Brennan Q&A January 2003

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TOM BRENNAN has more than 35 years of fire service experience having responded to 33,000 fire alarms. His career spans more than 20 years with the Fire Department of New York as well as four years as chief of the Waterbury (Conn.) Fire Department. He has a bachelor of science degree, summa cum laude, John Jay College; Alumnus of the Year Award, John Jay College; chairman of the Connecticut Fire Chiefs Association and a charter member of the National Fire Protection Association, Fire Service Section. He has delivered courses and seminars throughout the United States and has instructed at the National Fire Academy. He was the editor of Fire Engineering Magazine for eight years, is currently a technical editor, and his column “Random Thoughts,” is a regular monthly feature. He is co-editor of The Fire Chief’s Handbook, Fifth Edition. He is the recipient of the 1998 Fire Engineering Lifetime Achievement Award.

JANUARY 2003

Question: “I am an engineer (chauffeur) for the Eugene (Oregon) Fire Department. Our department has ten engine companies and two truck companies with staffing of three personnel on both. The majority of our fires are single-story, wood-frame, residential fires and an occasional industrial fire. Our response assignment consists of three engines, one truck, one two-person medic unit, and one chief. Large buildings or escalating events receive the second truck and chief. My question is that with only three guys on the truck, is it prudent to leave the engineer on the controls at the base, once the truck gets set up? Our truck at our station is a new Pierce 100-foot platform. Thank you, I always enjoy reading your material. — Mike Montgomery, Eugene Fire Department

Answer: To begin, you have to know that I think the tower ladder (or whatever it is called in your section of the “job”) is the greatest advance in firefighting since motors were put on pumps. The problem is the staffing and use and perception of use and value of this unit on the fireground. Anyone can figure out how to use it as a defensive logistic! However, its incalculable value is in its position and operation at structure fires as an offensive and aggressive apparatus to be part of and support for an interior fire attack.

Now, to your question in particular. If the tower is being used (with personnel), there is a problem that no one (sales/manufacturer) speaks of — it is funnel vision. I don’t care what is being done or what is the objective or the time and experience of the basket operator, funnel vision attacks the “bucket person” all the time.

The tower is so quick and powerful that the operator can get into trouble easily — wires, walls and structure, parapets (both for access and, worse, for egress and retraction), flame extension under the operator, collapse signs or beginnings, operator injuries, exposure, control of civilians and more.

It is a wise company and a department that places a turntable-safety person at the deadman control and be ready to stop operations and take control of the basket operations.

Also if there are injuries or if the controls in the basket become inaccessible for anyone of any reason, the turntable assignment is able to take over.

Remember also that most controls in the basket are electric switches for servos to hydraulic valves. They cannot make the finest of movements that the hydraulic/electric controls can at the turntable, so routine operations can require cooperation between bucket and turntable also.

Like all subjects on which I have an opinion, Mike, I give reasons and, more importantly, alternatives. Your department has seriously understaffed its (your) half- to three-quarter million-dollar investment in equipment, the tower ladder. You should recommend the adoption of some department action or guideline to assure the training and use of additional personnel assigned to the tower on their arrival, as a matter of response policy — at least until you can get some sanity into marketing your department and its commitment to the community.

Here are my recommended alternatives:

Marry some of the other functions — such as squads, medic wagons, and the like — at structure-fire operations, particularly when in the offensive strategy. The personnel could be required to be properly donned for structure-fire activity on arrival and report to the truck officer for assignment (face to face [or radio is sufficient]), especially if any proactive and innovative training is going on in your units on duty. This is really for all truck work but in particular for the tower when in use.
Train the entire department in the operation of the unit from the turntable (!) and in what the safety aspects and responsibilities of that firefighter position are. Now you will have a “herd” of turntable operators to select from at the fire scene and be able to concentrate truck people to involve themselves in the truck functions.

Now, with all that said, I hope that your SOP does not put all three of your team members into the bucket. Aggressive outside operations require training and critique experience but not a lot of people — certainly not the truck officer.

If the aerial device is to be used, it should be in the hands of the chauffeur and one assigned firefighter. The officer (or actor) should be gathering other players to provide the one or two truck functions that they can perform based on a pretty accurate size-up of where the fire is, where it is going, and what is in its way.

Remember, there are at least five immediate tasks or tactics that are known as truck work that must be ongoing immediately at every aggressive interior attack at a fire in a structure that is or may be occupied. Today’s criminal staffing has prevented us from making the building behave all at once, and we are forced to make rapid-fire alternate decisions on arrival at these infernos.

I hope I have given you some insight and support and direction to use your imagination to “get it done.” Some departments have chosen to do nothing about it and have mothballed the best unit in the department until “call-in” (or back-up or whatever) personnel respond to staff and bring the tower ladder to the scene for a water tower. What a waste!

Write again, brother.

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Write if you agree or don’t agree or on anything. Tbrennan@firenuggets.com

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