MN FF 1

Just finished the State certification test for MN FF 1. 125 written exam; 25 on Haz Mat Awareness and five practical stations.

There were over 80 FF at the Hennepin Tech college to take any number of tests from FF1, 2, officer and training certifications.

The five practical’s were:
Ropes: Tying a Bowline, Figure 8 on a bite; clove hitch and then demo raising tools
Hose: Rolling and managing hoses
Ladders: Ability to demonstrate the proper technique for moving and setting up a 35ft 2-fly ladder and proper technique for working off a ladder.
Search & Rescue: Maintain orientation while searching a room for a victim with eyes blind-folded
SCBA: Proper care and donning of SCBA

I know I nailed the practicals (497/500) and did well on the FF1. The only unknown is the Hazmat (seeing it is 25 questions you are only allowed 7 wrong.....i am sure i squeaked by)

Fire Fighter I

This evening's class was the HTC's Fire Fighter 1 written and practical exam. The written part was seventy five questions with some challenging questions...but for the most part a fairly easy.

The practical was really a good situation to practice for the upcoming State test on Saturday. Considering the temperature was a balmy -6 degrees Fahrenheit we did most of the exam inside with the exception of the ladder test.

1. Don/Doff Full PPE with SCBA in under two minutes
2. Hose role and maintenance
3. Ventilation
4. Forcible entry
5. Ladder work

This Saturday we take the State test which will be a bit longer and tougher. until then.....

Code 3

Well I attended my first medical call last night. Thanksgiving evening. Out of respect for the family and the fact that there are privacy issues I won’t share many details but let’s just say this was a tough first call.

The Fire Department was called following a medical call as an older male was not feeling and well slipping in and out of consciousness. When we arrived the paramedics and two police officers were performing CPR. EPFD jumped in to assist with the CPR which allowed the paramedics to focus on providing intravenous fluids, med’s and other vitals monitoring. CPR on a person, a father….. is very different than on a practice dummy. I mentally had to switch off emotions or looking at the patient as someone’s parent and deal with the situation as just that a……a situation.

We worked on the patient for close to sixty minutes before the paramedics finally called it.

Afterwards I wasn’t sure how I would feel or act. If I would dwell on the fact that someone just passed or that we did everything we could to save a life. So far I am okay with it. I was a little tough to go back to sleep at 2 in the morning but that is nothing new. I know it could have been a lot tougher but we have some great people in the department.

Hopefully next time we’ll have a different outcome.

Sunset through Station #4

Tower 41 and Engine 41 at Eden Prairie Station #4

Ladder Rescue

Tonight’s training was all about the use of the ladder. Learning key parts (butt spur’s, dogs and fly’s). We also practiced pulling and setting up straight ladders and extension ladders….properly and safely. Once the ladders were up we had a few other key parts to test including a foot-hold to allow us to work hands free while we are up high. The last part of training was a simulated rescue of an unconscious person from a third story window……Lets just say the ‘fake’ victim could have easily become a real victim as some body parts were put under great stress…..think face to face, straddling a fireman’s thigh and being brought down, rung by rung with all your (victims) weight coming down on your groin with each step. This photo is the closest thing I could find (I need to remember to start brining a camera).

Jaws of Life

Tonight’s Fire / Rescue training was a lot of hands on training. We were introduced to the ‘tools’ of the trade including the K-12 saw, chainsaw plus the hydraulic “jaws of life”. These three pieces of equipment (cutter, spreader and a ram) are key tools vehicle extrication. They can literally cut a car into pieces in the matter of minutes. Although I was not able to take a photo of the car we ‘practiced on’ this photo is very typical of work that can be done. Our car was a four-door mini station wagon. After removing the windshield we pried off the front and rear doors and cut the top off.

Next will be forcible entry and ventilation.

Check out the NEW SCBA

This is a really cool evolution to our current SCBA's

Live Fire

This week we were finally introduced to ‘live’ fire training. Although we are working with natural gas that produces a clean white steamy smoke the experience is pretty cool. Tonight’s scenarios included a ‘couch’ fire; stove fire and car fire. Each of the scenarios include a modified gas burner that puts off some fairly good size flames.

The couch requires a direct attack by hitting forcing the water right on the elements. The kitchen fire requires an indirect shot otherwise the burner will ‘flare’ and grow. And the car fire required……a lot of direct water.

Wednesday we practice some more with more intense flames, more heat and more water……

Mayday Mayday Mayday

Tonight’s fire training was all about recognizing when to call for help (mayday). Too often firefighters will be intimidated to call for help and instead will try to self rescue. The message for tonight was clear…..if you find yourself in trouble initiate a mayday or at least notify IC that you might be needing assistance and then try to rescue yourself. The time it takes to respond and help can be minutes which can easily be the difference between life and death when battling a fire.

In order to practice we had three difference scenario’s.
Scenario 1. Two firefighters go in doing a right hand search of a dark room. All of a sudden one of the firefighters has a steel fence dropped on top and they are pinned to the ground.


Scenario 2. Was practicing the breaching of a wall. Full PPE with SCBA knocking a hole through a wall with studs every 16 inches. It was a challenge getting the body, gear and tank through the wall but everyone made it.


Scenario 3. Proved a bit more interesting. Three men in doing a right hand search. Through the maze (which at times is no wider than a body). During the search the instructors are above us on top of the maze and they secretly tie a rope around our tanks getting us entangled. We need to call for a mayday and then attempt a self rescue. Keeping in mind there is no light, no tools and a lot of commotion.

Next week is live fire…..should be fun.

Open House

I am fast learning that being a volunteer fire fighter is much more about community awareness, support and interaction than it is about fighting fires. Both are awesome. This last weekend we held an annual open house where families, individuals and anyone interested could get a ride in a fire engine, police car or even the 6-wheel off-road at; take their hand at shooting a live fire hose; watch a car get set on fire and how we put it out; vehicle extraction; and many other demonstrations, food and fun. We just received one e-mail thanking the group for the impact that was made on their little daughter which I thought I would share: I just wanted to relate my daughters experience at the City Wide Open house. My husband brought her over to the Fire Department area. The life lessons she learned were amazing and helped reconfirm to her the many things we are teaching her about how to be safe. Here are some of comments: 1. She told me that even girls could be a firefighter and that was so cool because God wants even girls to be heroes. 2. She told her Daddy that he should drive safely, because if he didn’t he could get in an accident and then they would have to call the fire team. Many times on Sunday she told us to pay attention to the road because other people may not be following the rules. 3. She asked us if when she drinks her juice should she not drive? We then explained that there are some adult drinks that can make you do things ……. 4. She wore her size 10 t-shirt (she normally wears a 4t) to bed. At one point her and her Dad played fire fighters and she used a jump rope to help put out fires and save people. She even remembered to break the window of the car first. Before she went to sleep she said I like helping people so maybe I could be a firefighter. 5. It wasn’t the “action” she was so excited about it was that there are people out there who will risk themselves to help others. What a great lesson!!!! 6. And of course her day care has taught her stop, drop and roll so she has taught all her dolls this lesson. 7. Lastly we took the opportunity to address what to do if our house was on fire and the 911 call when needed. It is more than what you do every day to save lives that matter, it is the lasting impact on the many lives you touch. Good Stuff!

Week Three Training

This past week was actually an interesting class as it relates to classroom discussion and hands on.

This week we started to discuss the behavior of fire and smoke. How to read when a bad situation might turn worse and how to plan an effective strategy.

Some of the Backdraft and Flash Over clips are pretty amazing. I don't think we'll be getting a live/real Xmas tree this year:40 Second Flashover



We also spent time this week getting familiar with the hoses and appliances. The power of a 2.5" hose at 250PSI is pretty impressive.

More SCBA

Last night’s class was all hands on or should I say all hands and knees on. We don'd our full PPE & SCBA gear and had four stations.
Station 1: practice Donning the full PPE & SCBA in under two minutes. More importantly doing it with 100% accuracy. I think most of were able to get it done in around 2:20. A little more practice (It is harder than you think)>
Station 2: The Trailer Maze. Think a fully enclosed, large utility trailer. Fill it with steel grated dog kennels stacked two high and the entire length side by side. No cut holes, doors in the sides, tops and bottoms, throw in a 2ft diameter tube and you have a fun but difficult maze. We went in 2x2 and navigated the maze in complete darkness, wearing the full gear. Fun and tough.
Station 3: Get the heart rate up. Run and down seven flights of stairs, full gear and then hammer the Kaiser Sled.
Station 4: More maze work, low light, wooden boxes and crawl spaces, wires hanging and stuff on the floor.

All in all it was a fun night. Next time we add more search and rescue.

Don and Doff

Last night we practiced the art of Don & Doffing our PPE & SCBA. 60 seconds for the PPE and another 60 seconds for the SCBA.

As simple as it seems as soon as you are under the pressure of time and perfection, it is amazing how clumsy you can get. A simple task of snapping the regulator in place can seem to take minutes. I guess that is why we practice.

Week One

I am what the EPFD calls a Probie (probationary) or rookie or Yellow Helmet. First year in-training fire department.

Sitting at 40 years old I am loving this opportunity to learn new skills, meet new people, get involved within my community and keep myself busy.

One of the elements I find so interesting (as a Probie) is the fact that I am low man (person) on the totem pole. For the better part of the last fifteen years I have been a manager or leader of a team. People looked up to me to tell them when and how to do things. I was encouraged to think for myself and take risks. Now, when I am on a call or training, I am told exactly what to do and when. No deviation. No free-lancing, no thinking. Just listen and respond. That is going to be interesting and a new skill for me.

During this first I have responded to about a dozen calls and met a lot of great people. Next week we begin our SCBA training.

Should be fun.