News & Online Training

The PLV guys will be headed this coming weekend to Georgetown, Ma where they will train over 60 students as part of the New England FOOLS Training Series. Mark Gregory will be lecturing at Uniondale FD as part of their lecture series. The program for the day will be "This is Not Your Grandfather's Fire Service".

Mark, John, and Tim,

I am writing you guys to share awesome news about some of brothers of mine that participated in the MIM Class in Spartanburg, SC last year. They had a successful ground ladder fulcrum extrication. I know they would never do this for themselves and their Department's Administration does not care enough to give these guys even a drop of recognition for some quick thinking, applied skills, and out of the box ingenuity. So here it is.

About a month or so ago the City of Spartanburg Fire Department received a call for a MVA vs. Pedestrian. Dispatch received multiple calls confirming the pedestrian was completely pinned underneath he vehicle. Spartanburg FD dispatched an Engine, SQ-61, and a Battalion Chief to the call. Due to the call location within the city, Squad 61 had a delayed response time to the scene. At this same time Ladder 62 was going in-service from another call and was about four blacks away from the MVA scene. L-62 was assigned to the call and they responded to the scene. When they arrived, as dispatch had reported, there was a female victim pinned completely under a car in the middle of the roadway. L-62 only carries a basic compliment of extrication equipment, but no airbags. While CAPT J. Morgan and ENG B Baker where deciding upon a plan of attack, Senior FF Ray Mayley (who attended the MIM class) went to work applying some recently learned PL Vulcan rescue skills. FF Mayley got his crew to crib one side of the vehicle and placed the Ladder's wheel chocks on the other side. He then grabbed a 16' rood ladder and placed it on top of the wheel chocks. He lifted the vehicle and the other two members drug the patient out from underneath the vehicle. FF R Davis from SQ-61, stated while they were responding, their crew was game planning their actions for the scene and utilizing airbags was the main plan. They had about a 7 minute response time to the scene. When they arrived on the scene expecting to go to work they saw a victim that had been removed from under the vehicle and already packaged for EMS. SQ-61's crew was baffled as to how it happened, and FF Mayley explained to them the ground ladder fulcrum extrication trick that he learned from your class. This just goes to prove that the skills being taught by PL Vulcan are the real deal and not some "this should work" stuff. These are easy skills that can utilized and generate a great outcome for both the rescuers and the victim. This female victim owes her life to the crew of L-62 and the attentiveness that FF Mayley displayed during the MIM course to learn new skills and be able to apply them. The biggest compliment that I heard was. "its awesome that those guys taught some unique 'Big City' Tactics that can be used by anyone."

Gentlemen, I know you know that these skills work, but it has to validate it even more for you. Thanks again for all you shared with us, and we hope to see you again this fall for some more great times. 

Stay Safe, 

Nicholas W. Ray
Firefighter / EMT-I
Asst. Training Coordinator

North Spartanburg Fire District
8767 Asheville Highway
Spartanburg, SC 29316

Apologize about the absence but I gotta tell ya, it has been crazy in the PLV office this year. Ok, let's cut the small talk and drill for 10 minutes....

Fire in a 2 story private dwelling. As you enter the structure, there are reports of people trapped. The boss orders you and a partner to search the second floor. As you pulled up, did you get a good layout of the dwelling? Notice any oddballs or obstacles that may affect us such as alterations or window bars / child gates? You should also be able to figure out a good layout of the inside. Bedrooms in the front, bathroom to the rear, etc. This will guide you in making a quick but thorough search.

Approaching the 2nd floor landing you notice the bathroom is right in front of you. Your size-up dictates that the bedrooms should be to the left and right of the center stairs. You and your partner decide to stick together. As you approach the bedroom on the A/D side, you decide to take a left wall and your partner goes right. Why not follow him? The "conga style search" means the lead guy is doing the work while the second guy holds on for the ride. Splitting up within the room allows for voice contact with your partner as well as a quicker search. When you run into your partner, go around him and continue your search to the door. You basically have double searched the room in half the time.

Call out to people. "Hey fire department, anyone here?" Remember, some people may be making a last minute plea bargain with "The Big Man". Letting them know we are here may encourage them to call out and lead us towards them. Also, it may deter someone who is sound asleep from thinking there is a burglar in their house. Many of times firefighters have come across unsuspected homeowners that may have been "under the weather" and thought to be an "unwelcome guest".

Use your tool to probe. Hold the halligan by the adz / point end or the axe by the head. Talk to yourself. YES, your not crazy. Muscle memory is key. "Bed, dresser, chair, etc " gives you a landmark of your location. Now, as you need to leave "chair, closet..." is not the reverse way that you came in. You WILL at some point of your career get turned around while searching. You need a plan to get yourself back on track.

Next Ten Minute Drill we will discuss locating and removing the victim. Thoughts and comments are always welcome. BE SAFE... 

Until the last couple of years, the "art" of VES was taboo in some departments and held to only being performed by "seasoned veterans" in others.

Does VES work? Absolutely, the little girl in this video is alive today because of it. 

What is VES? Vent - Enter - Search is a technique used to gain access to a structure and perform search operations, usually from a path opposite of the interior search team.It requires a team that is capable of performing a proper interior size up from the exterior, the ability to understand fire behavior, good search techniques and constant situational awareness.

What is the difference between VES and VEIS? Very simple, an acronym. Vent-Enter-Search is performed  exactly the same as Vent-Enter-Isolate-Search. We added the "I" to remind firefighters to shut the door to the room being entered.

Why shut the door? Very simple, we make a size up of the room, monitor the smoke movement and then vent the window we are looking to vent. As we make entry into the room, insure that there is a sound floor below you. If the window is high such as in some older type homes, using furniture to solidify your egress is a good move. Some departments have modified an old roof ladder by cutting it down to approximately 5ft. The ladder is lowered into the room and the roof hooks lock into the sill. The VES firefighter now has a confirmed way to exit the room and can even use this ladder to assist in removing a found victim. Once in the room, proceed opposite your point of entry, quickly probe the hallway for any victims and then close the door. By performing this, the flow path will be controlled (evil ugly words I know but..), the smoke condition will hopefully lift and your search may be easier to perform.

Why leave your partner outside the window? Your partner can serve as a beacon and help assist you with your search. Their voice can guide you back to the window of entry, they can use a thermal camera to guide you in your search, and they can be the anchor person in assisting with victim removal efforts.

Watch this video, lets discuss your thoughts on VES.....

Years come and go, people make New Year's Resolutions. We watch what we eat, go to the gym more, try to save money, etc.... This is all good stuff. Stuff that usually for most of us, DOES NOT LAST!!!

So, let's make today's 10 minute drill one that is easy to keep and can save your life: "How do you plan on improving your firefighting in 2014?". It is pretty simple to do, think of how things went for you in 2013....

1) Did you ever feel out of the game.

2) Physically exhausted after doing a small task

3) Didn't truly "read" the building you were operating in.

4) Look at a compartment and not know within a blink of an eye what was in it.

5) Spend time listening and learning about new tactics and ideas before shooting them down.

If you answered yes to even one of these the solution is simple, reignite your profession. I find myself taking my 13 year old son (Junior FF) down to the firehouse and explaining basics to him. The knowledge that gets passed on to him becomes a great refresher for me. Going to pick up the meal? Look at the roll down gates and locks on the supermarket and ask "what if we had to force entry at 3am?". On FaceBook? Read your friends' posts on fires or calls they may have gone to. THINK about how you would have handled it. Going to the gym? Read a trade publication such as Fire Engineering while on the treadmill.

To the youth of our profession (sorry 5 yr wonders), listen to the stories around the table spewed over coffee by those grumpy old guys. I was a five year wonder also that learned soooo much through these great guy while enjoying a great cup of joe. Multi-tasking as you can see is a big part of my life.

The Fire Service is ever-changing. i am not telling you that you need to buy into all of the latest and greatest in tactics that are out there today. What I am saying is take off your Daddy's job shirt, lose his time that he earned, not you and open your mind up to a mere 10 minutes a day of making yourself a better firefighter...

STAY SAFE and STAY LOW in 2014 to all of our brothers and sisters. THANKS for supporting PL Vulcan in our training efforts and we hope to see you all SOON!!!

So, you need a quick idea for a drill and across your computer screen appears this video from out Brothers in Farmingdale, NY. Instead of "Monday Morning Quarterbacking" which a lot of our folks like to do, keep this in mind:

1) Day time alarm with limited manpower.

2) No access to the basement from the interior.

3) Visible fire showing on the "3"  aka "C" side of the building.

4) Junior Crew.

I like the fact that the men are talking to each other and coming up with a game plan prior to arrival. Make sure your PPE is properly on before getting off the rig. The hose stretch is always a task we can work on. Proper stretch and calculation of lengths will equal an easier time getting that line into operation. The pre connects  that many of us use are good, but..... make sure it is properly flaked out or if need be, remove a length on a close stretch. The officer makes a great call, knock it down and let's move in. The quarterbacks are saying "risk vs reward, put it out from the window". The officer made an educated decision and penetrated the fire area with a quick knockdown that SAVED THE HOUSE. 

Back-up line? Especially for basement fires, make sure that line is in place. Use the camera as the officer and show it to the nozzle firefighter so that he / she can see what you see and properly put water on the fire. Communication during the attack was very good. Where is the fire? Control your breathing, reports to command.....

That's my 10 minute take on this fire. Any points I missed??? 

Welcome to our new blog site. We hope that you share your success stories, training tips, and any other ideas that come to mind. Let's start this page off with some basics. "What do you carry in your Man vs Machine Kit?

There has been some difficulty getting on the blog which we are working through. Take this scenario here. What would be your plan of attack to remove this ring? Looks to me like wrapping a rubber band and compressing the finger has failed. What tools do you carry to get the job done???

Mark