Firefighters are not the only personnel prone to candle moth syndrome. Sector, company, and command officers can also fall into the trap of dealing with tactics and strategies. Therefore, it becomes extremely important for business and industry leaders to develop backup plans in case the initial plan does not work. It`s better to have these plans ready for implementation than to find out late in the game that your plans aren`t working. Because we know firefighters don`t like to lose, we tend to try the same technique or plan of attack much longer than necessary. This not only affects the overall outcome of patients, but can also endanger everyone involved in the incident. We`ve all heard it at some point in our careers or even thought, “Give it five more minutes” or “I almost figured it out, I`m going to get it this time.” Again, no one is immune; It can happen to the best of us. However, the person who already has a plan B and C ready to implement tends to recognize the ineffectiveness of a plan sooner. This person will also find it easier to abandon the current attack and move on to another, perhaps more effective course of action. This is part of the ongoing situational assessment that all staff, particularly supervisors, should conduct at the scene of an emergency. The Golden Rules of Liberation were created to prevent firefighters from harming themselves and their patients and to increase the effectiveness of rescue operations.
It is very easy for any body to be sucked into the “candle moth syndrome”, in which we focus all our attention on the task at hand and forget about the big picture. When we work on a tool, it is also very easy to develop a plan so as not to see the ineffectiveness of this plan and move on without being able to adapt. That`s one of the reasons we have a partner who supports us. It`s amazing how much the incident can be seen when you step back a foot or two from the actual work. The rescue partner must be able to see the big picture and inform the tool operator of the dangers of the operation in progress or if the plan is ineffective. For this reason, it may be more effective to have the more experienced firefighter as a replacement and let the less experienced firefighter use the tool. With experience, firefighters should be able to stay calm in an intense situation so that the less experienced lifeguard can enjoy that calm. The firefighter with more experience should also be able to adapt much more easily to adversity in plans and then use all the backup plans he has in his mental toolbox. Third, there is the problem of ensuring consistency in your disciplinary decision-making process. Does your decision make match your previous decision and do you believe you can remain consistent with other firefighters on similar facts? Equally important, is your decision-making process consistent with how other officials in your department would handle the same situation? First of all, whenever we talk about discipline, a very fundamental question must be asked and remain there: what is the purpose of discipline? In the classroom, we all know the answer: change our behaviour. The importance of this question and its obvious answer cannot be overemphasized.
Ensuring consistency is why most fire departments do not allow discipline to be managed by company representatives. Business leaders should undoubtedly be responsible for reporting misconduct. Once misconduct is reported, the fire department should be responsible for ensuring consistency in the investigation process and disciplinary results. This should not be the responsibility of a company executive. CURT VARONE has more than 40 years of firefighting experience and 30 years as a licensed attorney in Rhode Island and Maine. His experience includes 29 years as a professional firefighter in Providence (retired as Assistant Assistant Director) as well as volunteer and paid on-call experience. He is the author of two books: Legal Considerations for Fire and Emergency Services (2006, 2nd edition 2011, 3. 2014 edition, 4th edition 2022) and Fire Officer`s Legal Handbook (2007) and is editor-in-chief for Firehouse Magazine, where he writes the Fire Law column.
When it comes to discipline in the fire department, remember the golden rule. Treat others as you would like to be treated. The requirement of consistency goes beyond the relevance of a particular sanction. Firefighters are an employer of the Crown and, as such, must respect the principles of due process and a just cause. Both require the employer to be consistent throughout the disciplinary process. Disciplinary decisions – such as when the case will be investigated, who will conduct the investigation, how the investigation will be conducted, the burden of proof and, of course, the sanction to be imposed – must be dealt with consistently. London, fire raging in the industrial area of Dagenham: 80 firefighters and 12th. When we leave the classroom, real names are attached to real situations. We may be distracted from the changing behavioral part of discipline and focus on administering appropriate punishment. In the classroom, we know it`s not about punishment; It`s about changing behaviour.
But in the real world, it`s about proving wrongdoing and evaluating punishment. My advice: Ask yourself this question over and over again when you have to make a disciplinary decision. Your question tells me that you are focusing on punishment. It`s not about punishment, it`s about changing behavior. Our hydraulic recovery equipment is a very powerful tool. However, the strength of a firefighter contributes very little to the effectiveness of rescue operations. The tools do the work for us. It should not be necessary for us to tamper with tools once they are bitten, nor should we need to use our hydraulic tools as battering rams to accomplish our mission. As firefighters, we need to understand that we are the brain of the tool and that no matter how big and strong, our muscles should only be used to place the tools in the right place. Also remember that the patient we are trying to save has just been the victim of a violent car accident. The last thing they need to hear is someone slamming tools into the vehicle and slamming them. Normal release sounds are amplified inside the vehicle.
Shaking and hammering the vehicle can put undue pressure on the patient and cause them to react negatively. Also think about the location of certain airbags and vehicle sensors. A well-placed knock in the vehicle door can cause a sharp airbag to deploy inside the patient. This rule has two purposes. The first is to protect firefighters from back, shoulder and other injuries that can occur by pushing, pulling and slamming tools. Back injuries are the most common injuries among firefighters and all methods that can minimize these injuries should be used. The second is to save the firefighter`s energy for the rest of the emergency and the rest of the shift. This is crucial in the heat of the summer months, or when we have to perform multiple rescues in a single incident. The recovery work can be very strenuous, especially if the firefighters using the tool are constantly struggling or trying to manipulate the tool. The less experienced firefighter is usually the first to be exhausted, but more experienced firefighters can succumb to the emotional aspect and stress of a call and also overexert themselves. The only effort the firefighter needs to make is the initial effort to get the tool into position and bring it to its first bite. Once the tool has its bite, whether with the spreader, cutter or piston, the operator must be able to move away from the recoil zone and operate it with one hand.
As lifeguards, we are there to place our tools in the right place, use them effectively and adapt the operation if necessary. The tool is there to do the dirty work. WE BELIEVE THAT FOR TOOLS, TOOLS DO THE JOB!!! FIREFIGHTERS OF SANTA MARGHERITA – Over the years, certain rules have been highlighted that increase safety on the scene and ensure a more efficient recovery operation. The golden rules apply to every transaction and must be followed without question. These rules provide a solid base of operations for firefighters who have less experience in rescue and, if followed, minimize the risk of injury to crews performing these operations. All vehicles should have at least primary stabilization, although the situation may not require an exemption. These rules apply to the actual evolution of the exemption, but also to situations of primary or secondary stabilisation. The hydraulic tools we use operate at tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of pounds per square inch of pressure.