have been selected for this award,” Dr. Gasaway stated. “An award of this stature serves as a vindication that my research has value20to firefighters in America and around the world. Thank you to the Fire Journal and W. L. Gore for their sponsorship and to the panel who selected my work for this recognition.”

Dr. Gasaway is a Firehouse.com contributor and host of The Leader’s Toolbox podcast program. Gasaway is considered to be one of the nation9 9s leading fire service authorities on the topic of fireground situation awareness and fireground command decision making under stress. This research has been adapted into a national firefighter safety program called Fifty Ways to Kill Your Brother©. The research has also been published in a book that is available on his website, http://www.richgasaway.com/. If you would like more information about his research endeavors or to inquire about a program presentation, you can reach Dr. Gasaway at RBG3100@aol.com.

The Leader's Toolbox on Firehouse.com

Join Dr. Richard B. Gasaway as he hosts the Leader's Toolbox podcast program on Firehouse.com.

http://dynamic.firehouse.com/broadcast/category/the-leaders-toolbox/

Richard G. Gasaway, PhD, EFO, CFO
www.RichGasaway.com

If I live to be 100...

If I live to be 100, I don’t know if I will ever…

… see anything as ugly as an emergency vehicle involved in a high-speed crash.

… hear anything as sad as bagpipes being played at a firefighter’s funeral.

… smell anything as bad as burned flesh.

… have as bad a taste in my mouth as when politics are played with firefighter health & safety.

… fully appreciate the sacrifices my family made because I chose to be a firefighter.

Richard B. Gasaway, PhD, EFO, CFO
www.RichGasaway.com