Tricks of the trade

[Pixie]

If theres no immeaditate problem, such as sparking, an inability to turn the ignition off, or a large fuel leak, it seems that with both the advent Hybrid Cars and the large number of electronically controlled internal vehicle systems it can be easier to leave the battery connected. This still allows you to operate everything inside the cabin, such as seat positioning controls, making casualty removal that little bit easier in certain circumstances.
http://www.traser.com.au/index.html?target=dept_3.html&lang=en-us

BINGO.

That is exactly what i was hoping you would say. ( I figure any noobs that are likely to take advice from forums probably visit regularly and are much more likely to listen to you than myself. )

***Note for noobs... Undeployed airbags and seat belt pre-tensioners are dangerous, the only way to deactivate these systems is by disconnecting the battery and waiting the predefined amount of time set out in the little blue book which you should have in your truck. Always work cautiously around undeployed air bags, and use steering wheel airbag restraints where possible. never place yourself between an undeployed airbag and casualty, or stick your head in the drivers or passenger side windows without the airbags being deactivated. if available, place undeployed air bag sticker on vehicle before it is towed by tow truck operator.
IF IN DOUBT ASK YOUR OIC OR A RESCUE OPERATOR.

now for my tricks of the trade.

-Spend the 20 bucks or so at K-mart/big w etc. and buy yourself a cotton long sleeve workshirt, change into this before/enroute to a job. it stops your t-shirt/whatever getting sweaty and gross and stinking of smoke.

-Hang your flashood on the same hook as your pants, this should help you remember to put it on before your turnout coat. (they make awesome neck warmers in winter,  )

-SPARE SOCKS!

-Rope, as numbers said, around 5m of thin rope, same stuff as used for personal lines.

-Don't judge fellow fireys on age, gender, race, helmet color or stripes, or uniform. Judge them on their ability and knowledge.

-If in doubt, don't!, ask your officer!

[rescue5271]

Hey Pix,you may wish to tell SAAS that as they are always well inside the car before a RCR brigade or any fire service get there and then they get Pissed off when you tell them to step aside while you make the car safe....

[Katrina]

Hmm, well i can't really answer for going on a fire truck, haven't been on one that many times - going in a command vehicle with the fat controller (um - sick bag if i have just eaten a big meal, sense of humour, thick skin - I love it so am not complaining)
I have now learnt that for those really long, long, long boring jobs in the comms room (you know the one where all the fun filled action stuff has happened and you lot are just patrolling etc or waiting for everyone to leave the scene that takes several hours) that things to keep me awake in the middle of the night is a must. This year for the fire season i am putting together a bag that will be near the door - nibbles (you lot quite often get fed out on the fire ground but we usually don't always get stuff) book to read, crossword book, anything to keep me amused and awake

[rescue5271]

Don't forget the bottle of red wine and some candles so that when your in that comms room by yourself you can be some what happy.....

[6739264]

Don't forget the bottle of red wine and some candles so that when your in that comms room by yourself you can be some what happy.....

And if its anything like our comms room, there should be a large supply of batteries...

Ahem.

Undeployed airbags and seat belt pre-tensioners are dangerous, the only way to deactivate these systems is by disconnecting the battery and waiting the predefined amount of time set out in the little blue book which you should have in your truck.

Yep, even so, I don't trust the little book, nor anything undeployed. Always slap a restraint device on and stay out of the way when possible. As for the pretensioners, lets all try NOT to cut through them!

And for the record, I would never have expected the term 'noob' to make the jump from gaming to firefighting

[chook]

Thought you might like to know that the jury is still out on airbag restraint devices. You QLD counterparts flag this as an issue two years ago. Best thing to do is to keep your head out of theline of fire!
Also rushing in and disconnecting batteries on the new model vehicles is great from a fire point of view but from the rescue side - please wait until the vehicle is checked for electrical seat adjustment etc. Its a real pain when you want to move the seat back or wind down a window & find out the its electrical & some firie has already disconnected the battery (which these days maybe in the back/ boot area anyway). Because once its disconnected it stays disconnected.
And Noob's shouldn't be in the hot zone anyway regardless whether they are fire or rescue.
Did anyone see All Saint's the other week? Not that I watch it but my partner does Anyway the short version is Female driver trapped in a MVA, ambulance rescue on scene as well as a surgeon. Rescue can't free legs, surgeon cuts of leg! The real Ambulance rescue guys must have cringed when they saw it!
A simple dash lift would have done the job!
Anyway thats all from me - cheers

[CFS_Firey]

Is the air bag book still being printed?  I thought they did away with the print version in favour of an electronic version...

Another trick of the trade, (if you can call it that), when getting your turnout gear on, put your bunker pants and boots on, then grab your coat and helmet and jump on the truck.  Coat and boot zips can be done up on the way to the job.

[RescueHazmat]

Hey Pix,you may wish to tell SAAS that as they are always well inside the car before a RCR brigade or any fire service get there and then they get filtered off when you tell them to step aside while you make the car safe....

While the casualty dies... yeah.. nice tip.. 

[whitecloud]

***Note for noobs... Undeployed airbags and seat belt pre-tensioners are dangerous, the only way to deactivate these systems is by disconnecting the battery and waiting the predefined amount of time set out in the little blue book which you should have in your truck. Always work cautiously around undeployed air bags, and use steering wheel airbag restraints where possible. never place yourself between an undeployed airbag and casualty, or stick your head in the drivers or passenger side windows without the airbags being deactivated. if available, place undeployed air bag sticker on vehicle before it is towed by tow truck operator.
IF IN DOUBT ASK YOUR OIC OR A RESCUE OPERATOR.

THANKS. I have seen an officer in a brigade in a neighbouring group over ride someone in our own brigade regarding "just cutting it anyway". Big mistake. Unfortunately, there's too many gurus and not enough collective brain.

My tip: If you have heard something is a bad idea DURING A COURSE FROM AN INSTRUCTOR, it probably is. Some inbred from another brigade/ service, despite displayed rank, isn't necessarily a smart person, they're just more popular. If it sounds stupid, don't do it, and at least try to inform other people not to make said decision. (ie, cutting seatbelt pre-tensioners, not peeling and looking in cars one isn't familiar with during roadcrash.

-If anything seems suss, it probably is

-If you don't know where something is, ASK SOMEONE instead of running around like a headless chook for a half hour while crews are waiting for equipment

- Be sure you know where things are stowed in your appliance in the first place

- Be fit enough to be out there (I don't mean just cardiovascularly fit, I mean if you have the flu and bring it near me at a job , I WILL hurt you )

[boredmatrix]

Hey Pix,you may wish to tell SAAS that as they are always well inside the car before a RCR brigade or any fire service get there and then they get filtered off when you tell them to step aside while you make the car safe....

try this for a simple solution - drive faster and beat us to the jobs!!

As for not doing anything......Let's consider it another way shall we - a fire crew is out on a training drive and come across someone in cardiac arrest on the footpath and stop - get out of the truck and tell the public "we're not going to do anything- that's the "job of the paramedics".

Now let me tell you about this VA I did last week where I waited 20 mins for the firey's to get there.......while I stood on the side of the road and told the public that I couldn't do anything for the woman with her bilateral femur fractures and her 2 year old child in the backseat with multiple lacerations from the broken windows because apparently I'm not smart enough to work out whether or not the car is safe enough for me to get into.......

...oh that's right..it didn't happen because I would have been LYNCHED!
 
I'm starting to think that there's only 2 types of firey's on this forum....those with brains and those without....and not many of the former!!

[misterteddy]

starting to think???.......matrix...u disappoint me

[RescueHazmat]

Thinking is too hard.. Back to the lake.. *Goes and finds the tacklebox* ..

[Firefrog]

The brainy ones lurk around - bemused at the ranting of the others.....

The trick if there is one, is to do your own job properly. A fireys job is to deal with hazards on arrival, there will be ambos in the car......! So when fireys deal with hazards they are making everyone safer, including the ambos.

Fireys do our part at the scene but we need to remember our place, dealing with hazards, providing fire cover, conducting rescue. The ambos do the hard stuff!!!!!

My trick for MVA's is introduce yourself to the ambos and ask what they need. Don't tell them what to do! They don't need to deal with you as well as their casualty.

[RescueHazmat]

The man speaks words of wisdom!..

And all too true, you will find a much nicer reception if you ask how you can help an Ambo working in a vehicle, rather than going off your $2 trolley at them!..

Your pedantic yelling and screaming about the level of risk, won't sit well with Paramedics who have sat in hundreds of wrecked cars while keeping someone alive..



Now... - Back to the "Tricks of the Trade" ...

[Cameron Yelland]

Keep your appliance well stocked with glucose lollies....very good at keeping the energy level up at a long job.

Not to mention the benefits if you happen to come across a diabetic in need of some quick sugar.

[Bagyassfirey]

Keep your appliance well stocked with glucose lollies....very good at keeping the energy level up at a long job.

Not to mention the benefits if you happen to come across a diabetic in need of some quick sugar.

also comes in han on sundays when our members do weekly check and 30km run..quite a few have called it sunday lunch 

[jaff]

Keep your appliance well stocked with glucose lollies....very good at keeping the energy level up at a long job.

Not to mention the benefits if you happen to come across a diabetic in need of some quick sugar.

Always remember to brush your teeth after the glucose lollies, tooth decay, can't be too careful.......though in saying that Cam most people down your way only have a few teeth in their head, anyway! 

[Cameron Yelland]

Keep your appliance well stocked with glucose lollies....very good at keeping the energy level up at a long job.

Not to mention the benefits if you happen to come across a diabetic in need of some quick sugar.

Always remember to brush your teeth after the glucose lollies, tooth decay, can't be too careful.......though in saying that Cam most people down your way only have a few teeth in their head, anyway! 

Oi thats a bit rough.  I still got all mine....see 

[boredmatrix]

The man speaks words of wisdom!..

And all too true, you will find a much nicer reception if you ask how you can help an Ambo working in a vehicle, rather than going off your $2 trolley at them!..

Your pedantic yelling and screaming about the level of risk, won't sit well with Paramedics who have sat in hundreds of wrecked cars while keeping someone alive..



Now... - Back to the "Tricks of the Trade" ...

my faith has been restored - there is commonsense in this world......


here's a handy thung to keep in your bag....VICKS.

got a smelly dead one?  smear some under your nose A la'DIRTY SANCHEZ and do the job without worrying about the smell too much.....

[6739264]

here's a handy thung to keep in your bag....VICKS.

got a smelly dead one?  smear some under your nose A la'DIRTY SANCHEZ and do the job without worrying about the smell too much.....

Got that in your bag next to your blouse and fancy knickers, sweetheart?

[chook]

Are you are a hard man Numbers - wouldn't have fancy knickers on at a job anyway they would be ruined by all of the "stuff" inside a car after an MVA.
cheers

[Katrina]

Oh Dear, does that mean I shouldn't be wearing my expensive french knickers and matching bra on the fire ground anymore? Oh dear, I didn't realise that was against the rules too!

[Pixie]

Now let me tell you about this VA I did last week where I waited 20 mins for the firey's to get there.......while I stood on the side of the road and told the public that I couldn't do anything for the woman with her bilateral femur fractures and her 2 year old child in the backseat with multiple lacerations from the broken windows because apparently I'm not smart enough to work out whether or not the car is safe enough for me to get into.......

I am sure most ambos would know not to poke their head in the drivers window, if they suspect the air bags might go off... of might like to hop into the car and work from the backseat or between drver/passenger seats. but occasionally you will see the ones who get a touch narrow minded and only focus on the patient not the potentially harmful situation they may be putting themselves into.

anyways back to tricks of the trade,

- always try to learn other fires/whatever from surrounding areas names/nicknames. makes for a much friendlier atmosphere, (it gets annoying constantly being referred to by your last name.)

- If working with ambos, introduce yourself to them, so you can talk to them by name rather than "hey ambo"

- Lock your car when you attend the station for firecalls, even if it is 3am on a tuesday morning (bye bye mobile phone and change from ashtray)

[Darius]

- Lock your car when you attend the station for firecalls, even if it is 3am on a tuesday morning (bye bye mobile phone and change from ashtray)

that depends on the area you live in!  most people don't lock their cars round my way and some people still leave their keys in the ignition when parked at the station (and at home too).  I pity the guys around salisbury and elizabeth (MFS too) who can't even leave an appliance unattended at firecalls without bits going missing.

[Katrina]

We don't exactly have a high crime rate here in Penola but I caught someone coming out of the station and he had already been into at least one car parked outside (nothing taken at least) so I don't know that I would go making such sweeping statements, it might have nothing to do with the area you are in but who is passing by at the time