Training to Become a Firefighter

Training to Become a Firefighter


Training to Become a Firefighter -- powered by eHow.com

Do you have what it takes? What should you study in school? What will you learn in your core classes? What will you learn in your academy? What will you learn on the job?

More adults causing fires, Jamaican officials say - JAMAICAOBSERVER.COM

More adults causing fires, officials say - JAMAICAOBSERVER.COM
Kimmo Matthews
Thursday, January 01, 2009

FIRE officials say they continue to face major hurdles in spreading the message about fire prevention across the island as more adults - and not children, as expected - are failing to follow fire safety measures.

"It may come as a surprise but in many of the reported cases of fires it is the adults and not the children who are failing to follow safety measures," said Emeleo Ebanks, public relations officer from the Jamaica Fire Brigade Fire Prevention headquarters.

Ebanks also explained that recent assessments showed that children were not only quick learners but were often following what they were taught, hence making fewer mistakes when it came to fire prevention practices.

Fire officials said this was in contrast to adults who - despite what they were taught - were consistently failing to change their habits and kept making the same mistakes over and over.

According to representatives of the Jamaica Fire Brigade Fire Prevention, since the start of the year there have been 1,510 reported cases of structural fires and 5,667 cases of bush fires across the island.

To stem this problem the officials said they were going into the schools and communities to inform and to educate persons about how to prevent fires.

"We have been in the schools and into the communities. It may sound strange but our biggest target now is the adults and not so much the children.

"What we are seeing is that adults are making the same mistakes over and over. On the other hand children, when they are taught about the precautions, are following these guidelines and making fewer mistakes," the officials said.

UC Davis: Student Resident Firefighter Program

UC Davis is one of only three universities in the country that has its own fire department and a student residency program that gives ... all » undergraduate and graduate students an opportunity to work alongside career firefighters. Alumni from the firefighting program have gone on to work in fire departments throughout the United States. Some have stayed local, including the assistant fire chief, Wes Arvin. For more information about the program, click here.

THE 6 BEST SMART ASS ANSWERS OF 2006

SMART ASS ANSWER #6
It was mealtime during a flight on Hooters Airline.
"Would you like dinner?" the flight attendant asked John, seated in front.
"What are my choices?" John asked.
"Yes, or no," she replied.

SMART ASS ANSWER #5
A flight attendant was stationed at the departure gate to check tickets.
As a man approached, she extended her hand for the ticket and he opened his trench coat and flashed her. Without missing a beat, she said, "Sir, I need to see your ticket not your stub."

SMART ASS ANSWER #4
A lady was picking through the frozen turkeys at the grocery store but she couldn't find one big enough for her family.
She asked a stock boy, "Do these turkeys get any bigger?"
The stock boy replied, "No ma'am, they're dead."

SMART ASS ANSWER #3
The cop got out of his car and the kid who was stopped for speeding rolled down his window.
"I've been waiting for you all day," the cop said.
The kid replied, "Yeah, well I got here as fast as I could."
When the cop finally stopped laughing, he sent the kid on his way without a ticket.

SMART ASS ANSWER #2
A truck driver was driving along on the freeway. A sign comes up that
reads, " Low Bridge Ahead." Before he knows it, the bridge is right ahead of him and he gets stuck under the bridge.
Cars are backed up for miles. Finally, a police car comes up. The cop gets out of his car and walks to the truck driver, puts his hands on his hips and says, "Got stuck, huh?" The truck driver says, "No, I was delivering this bridge and ran out of gas."


SMART ASS ANSWER OF THE YEAR 2006
A college teacher reminds her class of tomorrow's final exam. "Now class, I won't tolerate any excuses for you not being here tomorrow. I might consider a nuclear attack or a serious personal injury, illness, or a death in your immediate family, but that's it, no other excuses whatsoever!" A smart-ass guy in the back of the room raised his hand and asked, "What would you say if tomorrow I said I was suffering from complete and utter sexual exhaustion?" The entire class is reduced to laughter and snickering. When silence is restored, the teacher smiles knowingly at the student, shakes her head and sweetly says, "Well, I guess you'd have to write the exam with your other hand."

Jib Jab "What We Call the News"

What We Call the News | Send To Friends | Funny Animations at JibJab

Another very good argument for critical thinking!

The need for higher education in the fire service.

Who Needs a PHD? This article, from Fire Chief Magazine, explores the idea of creating a doctorate level of education for fire service personnel with recommended areas of study. If I were going to persue a doctorate I would problably use their recommendations to design it.

I think the conclusion taken from the 1966 Wingspread Conference Report identifying the “mastery of the scientific method” as the first educational need of the fire service is pretty profound. I find it odd however, that teaching the scientific method is not part of the FESHE (Fire Emergency Services Higher Education Committee) curricullum for lower division course work- such as in the curriculum for the "Fire Behavior" where one of the course goals is to have students recall the three states of matter (solid, liquid, gas.) I find this particullarly amusing/frustrating because this is also a goal of the CA Educational Standards- for the 3rd grade.

Here is an interesting story from the article- note the date- almost 140 yrs ago!

In 1868, Sir Eyre Massey Shaw, fire chief of the London Fire Brigade, visited major fire departments in the United States and made several observations, including the following:

“When I was last in America, it struck me very forcibly that, although most of the chiefs were intelligent and zealous in their work, not one that I met made even a pretension to the kind of professional knowledge which I consider so essential. Indeed, one went as far as to say that the only way to learn the business of a fireman was to go to fires — a statement about as monstrous and contrary to reason as if he had said that the only way to become a surgeon would be to commence cutting off limbs without any knowledge of anatomy or of the implements required.”

The article goes on to discuss the need to apply research to the decision making involved in the adoption of policies and procedures or aquiring new equipment.

An example of the lack of research in Fire Service policy that comes to mind is the entire issue of Critical Incident Stress Debriefing. This practice was adopted and implemented in departments throughout the US (where they still exisist today)almost with a fear of liability if it WASN'T adopted. But research has shown that not only does it not work..it may even do more harm to than the inital incident caused! Read more about the findings by Gist & Woodall by clicking here.

The same problem exists with the adoption of the Temporal-Three patterm for fire alarms. Prolex found:

In North America, it is now required that buildings equipped with a fire alarm system sound the Temporal-Three (T-3) pattern as the evacuation signal. It is intended that the T-3 pattern will become the standardized alarm signal heard around the world that will unequivocally mean "evacuate the building immediately". Since new and refurbished buildings are now equipped with this new signal, we need to ascertain if the public recognizes this sound as an evacuation signal. The objectives of the study were to assess the public's recollection, identification and perceived urgency of the T-3. Data was collected through a field study in public buildings in the Ottawa area with 307 participants. Results showed that participants often reported that they had heard the T-3 before, although they could rarely correctly identify it as a fire alarm or evacuation signal. In fact, the T-3 was usually associated with domestic signals such as a busy phone signal or the sound of an alarm clock. Further, the T-3 was not judged as a signal conveying urgency. The findings suggest that considerable public education is necessary to improve the public's identification of the T-3 signal. It is also suggested that it is unrealistic to expect that occupants will immediately start evacuation upon hearing such a signal and that further information provided to the occupants will always be necessary to prompt evacuation movement.

Unfortunently this research wasn't conducted until after the T-3 became part of the code. Perhaps if a scientific methodology was employed in the design, they would have a signal that people would both recognize and respond appropriately to with minimal training or education.

Click here for the full report

Click here to access the list of schools offering degrees and programs of study in Fire Technolgy both on campus and at a distance.

Click here for the Santa Ana College Fire Technology website.

Corona Auto X

Corona Auto X, Nations top extrication training.
www.coronafirefighters.org Props to the Corona firefighters for an excellent video. If you have an opportunity to attend this training...DO IT!! NOTE: DOUBLE CLICK ON THE "SCREEN" TO GO TO YOUTUBE TO WATCH THIS

Battles Lost- Lessons Learned -Storm King Mountain

A walk up Storm King Mountain, discussing lessons learned from historical wildland firefighter fatalities.

Adapted from the National Wildfire Coordinating Group training package, PMS-490 "Lessons Learned: Fatality Fire Case Studies"

So, you want to be a pyro? Become a Pyrotechnician

Become a Pyrotechnician Welcome to the world of professional pyrotechnics!If you've ever wonderd what it is like to be up close and personal to the professional display shells during a fireworks show, or if you live for the roar of the crowd, continue reading! Whether you are interested in just being part of a fireworks display crew, or actually obtaining a California pyrotechnic operators license, this website will answer your questions.

Ross The Fireman

Ross the intern learns to be a firefighter. From the Jay Leno Show. Gotta love it!!!

Funny Headlines

Real Headlines....words have many meanings....

Iraqi Head Seeks Arms
Something Went Wrong in Jet Crash, Expert Says
Police Begin Campaign to Run Down Jaywalkers
Enraged Cow Injures Farmer with Ax
Farmer Bill Dies in House
British Left Waffles on Falkland Islands
Teacher Strikes Idle Kids
Miners Refuse to Work after Death
Juvenile Court to Try Shooting Defendant
War Dims Hope for Peace
If Strike Isn't Settled Quickly, It May Last Awhile
Cold Wave Linked to Temperatures
Enfield (London) Couple Slain; Police Suspect Homicide
Red Tape Holds Up New Bridges
Man Struck By Lightning Faces Battery Charge
New Study of Obesity Looks for Larger Test Group
Astronaut Takes Blame for Gas in Spacecraft
Kids Make Nutritious Snacks
Chef Throws His Heart into Helping Feed Needy
Local High School Dropouts Cut in Half
Hospitals are Sued by 7 Foot Doctors
Typhoon Rips Through Cemetery; Hundreds Dead

from www.plainlanguage.gov

Arsonist filmed his own fire

Inside the mind of an arsonist! Job security?

Bradford Fire Video

Soccer stadium fire, the clip we saw in class. Notice how people react...and fail to take it seriously....this is the actual footage. 56 people died. You can see the "expotential fire growth".

Bugs Bunny Burn Safety 80's PSA

Kitchen Safety

Be Cool About Fire Safety part 2

Cause you didn't get enough w/part 1? Home escape techniques in part 2!! (Featuring Little Richard!)

Be Cool About Fire Safety part 1

An Allstate Firesafety Video for kids. Features Jose the Hydrant and more!

Fire Safety Video Part 1 - Exiting Burning Building

Why you should practice your escape drill....before a fire!!!

In Living Color - Jim Carrey (Fire Marshal Bill) at Benihana

Fire safety in Restaurants. Because I care! Enjoy!

In Living Color - Fire Marshall Bill as Santa Claus

Remember...kitchen fires are the leading cause of kitchen fires...and fire injuries! And open flame during the holidays.....childrens toy safety....enjoy!

Fire Marshall Bill

Public fire education...can be tougher then it looks...did I tell you about the firefighter that spoke w/the 30 3rd grade students...22 went home and started fires that night! His techniques were similar to Jim Carreys.....I love this video...and for those of you in 106...think of the role of the materials, products and environment in this video...as well as human behavior...who would think that Jim Carry can be educational.....enjoy!