CONFIDENCE COURSE TRAINING

Based on an article from "Fire Engineering", August 2000

Firefighter I tactics are the everyday tasks by which the job gets done. These tasks are also related to the greatest number of firefighter deaths outside of cardiac arrest. The following lessons were learned from recent training events involving mask confidence courses. Abandoned buildings were utilized with several props to simulate "real world" situations. Some of these props were, wires, mini blinds, holes in floors and walls, missing stairs and collapsed ceilings.

Wearing Protective Equipment Properly:

· Wearing the chinstrap around the helmet brim and not under the chin proved to be a poor decision based on the helmet falling off on several occasions.
· Waist strap not fastened (getting caught on items)

Crawling:

· Firefighters that attempted to walk, not crawling and feeling, fell through openings in the floor and stairs

Tools:

Probing -

· Use a tool for a probing/sounding tool
· Do not swing around with force (injury may occur to victims or other firefighters)
· Probe with the handle of the ax and the adz of a halligan tool
· Extends your reach and checks stability
· Easier to breach a wall with a tool

Sounding -

· If your are not carrying hose you should carry a tool
· Sound all areas ahead for sound and stability

Contact -

· Maintain contact with tool (it could be lost down holes)

Contact with Wall:

· Lose the wall and you've lost your bearings
· Maintain consistent search patterns (right hand sweep or left hand sweep)

Count walls:

· Orientation to a room
· If you are in a square room and you reach a "fifth" wall, you probably passed the exit

Doors, windows & walls:

· Doors have obvious differences such as hinges, doorknobs and molding
· Doors will have a "give" that walls will normally not have

SCBA manipulation:

· Reduced profile maneuver
· Do not lose orientation with your SCBA
· The strap with the high-pressure hose that attaches to the regulator is what you want to stay in contact with.

Exits:

· Not all exits are at the floor level (such as windows)
· Feel upward in your search to discover windows

Swim Technique:

· To clear hanging obstacles
· Rotate your body with bottle and back up
· Use a swimming motion to remove and feel the obstacle

Body direction for search:

· Probe with a tool first
· Easier to traverse windows and stairs feet first
· Head first may increase the possibility of head injuries

Transition from window to roof:

· If you have to get out of a window for escape use your tool to assist
· Can hold onto tool rather than sill if conditions deteriorate while exiting

Maintain Composure:

· Make every effort not to panic
· Panic will most likely lead to poor judgment and bad tactics
· Remain calm, think clearly and control your breathing
· Once your composure is lost, your life may be next

Fitness

· Maintain your fitness to extend search times and confidence
· Stay fit to rescue victims, not becoming one yourself
· Heart attacks are the number one killer in the fire service
· Don't let yourself become a statistic

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