It is easy to be wise after the event

As the department's training officer I served as the safety officer on all major incidents. One afternoon while working in my office at our suppression headquarters station, I heard Engine 4 dispatched to a vegetation fire. Engine 4 arrived on the scene to report approximately one acre involved, with the fire rapidly spreading. They requested two additional engines. The paramedics I was working with decided to drive down the street to observe, as we were on the opposite side of the involved area, I decided to ride with them. I did not plan on this being a major incident and did not take any protective clothing with me.

As we approached the area across from the fire, we noticed that the fire had spread across the ravine and was now threatening homes and utility services. An engine company had laid lines, and one firefighter was attempting to put a 2-inch line into service to protect the exposures. The incident commander was calling for two strike teams. The paramedics were given an assignment to help extend lines to the right flank. I jumped in to assist with the exposure line. My protective equipment consisted of slacks, a shirt, a tie, and shoes. Within minutes we were exposed to heat and smoke thick enough to cause difficult breathing. Through the smoke an engineer brought me his turnout coat and helmet. He later gave me his turnout boots and stood at the pump panel in stockinged feet.

Not only was I completely ineffective as a safety officer, I was a safety hazard myself! By not having my protective gear, I created a safety hazard for myself and took away safety gear from another firefighter. The few minutes it would have taken for me to grab my gear would have been more than worthwhile. Our protective clothing is as essential to us as a scalpel is to a surgeon. The lesson I learned was never to respond to an incident without my safety gear and never to enter the hazard environment without it.

Fortunately, no one was injured and the fire was extinguished with no loss of structures.

Street Story by Randy Scherer, Battalion Chief, Newport Beach Fire Department, Newport Beach, California

safety officer – офицер обеспечения безопасности людей

suppression headquarters station – управление пожарной охраны

vegetation fire – горение растительности

utility services – сооружения коммунальных служб

exposure – объект, подвергающийся действию факторов пожара, происходящего поблизости

strike team – ударная команда

jumped in to assist – вызвался помочь

turnout coat – боевка (куртка)

protective clothing – защитная одежда