WAYNE’S STUFF 31
DO YOU REMEMBER
AS A YOUNG "WHIPPER SNAPPER" ,IN THE 60s, PUTTING A RAG ON YOUR HEAD AND
GOING UNDER YOUR COMPANIES RIG ON A CREEPER .
YOU HAD TO KEROSENE ALL THE GREASE AND OIL FROM
THE UNDERSIDE OF THE ENTIRE RIG FOR INSPECTION.
THE GOOD OLD DAYS
"YEAH RIGHT"
DO YOU KNOW
IN SOME COMMUNITIES THE LADDER TRUCK CREW WERE REFERRED TO AS "HOOKS"
DO YOU KNOW
IN THE YEAR 1770 THERE IS A RECORD OF A FIRE CAUSED BY A BOLT OF LIGHTENING.
IT WAS PUT OUT WITH A BUCKET OF MILK FROM A FARMER MILKING HIS COW.
DO YOU KNOW
DURING THE 1800s, IN SOME COMMUNITIES OUT WEST, THERE WAS A RELUCTANCE TO ORGANIZE A VOLUNTEER, FIRE DEPARTMENT AS MANY TOWNSFOLK FELT
FIRE WAS AN ACT OF NATURE OR GOD
DO YOU KNOW
THE FIRST HOOK AND LADDER TRUCK THAT FORT WORTH TEXAS BOUGHT WAS SHIPPED BY TRAIN TO DALLAS.
IT WAS THEN PULLED BY VOLUNTEER FIREMEN 40 MILES TO FORT WORTH.
THE THINKING OF A TRUCK RATHER THEN A PUMPER WAS TO PULL DOWN THE SURROUNDING STRUCTURES RATHER THEN TRY TO EXTINGUISH THE ONE ON FIRE.
DO YOU KNOW
IN ONE COMMUNITY, THEY SET UP THEIR TOP STRUCTURE TO HAVE TWO CLASSES OF FIRE OFFICIALS.
PRESIDENT OF THE FIRE WARD
HE FORMULATED POLICY AND HAD THE AUTHORITY TO HAVE A BUILDING BLOWN UP OR TORN DOWN.
FIRE CONSTABLE ALSO KNOW AS FIRE WARDS / WARDENS
THEY DIRECTED THE ACTUAL FIGHTING OF FIRES.
WE ARE ONLY PASSING THROUGH,
WE ARE THE GUARDIANS AND CUSTODIAN OF A 100 YEAR TRADITION.
" THE MAN IN THE GLASS "
WHEN YOU GET WHAT YOU WANT IN YOUR STRUGGLE FOR SELF
AND THE WORLD MAKES YOU KING FOR A DAY,
JUST GO TO THE MIRROR AND LOOK AT YOURSELF
AND SEE WHAT THAT MAN HAS TO SAY
FOR IT ISN'T YOUR FATHER OR MOTHER OR WIFE
WHOSE JUDGMENT UPON YOU MUST PASS
THE FELLOW WHOSE VERDICT COUNTS MOST IN YOUR LIFE
IS THE ONE STARING BACK FROM THE GLASS
YOU MAY BE LIKE JACK HORNER AND CHISEL A PLUM
AND THINK YOU'RE A WONDERFUL GUY.
BUT THE MAN IN THE GLASS SAYS YOU'RE ONLY A BUM
IF YOU CAN'T LOOK HIM STRAIGHT IN THE EYE.
HE'S THE FELLOW TO PLEASE - NEVER MIND ALL THE REST,
FOR HE'S WITH YOU CLEAR TO THE END.
AND YOU'VE PASSED YOUR MOST DANGEROUS, DIFFICULT TEST
IF THE MAN IN THE GLASS IS YOUR FRIEND.
YOU MAY FOOL THE WHOLE WORLD DOWN THE PATHWAY OF YEARS
AND GET PATS ON THE BACK AS YOU PASS.
BUT YOUR FINAL REWARD WILL BE HEARTACHE AND TEARS
IF YOU'VE CHEATED THE MAN IN THE GLASS.
I Wish They Could
I wish they could see the sadness of a business man as his livelihood goes up in flames, or a family returning home, only to find their house and belongings damaged or destroyed.
I wish they could know what it is like to search a burning bedroom for trapped children, flames rolling above your head, your palms and knees burning as you crawl, the floor sagging under your weight as the kitchen beneath you burns.
I wish they could comprehend a wife's horror at 3 A.M. as I check her husband of forty years for a pulse and find none. I start CPR anyway, hoping against hope to bring him back, knowing intuitively it is too late, but wanting his wife and family to know that everything possible was done.
I wish they could smell the unique smell of burning insulation, the taste of soot-filled mucus, the feeling of intense heat through your turnout gear, the sound of flames crackling, and the eeriness of being able to see absolutely nothing in dense smoke -- sensations that I have become too familiar with.
I wish they could understand how it feels to go to work in the morning after having spent most of the night hot and soaking wet at a multiple alarm fire.
I wish they could read my mind as I respond to a structure fire, "Is this a false alarm or a working, breathing fire? How is the building constructed? What hazards await me? Is anyone trapped?" Or to an EMS call, "What is wrong with the patient? Is it minor or life threatening? Is the caller really in distress or are they waiting for us with a 2x4 or a gun?"
I wish they could be in the emergency room as the doctor pronounces dead the beautiful little five year old girl that I have been trying to save during the past twenty-five minutes, who will never go on her first date, or say the words "I love you mommy" ever again.
I wish they could know the frustration I feel in the cab of the engine, the driver with his foot pressing down hard on the pedal, my arm tugging again and again at the air horn chain, as they fail to yield the right-of-way at an intersection or in traffic. When they need us, however, their first comment upon our arrival will be, "It took you forever to get here!"
I wish they could read my thoughts as I help extricate a girl of teenage years from the mangled remains of her automobile. "What if this were my sister, my girlfriend, or a friend? What are her parent's reactions going to be as they open the door to find a police officer, hat in hand."
I wish they could know how it feels to walk in the back door and greet my family, not having the heart to tell them that I nearly did not come home from this last call.
I wish they could feel my hurt, as people verbally and sometimes physically abuse us or belittle what I do, or as they express their attitudes of "it will never happen to me."
I wish they could realize the physical, emotional, and mental drain of missed meals, lost sleep, and forgone social activities, in addition to all the tragedy my eyes have viewed.
I wish they could know the brotherhood and self-satisfaction of helping save a life or preserving someone's property, of being there in times of crisis, or creating order from total chaos.
I wish they could understand what it feels like to have a little boy tugging on your arm and asking, "Is my mommy O.K.?" Not even being able to look in his eyes without tears falling from your own, and not knowing what to say. Or to have to hold back a long-time friend who watches his buddy having rescue breathing done on him as they take him away in the ambulance. Knowing all along he did not have his seat belt on -- sensations that I have become too familiar with.
Unless they have lived this kind of life, they will never truly understand or appreciate who I am, what we are, or what our job really means to us.
FROM A WEB SITE
Nozzles
It seems that if there was a way to spray water it has been tried. After buckets came goose neck nozzles on the early hand pumpers. These goose necks were then fitted with long smooth bore nozzles. Than came hose and small smooth bore nozzles.
A smooth bore nozzle can be best describe as a piece of tapered pipe. A playpipe is a longer piece of pipe that helps shape the stream and is often attached to the nozzle. The playpipe does this by giving the water a straight path to flow before leaving the nozzle. The rough lining and bends in a hose causes the water to tumble like water will swirl along the edge of a fast moving stream. The playpipe helps make the water move in all one direction and the stream can be projected farther than without the playpipe.
Early fire engines had positive displacement pumps therefore nozzles were not equipped with shut off valve to prevent bursting a hose line or damaging the pump. Relief valves sometimes did not act fast enough to save the hose or the pump. With the use of centrifugal pumps shut off valves became more common. Today almost no handline is used without a shut off valve to excessive prevent water damage to the structure.
For water to be effective in the extinguishment of a fire, the heat of the fire must be absorbed by the water. It was found first by trial and error and later validated by testing that fine water droplets have more surface area thus being able to absorb more heat which will cool the fire and put it out. That is the basic principle behind the fog nozzle. The fog nozzle has teeth and a baffle plate that breaks the water stream into droplets or a fine spray pattern. A fog nozzle does not have the reach of a smooth bore nozzle. Fog nozzles began appearing in the middle of the 1900's
Some nozzles had a fixed fog pattern and a fixed flow rate. Others had a fixed fog pattern with a dial to adjust the flow rate. These are known as a variable gallonage nozzles. This still gave an effective spray pattern and the nozzleman could decide how much water was enough to extinguish a fire without causing additional water damage.
There are combination nozzles that can vary both the spray pattern and or vary the flow rate of the water. These are know as vari-fog vari-gallonage nozzles. They come in all shape and sizes and purposes.
There are also automatic nozzles which are fog nozzles that automatically changes water flow in order to maintain the nozzle pressure at 100 psi thus maintaining a effective fog spray pattern.
The big guns of the fire service are the master streams or deluge guns. They are usually fitted with a smooth bore nozzle that can flow between 500 to 1500 or more gallons per minute. There are also fog nozzles for this purpose but again their reach is not as far as the smooth bore nozzles.
Specialty nozzles come in all shapes and sizes. Common examples are foam nozzles (protein, high expansion, AFFF, hazmat foams), cellar nozzles, chimney nozzles, navy nozzles with fog applicators, forestry nozzles, and water curtains.
With proper training and under the right conditions, each nozzles is very effective for it's special purpose. The closest thing to an all purpose nozzles is the combination vari-fog, vari-gallonage nozzles.
The latest thing is low pressure fog nozzles. Some how the standard pressure to operate and to design smooth bore nozzles was 50 psi. at the tip. When the first fire standpipe codes were written by the International Association of Fire Engineers (which evolved into NFPA) the standard was to design a standpipe to deliver 250 gpm through a 100 feet of 2˝" hose with 50 psi using a smooth bore tip. Even with the more widely use of fog nozzles and 1˝" hose this standard stood.
Now for some reason fog nozzles require 100 psi tip pressure. In the large cities, debates went back and forth over which type of nozzle was better. Some cities started specifying a fog nozzle that would work at a lower pressure (75 psi) because the old standpipe systems could not handle the higher pressure to support 100 psi nozzles.
FROM A WEB SITE
Prying Tools
Prying tools do just that, pry. They pry open locked doors, pry off wood trim around windows or pry a part bars on the windows. The tools come in all shapes and sizes. Some are ordinary construction tools, others are special fire service tools and were designed for a special function. The fire service tools often have multiple functions. By placing a claw on one end and maybe a pike at the other the tools might be able to be used for different prying needs. They may also be able to close gas valves or open up hydrants.
A few of these hand tools are: pick head axes, halligan bars, hooligan bars, pry ax, biel tool, crow bars, pry bar, pinch bar, huxs bar, Detroit door opener, "A" tool, "K" tools, and spanner wrenches. Often these tools will be used along with a striking tools such as a sledge hammer or flat head ax. (NOTE: THAT'S WHY SOME FIRE DEPARTMENTS USE FLAT HEAD AXES RATHER THEN OURS WITH A PEEN.)
Beside the powered hydraulic rescue tools which can also be used if needed there are hand powered hydraulic tools. The most common is the Rabbit Tool. This is a small spreader design to very quickly and quietly force open steel personnel doors.
Ropes
There are many types of ropes. Ropes are made of both natural and synthetic fibers. For years the standard rope was a manila rope.
The manila rope could often be found in sizes from 5/8" to 1". The manila rope was subject to rot if not properly clean and dried.
For this reason manila ropes are no longer used as life safety ropes but may be used as utility ropes to lift tools and secure equipment.
There are several kinds of synthetic ropes fibers such as nylon, polypropylene, polyethylene, polyester, and kevlar.
The synthetic ropes can be smaller in size because of their strength. Each has it's own special property.
Nylon will stretch depending on how it is braided. Polypropylene and polyethylene ropes will float. Kevlar has very high strength and cut resistance.
The way rope is laid or braided also effects is strength and use. The standard rope is a three piece laid (twisted) construction.
Kernmantle ropes are a jacketed rope. The outer jacket protects the inter core of rope.
Ropes also come in static or dynamic construction. Static ropes have little stretch while dynamic ropes elongate under shock loads.
Dynamic ropes are flavored by rock climbers for it's shock absorber capabilities. Static ropes are flavor for lifting.