Since the deaf blog-o-sphere has been abuzz about the events of the last few days at Gallaudet (CNN, WashPost)) , I figured it was time for me to put my own two cents in. I'm a former Buff and Blue Editor in Chief and served as SBG President very briefly in the '90's.
By far, the best letter written on the issue comes from Roger Kraft and is posted on the GUFSSA.ORG website: Roger's Letter. Why is this the best letter written so far? Simply because he does not cast his lot among the conspiracy theorists or those who stick their heads in the sand and deny a leadership crisis exists.
I have to agree with Roger. I've only met Dr. Fernandes a few times and those were in relation to emergency preparedness issues. I'm not qualified to pass judgement on her ability to lead the University into its next era. In May, I was among those who sat on the fence on the matter. From a governance perspective (the Board Of Trustees), backtracking on their decision would have disastrous consequences for this and future BOT's.
At the time, I thought the students were overreacting and not giving Dr. Fernandes a fair shake simply based on her linguistic background as a not-very-good signer. (fair disclosure: I'm not a great signer either and learned ASL at 19 years old at Gallaudet) I wondered if she was not an acceptable choice to the FSSA, does that mean all persons like her (and myself) have no place in being leaders in the deaf community?
The events of the past several weeks have changed my mind. The intransigent polarity among all sides has led to a climax on Friday where protestors occupied the Hall Memorial Building and the administration attempted to re-open it using DPS officers.
The only reasonable conclusion to this mess is clearly obvious: Dr. Fernandes must resign and spare the Board of Trustees the crippling (if not fatal) embarassment of having to reverse its decision at a future date. A new search must be initiated with equal FSSA participation.
What bothers me most is the you're either with us or against us mentality. I don't know if this is reflective of our polarized society as a whole or specific to this particular issue. My biggest fear is this polarity will carry over well beyond the conclusion of this sad affair.
The FSSA must publicly state (and live up to) its demand for no reprisals on all sides. When the dust settles, people who supported Dr. Fernandes and the current administration must face no reprisals for their support just as there should be no reprisals against the FSSA for their actions. Extremists on both sides must be marginalized and concrete steps must be taken to bring this badly-wounded community back together again.
Respectfully,
Neil McDevitt
Saturday, October 07, 2006
Saturday, September 09, 2006
Vehicle Fire - 9/9/06
DATE: 9/9/06
TIME: 1730
Station 18 (FDMT) was dispatched to a vehicle fire at the Montgomery Mall. Enroute, a large column of smoke was observed. Upon arrival, Squad 18 reported a VW Jetta fully involved with exposure to two adjacent vehicles in the parking lot.
Squad 18 put its bumper line into service and extinguished the fire as well as cooled down the adjacent vehicles. A secondary backup line was stretched as a precaution.
Units were in service for approximately 45 minutes.
PERSONAL NARRATIVE: I was driving home with my wife and kids from a family get together when the call came in. I pulled into the station and jumped into Squad 18 and donned my gear during the 90 second drive.
Upon arrival, I was still gettting my SCBA on so didn't get on the hoseline. However, I helped flake it out then went to get a halligan bar to gain entry to the trunk and engine compartments.
In all, a good operation. The fire was knocked down within 20 seconds.
TIME: 1730
Station 18 (FDMT) was dispatched to a vehicle fire at the Montgomery Mall. Enroute, a large column of smoke was observed. Upon arrival, Squad 18 reported a VW Jetta fully involved with exposure to two adjacent vehicles in the parking lot.
Squad 18 put its bumper line into service and extinguished the fire as well as cooled down the adjacent vehicles. A secondary backup line was stretched as a precaution.
Units were in service for approximately 45 minutes.
PERSONAL NARRATIVE: I was driving home with my wife and kids from a family get together when the call came in. I pulled into the station and jumped into Squad 18 and donned my gear during the 90 second drive.
Upon arrival, I was still gettting my SCBA on so didn't get on the hoseline. However, I helped flake it out then went to get a halligan bar to gain entry to the trunk and engine compartments.
In all, a good operation. The fire was knocked down within 20 seconds.
Friday, July 14, 2006
Wakin' Up, Loooooord, I'm a-wakin' up!
A few months ago, I used to be able to wake up for overnight fire calls and on occasion, would easily get up for multiple calls and still be rarin' to go in the morning.
When I took the new job a few months ago and started working 50 - 60 hour weeks, that became really difficult after a while.
So it was surprising that after a rather difficult week (spent 3 days in DC, mucho mucho busy), I was able to wake up for an automatic fire alarm call at 12:15 this am. Nothing going on at this particular call.
What's interesting to me is that even though I'd stopped getting up for overnight calls for a while, I still kept an extra shirt and socks in the hallway in case I actually did get up. Its interesting how firefighting has changed my habits.
When I took the new job a few months ago and started working 50 - 60 hour weeks, that became really difficult after a while.
So it was surprising that after a rather difficult week (spent 3 days in DC, mucho mucho busy), I was able to wake up for an automatic fire alarm call at 12:15 this am. Nothing going on at this particular call.
What's interesting to me is that even though I'd stopped getting up for overnight calls for a while, I still kept an extra shirt and socks in the hallway in case I actually did get up. Its interesting how firefighting has changed my habits.
Thursday, July 13, 2006
It really gets embarassing when....
...You look at your own blog and realize that you haven't posted for nearly 7 months!
What can I say? I've been busy.
Here are some recent calls I've gone on:
---------------------
CALL TYPE: Elevator Rescue
LOCATION TYPE: HOTEL
DATE: 5-26-06
TIME REC'D: 0723
FDMT UNITS RESPONDING: Squad 18, Rescue 18
NARRATIVE: 1 person stuck in elevator. Secured power to both elevators, car was located on third floor. Used elevator keys to access car and remove occupant.
PERSONAL NARRATIVE - Neil: I arrived at the station after the career staff took Squad 18 out. My Battalion Chief arrived shortly after me and we drove together to add to the manpower pool for the call. When we arrived, the rescue was completed and all units were sent home.
-----------------------
DATE: 06-05-06
DISPATCH TIME: 1859
LOCATION: 100 Block of Canterbury Ln, Montgomery Township (PA)
Initial Dispatch:
CANTERBURY LA - MONTG ,; 47-4;;;;; NAT: FBN - BUILDING FIRE - NON-COMMERCIAL , TRUCKS 18E, 18E1, 434E; 18L, NOTES: IN THE BATHROOM, CALLER IS TRYING TO GET HER HUSBAND OUT OF THE HOUSE, EVERYONE IS OUT OF THE HOUSE (TIME: 1859)
CANTERBURY LA - MONTG, NOTE: 18CH - LIGHT SMOKE SHOWING FROM FRONT (TIME:1903)
Units were ordered to reduce speed at 1914, and held to Station 18 at 1922. Fire was held to a bathroom and attic was checked for extension. No extension found.
Personal narrative: We were in the middle of our monthly meeting. I was assigned to the Squad as the backup. We arrived on scene (4 of us on rig) and the nozzle man jumped off to grab the hydrant. Lt. Simes and I grabbed the line and stood by at the door. The crew from the Ladder was able to extinguish the fire with a 5 gallon can.
-------------------
What can I say? I've been busy.
Here are some recent calls I've gone on:
---------------------
CALL TYPE: Elevator Rescue
LOCATION TYPE: HOTEL
DATE: 5-26-06
TIME REC'D: 0723
FDMT UNITS RESPONDING: Squad 18, Rescue 18
NARRATIVE: 1 person stuck in elevator. Secured power to both elevators, car was located on third floor. Used elevator keys to access car and remove occupant.
PERSONAL NARRATIVE - Neil: I arrived at the station after the career staff took Squad 18 out. My Battalion Chief arrived shortly after me and we drove together to add to the manpower pool for the call. When we arrived, the rescue was completed and all units were sent home.
-----------------------
DATE: 06-05-06
DISPATCH TIME: 1859
LOCATION: 100 Block of Canterbury Ln, Montgomery Township (PA)
Initial Dispatch:
CANTERBURY LA - MONTG ,; 47-4;;;;; NAT: FBN - BUILDING FIRE - NON-COMMERCIAL , TRUCKS 18E, 18E1, 434E; 18L, NOTES: IN THE BATHROOM, CALLER IS TRYING TO GET HER HUSBAND OUT OF THE HOUSE, EVERYONE IS OUT OF THE HOUSE (TIME: 1859)
CANTERBURY LA - MONTG, NOTE: 18CH - LIGHT SMOKE SHOWING FROM FRONT (TIME:1903)
Units were ordered to reduce speed at 1914, and held to Station 18 at 1922. Fire was held to a bathroom and attic was checked for extension. No extension found.
Personal narrative: We were in the middle of our monthly meeting. I was assigned to the Squad as the backup. We arrived on scene (4 of us on rig) and the nozzle man jumped off to grab the hydrant. Lt. Simes and I grabbed the line and stood by at the door. The crew from the Ladder was able to extinguish the fire with a 5 gallon can.
-------------------
Friday, December 23, 2005
New stuff...
A few new things:
1: I've started a consulting business called The McDevitt Group that provides emergency preparedness consultling for people with disabilities. Feel free to check it out.
2: If you're a deaf firefighter, EMT or first responder, please check out www.deaffirefighters.us
and contribute to the discussions. Even if you're not any of the above, join anyway: we'd love to hear from various perspectives.
-N
1: I've started a consulting business called The McDevitt Group that provides emergency preparedness consultling for people with disabilities. Feel free to check it out.
2: If you're a deaf firefighter, EMT or first responder, please check out www.deaffirefighters.us
and contribute to the discussions. Even if you're not any of the above, join anyway: we'd love to hear from various perspectives.
-N
Friday, December 16, 2005
Finally... some fire!
Yes, it's been almost 5 months since my last post. Yes, it's been that long since we had REAL action.
I know, I know.. I shouldn't equate "fires/rescues" with lack of activity; after all we're always training and learning new things.
First things first:
4:15 pm on 12/16, FDMT was toned out for a dumpster fire in a residential area. I jumped on the Squad along withFF. Mogenson in the back. Since Paul just graduated from Jr. Firefighter, he asked if he could take the knob (nozzle) while I backed him up. The Chief advised that the dumpster was 15 feet from a house and well-involved.
Upon arrival, we began to put water on the fire which darkened it down considerably.
However, keep in mind, the dumpster was half-full and the fire was likely burning under the trash so we had to move a good amount of trash around in order to find the seat of the fire.
Pictures to come soon.
-N
I know, I know.. I shouldn't equate "fires/rescues" with lack of activity; after all we're always training and learning new things.
First things first:
4:15 pm on 12/16, FDMT was toned out for a dumpster fire in a residential area. I jumped on the Squad along withFF. Mogenson in the back. Since Paul just graduated from Jr. Firefighter, he asked if he could take the knob (nozzle) while I backed him up. The Chief advised that the dumpster was 15 feet from a house and well-involved.
Upon arrival, we began to put water on the fire which darkened it down considerably.
However, keep in mind, the dumpster was half-full and the fire was likely burning under the trash so we had to move a good amount of trash around in order to find the seat of the fire.
Pictures to come soon.
-N
Saturday, August 13, 2005
Lots of work lately..
picture from PhillyFireNews.com
We've done quite a bit of work lately with the fire department. It's now 0030 hours on August 14th and I've just showered after a fire. I'm not asleep because I still have that adrenaline rush.
At 9pm, I headed to the firehouse to shoot the bull and try to fix my ailing laptop computer. No sooner had I cracked the laptop's case did the tones drop for a building fire in the next town. Ladder 18 headed to a single family dwelling and found fire from ground to roof on the back of the structure. FF Conicelli had the knob and I was carrying the irons (forcible entry tools). While Conicelli extinguished the fire outside, I tried to force the door and FF Fuchs assisted by breaking the glass on the door.
No one was in the house at the time (only occupant was outside) and we checked for extension.
We also had a good van on fire last week and I opened up the engine compartment so FF Conicelli could get water in it.
Some lessons learned from these two jobs:
1: (from the van fire) ALways bring your tools with you. I'd forgotten the halligan bar and wasted some time before I'd went back to get them.
2: (also from the van) Get that hood on. I'd whacked myself on the ear fumbling with the halligan and gave myself a nice cut on the ear.
3: (from the house fire) Stay hydrated, stay cool, and stay aware of your body. WIth the high temperatures, it gets pretty easy to get knocked out..
UPDATE: In the middle of completing this post, I got called out for a mulch fire.. it never ends. :-)
Friday, August 12, 2005
Checking in...
Haven't had much time lately to post.. A lot of new things going on. I'll have a more detailed post later..
Saturday, June 04, 2005
Aloha!
Just a shout-out to a bunch of kids in Hawaii (HCDB). Thanks for reading the blog!
Today aws the first half of my structural collapse class. It was a fascinating experience learning how to shore up weakened buildings. I'm not a carpenter but it was fun working with my hands!
Today aws the first half of my structural collapse class. It was a fascinating experience learning how to shore up weakened buildings. I'm not a carpenter but it was fun working with my hands!
Wednesday, April 13, 2005
First interior work in a HOUSE FIRE:
At 8:23pm on 4/9/05, just as I'd settled into the couch to watch Spider Man 2 on DVD and armed with some of Orville's finest (Redenbacher, that is); the pager went off.
Figuring it was one particular store we've been going to almost daily for a malfunctioning pullstation, I 'harumphed' and pulled out the pager.
It read: TANGENT ST - COWCHIP RD; 47-21; NAT: FBN-BUILDING FIRE - NON COMMERCIAL; TRUCKS: 18E, 18E1, 14SD, 18L, 12SD; NOTES: BASEMENT FIRE, FLAMES AND SMOKE FROM BASEMENT; UNK IF ANYONE IN HOUSE - FDMT ALL CALL (details obviously changed)
Getting in the car and driving to the station, I reflected on the fact that I've been here going on 2 years and this is only the third job that I've run on. The first was fan inside a manufacturing facility. I was the backup on this call. The second was during the the past holiday season where a heater triggered a fire in a garage attached to a residence. For this one, I helped on the fireground as it was knocked down as my truck arrived.
As the Ladder arrived, Engine 18-1 was already there and stretching lines into the house as they're based nearby in the north end of town. The smell of smoke was pervasive and you could see smoke pouring out of the front door. The house was a typical suburban ranch house.
The officer of the Ladder ordered Joe S. and myself to search the main floor for any possible victims.
We conducted a primary search of the rooms up front in the house mostly standing up because the temperatures on the main floor weren't high and visibility was signifcantly reduced but you could see the floor.
However, when you got to the back of the house, the visibility dropped quite a bit and we basically went closer to the ground. In the kitchen, I was thrown by a breakfast nook that looked like a set of stairs. Knowing it was a ranch house, I knew it couldn't be stairs but after I took a step back and realized that it was a seat made me realize the importance of getting the big picture instead of focusing of just the image outside the airmask.
Continuing along, we searched the rest of the house and found nothing. Exited the building for fresh air and change the cylinders for the SCBAs.
Turned out the fire knocked itself out. The fire melted a support for a water pipe which caused the pipe to bend and snap, creating an accidental sprinkler.
After the fire was out, we assisted with overhaul and cleanup. There was some fire spread into the walls in the first floor which meant a lot of drywall was ripped out on the first floor in the vicinity of the fire room.
Ladder 18 was on scene until approximately 1am providing support for fire marshal investigation.
Some important lessons from this:
Figuring it was one particular store we've been going to almost daily for a malfunctioning pullstation, I 'harumphed' and pulled out the pager.
It read: TANGENT ST - COWCHIP RD; 47-21; NAT: FBN-BUILDING FIRE - NON COMMERCIAL; TRUCKS: 18E, 18E1, 14SD, 18L, 12SD; NOTES: BASEMENT FIRE, FLAMES AND SMOKE FROM BASEMENT; UNK IF ANYONE IN HOUSE - FDMT ALL CALL (details obviously changed)
Getting in the car and driving to the station, I reflected on the fact that I've been here going on 2 years and this is only the third job that I've run on. The first was fan inside a manufacturing facility. I was the backup on this call. The second was during the the past holiday season where a heater triggered a fire in a garage attached to a residence. For this one, I helped on the fireground as it was knocked down as my truck arrived.
As the Ladder arrived, Engine 18-1 was already there and stretching lines into the house as they're based nearby in the north end of town. The smell of smoke was pervasive and you could see smoke pouring out of the front door. The house was a typical suburban ranch house.
The officer of the Ladder ordered Joe S. and myself to search the main floor for any possible victims.
We conducted a primary search of the rooms up front in the house mostly standing up because the temperatures on the main floor weren't high and visibility was signifcantly reduced but you could see the floor.
However, when you got to the back of the house, the visibility dropped quite a bit and we basically went closer to the ground. In the kitchen, I was thrown by a breakfast nook that looked like a set of stairs. Knowing it was a ranch house, I knew it couldn't be stairs but after I took a step back and realized that it was a seat made me realize the importance of getting the big picture instead of focusing of just the image outside the airmask.
Continuing along, we searched the rest of the house and found nothing. Exited the building for fresh air and change the cylinders for the SCBAs.
Turned out the fire knocked itself out. The fire melted a support for a water pipe which caused the pipe to bend and snap, creating an accidental sprinkler.
After the fire was out, we assisted with overhaul and cleanup. There was some fire spread into the walls in the first floor which meant a lot of drywall was ripped out on the first floor in the vicinity of the fire room.
Ladder 18 was on scene until approximately 1am providing support for fire marshal investigation.
Some important lessons from this:
- Always look at the big picture AND the small picture.
- Discuss evolutions with your partner immediately after the incident (during rehab or bottle changes) . Work out any issues and recognize good work at that time.
- I had to remind my partners to use hand gestures as they get caught up in the moment and forgot.
All in all, it was good work.
Monday, January 03, 2005
Am off this week..
My first vacation to Nags Head, NC... checked out Cape Hatteras lighthouse today... that thing is huge. There are long stretches of road between towns. Being the firefighter I am today, I wondered how long it takes rescue apparatus to respond to calls in that area.
hmmm.. better slow down. :-)
hmmm.. better slow down. :-)
Tuesday, December 28, 2004
Media coverage, Part deux:
A new article in today's Reporter out of Lansdale:
http://www.thereporteronline.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=13635922&BRD=2275&PAG=461&dept_id=466404&rfi=6
Reprinted without permission (am working on it but I don't know how long the content is active on the website)
Community service
DANIEL J. SERNOVITZ, Staff Writer12/28/2004
MONTGOMERY TWP. – Trust is a two-way street‚ and Neil McDevitt has both earned and extended it to his fellow colleagues at the Fire Department of Montgomery Township.
“I trust these guys‚” he said. “It’s a measure of the confidence that I have in myself and the confidence that they have in me.”
He shared the feeling as he exited the smoke-filled former Imperial Restaurant at the Five Point Plaza earlier this month.
During a search-and-rescue training exercise‚ he was paired up with battalion Chief Scott Redilla as they felt their way along the walls of the building‚ moving by touch and teamwork through the building.
Re-emerging into the dark‚ cold night outside the former restaurant‚ Redilla expressed his confidence in his partner.
“He does a great job‚” Redilla said. “He’s got a lot of common sense‚ and that’s what matters.”
It has been a long road‚ but these days McDevitt relishes the close-knit relationship he now enjoys with the FDMT.
In August of 2003 his lifelong dream of becoming a firefighter became a reality as he was accepted as a probationary member into the Fire Department of Montgomery Township.
The 31-year-old deaf firefighter went on to earn his certification and become an unconditional member of the FDMT‚ earning the respect and admiration of many who watched his progression.
“It was a new experience‚ I’d never had that challenge put before me. I thought: ‘How am I going to make this work?’” said John Johnson‚ his instructor at the Bucks County Public Safety Training Center where McDevitt earned his certification. “I knew‚ as soon as I met him‚ that the challenge wasn’t going to be as daunting as I had anticipated.”
As a young child McDevitt wanted to become a firefighter‚ a desire he suppressed because he was deaf.
Then‚ in July of 2003‚ he brought his son by the FDMT’s Stump Road station to show him around. After talking with Chief Dave Vasconez and others‚ he decided to volunteer with the company.
“It was always in the back of my head‚ and it was something that I knew I’d always regret if I didn’t try‚” he said.
He enrolled in the Bucks County training academy in January‚ taking classes on the weekends with about 25 other students. Particularly in smoke-filled buildings‚ Johnson said‚ firefighters are forced to rely on their other senses‚ specifically those of hearing and touch.
Johnson said he was worried about how McDevitt would do and how others in the class would react to him.
“There are some firefighters out there who are very opinionated‚ and that’s something you have to at least keep in mind‚” he said.
Nancy Bloch‚ chief executive officer of the National Association of the Deaf‚ said she knows of many cases in which the deaf have been discriminated against‚ most frequently caused by a lack of awareness about the impairment.
In 1993‚ she said in an e-mail interview‚ two deaf individuals filed suit in Prince George’s County‚ Md.‚ alleging the county refused to accept their applications because they were deaf.
In an agreement brokered between the county and the U.S. Department of Justice‚ the county agreed not to discriminate in the future on the basis of disability.
“Lack of information on reasonable accommodations is frequently the basis of discrimination‚” she said. “The NAD believes that with advancing technologies‚ deaf and hard of hearing individuals are fully capable of being firefighters.”
Johnson said McDevitt’s abilities helped him and his class overlook his impairment. In fact‚ McDevitt was selected as the most outstanding student in his class.
“He’s very disciplined‚ he’s very aggressive‚ he’s very much a go-getter‚” Johnson said. “In every regard‚ in every aspect‚ he did stand out. He just brought a whole other dimension‚ a whole other level to the program.”
After completing the four-month course in May‚ McDevitt’s probationary status was dropped in August and‚ since then he has participated in regular training sessions and headed out to emergency situations with the FDMT as a full-fledged member.
“It was a big relief‚ obviously‚ since I invested all those weekends‚ all that time. It was more relief than excitement‚” he said. “The most interesting thing that happened during that class was my confidence level went up.”
In contrast to his day job at Prudential‚ McDevitt said at the firehouse he is given the chance every day to provide his abilities.
“Sometimes I think a day at work is harder than a day here‚” he said. “Here‚ I get the chance to show what I can do‚ not just talk about it.”
While he anticipated some initial distrust‚ McDevitt said he has been openly received into the FDMT.
“That’s really been the things that surprised me the most; I had anticipated a colder response‚ but that never happened‚” he said. “A lot of times when you hear people say‚ ‘Oh‚ he’s my brother‚’ you kind of take it with a grain of salt. Here it is really true. It may be a cliché‚ but you do treat each other like family.”
Bloch said in light of the challenges facing deaf individuals‚ McDevitt’s story is that much more remarkable.
“We at the NAD applaud Neil McDevitt and others in showing that‚ with appropriate accommodations‚ deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals can work in a wide range of careers including the field of firefighting‚” she said. McDevitt‚ though‚ does not consider himself a role model‚ and‚ in fact‚ shies away from the notion.
“I’m not an example‚ I’m not a role model‚” he said. “There are deaf people out there who have had to overcome enormous challenges‚ discrimination and outright rejection. They are really the role models.”
Vasconez said since the beginning the other members have been accepting of McDevitt‚ and he has done nothing but support that assessment. “He’s doing great‚ he’s fitting right in‚” he said.
©Reporter online.com 2004
http://www.thereporteronline.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=13635922&BRD=2275&PAG=461&dept_id=466404&rfi=6
Reprinted without permission (am working on it but I don't know how long the content is active on the website)
Community service
DANIEL J. SERNOVITZ, Staff Writer12/28/2004
MONTGOMERY TWP. – Trust is a two-way street‚ and Neil McDevitt has both earned and extended it to his fellow colleagues at the Fire Department of Montgomery Township.
“I trust these guys‚” he said. “It’s a measure of the confidence that I have in myself and the confidence that they have in me.”
He shared the feeling as he exited the smoke-filled former Imperial Restaurant at the Five Point Plaza earlier this month.
During a search-and-rescue training exercise‚ he was paired up with battalion Chief Scott Redilla as they felt their way along the walls of the building‚ moving by touch and teamwork through the building.
Re-emerging into the dark‚ cold night outside the former restaurant‚ Redilla expressed his confidence in his partner.
“He does a great job‚” Redilla said. “He’s got a lot of common sense‚ and that’s what matters.”
It has been a long road‚ but these days McDevitt relishes the close-knit relationship he now enjoys with the FDMT.
In August of 2003 his lifelong dream of becoming a firefighter became a reality as he was accepted as a probationary member into the Fire Department of Montgomery Township.
The 31-year-old deaf firefighter went on to earn his certification and become an unconditional member of the FDMT‚ earning the respect and admiration of many who watched his progression.
“It was a new experience‚ I’d never had that challenge put before me. I thought: ‘How am I going to make this work?’” said John Johnson‚ his instructor at the Bucks County Public Safety Training Center where McDevitt earned his certification. “I knew‚ as soon as I met him‚ that the challenge wasn’t going to be as daunting as I had anticipated.”
As a young child McDevitt wanted to become a firefighter‚ a desire he suppressed because he was deaf.
Then‚ in July of 2003‚ he brought his son by the FDMT’s Stump Road station to show him around. After talking with Chief Dave Vasconez and others‚ he decided to volunteer with the company.
“It was always in the back of my head‚ and it was something that I knew I’d always regret if I didn’t try‚” he said.
He enrolled in the Bucks County training academy in January‚ taking classes on the weekends with about 25 other students. Particularly in smoke-filled buildings‚ Johnson said‚ firefighters are forced to rely on their other senses‚ specifically those of hearing and touch.
Johnson said he was worried about how McDevitt would do and how others in the class would react to him.
“There are some firefighters out there who are very opinionated‚ and that’s something you have to at least keep in mind‚” he said.
Nancy Bloch‚ chief executive officer of the National Association of the Deaf‚ said she knows of many cases in which the deaf have been discriminated against‚ most frequently caused by a lack of awareness about the impairment.
In 1993‚ she said in an e-mail interview‚ two deaf individuals filed suit in Prince George’s County‚ Md.‚ alleging the county refused to accept their applications because they were deaf.
In an agreement brokered between the county and the U.S. Department of Justice‚ the county agreed not to discriminate in the future on the basis of disability.
“Lack of information on reasonable accommodations is frequently the basis of discrimination‚” she said. “The NAD believes that with advancing technologies‚ deaf and hard of hearing individuals are fully capable of being firefighters.”
Johnson said McDevitt’s abilities helped him and his class overlook his impairment. In fact‚ McDevitt was selected as the most outstanding student in his class.
“He’s very disciplined‚ he’s very aggressive‚ he’s very much a go-getter‚” Johnson said. “In every regard‚ in every aspect‚ he did stand out. He just brought a whole other dimension‚ a whole other level to the program.”
After completing the four-month course in May‚ McDevitt’s probationary status was dropped in August and‚ since then he has participated in regular training sessions and headed out to emergency situations with the FDMT as a full-fledged member.
“It was a big relief‚ obviously‚ since I invested all those weekends‚ all that time. It was more relief than excitement‚” he said. “The most interesting thing that happened during that class was my confidence level went up.”
In contrast to his day job at Prudential‚ McDevitt said at the firehouse he is given the chance every day to provide his abilities.
“Sometimes I think a day at work is harder than a day here‚” he said. “Here‚ I get the chance to show what I can do‚ not just talk about it.”
While he anticipated some initial distrust‚ McDevitt said he has been openly received into the FDMT.
“That’s really been the things that surprised me the most; I had anticipated a colder response‚ but that never happened‚” he said. “A lot of times when you hear people say‚ ‘Oh‚ he’s my brother‚’ you kind of take it with a grain of salt. Here it is really true. It may be a cliché‚ but you do treat each other like family.”
Bloch said in light of the challenges facing deaf individuals‚ McDevitt’s story is that much more remarkable.
“We at the NAD applaud Neil McDevitt and others in showing that‚ with appropriate accommodations‚ deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals can work in a wide range of careers including the field of firefighting‚” she said. McDevitt‚ though‚ does not consider himself a role model‚ and‚ in fact‚ shies away from the notion.
“I’m not an example‚ I’m not a role model‚” he said. “There are deaf people out there who have had to overcome enormous challenges‚ discrimination and outright rejection. They are really the role models.”
Vasconez said since the beginning the other members have been accepting of McDevitt‚ and he has done nothing but support that assessment. “He’s doing great‚ he’s fitting right in‚” he said.
©Reporter online.com 2004
Thursday, December 23, 2004
Slow year? Not anymore!
Things have been busy lately! I made the mistake of making the remark that "the fire department has had a slow year" earlier this month:
1. At 4:30am, December 7th, we were called out to investigate a sign that fell into route 309. Turns out the driver of a 18-wheel truck suffered a heart attack and slammed into a old stone building at approx. 60 miles an hour. It was my first DOA call but there was no celebration or "yay" moments. You know that this is someone's father, brother, and son.
However, it was a 5 hour operation to wait for the coroner to pronounce him, tow trucks to remove the truck from the building, extrication to remove the victim, then cleaning up the fuel from the roadway.
2. Last Wednesday at 6pm, we were called out to a fire two townships north on 309 to serve as a rescue team and additional manpower. It was my first fully-involved house fire and learned a lot watching the operations on the ground. By the time we arrived, the bulk of fire was out and we assisted with overhaul (making sure no hot spots remained).
3. Sunday morning, we were called out to cover calls for Horsham (make a right onto Horsham Road, it's the next town over) while they dealt with a fatal fire where a woman smoking a cigarette fell asleep on a couch. We didn't go to the fire scene, but stayed at their fire station ready for any fire calls they may get while they were dealing with their fire.
4. A few hours later, we were called again as a rescue team/manpower assistance for another fire in Ambler. This one had a lot of adrenaline because the initial dispatch said that two kids were trapped but it turned out they were OK (panicked but once they calmed down, they were able to escape without injury) Heavy damage to the home though.
5. On Monday, before we were about to dig in for the station's annual xmas party, the tones dropped for a building fire down the street from Target. We arrived found a garage fire extending into a home through a shared attic. I stayed outside helping cover the men working on the roof with a hoseline to ensure any fire that broke through wouldn't come near them. Heavy damage to the garage, moderate damage to the home.
6: This morning at 2:30am, we were called out to set up a medevac chopper zone for an accident victim. One of the other engines beat us to it so the police asked us to proceed to the accident scene. Turned out that the victim was DUI and she kept saying that someone else was driving the car and that person "ran away". We used a thermal imaging camera to detect heat in the car and saw that only one seat had residual heat on it = one driver. Just to be sure, we did a search anyway but nothing found.
1. At 4:30am, December 7th, we were called out to investigate a sign that fell into route 309. Turns out the driver of a 18-wheel truck suffered a heart attack and slammed into a old stone building at approx. 60 miles an hour. It was my first DOA call but there was no celebration or "yay" moments. You know that this is someone's father, brother, and son.
However, it was a 5 hour operation to wait for the coroner to pronounce him, tow trucks to remove the truck from the building, extrication to remove the victim, then cleaning up the fuel from the roadway.
2. Last Wednesday at 6pm, we were called out to a fire two townships north on 309 to serve as a rescue team and additional manpower. It was my first fully-involved house fire and learned a lot watching the operations on the ground. By the time we arrived, the bulk of fire was out and we assisted with overhaul (making sure no hot spots remained).
3. Sunday morning, we were called out to cover calls for Horsham (make a right onto Horsham Road, it's the next town over) while they dealt with a fatal fire where a woman smoking a cigarette fell asleep on a couch. We didn't go to the fire scene, but stayed at their fire station ready for any fire calls they may get while they were dealing with their fire.
4. A few hours later, we were called again as a rescue team/manpower assistance for another fire in Ambler. This one had a lot of adrenaline because the initial dispatch said that two kids were trapped but it turned out they were OK (panicked but once they calmed down, they were able to escape without injury) Heavy damage to the home though.
5. On Monday, before we were about to dig in for the station's annual xmas party, the tones dropped for a building fire down the street from Target. We arrived found a garage fire extending into a home through a shared attic. I stayed outside helping cover the men working on the roof with a hoseline to ensure any fire that broke through wouldn't come near them. Heavy damage to the garage, moderate damage to the home.
6: This morning at 2:30am, we were called out to set up a medevac chopper zone for an accident victim. One of the other engines beat us to it so the police asked us to proceed to the accident scene. Turned out that the victim was DUI and she kept saying that someone else was driving the car and that person "ran away". We used a thermal imaging camera to detect heat in the car and saw that only one seat had residual heat on it = one driver. Just to be sure, we did a search anyway but nothing found.
Sunday, November 28, 2004
Time for an update, I guess?
It's been too long since the last posting. I apologize to the legions of fans who check this web log religiously and thank them for their patience. :-)
Anyway; it's been busy/slow all at the same time.
Slow: We haven't had any structure fires since the last update. However, we have had some incidents of note. A few vehicle accidents... thankfully, no fatalities. However one that sticks out in my mind: We were called out at 2:30am for a lift assist which typically means helping EMS move a very heavy victim. But at 2:30am and the location was odd: the only thing there was a Costco and some retail stores.
I get to the station and one guy has a disgusted look on his face. It turns out we're being called to the quarry across the street which is very very deep (I think somewhere in the neighborhood of 300 feet). So we're thinking .. ohh, body aka. pancake retrieval?
Turns out (allegedly) he was stealing stuff from Costco. The cops were called, he ran, jumped the fence, and fell down about 30 feet onto the access road that descends into the quarry itself. However, he ended up 3 feet away from the edge that leads to the 300 foot drop. We were called in assist with loading him into the ambulance. Now, remember: 30 feet is still at least 3-stories high so he did suffer significant injuries but he's lucky he didn't go over the real deep end.
As per media reports, he suffered some broken bones and some internal injuries.
Anyway; it's been busy/slow all at the same time.
Slow: We haven't had any structure fires since the last update. However, we have had some incidents of note. A few vehicle accidents... thankfully, no fatalities. However one that sticks out in my mind: We were called out at 2:30am for a lift assist which typically means helping EMS move a very heavy victim. But at 2:30am and the location was odd: the only thing there was a Costco and some retail stores.
I get to the station and one guy has a disgusted look on his face. It turns out we're being called to the quarry across the street which is very very deep (I think somewhere in the neighborhood of 300 feet). So we're thinking .. ohh, body aka. pancake retrieval?
Turns out (allegedly) he was stealing stuff from Costco. The cops were called, he ran, jumped the fence, and fell down about 30 feet onto the access road that descends into the quarry itself. However, he ended up 3 feet away from the edge that leads to the 300 foot drop. We were called in assist with loading him into the ambulance. Now, remember: 30 feet is still at least 3-stories high so he did suffer significant injuries but he's lucky he didn't go over the real deep end.
As per media reports, he suffered some broken bones and some internal injuries.
Wednesday, August 04, 2004
An anniversary and a milestone
This past sunday marked my one year anniversary at FDMT. As is typical, my probationary status was dropped and I'm now a full-fledged member of the department.
During the monthly general membership meetings, I tend to sit up front so I can see the secretary's laptop as she types on the PC as well as lipread people from the audience and from the speakers podium.
At the designated time, they asked me to leave the room while they discussed the proposal to drop my probie status. I quipped "I can just stand and face the corner if that works..." and left the room amid laughter.
While standing outside, I'm thinking to myself, "hmm, they're taking longer than they usually do. What'd I do wrong now?"
After about 5 minutes and me chewing my fingernails down to the stubs, someone came and got me. I walked back into the room amid a standing ovation. I motioned for everyone to stop and sit down and said words to the effect of:
I can only hope that everyone who reads this has the opportunity to find a department that is as progressive as mine.
During the monthly general membership meetings, I tend to sit up front so I can see the secretary's laptop as she types on the PC as well as lipread people from the audience and from the speakers podium.
At the designated time, they asked me to leave the room while they discussed the proposal to drop my probie status. I quipped "I can just stand and face the corner if that works..." and left the room amid laughter.
While standing outside, I'm thinking to myself, "hmm, they're taking longer than they usually do. What'd I do wrong now?"
After about 5 minutes and me chewing my fingernails down to the stubs, someone came and got me. I walked back into the room amid a standing ovation. I motioned for everyone to stop and sit down and said words to the effect of:
"Thank you for this honor. As a result of my experiences, press coverage and my website, I've been in touch with many other deaf people who are either firefighters or want to be firefighters. I've heard horror stories of people being treated as less-than-human by other fire departments, people enjoying full rights as a firefighter then finding them revoked because of firehouse politics and people being told they can take a class only to find they will not receive their certifications.
"After hearing these stories, I'm greatly appreciative of the opportunities that FDMT has given me. I'm extremely fortuanate to have joined such a wonderful department. You have all treated me with the respect due to any other firefighter and that's all I've ever asked for. Thank you."
I can only hope that everyone who reads this has the opportunity to find a department that is as progressive as mine.
Saturday, July 10, 2004
My first job!
At 0645 this morning, I was (thankfully) sleeping when my pager went off. Getting my sandals and shirt on, I read:
APT COMPANY- XXX KEYSTONE DR 47-19 NAT: FAL - FIRE ALARM; TRUCKS: 18E 18L NOTES: XXXXX COMPANY - DUCT DETECTOR
Arriving at the station, I joined Chauffer Mogenson, Safety Officer DiCiccio, FF Conicelli and FF Bailey on Ladder 18. It was a nice morning. Not too hot, not humid. Pulling up on scene, a police officer came out of the building and said there was a fire. Since we all know that cops think a piece of burnt toast = fire, FF Conicelli and I went in to check it out.
The facilities manager showed up where the alarm was going off. Upon entering the building from Side A, we could smell smoke. When we got to the main part of the facility, we saw a huge glass-walled enclosure where they make fittings for gas pipes. Going around to side C, the manager showed us a small room via a window(about 6' by 10') that was completely filled with smoke. Going up a maintenance stairwell over the site, we saw a circle on the top of that room that was literally bubbling paint. FF Conicelli radioed that we had a fire and informed the chauffer and FF Bailey to get the 1 3/4 hose line stretched.
At this point mutual aid assigments were called in (Wissahickon-Sta. 7 and North Penn-Sta 62). We got the attack line set up. FF Bailey was the control and stayed at the doors helping advance the hose line. FFConicelli and I went to the room, donned our SCBA and waited for the hoseline to charge. When fully charged, we entered the room, used a straight-stream to attack the ceiling to disrupt the thermal layers then made a quick knock of the fire.
We believe a ceiling exhaust fan caught fire, but since the fan was above the side-mounted sprinkler, it was not able to fully extinguish the fire.
Units were in service until (I think) 0830 and I got home around 1030. 62 and 7 helped us with overhaul and clean-up. The building's strong air circulation system made it difficult for us to ventilate the building but we sucecssfully vented the smoke after about 40 minutes.
This was my first building fire that I was actually inside doing front-line work. The funny thing is: I always told myself and anyone else that I would never do this in a big industrial or retail-type building. But I know and trust FF Conicelli and he knows I'll stick to him like stink on a skunk. Even though we've never did this before, what we were doing became automatic in many ways and no one really stopped and said, "hey the deaf guy is doing this.."
Bottom line: if I can do it, any idiot can do it. :-)
APT COMPANY- XXX KEYSTONE DR 47-19 NAT: FAL - FIRE ALARM; TRUCKS: 18E 18L NOTES: XXXXX COMPANY - DUCT DETECTOR
Arriving at the station, I joined Chauffer Mogenson, Safety Officer DiCiccio, FF Conicelli and FF Bailey on Ladder 18. It was a nice morning. Not too hot, not humid. Pulling up on scene, a police officer came out of the building and said there was a fire. Since we all know that cops think a piece of burnt toast = fire, FF Conicelli and I went in to check it out.
The facilities manager showed up where the alarm was going off. Upon entering the building from Side A, we could smell smoke. When we got to the main part of the facility, we saw a huge glass-walled enclosure where they make fittings for gas pipes. Going around to side C, the manager showed us a small room via a window(about 6' by 10') that was completely filled with smoke. Going up a maintenance stairwell over the site, we saw a circle on the top of that room that was literally bubbling paint. FF Conicelli radioed that we had a fire and informed the chauffer and FF Bailey to get the 1 3/4 hose line stretched.
At this point mutual aid assigments were called in (Wissahickon-Sta. 7 and North Penn-Sta 62). We got the attack line set up. FF Bailey was the control and stayed at the doors helping advance the hose line. FFConicelli and I went to the room, donned our SCBA and waited for the hoseline to charge. When fully charged, we entered the room, used a straight-stream to attack the ceiling to disrupt the thermal layers then made a quick knock of the fire.
We believe a ceiling exhaust fan caught fire, but since the fan was above the side-mounted sprinkler, it was not able to fully extinguish the fire.
Units were in service until (I think) 0830 and I got home around 1030. 62 and 7 helped us with overhaul and clean-up. The building's strong air circulation system made it difficult for us to ventilate the building but we sucecssfully vented the smoke after about 40 minutes.
This was my first building fire that I was actually inside doing front-line work. The funny thing is: I always told myself and anyone else that I would never do this in a big industrial or retail-type building. But I know and trust FF Conicelli and he knows I'll stick to him like stink on a skunk. Even though we've never did this before, what we were doing became automatic in many ways and no one really stopped and said, "hey the deaf guy is doing this.."
Bottom line: if I can do it, any idiot can do it. :-)
Monday, May 10, 2004
I passed my FF1 Class!!
The written exam was 3 weeks ago followed by two burn sessions. The practical exam were held Saturday 5/8. I posted this in a deaf-related forum for firefighters.
----
The exam itself was structured as follows:
You had to pass 100% of 7 skills stations that were established. In the beginning of the day, you were given a card with the different skill stations listed on it which gave you time in the beginning to study. At the end of each skills station, you were to be asked if you would've changed anything. If you knew you made a mistake, you can "explain" what you did wrong and articulate what and why it was wrong and how you would've fixed it. If you failed any station, you were given the opportunity to re-test only once. If you failed 3 stations, you were automatically disqualified from the session.
Ours sessions yesterday were:
1. SCBA/PPE - Must put on both within 2 minutes
2. Interior Fire Suppression - In The drill tower, hook up the high-rise pack, extinguish the fire, and ventilate the room using the hydraulic method.
3. Exterior Fire Suppression - this was a simulated car fire.
4. Ropes and Knots
5. Search and Rescue - This was in the 2 1/2 building. No fire or smoke. We simply turned our hoods around.
6. Fire Hose - Identifying attack lines, supply lines, different appliances, and performing one supply hose lay and one preconnected attack line lay.
7. Straight Ladders - How to carry, how to throw the ladder, how to inspect/maintain and identifying the different parts of the ladders.
I had my interpreters with me all day as I've had them with me for 90% of the class.
There were a few situations that came up:
1. I screwed up big time when I did the hose lay. This was a class that I'd missed due to illness. When the station was done (and I knew I'd messed it up), the evaluator asked if I'd change anything. I told him the lay was not properly done and that I should've done X and X. He nodded and told me to return to command. I fully expected to have to re-do the hose loads but I did not have to re-test at all.
2. TALK TALK TALK to the other candidates who are coming back from their stations. Find out what mistakes they made and what you should and shouldn't do. If I hadn't done so, I probably would have forgotten that you need to use a pike pole to clear glass from a window instead of a different tool. Some people aren't aggressive when they want their interpreters to sign other conversations. Take the initiative and do so.
3. If you are HURT for any reason, tell the command post. One student received minor steam burns as a result of another candidate's imcompetence.
4. Drink plenty of water and STUDY STUDY STUDY.
Funny: When I did the ropes and knots, the gentleman who did that evaluation was VERY inquisitive about having interpreters and could NOT get over the fact that he was supposed to basically ignore them completely. (my words: treat them like ghosts.. they don't exist. Talk directly to me). But he was a fascinating person and we got to talk for a while. He remarked that I seemed to know what he wanted me to do before he even said it.
I said "its part of growing up deaf in a hearing world."
When I know what the context of a situation is, I'm going to start anticipating what the next dialogue, situation, or event will be. He found that to be fascinating and even said it would be a good lesson for many firefighters to learn.
----
The exam itself was structured as follows:
You had to pass 100% of 7 skills stations that were established. In the beginning of the day, you were given a card with the different skill stations listed on it which gave you time in the beginning to study. At the end of each skills station, you were to be asked if you would've changed anything. If you knew you made a mistake, you can "explain" what you did wrong and articulate what and why it was wrong and how you would've fixed it. If you failed any station, you were given the opportunity to re-test only once. If you failed 3 stations, you were automatically disqualified from the session.
Ours sessions yesterday were:
1. SCBA/PPE - Must put on both within 2 minutes
2. Interior Fire Suppression - In The drill tower, hook up the high-rise pack, extinguish the fire, and ventilate the room using the hydraulic method.
3. Exterior Fire Suppression - this was a simulated car fire.
4. Ropes and Knots
5. Search and Rescue - This was in the 2 1/2 building. No fire or smoke. We simply turned our hoods around.
6. Fire Hose - Identifying attack lines, supply lines, different appliances, and performing one supply hose lay and one preconnected attack line lay.
7. Straight Ladders - How to carry, how to throw the ladder, how to inspect/maintain and identifying the different parts of the ladders.
I had my interpreters with me all day as I've had them with me for 90% of the class.
There were a few situations that came up:
1. I screwed up big time when I did the hose lay. This was a class that I'd missed due to illness. When the station was done (and I knew I'd messed it up), the evaluator asked if I'd change anything. I told him the lay was not properly done and that I should've done X and X. He nodded and told me to return to command. I fully expected to have to re-do the hose loads but I did not have to re-test at all.
2. TALK TALK TALK to the other candidates who are coming back from their stations. Find out what mistakes they made and what you should and shouldn't do. If I hadn't done so, I probably would have forgotten that you need to use a pike pole to clear glass from a window instead of a different tool. Some people aren't aggressive when they want their interpreters to sign other conversations. Take the initiative and do so.
3. If you are HURT for any reason, tell the command post. One student received minor steam burns as a result of another candidate's imcompetence.
4. Drink plenty of water and STUDY STUDY STUDY.
Funny: When I did the ropes and knots, the gentleman who did that evaluation was VERY inquisitive about having interpreters and could NOT get over the fact that he was supposed to basically ignore them completely. (my words: treat them like ghosts.. they don't exist. Talk directly to me). But he was a fascinating person and we got to talk for a while. He remarked that I seemed to know what he wanted me to do before he even said it.
I said "its part of growing up deaf in a hearing world."
When I know what the context of a situation is, I'm going to start anticipating what the next dialogue, situation, or event will be. He found that to be fascinating and even said it would be a good lesson for many firefighters to learn.
Tuesday, April 27, 2004
Been way way way too long. If you've been here before and said, "Forget about it!", I don't blame you.
Here's a page with pictures from my FF1 class's burn session on 4/24. I passed the written examination two weeks ago and we'll have another burn session this saturday. In two weekends, we'll have practical skills and that'll be the blessed END of my FF1 class and I'll have my saturdays back!!!
Here's a page with pictures from my FF1 class's burn session on 4/24. I passed the written examination two weeks ago and we'll have another burn session this saturday. In two weekends, we'll have practical skills and that'll be the blessed END of my FF1 class and I'll have my saturdays back!!!
Monday, February 09, 2004
Acute Otitis Media and Burn Buildings... Hoohrah!
I had an experience this past weekend at the Fire Academy that I think
everyone can identify with: That feeling of "man, what have I gotten myself into" (because of one's deafness) and coming out of it with a renewed
confidence.
On Friday, the little extra tinnitus I had in my ear for the past week
culminated in a HUGE inner ear infection that had me dizzy and basically
"out of it". This worried me because I knew on Saturday, I was going to
have my first actual burn building experience. I called the doctor and
received antibiotics and a decongestant to help the nasty stuff go away.
Thanks to plenty of sleep, a loving wife who let me off easy in terms of
taking care of the kids, and a good dose of tylenol for the fever, I felt
better and went to class (called FF1). The class itself is broken down
into 4 "platoons." I knew I was in good hands when I realized my platoon had two Lieutenants from a different county (long story) who have plenty of experience.
A note about burn buildings: They're basically solid concrete structures
that have been "mocked up" to resemble the conditions a firefighter would find in an actual fire. For the first few sessions, they're using cold
smoke (same stuff they use in clubs and theater) so if a person runs out of air or panic, they can take their air mask off without worrying about
inhaling fumes. Later sessions, they will burn hay in the building to more
closely resemble the smoky conditions found in typical structure fires.
In all, we did three search and rescue (SAR) scenarios. The first two were
in a two story building using the clean smoke. In both scenarios, I was
"following" the leader by crawling along the walls and tapping his foot
letting him know I was there. A few times, my helmet clinked against the
back of my partner's air cylinder as he sat up to assess the situation from
a higher vantage point. During the second scenario, I clinked my helment
against what I thought was his cylinder and waited for him to move. After
he didn't move for about 30 seconds, I started to feel around the smoke for him and realized what I hit wasn't an oxygen cylinder; it was the smoke
machine sitting on a chair! Needless to say, I continued along leading the
man behind me along the wall until we exited the building.
We realized at that point that the three others were verbally communicating to each other but I was left out of the loop. We decided for the next one,
I would lead the team, yelling out what obstacles or what turns are being
made so they know where we're going. That way, my partner can hear what I'm seeing out front. If there's something wrong behind me, three hard and rapid taps on the leg or butt will tell me to stop. Taps on my boot mean
that they're OK and they're with me.
Boy, the next one was a doozy. The Fire Academy has a trailer that has 2
(or 3?) different mazes built into it. The mazes are about 3 feet wide by 3
feet tall. In some places, there are cinder blocks on the floors. Other
places you'll have pipes and wires on the floor or the ceiling. And even in
others, it narrows to about 2 feet tall. No small task especially if you're
wearing an Airpack.
Oh, and did I mention that they close the door so there is absolutely NO
light whatsoever in the trailer?
As I started, my mind was going nuts. "I have a guy behind me whose life
depends on me getting him out" "this is only training" "but what if it was
real" and so on. Then the door closed and all the light was extinguished.
I took a deep breath. I had to. I only had 1/4 of a bottle of air left.
Started along the corridor and stubbed my finger into a cinder block.
Called out the cinder block and we got past them without incident. After a
minute, I realized, this isn't so hard as long as I take it easy. The maze
had us go up levels, and we had to descend through trapdoors to get back down and at each point, I called out what I was coming up against. "It's
really low here, you'll need to slither on your belly" or "trapdoor here,
It's not hot.. I'm going to open it slowly...It's open, I'm feeling with my
arms to see if there's any dangers... " so on and so forth.
When we were done, I felt like doing my best Howard Dean-in-Iowa
impression. It was inviograting. Sure, I made some mistakes (was too
focused on checking what was on the ground in front of me, not checking
what was above me and needed to stop more often and look back at my
partner). Even still, I felt like this was AWESOME and I *can* do this.
Oh, and did I mention that I couldn't wear my hearing aid because of the
ear infection? I was completely and totally deaf the entire time.
everyone can identify with: That feeling of "man, what have I gotten myself into" (because of one's deafness) and coming out of it with a renewed
confidence.
On Friday, the little extra tinnitus I had in my ear for the past week
culminated in a HUGE inner ear infection that had me dizzy and basically
"out of it". This worried me because I knew on Saturday, I was going to
have my first actual burn building experience. I called the doctor and
received antibiotics and a decongestant to help the nasty stuff go away.
Thanks to plenty of sleep, a loving wife who let me off easy in terms of
taking care of the kids, and a good dose of tylenol for the fever, I felt
better and went to class (called FF1). The class itself is broken down
into 4 "platoons." I knew I was in good hands when I realized my platoon had two Lieutenants from a different county (long story) who have plenty of experience.
A note about burn buildings: They're basically solid concrete structures
that have been "mocked up" to resemble the conditions a firefighter would find in an actual fire. For the first few sessions, they're using cold
smoke (same stuff they use in clubs and theater) so if a person runs out of air or panic, they can take their air mask off without worrying about
inhaling fumes. Later sessions, they will burn hay in the building to more
closely resemble the smoky conditions found in typical structure fires.
In all, we did three search and rescue (SAR) scenarios. The first two were
in a two story building using the clean smoke. In both scenarios, I was
"following" the leader by crawling along the walls and tapping his foot
letting him know I was there. A few times, my helmet clinked against the
back of my partner's air cylinder as he sat up to assess the situation from
a higher vantage point. During the second scenario, I clinked my helment
against what I thought was his cylinder and waited for him to move. After
he didn't move for about 30 seconds, I started to feel around the smoke for him and realized what I hit wasn't an oxygen cylinder; it was the smoke
machine sitting on a chair! Needless to say, I continued along leading the
man behind me along the wall until we exited the building.
We realized at that point that the three others were verbally communicating to each other but I was left out of the loop. We decided for the next one,
I would lead the team, yelling out what obstacles or what turns are being
made so they know where we're going. That way, my partner can hear what I'm seeing out front. If there's something wrong behind me, three hard and rapid taps on the leg or butt will tell me to stop. Taps on my boot mean
that they're OK and they're with me.
Boy, the next one was a doozy. The Fire Academy has a trailer that has 2
(or 3?) different mazes built into it. The mazes are about 3 feet wide by 3
feet tall. In some places, there are cinder blocks on the floors. Other
places you'll have pipes and wires on the floor or the ceiling. And even in
others, it narrows to about 2 feet tall. No small task especially if you're
wearing an Airpack.
Oh, and did I mention that they close the door so there is absolutely NO
light whatsoever in the trailer?
As I started, my mind was going nuts. "I have a guy behind me whose life
depends on me getting him out" "this is only training" "but what if it was
real" and so on. Then the door closed and all the light was extinguished.
I took a deep breath. I had to. I only had 1/4 of a bottle of air left.
Started along the corridor and stubbed my finger into a cinder block.
Called out the cinder block and we got past them without incident. After a
minute, I realized, this isn't so hard as long as I take it easy. The maze
had us go up levels, and we had to descend through trapdoors to get back down and at each point, I called out what I was coming up against. "It's
really low here, you'll need to slither on your belly" or "trapdoor here,
It's not hot.. I'm going to open it slowly...It's open, I'm feeling with my
arms to see if there's any dangers... " so on and so forth.
When we were done, I felt like doing my best Howard Dean-in-Iowa
impression. It was inviograting. Sure, I made some mistakes (was too
focused on checking what was on the ground in front of me, not checking
what was above me and needed to stop more often and look back at my
partner). Even still, I felt like this was AWESOME and I *can* do this.
Oh, and did I mention that I couldn't wear my hearing aid because of the
ear infection? I was completely and totally deaf the entire time.
Sunday, February 01, 2004
Two weeks of FF1, condensed into a viable coalesence of human experience
Can you identify the source of the paraphrased title? Clicky!
Anyway: The second class of FF1 was CPR and First Aid. Nothing earth-shattering there.
This past saturday was the first of the actual "hands on" experience. We learned about our PPE (Personal Protective Equipment and more to the point, we learned more about our SCBA. More on each later.
Right now, I'm using "hand me downs" from Syosset FD in NY. When I complete my probationary period (after 1 year), I'll be issued my own personal set of turnout gear. Turnout gear is typically made of fire resistant material (sometimes called Nomex or PBI, depending on what its made of). This stuff weighs about 20 lbs and can usually handle temperatures up to about 700 degrees for a a few moments. Gear with PBI can go up to 1200, but that's only going to help you if you've made an incredibly stupid mistake.
We also worked with the SCBA equipment. The SCBA stands for Self-Contained Breathing Appratus, otherwise known as the airpack. My department uses Scott and the carbon-fiber bottles that Scott offers. The bottles are smaller, rated to last 30 minutes (but they usually only last between 15 and 25) but they're very lightweight.
We had to don the SCBA packs in one minute. That meant putting the gear on the ground, along with helmet, gloves and facemask. It may sound easy but when you also have 20 lbs of turnout gear, its tougher. One gentleman in the class popped his knee and will be out of the class. I kept getting my SCBA straps twisted and kept coming in at 1min 5 seconds. After my third try, I finally got it down at 53 seconds. Cool!
Anyway: The second class of FF1 was CPR and First Aid. Nothing earth-shattering there.
This past saturday was the first of the actual "hands on" experience. We learned about our PPE (Personal Protective Equipment and more to the point, we learned more about our SCBA. More on each later.
Right now, I'm using "hand me downs" from Syosset FD in NY. When I complete my probationary period (after 1 year), I'll be issued my own personal set of turnout gear. Turnout gear is typically made of fire resistant material (sometimes called Nomex or PBI, depending on what its made of). This stuff weighs about 20 lbs and can usually handle temperatures up to about 700 degrees for a a few moments. Gear with PBI can go up to 1200, but that's only going to help you if you've made an incredibly stupid mistake.
We also worked with the SCBA equipment. The SCBA stands for Self-Contained Breathing Appratus, otherwise known as the airpack. My department uses Scott and the carbon-fiber bottles that Scott offers. The bottles are smaller, rated to last 30 minutes (but they usually only last between 15 and 25) but they're very lightweight.
We had to don the SCBA packs in one minute. That meant putting the gear on the ground, along with helmet, gloves and facemask. It may sound easy but when you also have 20 lbs of turnout gear, its tougher. One gentleman in the class popped his knee and will be out of the class. I kept getting my SCBA straps twisted and kept coming in at 1min 5 seconds. After my third try, I finally got it down at 53 seconds. Cool!
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