The Fire Guys, a forum for firefighters, fire families, and fire buffs. Join us and stay tuned for some really cool stuff.
Tuesday, May 13, 2014
Thursday, May 1, 2014
"Be quick but never hurry" - John Wooden
In todays fast paced world, everyone seems to be in a big rush or hurry. In the fire service we never want to hurry...... does that surprise you? Let me explain.
The great UCLA Coach John Wooden once said "be quick but never hurry". In that five word sermon he teaches a great principle. When we hurry we often make mistakes, leave out key components, and often cause more damage than we intend. In the fire service we cannot afford to make those types of errors. A mistake or missed step might mean the difference between life and death. A crew responding to an emergency can't hurry while driving a large heavy piece of equipment. We have a responsibility to get our crew there as quickly as possible, and without putting ourselves and the public at great risk. The difference between being quick and hurried is quite a bit.
A good example of this would be a new fire fighter being introduced to our self contained breathing apparatus, or air packs. The first time he or she is told to put the pack on, they are given instructions and goals such as, you will have a certain amount of time to put the pack on, usually under 45 seconds or so. As the instructor stands above them with a stop watch the recruits are nervous, sweat beads up on the forehead, their hear rate increases, and adrenaline is released. When the clock starts they hurry to put the pack on. Invariably they go over the time limit, and as the instructor inspects the firefighter with the air pack donned they find many mistakes, faults and safety issues. As the recruit fire fighter progresses they learn the steps, the in and outs, and what seemed to be an impossible request becomes natural. Not because they hurry but because the have learned to be quick. The old adage" practice makes perfect" is true.
Recently the West Valley Fire Department installed monitors at the stations.
These monitors display the dispatch screen from The Valley Emergency Communications Center or VECC. This allows crews to see incoming calls before they are dispatched on the radio. This simple step has allowed our crews to respond "quicker". Many times the the crew is out the door and on they way to a call before the dispatcher sends it over the radio, allowing us a "quicker" Safer response.
Remember......
Be Smart.... Be Safe.... Be Ready!
Fire Marshal Bob
The great UCLA Coach John Wooden once said "be quick but never hurry". In that five word sermon he teaches a great principle. When we hurry we often make mistakes, leave out key components, and often cause more damage than we intend. In the fire service we cannot afford to make those types of errors. A mistake or missed step might mean the difference between life and death. A crew responding to an emergency can't hurry while driving a large heavy piece of equipment. We have a responsibility to get our crew there as quickly as possible, and without putting ourselves and the public at great risk. The difference between being quick and hurried is quite a bit.
A good example of this would be a new fire fighter being introduced to our self contained breathing apparatus, or air packs. The first time he or she is told to put the pack on, they are given instructions and goals such as, you will have a certain amount of time to put the pack on, usually under 45 seconds or so. As the instructor stands above them with a stop watch the recruits are nervous, sweat beads up on the forehead, their hear rate increases, and adrenaline is released. When the clock starts they hurry to put the pack on. Invariably they go over the time limit, and as the instructor inspects the firefighter with the air pack donned they find many mistakes, faults and safety issues. As the recruit fire fighter progresses they learn the steps, the in and outs, and what seemed to be an impossible request becomes natural. Not because they hurry but because the have learned to be quick. The old adage" practice makes perfect" is true.
Recently the West Valley Fire Department installed monitors at the stations.
These monitors display the dispatch screen from The Valley Emergency Communications Center or VECC. This allows crews to see incoming calls before they are dispatched on the radio. This simple step has allowed our crews to respond "quicker". Many times the the crew is out the door and on they way to a call before the dispatcher sends it over the radio, allowing us a "quicker" Safer response.
Remember......
Be Smart.... Be Safe.... Be Ready!
Fire Marshal Bob
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)