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Joe This is something I have thought about for a long time. And with all due respect ( You know someone is going to say something bad when they say this) to your colleagues. I do not necessarily agree with your statement. While its true that the training drums in teamwork and familiarity to the new guys. This is all lost once they reach there their final postings. Indeed I think the Fire Service in general could learn a lot from DIR. Here are some points. 1 Most stations do the truck check once a week. I know in England it is done at the beginning of EVERY shift. This includes the Uniforms that are worn. Def not DIR. 2 I have seen all sorts of "extra" crap worn by Firemen from Leathermans, torches, ropes, Scissors to even a towel. Most of this is not needed and is what I call the Policeman syndrome. See how much you can wear on one belt so you look either Important or that you know what you are doing. And we have seen that in Scuba. 3 Some of the "Old Boys" will keep a preference to a particular piece of equipment that is no longer used and isn't standardized. But nobody says anything because they are the Senior Guys. I went to a mutual aid where the same station were using 3 different BA's 4 There is a strong reluctance to laying lines into buildings that aren't familiar or hold a great potential for disaster. This was pointed out in the recent Boston Fire. If you wouldn't go into a cave/wreck without a line, why would you do the same in a blazing warehouse. Again the British learned that mistake in the Kings Cross Fire. While I appreciate the fact that Fireman are there to save lives. You cant do it if your in the shit yourself. Something that we Paramedics often preach and practice. Just some thoughts and in no way trying to discredit your original post. Richard ----- Original Message ----- From: <Jbdvr@ao*.co*> To: <techdiver@aquanaut.com> Sent: Monday, April 03, 2000 2:04 PM Subject: thoughts on emergency services and ''personal preference'' > List,Being a cave diver and firefighter/paramedic with a ''good size'' fire > dept,(20 stations and 375 members) for the last 17 years. i often think how > DIR is almost universely practiced in emergency services, vs ''personal > preference''. From day one in rookie school you are taught how to rig and > wear protective equipment including the air mask in a safe and streamlined > manner. Everyone is required to wear their gear whether dept issued or > purhased by oneself in a similar manner, so that in a dangerous enviroment, > with zero-vis, in a unfamiliar location,( like cave diving?) in a out of air > emergency, each firefighter can locate his buddy by touch contact alone and > locate his regulator to begin emergency air sharing. this is drilled into the > new firefighter in burn buildings for weeks on end. i can't imagine how many > firefighter deaths we would have if each member was allowed to configure > their gear according to their own personal preference. I asure you it would > be a huge cluster f... Even the pumpers and ladder trucks or set-up in a > similar manner so anyone can locate a critical piece of gear off of any > vechile in a emergency. As for George Irvine being a loud mouth hard ass, you > should hang around a firehouse for a few years and listen to the veteran > firefighters go after the shiny new rookies that act like they know > everything when in fact they have yet to puke into their mask at a major > structure fire. It reminds me of the wild kingdom T V show where the lion > goes after the gazzel. NOT a pretty site! joe boone > -- > Send mail for the `techdiver' mailing list to `techdiver@aquanaut.com'. > Send subscribe/unsubscribe requests to `techdiver-request@aquanaut.com'. -- Send mail for the `techdiver' mailing list to `techdiver@aquanaut.com'. Send subscribe/unsubscribe requests to `techdiver-request@aquanaut.com'.
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