Tactical Edge Tuesday #14
LADDER WORK FOR VES
Why do we consider windows for search? Because saving civilian lives depends heavily on time and conditions. Windows can help solve both problems. When we limit our options, we limit our chances. Windows give us more opportunities to begin a search from different floors, sides, and areas of a building, increasing the chances of finding and rescuing victims quickly.
Looking at my own home, I have two exterior doors that lead into living spaces I may not be able to isolate during a fire. Every room in my home has windows. The homes in my neighborhood are similar in layout and easy to recognize. In many houses, the front door splits the home almost evenly in half. By sizing up the structure, I can usually identify where the bedrooms and living spaces are located.
When we arrive on scene and properly size up the situation, we can make educated decisions about where we have the best chance of finding and saving victims. Statistics show that many fire victims are found near exits, just inside windows, and inside bedrooms.
So what’s the plan when the window we need to search is on the second or third floor?
Ladder the building.
Have you put in the reps to ladder buildings effectively?
Are you prepared for the mission?
Or will you struggle with the ladder while a neighbor throws up the ladder he uses for painting and saves the victim while your fumbling?
The fireground demands a lot. The public expects a lot. You are the answer.
Step up. Be elite.
Leave the excuses behind. Make mistakes on the training ground so you can learn from them. We do not train to fail, but failure is part of growth. Let failure happen during training and not when lives are on the line.
Leave the fear culture. The last line-of-duty death involving a firefighter entering through a window for search occurred in 1989. Every line-of-duty death has been documented so we can learn from it.
Why do we search by entering windows?
Because we are passionate about improving civilian survival at the fires we respond to. We increase their chances, and in many cases, we are their only hope.
You may be the deciding factor in whether a child lives or dies at the next fire you respond to. Be prepared. Give them the chance they deserve.
Get your reps in. BE ELITE!
Use the link below for some quick tips on ladder work for vent enter search.
Remember, those we serve may never see where you failed 3, 4 times on the fireground. Those we serve will see when you get it right for THEM.
Reminder: Log your training appropriately with our Training Form. For a description, make sure that you enter : LADDER WORK FOR VES
When called, We Respond!
BE ELITE!
Comments