Nowadays, EMS isn’t rocket science. Great strides are being made by the FIRESCOPE working group.
Perhaps the folks working on the Fireline EMT and Fireline EMT-P issues in other areas of the country might want to look at the California model that is/has been undergoing development since the Wedworth-Townsend Act (1970). While sensationalized for public consumption and some fact based reality, the television show “Emergency“ was loosely based upon a real loss of a firefighter from LACoFD, and followed the early stages of fire based EMS programs that began in the early 1970’s and eventually flourished throughout the U.S. … and the eventually passing of the Wedworth-Townsend Act in California, and similar acts nationwide. The folks involved were real folks… not television characters or news articles.
A similar preventable tragedy in 1987 (The Bruce Visser fatality) on the Klamath NF kick started EMS training, certification, and medical oversight within the Forest Service. As a result, a Medical First Responder Program was a cornerstone in all of the Basic Fire Academies until (for some reason) it was stupidly discontinued in the mid/late 2000’s and turned into an elective in the Apprenticeship Academy Program.
FIRESCOPE has been spearheading forward after the “Andrew Palmer Fatality”… aka “The Dutch Creek Incident”. The Forest Service and other wildland agencies now have to play “catch up” once again and regain “peer status” after horrific tragedies.
P.S. – I work on a Forest that has practicing EMT’s and Medical First Responders… and specific authorization from the local EMSA to do so since 1994. We also have AEDs… and EPI-PENS on all of our fire engines, crew carriers, and helicopters. We have followed California Title 17 expressly as the BLS program was devoloped and implemented, and it has physician oversight for the AED and EPI-PEN programs that require increased oversight under Title 17. The BLS program (EMT and First Responder) does not need specific “medical direction” per CA Title 17 if the “provider” is registered with the local EMSA; participates in a QA/QC program with the local EMSA; and follows local BLS protocols.
I have been following the first three seasons of “The Academy”,a FOX Reality TV program that follows recruits interested in joining public service and chronicles their experiences and failures as recruits. It also follows their Leaders (Cadre) as they attempt to mold their future replacements within the profession. The first two seasons followed recruit classes at the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department training facility.
This year, on a twist, “The Academy” follows a group of firefighter recruits going through the Orange County Fire Academy. It is titled, “The Academy: Orange County Fire”. It reminds me from three things from the past: 1) When I first completed the Solano Community College Firefighter I Academy decades ago; 2) When I used to serve on the Basic and Advanced Apprenticeship Academy Cadres for “several wildland agencies”; and 3) When I was an authorized technical advisor from my “agency” on another “reality TV” program about wildland firefighters titled, “Into the “Firestorm”that had similar possibilities.
Into the Firestorm was a TV reality production done as a pilot for the Discovery Channel. Production specialists and photographers were inbedded with fire crews throughout the fire season. The production company is known as “Original Productions”.Into the Firestorm was cancelled after just four one-hour episodes.
There were several reasons the show was dropped: Negative comments from the “Agency” (Forest Service) who initially authorized the “inside look at wildland fire”, decided a follow up program ‘would not be authorized or allowed’; a slow fire season further complicated things by limiting opportunities for video and expansion on the theme; and finally negative commentary from folks on various wildland fire blogs who didn’t fully appreciate seeing a “reality” show in a format that everyone could see and address the hazards of our profession.
Here are some things I wrote on January 28th, 2006 (and during the month of January at “They Said“, a wildland fire discussion blog.
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I was involved in the production of the Discovery Channel special. I am an Assistant District Fire Management Officer (Battalion Chief) for the Forest Service.
In early summer, I was contacted by my Forest FMO (Chief) about a production company desiring to film our crews and engines during the 2005 fire season for a Discovery Channel special. As customary, this Discovery Channel special was approved by the Washington Office public affairs staff before any official participation. A meeting was arranged to discuss the specifics.
The first meeting was attended by the following: the Forest FMO (Chief), Deputy FMO (Deputy Chief), the forest public affairs officer (PAO), myself, and two Supervisory Forestry Technicians (One Engine Captain and one Hotshot Supt.). Also in attendance were the Supervising Producer and an Assistant Producer of the Discovery Channel special.
During this first meeting, it was discussed that our local portion of the production would be following one of our hotshot crews and one of our engine modules. We were also told that they would be filming in Region 6 and possibly some CDF units. Our participation further expanded to include our other hotshot crew and our helitack crew due to a slow fire season.
There would be a producer type person and one or two camera people following each of the modules. What was different about this show was that the producers and photographers were not going to be constantly shadowed by a Forest Service PAO person or someone to watch out for their safety.
As part of the meeting, it was agreed upon that since we were not going to be providing a “minder”, the Forest Service would provide S-130, S-190, LCES, and Standards for Survival as a prerequisite for our local participation in the production. The production company agreed even though they had no requirement to do so. By law, in California and Oregon, the press/media have free access unless they are interfering with operations.
Around 30 employees of the production company received the training including field drills such as handline construction and doing hoselays. They also deployed the new and old style fire shelters. They got down and dirty just like all of us do. They received a certificate that they had completed Basic Wildland Firefighter Training according to NWCG standards.
The people who were doing the editing (producers) were on the same fireline as the photographers.
What I think some people are missing from the Discovery Channel special is how the 30 or so people doing the production bonded with the wildland firefighters….. They ate, drank, and slept with wildland firefighters during much of this production.
What scared me the most was that the production company folks went out to kick back and drink a “few” beers or hang with the folks who were providing the training and get to know them… then it dawned on me… There is no reason to be pissed off at anything they show… they, like us, have had wildland firefighter training.
The next morning, the instructor did a power hike with the HUNG OVER production folks just as he would have done with any other new firefighter… lets just say they learned………
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It is interesting to look back at the possibilities….. and where and why it failed.
Read the whole month of commentary and discussion: HERE
P. Michael Freeman, the second longest serving Chief of the Los Angeles County Fire Department has announced his plans to retire this coming March. Not to spoil anyones sadness at his announcement, but I’m happy he is finally leaving…. and silently… a majority of the LACoFD folks are as well. Usually, a Chief gets to stay that long by staying out of Leadership and not presenting problems and realities to the Board of Supervisors. It was time for new leadership when he stated a few years ago (in reference to OES Type 3 fire engines being ‘assigned’ to LACoFD):
“Who wants to work on a Type 3 engine?” … a pause… and then a few hands went up… “If you want to work on one, you can go to work for another department”. Chief Officers and others in the room were floored and knew fully where they stood in the Chief’s decisions and his disconnect from the reality of the field. What isn’t told though, is that nearly everyone in the room had been serving in various capacities on both federal and state Incident Management Teams on wildland fires.
As you might know, LACoFD only recently has 5 Type 3 fire engines supplied by the California Office of Emergency Management. Besides those, there are no other Type 3 fire engines within the LACoFD arsenal of “tools”, rather the Chief decided a night flying arsenal of helicopters and “Super Scoopers” was more important than boots on the ground being able to lay hose. It is often said that the LACoFD has the 10th largest airforce in the world… but that isn’t factual… and I ramble. What is factual though… in the last five or so years… whenever CAL FIRE does a Santa Ana Wind “Special Staffing Pattern”… CAL FIRE usually stages a Type 3 Engine Strike Team in Santa Clarita…. even though CAL FIRE contracts with LACoFD for “equal level” protection of the SRA within LA County. I’d re-look at the contract…..
I’ll give it to him… he was a great administrator with an uncanny ability to find money to make the LACoFD grow in tough times, even while other fire departments were focusing on the basics of mission delivery and avoiding cutbacks.
Chief Freeman has served as the Chief of LACoFD for the past 21 years, having first obtained his position in December of 1988. Prior to his position with LACoFD, Chief Freeman served as Chief of Operations for the City of Dallas, Texas. During his tenure, LACoFD became quite a dictatorship…. and a great example of a department being “bugally challenged” and horribly micromanaged. This micromanagement seperated LACoFD apart from the leaps and bounds made in wildland fire suppression since 1970.
Don’t get me wrong, I fully respect the folks in LACoFD and Chief Freeman… in fact, two folks I’ve worked with closely in my career are now LACoFD Deputy Chiefs… several others are Assistant Chiefs and Battalion Chiefs. I was recently with many of them on the Station Fire where I was serving in an “undefined ICS position”… and was amazed that they weren’t allowed to make incident management decisions without getting them first approved by Chief Freeman or Chief Deputy Tripp. It is a lot like the pot calling the kettle black….. when a Chief micromanages decisions made in the field.
Chief Freeman announced his decision to retire shortly after signing a scathing letter and reportdirected towards the United States Forest Service and “it’s handling of the Station Fire”. As part of his letter to the County Board of Supervisors, Chief Freeman referenced a recently completed report that he directed to be completed by his Chief Deputy, John Tripp. From that report, several recommendations were addressed in the LA Times Article titled, “L.A. County supervisors urge U.S. firefighting reforms“.
It is interesting to note, just a week prior to the LACoFD report, another report was issued by the Forest Service that had entirely different findings regarding the first 48 hours of the Station Fire (See Links Below). Ironically, Chief Deputy John Tripp was a part of the Forest Service review panel as well signatory to the report as well as two other non-Forest Service signers: Ken Pimlott, Deputy Director for Fire Operations, CAL FIRE; and Donald G. MacGregor, Ph.D., from MacGregor Bates Inc.
During Chief Freeman’s tenure as Chief of the LACoFD, the group known as FIRESCOPE (originally known as the Firefighting resources of Southern California Organized for Potential Emergencies… and later known as…. Firefighting Resources of California Organized for Potential Emergencies) severly faultered after the gains made from 1970 to 1988. During the period of 1988 to present, the original FIRESCOPE agencies, as well as the expanded agencies representing FIRESCOPE today have often been at odds with the actions of the LACoFD Chief. Most folks wanted a Lessons Learned approach and progress like originally done in the FIRESCOPE days of cooperation and collaboration on issues, but LACoFD had a media market and the Chief had an agenda.
The Station Fire was the last straw for me….. as a Chief Officer….. WE CAN DO BETTER. Stupid reports from both the Forest Service and LACoFD are slaps in the face of firefighters to grew up in.. and were part of both the FIRESCOPE culture of Leadership, as well as the SAFETY FIRST culture of mission delivery.
Chief Freeman seems to not remember the past, and instead wants to direct blame at the Forest Service…. LACoFD is responsible for the structures and lives under his watch…. and HE IS the voice who should have been communicating with the Board of Supervisors and the various Planning Commissions as they allowed unabated expansion into the wildland areas….. as they allowed homes to be built in the WUI inside and adjacent to the Angeles National Forest… shifted the burden, responsibility, and costs nationally… and instead… he sat silent….
One Example: No pilot or aircrew should be expected to give up his/her life flying “low and slow” into terrain and into poor weather conditions at night to protect…. piss poor development and planning decisions…. especially decisions and discussions that a FIRE CHIEF should be LEADING… and not following and reacting to public and political pressure.
More to come on the FEMA Fire Management Assistance Grant Program….. and how it allows this mess to continue and propogate… with federal funding and support… to support Fire Chiefs who allow poor decisions and don’t engage their communities.
I’m sorry if anyone is offended…. especially my LACoFD friends. Not my intent. If you are offended, you should probably be reading someone else’s blog and note my blog headline (above).
JMHO
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Note: A forthcoming independent Serious Accident Review Team (SART) of the Station Fire is being conducted by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) at the request of Chief Freeman. This review is looking into the actions and circumstances that led to the deaths of Fire Captain (Supt.) Ted Hall and Firefighter Specialist Arnie Quinones. The preliminary findings have already been given to Chief Freeman and the LACoFD Executive Team for review and comment, and will be released in the next 45-60 days after the report is approved for release by both the LA County Counsel and the County Board of Supervisors. During this period of review, several redactions and additions will undoubtedly occur. Hopefully…. it won’t be so redacted so as Lessons Learned won’t be available.
The year has turned its circle, The seasons come and go. The harvest all is gathered in And chilly north winds blow. Orchards have shared their treasures, The fields, their yellow grain, So open wide the doorway~ Thanksgiving comes again! ~Old Rhyme
On another blog site I’ve been following (www.firecritic.com), there are some interesting comments lately. I don’t know if the comments are positive or negative…. or if a rift between the east coasters and the west coasters exists…. or whether a rift between the wildland firefighters and the structural firefighters exist somewhere? If so…. WHY.
What I know is…. We ARE ALL FIREFIGHTERS… We all have “1-*”… One Ass to Risk.
“I made the statement that all of the “Fire” bloggers are East Coast/Midwest firefighters. Not to discount the “wildland” firefighting blogs, but they are mostly different than the structural firefighting blogs (just trust me that there is an obvious and defined difference)”
“I am not saying that there aren’t any West Coast firefighting blogs (non-wildland that is), but that I don’t know of any right off the top of my head.”
I think it was a kudo to the wildland fire blogs?… but keeping us at arms length? Not sure. I’d like to know more.
My friend… you now know of a Firefighter Blog from the West Coast… and it has been raised “all risk” and responds to the same stuff you do…. but my working title (not my job) has been titled, “Forestry Technician”…. even though I’m a Firefighter by trade, experience and education.
And then the bombshell hit in his/her post,
“Oh yeah…and I am looking for a company who wants to be involved in a leather helmet give-away just before Christmas too. Let me know if you are interested in an excellent marketing idea!!!”
I don’t usually sit silent, especially when someone says, ” just trust me that there is an obvious and defined difference”… and doesn’t provide facts either in support or opposition and uses wildland firefighters as an example. JMHO.
I’ve already got a “leather helmet” and a “chrome dome” on my mantle… and I sure as hell could care less for “for profit” marketing of websites and groups that some blogs and websites use.
Update: 22:00. Nov. 23. 2009 (See bottom PS also) (below):
Nothing worse than eating a cold turkey sandwich on the fireline… especially when fires around Thanksgiving are so common.
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The NWS San Diego has just posted the following after a “friendly e-mail”. It is pretty funny that they say the “wind advisory” is no longer in effect…. especially since NO WIND ADVISORY was ever issued or published in the NWS San Diego CWA today. It must be shift change at NWS San Diego Office and the “A Team” is now on duty playing catch up. Also, as the Fire Program Leads from NWS are notified of the developing scenario on their “days off” or vacation, undoubtedly there will be Red Flags Warnings eventually posted across SoCal from Ventura County southward:
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SAN BERNARDINO AND RIVERSIDE COUNTY VALLEYS-THE INLAND EMPIRE- SANTA ANA MOUNTAINS AND FOOTHILLS- 956 PM PST MON NOV 23 2009
…HIGH WIND WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 2 PM PST TUESDAY…
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SAN DIEGO HAS ISSUED A HIGH WIND WARNING…WHICH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 2 PM PST TUESDAY. THE WIND ADVISORY IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT.
SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE INTERIOR WILL CAUSE LOCAL STRONG GUSTY NORTHEAST WINDS. THE STRONGEST WINDS WILL BE BELOW THE CAJON PASS AND THROUGH THE SANTA ANA MOUNTAIN CANYONS WHERE GUSTS WILL BE NEAR 70 MPH AT TIMES. THE WINDS WILL DECREASE TUESDAY AFTERNOON.
As of this posting, there have been no fire weather watches or Red Flag Warnings posted for Southern California even though current conditions (weather and fuels) meet (or will) exceed Red Flag criteria by tomorrow morning. This is saddening to me in remembering how and why the Red Flag Warning program was developed in the first place.
Here is a portion of the Fire Weather Planning Forecast from the National Weather Service Office in Oxnard, CA:
AFTER COORDINATION WITH LOCAL FIRE AGENCIES…IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE CURRENT FUEL MOISTURES WERE SUFFICIENT TO NOT ISSUE ANY FIRE WEATHER WATCHES OR WARNINGS. HOWEVER…THIS SITUATION WILL BE CLOSELY MONITORED THE NEXT FEW DAYS FOR ANY CHANGES.
I have to wonder where they are getting their fuels data from, and whether they understand “dead time lag fuels” (1, 10, 100, 1000 hr. fuels) as opposed to seasonal “live fuels” that only gain significant fuel moisture in the spring (ie-chaparral)?… I ask only because we keep repeating these errors at this time of the year… every year….over and over again…. and whomever is supplying the fuels data needs to be corrected or replaced before someone gets hurt. My uninformed guess is that they got the fuels data from non-fuels folks or bean counters trying to be firefighters. One of these is an act of omission and one is an an act of commission.
I also have to wonder if the NWS has folks on “use or lose” annual leave and is fielding the “B-Team” when an “A-Game” is needed for SAFETY? For that matter, the folks who actually understand fuels from the fire agencies are probably on “use or lose” also…… Hello SoOps… yes… this is directed at you!!!
Here are some of the current windspeeds and RH:
Fremont Canyon – Winds: 44G68 RH: 6%
Chilao – Winds: 31G46 RH:9%
Warm Springs – Winds: 27G44 RH: 25%
Malibu Hills – Winds: 25G47 RH: 11%
Santa Paula – Winds: 38G58 RH: 21%
Highland Springs – Winds: 21G37 RH: 16%
Explore for Yourself
Check out the Southern California Surface Plot: Click Here
Another Source for weather is the California Weather Network for Schools: Click Here
P.S. – For Firefighter and community safety, I wish we’d go back to the original three tier program:
1.) Planning and Preparedness Phase – Red Flag Watch. (The potential for critical fire weather conditions exist in the next 72 hours or beyond).
2.) Implementation Phase – Red Flag Warning. (Critical fire weather conditions are expected in the next 24-48 hours).
3.) Response Phase – Red Flag Alert. (Critical fire weather conditions are occuring and expected to last 6 or more hours).
Note:The first post on this blogregarding the true significance of this wind event was written at 21:00 on November 21st…. posted at 09:00 on November 22nd….See Below…. It was in the Planning and Preparedness Phase…. but alas… I’m just aRambling Chief Officerwho has seen it…. done it before.
Heads Up. Critical Fire Weather is on the horizon.
The weather pattern is getting really ugly for large fire activity over the next two weeks.
Starting tomorrow… a period of prolonged weak to moderate offshore flow with low humidities will happen through Thanksgiving Day. This will be the first critical fire weather period.
On Friday, a frontal system is projected to move as an inside slider to the east with a huge high pressure developing in the Great Basin. This will be the second and more critical fire weather period.
If this model run happens…. it will produce the following during the late Saturday through late Monday period:
1) Good Offshore Pressure Gradients ( -15 to -20); 2) Strong cold air advection; and 3) Positive trajectory of the jet stream over SoCal in a NE to SW alignment.
All variables in alignment…. with Lessons Learned from the past.
Previous patterns such as this have produced fire conditions experienced in 1980 (Panorama Fire), 2003 (SoCal Fires), and 2007 (SoCal Fires). This is a potential STRONG SANTA ANA wind event.
If these model runs verify over the next few days…. Additional preparedness actions should be made by OSCC in beefing up SoCal.
While primarily related to structural fire, FireCritic.com is a trusted website in our fire community. Specifically, the post addresses “moderation” or potential “censorship” in regards to members and followers discussing things in the following two firefighter forums as an example of failures in communication: Firehouse.com and TheWatchDesk.com. Here are some highlights from FireCritic:
Some people say that moderation is censorship and that any form of moderation or censorship is bad. They think that whatever people want to say should be allowed, accepted, and posted. Someone made the comment that a forum should be totally uninhibited and not moderated or censored at all. Your mother, wife, and grandmother are fair game.
Just ask Dave Statter about moderating. He has gone through comments that just shouldn’t be printed. However, he is very light at moderation and a lot of comments that might not be print worthy are online. This is his way of appealing to the masses. I am not saying it is right or wrong. Just ask me…I know all about moderating comments on a blog…I was nearly hung at a Union meeting for comments that others made on a blog I run. Some of the comments made by some who were going to do the hanging. I was responsible because I did or didn’t allow the comments. It is a tangled web for sure.
We have the same questions within our Wildland Fire Community…. and within our limited discussion forums that are available.
At what point does moderation become censorship? One has to ask complex questions.
Who exactly are the moderators, and what are their qualifications for overidding the informed and educated decisions of others freely offering opinions?
I’ve got emails and postings from folks on both sides of the question…. moderator and poster…. I use a simple plan: I base each posting upon the experience and common sense of the poster as a basis of whether it is “moderated”… or not. If I don’t know them… and the post is nonsense, nonfactual, or non-corraborated… it gets moderated…. with followup. For profit websites…. such as the ones (and others) described above… not a great place to air our dirty laundry and chat about firehouse issues….JMHO.
If the poster signs the post with a true name… true email… verified info… It will always get posted and discussed HERE…. anonymous postings and monikers suck (usually) and will rarely get any discussion or reply.
Posted by RamblingChief 
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