Blue Card News & Radio Traffic: VEIS with a Rescue

We dive into the recent renovations to the Blue Card system, unpack the enhancements to the learning management system and the ARFF module, and provide a glimpse into our collaboration with the National Fire Sprinkler Association. We also reveal our plans for new CE modules and share the positive feedback garnered from the Silverback Leadership presentation. But it doesn't stop there. We're always looking for ways to elevate our services and support our customers, and we ruminate on how we can deepen our commitment to continual improvement.

Ever wondered how firefighters and first responders make split-second decisions in high-stress situations? We unpack the complexities of decision-making on the front lines, exploring a two-day workshop designed to empower firefighters to make informed decisions under pressure. Drawing on the concept of 'thinking fast and slow,' we delve into the art of quick, beneficial decision-making in the field, while keeping the call's objectives front and center.

When then feature radio traffic from Cobb County, GA featuring VEIS and rescue, all while using the Blue Card system to manage the incident.

Upcoming classes:
1/8-1/12 Train the Trainer AVB CTC in PHX
2/12-2/16 Train the Trainer AVB CTC in PHX
3/6-3/7 Critical Thinking & Decision Making AVB CTC in PHX
3/11-3/15 Train the Trainer at the AVB CTC in PHX
3/27-3/28 Big Box in Spring, TX
5/15-5/16 Big Box in Cincinnati, OH
Email:  josh@bshifter.com to sign up!

This episode features Josh Blum & John Vance.

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This episode was recorded remotely on November 10, 2023

Transcript

Speaker 2: 1:12

Welcome to the B-Shifter podcast. John Vance, josh Bloom, and today we have some information for you on just what's going on with Blue Card this month, and then we have some audio that we'll listen to from Event Interisolate Search Rescue from one of our Blue Card departments. How are you doing, josh? Good to see you, man.

Speaker 3: 1:34

I'm doing great Good to see you, john Weather's, changing here in Cincinnati. I see you've got your sweatshirt on. I'm sure it's cold and probably with the snow in Minnesota.

Speaker 2: 1:42

Just about. We had a little Halloween pre-Halloween snow, so we've already had our first snowfall of the year. It's a nice 36 degrees outside in overcast. So if you're in a sunshine state, here's to you, because us up in the upper portions of the United States are getting ready for winter. I'm getting my heat mats out so I don't have to shovel my sidewalk in the backyard, so that's how close to winter we are. We have some stuff going on with Blue Card and we've been updating some systems. Why don't we give the folks an update on that and let them know exactly what's going on with BShiftercom?

Speaker 3: 2:21

We had a known outage. We needed to improve the system, get a new platform, and anytime you do that, there's going to be bugs or challenges with it. So every fire department should be familiar with that. If you've switched records management systems before, it's like, oh well, we were able to capture everything except your inspections. And it's like, yeah, well, what now do you do so with us.

Speaker 3: 2:51

On the 20th, 21st of October, the system got shut down on that following Wednesday at 0700. It was turned back on. So we're just really one or two days past it being two weeks that the system's been turned back on. We've been working through, you know, continuing to upgrade, you know the system and make sure that everything's working and making sure that you all the customer base is getting what you need. As far as what our priorities were during the transfer, so a big thing was the learning management system, making sure that that was functional and working and all of that, so people who were doing the online could do the online and people who were needed CE could do the CE, and instructors with the records management system could build rosters and check people off. So we continue to work through that and refine that and thanks to all of you who have, you know, sent in notes whether it's about an improvement, or those that have sent in those just saying, hey, you know, we get it, but we have this little issue or glitch that we're trying to work through and we can't figure it out. So we're good with that. You know, that's Command Function 7. We want that feedback. We want to make sure that we are doing the best that we can do and providing the best system that we can possibly provide. And it'll never be over, right. I mean, just like our organizations, we should be in a state of constantly trying to fix ourselves. And that's kind of, you know, my view is the operations manager for Blue Card is we should always be in a state of trying to fix ourselves. So what can we do better to support you all? And I think it's exciting that you know we're rebuilding this platform and we're going to have something that allows us to do so much more to provide better tools and streamline some things for you all, the customers, as well as add a bunch of classes, ce modules and improve process for certification. So just a few of those things. We've been working on the ARF module for a while and I got the review at this last week and I was kind of blown away by, you know, the quality of it and how well it was put together. And so I'm really looking forward to in 2024, the ARF module coming out.

Speaker 3: 5:11

And I know, you know everybody doesn't deal with, you know, an airport. Probably most people don't deal with the airport, but it's another piece to capture that all hazards. And then we got Chris Stewart from Phoenix Fire Department, retired Grant Light from Cincinnati heavy rescue, and then he's very engaged in like the FEMA hers training all across the country and development of equipment for what the FEMA teams actually deploy with, along with Steve Shupert, who's you know also you know longtime friends of ours here in Cincinnati and deployed many times with those guys on use our events as far as tech rescue for that first-do company officer. So don't get yourself hurt, right, don't become the victim, but what can you do when you get there? So, just like the hazmat module, we're building that out. And then our partnership and relationship that we've built with the National Fire Sprinkler Association.

Speaker 3: 6:08

So we were building multiple CE modules that'll come out on fire protection systems managing a fire pump, like what does that really look like? What are all these pipes coming out of it. So you know if you're at a smaller place and it's got, you know, one riser. That's one thing, but I mean example. I just made an incident and coming off the fire pump there were seven, maybe eight risers coming off of it. Three of them were dry, four of them are so wet. It was a cold storage facility and it was kind of confusing like what in the world is what in the world is all of this and a whole lot of moving parts. So we're looking forward to put to doing something with them and pushing that you know CE out to all of you. That lines up with big box but also lines up with all this lightweight wood frame stuff we're getting. What does 13R really mean and what's protected and what's not protected and how do you isolate that and all of that. So I think a lot of good things on the horizon.

Speaker 3: 7:07

And then I have to mention the Silverback leadership thing. You know, nick and Terry, you know what they presented at the conference and the feedback we got from that. People wanted that the next day, right, and it's, it's in development and I think it's going to be. It's going to be fantastic and we'll see that in 2024. And a good thing is we're not going to have to wait on the entire program, so that Silverback leadership program is going to come out in modules, so it's not like you're waiting a year for somebody to develop the whole thing. As it gets developed, they're going to start to roll that out. So I think a lot of exciting things going on. We want to. We want to be able to provide to you all, the customer, and fulfill your needs, and we do that based off of the feedback that you all give us. So you know that's a little bit of what's going on with us and what we're looking to do, closing out this year and starting next year.

Speaker 2: 8:00

What can we expect in March? March 6th and 7th we're doing a decision making, critical decision making, strategic decision making model class that's garnered a lot of interest. One has been delivered so far. What is that class all about and who is the target audience? What's the subject of that one?

Speaker 3: 8:23

Yeah, so that class. So we've had multiple organizations you know reach out to us as far as like, how do we start to connect the Blue Card Command Training Program using the strategic decision making model, teaching people further in detail, like application of the strategic decision making model on, you know, all kinds of different hazards and building types and all of that. So earlier this year, in the very part, actually first part of this year, I'd gotten with Chris Stewart who was a longtime deputy chief and I think still he's still a deputy chief. He just retired from one place and went to another. And then Eric Phillips, captain 21, two, three year guy at Las Vegas riding an engine company and said you know, what can we do to help our customers connect the strategic decision making model in command to the work we do a little bit better? So with that said, the class I think helps the student with making well informed decisions under high pressure situations. So you can have a discussion about what we're going to do, a podcast today. That's a perfect example of organization that is trained and has, you know, seasoned people and exercise the system, that they're making good decisions based off of training and experience and that everybody's on the same page.

Speaker 3: 9:47

But this class starts to tie all that together. So you pull up and you think it's one thing, but it turns into another. You pull up and you're going down the path of you know we're stretching lines and yeah, we're doing search and all of that, and then you get the we have a known victim. And how does that, you know, change it up. You pull up and it looks like one thing on the Alpha side. You get to the Charlie side and it's something totally different and your challenge with making, you know, making some hard decisions, if you will. So that class is two full days. It's a workshop, it's a lot more discussion. There are no like full scale simulations that we do in there. It's more. Let's build out on the front end what system we use to help us make decisions and to get people comfortable. And we talk a little bit about that, thinking fast and slow. When do I have time and when do I need to be able to make a decision, like right now, the time to start thinking that you're making a decision and there's somebody hanging out of a window or somebody was hanging out of a window and now they disappeared. You should have thought about that long before you got there, Like what does that really look like? How am I going to manage that? What are we going to do? How am I going to communicate that? So, during this class we go through that and then, hopefully, it gives all the students well, we know it does. It gives the students the tools to go back to help them make better decisions on the fire ground again under, I think, those high stress environments.

Speaker 3: 11:10

And when I talk about making those better decisions it really comes down to, it's only about them. Until it becomes about us and you know I'm all about it Everything we do, customer service, right, chief Bernasini, it's all about customer service, delivering the service. Well, when the bell rings for us to go to a fire, you know we're going to the fire. They want us to put their fire out, and if somebody's in, they want inside, they want us to get them out. Well, sometimes we don't make very good decisions and we get, you know, too focused on an objective and then it becomes about us. And what I mean by when it, what it becomes about us, is and we've seen plenty of these scenarios in the last six months of six months a year, however long you want to talk about it. But in the last six months I've seen many myself. We get so focused on an objective that we don't see everything else that's going on, and when we get ourselves into trouble, everything else that was happening on the fire ground that we were called there to do goes out the window. We could talk about that Houston incident where the fireman fell through the roof. Everybody saw that it was all over, it was on national news and the fireman falls through the roof and damn near every fireman that was anywhere in sight went to get their fellow firemen out, as they should.

Speaker 3: 12:30

But it comes down to the decision-making piece. What were we really doing? Should we have been there? Should we have not been there? So you know, that's just one of them, not to mention some of the cases where you know we get ourselves into an environment where we shouldn't be and conditions change and then we need help and of course the help goes to us right. I mean, that's what happens everywhere and we'd be lying to ourselves if we said that that's not the case, because that is exactly what happens. We are going to help ourselves. Well, when we go to the help ourselves piece, then all of the other objectives that we were called there to do, to provide service to the community, go out the window. So this class, we hope, well, we hope. But we also know from feedback that we've already had from the one organization that we did a full-scale thing and other places that we've done some, you know, smaller little workshop pieces with the impact that it has on the organization.

Speaker 3: 13:31

And I have an example, just a short example, that I can share on here. So somewhere that I do, we do quite a bit of work. They were doing some company officer development and decision making, but it was hands-on and the company officer got. They were doing it at a burn building. There was five scenarios running at the same time and one of the stations was company officer pulls up on an engine company. They have a crew, the burn building is producing factors that they should be able to identify and evaluate and then deploy people to and while when they get out of the truck, bystander, you know, starts basically distracting them with. My family members are in there and it was interesting.

Speaker 3: 14:24

One of the people that went through that afterwards when we were doing an after action after that session said that's kind of bullshit. I've been doing this 25 years and I never had no shit like that happen before. And I've been to plenty of fires where they said somebody was in there, but nobody's ever gotten that aggressive. And it's like well, the time to figure it out isn't when it happens to you. And it was very interesting.

Speaker 3: 14:45

The next day the guy goes to work on his regular shift in the morning, pulls up work in fire, gets out of the truck and a family member has hit, has their hands all over him, directing and guiding this person.

Speaker 3: 15:02

The company officer to my kids are inside that building and you need to go get them right now.

Speaker 3: 15:07

They're inside of that window, right there. And that day the company, this company officer that you know a day before, was like I just don't know, this is bullshit, said I'm not sure how I would have reacted to that if I hadn't trained on it and had a discussion the day before. And it's weird how those things happen, right, like, but that's just a, that's just a small thing, right. I mean, it's like the places that we go that say we will not do vent in our search, well, if you don't, if you don't do vent in our search, then you're doing exactly what chief Bernacini said Don't let happen, don't let the bystanders become the rescuers, because dad is gonna get a ladder off your fire truck and put a ladder up or go through the door or go through the window or whatever. So you know, don't say you're not gonna do it, just make decisions based off the critical factors, and that comes back to the class right, like make good, well managed decisions Under high stress environments.

Speaker 2: 15:59

And the only way we get there is, you know, experience and practice that particular workshop is going to be on the 6th and 7th of March and we also have a number of blue card train the trainers coming up, including January 8th through the 12th in Phoenix, january 22nd through the 26th and Lincoln, nebraska. We're going to be in Phoenix again in February. We are going to be back in Phoenix again in March, so just about every month in Phoenix. Plus we have some on the road. I'm gonna put all of those dates in the show notes so you can get them and get signed up, because we know people have Into the year money that they they want to spend on training. So now is a good time to get signed up for all of these classes that you might need for your department, including the hazard zone conference and the hazard zone conference. I'll put the website up for that too. You can get on and get registered right now with an early bird price and, don't forget, with the hazard zone conference You're also going to get a subscription for everybody that you register. So it really is a rock bottom price.

Speaker 2: 17:05

We had such a huge success this year at the hazard zone conference in Cincinnati 500 attendees, great presentations. The networking was awesome. It was really one of those things that brings the blue card users together and we're all speaking the same language, sharing some experiences and learning a lot. So if you want to be a part of that you didn't get to make it this year goes it. Go to hazard zone BC, comm. Or, if you are returning, come on back because we we just had a great time in Cincinnati. It was a great venue and I know I was. I was inspired by so many things that that I got to learn from our speakers. We have some returning speakers, we have some new speakers. You can get the whole agenda to a hazard zone, bc, comm. Look forward to seeing everyone there.

Speaker 3: 17:52

Yeah, with that, john. So Some of you have reached out looking for a Mayday workshop, and at the hazard zone we are gonna offer a Mayday workshop like a Two days before the conference. So the conference is on the Thursday and Friday, 3rd and 4th and the Mayday workshops on the 1st and 2nd. So you can come, you can get the Mayday workshop and the conference and you can register for both of those at the hazard zone, bc comm, or you can call into the office or email me and my email Is always in the show notes. So so what?

Speaker 2: 18:24

are we going to listen to today? We have audio from and you mentioned earlier vent inter isolate search, and you know we we are for that tactic, I think, is as blue card practitioners. You got to practice it, like you said, and and these guys pull it off once again very well. So what is this audio that we're going to listen to today?

Speaker 3: 18:45

Yeah. So we're going back to Cobb County, georgia Blue card fire department. They do quite a bit of work, very well organized. When I was listening to this, the thing that crossed my mind was chief Lester, month or so ago, his three C's of command, you know, competent, confidence and then control. And it was like man that that is ringing out and this audio also. So I'm not stealing that from him, I was just reiterating what he said, and and and in this case, early afternoon fire, another, another instance where the battalion got there first, which we see that all over the place in suburbia, and, and I think, and, and you know, the large metro areas, metropolitan areas I mean Cobb County, right, the Atlanta metro area, multiple incidents that we've reviewed from Cobb County and put on the podcast, where the battalion gets there first, and you know some people got mixed views of that and the more I hear it it's like man.

Speaker 3: 19:48

I'm more and more a fan of that in a Lot of cases because it eliminates the command transfer and right from the get-go everybody knows what's going on, you know the work can just, you know, happen and the incident action plan is communicated, you know, early on. So In this case again, residential building early afternoon fire and they end up pulling a victim out, and in this case there wasn't a known victim until we got there. So let's, let's go ahead and just give it a listen, and then we'll talk a bit about it afterwards.

Speaker 1: 20:20

And for all units upgrade your response. All units risk update your response and for all units clear on your response. Possible house fire address 2462 horseshoe Bend Road. Black smoke coming out of the house 95. Battalion 5 95 is on scene.

Speaker 4: 20:43

It's got a small Split level one story residential structure. We got a working fire With heavy smoke showing from the roof of the first few engine. Be prepared to stretch the line for fire control. We will have a fire hydrant in the front yard just past the house. Be an offensive strategy. Go ahead and balance the alarm. I tell you follow up command 10 for battalion 5.

Speaker 1: 21:04

On scene small resident fire, heavy smoke from the roof. Stretching line offensive approach.

Speaker 4: 21:11

Man engine 10. Thank you, thank you. Thank you, guys to pull your ladder around at the Charlie side for the EIS 10 for In clear deploy ladder.

Speaker 1: 21:20

Commander radio the follow-up to me and go ahead 360 is complete.

Speaker 4: 21:24

The structure is not on a basement, got a crawl space. It does not appear to be involved. We have a Report of a victim Inside the Charlie side window and intense deploying a ladder around at the Charlie side for the EIS. Well, the next two engine be prepared to stretch the line for fire control the type of accountability on the alpha side 10 for Radio clear.

Speaker 4: 21:47

I'll unit swells over report of a dog in the basement of it. Pull Manage at 30. Go ahead. Can you do guys to? That? Looks like clean those stretch the line to the alpha side. Need you guys to do a quick hit on the alpha side window? Make entry for fire control Sevens level 1, 3, engine 7, 7 going clear Me a primary search. That's their primary search.

Speaker 4: 22:17

Just the advisors are reported about people in the basement or in the garage. Sevens could we get anything advised on the possible on the Charlie side? No new information yet. Ten's working on it In a squad. Seven Go ahead, go ahead. If you guys go around at the Charlie side, this is with engine 10, with the VES Rescue 23 is on same with two and a third rider. Come on to rescue 23 once you guys go on back off the side 23 is clear on that stuff.

Speaker 1: 22:46

I'm just in. We do have a victim in that window Trying to get him out at this time. And in just 10, go ahead Trying to get him out of the window at this time.

Speaker 4: 23:01

Okay, your traffic was broken up. I understand somebody else that's back there advised. I think you have a victim coming out. Truck 22 is on scene with three. Command of squad seven. Squad seven's a man. We're on Charlie's side. We're just in. We're getting the victim out right now. Okay, I'm clear, pull on a victim out and the truck 22. Command of rescue 23. Rescue 23. I need you guys to bring your ALS equipment up and assist with patient care 23's clear.

Speaker 1: 23:35

We're bringing ALS equipment.

Speaker 4: 23:37

In fact, what's the information that wants to ask that Squad seven's a man. We're coming out in front of you all with a victim. Go get the emergency unit up there.

Speaker 1: 23:43

Command of radio, Radio go ahead.

Speaker 4: 23:47

Can you confirm a ambulance was responding to this location?

Speaker 1: 23:52

10-4. We'll try to get an ETA Rescue 23 to command. Okay, pug is bringing their stretcher up here right now 10-4. Engine 23,. Level one Three personnel.

Speaker 4: 24:04

Engine 23 on deck Alpha side 23's clear On deck Alpha side.

Speaker 4: 24:09

Radio to command 10-4. Pug, it should be on scene. They're clear to start walking up. 10-4. I got eyes on them. 10-4. Command of all units. We have permanent water supply. We'll tell you when we'll see the two. Command of the. Tell you when. Tell you when. Come on, go ahead. Hey, I need you guys to bring your gear up to the Alpha side. I'm going to set you up with Alpha Division. Whenever you guys get in place, I'll advise the two units leaders 10-4,. Alpha Division 10-4. In series. We have the ground coming out of the ground. 10-4,. I'm clear. Command of radio Can you get out of the Intermold Control and Route?

Speaker 1: 25:22

10-4. Rescue 17 command on scene has met ops Where'd you like to locate it.

Speaker 4: 25:27

Command to rescue 17. Go ahead and set up on the Alpha side. You set up rehab and standby.

Speaker 1: 25:34

Radio to command 10-minute benchmark.

Speaker 4: 25:37

Command's clear on 10-minute benchmark Command to engine 30. Go ahead, command. Can you give me a cam? 1-1. Alpha side. Second floor bedroom. I think we've got a blackout on the fire. No need to decide. Okay, I understand. Second floor, alpha side. You've got a blackout on the fire. Just check for extension in that area, please. Managing 7.

Speaker 1: 26:00

Hi, thank you, man.

Speaker 4: 26:03

Just advise your progress on your primary search.

Speaker 1: 26:07

Thankfully you can show primary complete on second floor. Transition in the first.

Speaker 4: 26:13

Yeah, I'm clear. Primary complete second floor.

Speaker 1: 26:16

Command is in command.

Speaker 4: 26:17

Command agent 30, go ahead. Command is in Alpha side with you. That was line left with 1222. Command 4, command 2, rescue 17.

Speaker 1: 26:27

17, go ahead 17,.

Speaker 4: 26:29

need you to check on the firefighter that just came out the Alpha side front door? This one mostly 10-4. Engine's in command and the last unit left. It's engine 7. You can show primary, complete and radio.

Speaker 1: 26:46

Radio is here, Go ahead.

Speaker 4: 26:49

Get all clear on the structure 10-4.

Speaker 3: 26:51

You know, I think another good bit of audio from you know, cobb County. Clearly they exercised the system, you know, right from the beginning. In this case the battalion got there first. You know while they're in route working fire. You know heavy smoke upgrades the assignment, once they're there, gave a really good initial radio report. Everybody's hearing what's going on. And then before the 360 got completed, you know known information from a bystander about a victim that somebody had seen in a window. So you know that initial radio report piece of an assignment of the first engine going to, you know stretch a hand line for fire control, you know gets updated and changed to. You know we're going to do VES. So you know part of that comes down to. You know knowing your response district and knowing you know what's really going on, I think, and when that next company is going to get there. So assigns engine 10, ves bring a ladder to the Charlie side. Pretty good order. Model. Engine 10 acknowledges that. Hey, we're bringing a ladder to the Charlie side for VES. Engine 30 pulls up Engine 30,.

Speaker 3: 28:08

You know had heard some of that radio traffic because the incident action plan reported over the radio. So they started to take action and then command communicated with them yeah, go ahead and get your line to the Alpha side Quick, hit the visible fire and then make entry through the Alpha side. So you know another good task, location, objective, exactly what they wanted to happen. Following that, engine seven arrived, they signed them for primary search. There's a little bit of communication back and forth of what's going on with that victim and command communicated with them hey, we're doing VES through the Charlie side. The squad gets there and just gets assigned to assist engine 10 because we all know right, I mean we got a victim in the window and they say they're working on getting them out at that point after squad seven got assigned. So you know, a piece of that is there ended up being a few extra radio transmissions there from engine 10 and then squad seven fixed it. That's one of those places where when we talk about like refinement and I'm in no way shape or form armchair quarterbacking anyone buddy I mean kudos to them for everything that they do. But it's one of those things is the incident commander, engine 10, priority traffic. They get a second to okay, what's this? And then they say what's going on? Because engine 10, we got a victim, we're coming out and the traffic was missed. So command had to ask them again like what was that and what do you need? And then the second time they were working right. So now they got their hands on them. They weren't going to stop doing what they were doing, but they were trying to talk while they were pulling them out. So the transmission was broken and then command called squad seven like what exactly is going on, and then gets a clear report of everything right and squad seven says yeah, we're going to be coming around the outside, we're going to need, you know, any MS unit. And while all that was going on, rescue 23 had been assigned on deck because they had fulfilled all the objectives At that point. And then when the victim piece popped up, rescue 23 got assigned get your ALS equipment to the Alpha side to assist with, with, with EMS. Truck 22 was assigned, you know, inside and then truck 22 ends up, you know, pulling that dog out. So that was a good report.

Speaker 3: 30:21

Engine 23 pulled up, got assigned on deck, alpha side, because they had used Rescue 23 that they had had on deck. So they're trying to maintain and keep that. All three levels right. So companies working, companies on deck and then still companies, companies that are staged. So during that we heard we hear engine 30, you know, give a can report. So that was a, that was an IC driven can report, right. So command to engine 30, give me a can report. So from the beginning engine 30 was assigned fire attack. So engine 30 comes back. Yeah, we got the fire blocked out. Their terminology, they know what that means. Everybody else probably knows what that means too. And then no other needs really. And command says hey, just make sure you check for extension. You know all around, you know that space.

Speaker 3: 31:12

So a lot of stuff happened on this. So at the 10 minute benchmark there's eight or nine companies there and that were assigned right. And this I mean it was a small single family residential building but with some stuff happening. So you ended up with engine 10 with a victim squad, seven with a victim truck, 22 brings out the dog, and then engine 30 ends up having, you know, a firefighter that needed medical attention. So a lot of stuff going on.

Speaker 3: 31:49

And then battalion one gets there. So we hear battalion one on the scene and then you hear command tell battalion one, hey, get all of your stuff. And there's two of them, they got drivers. So that's fantastic. Get all of your equipment. I'm going to assign you to alpha. Let me know when you're there. So battalion one is not alpha until they say battalion one, I'm in alpha. And then command's going to give them a rundown no different than a command transfer. If a strategic IC is pulling up in a car, they're going to gather the information from that fast attack mobile IC before they actually take or assume command. Well, in this case, battalion one isn't going to be in charge of that geographic area and those companies until they are actually in place. And then, once they're in place, command gives them a rundown of here's the units that are working in your geographic area. Here's who you got. I think it's just another great example of the system, right, I mean, there's not excessive radio traffic.

Speaker 3: 32:50

Very clear assignments, the objectives are being met. The accountability piece you know, kudos to this fire department and the accountability piece. So command called engine seven for a can report and engine seven, we all remember, was assigned for primary search and engine seven says we got to all clear the second floor and we're moving to the first floor. That's good accountability, right? Because before that command, new engine seven was in the building somewhere right, probably on the second floor, because of their training and procedures. And we're going to search from the people who are at highest risk, the people who are at lowest risk. And there was a victim on the second floor. They pulled out through a window and if there's one, maybe there's two, whatever. So you know that was really good. And now command has a much better picture of what's going on and is starting to check off those objectives, right. So engine 30 reported hey, you got the fire knocked down, okay, and it's looking better. And now engine seven said I got an all clear of the second floor and we're going to the first.

Speaker 3: 33:52

So the whole thing's organized. Everybody's hearing the incident action plan. Everybody's on the same page and really what it comes down to. When we have standard conditions, we take standard action for a standard outcome. And if you're really thinking forward, a known victim should be a standard condition. That's what we all go to, right. And then so many organizations get thrown off by that and it's like we should plan on having victims. And you know the number one thing we can do is put the fire out. And in this case, you know they did a vener-search through a window known location, but that other company was there. They stretch a line, they put the fire out. Everybody's working on the same page. Yeah, very well organized Communications is good. Strong command presence yeah, I mean I think it's another. Cobb County gets another gold star.

Speaker 2: 34:46

Absolutely Well. You know, one of the things that when we get to a fire with a known victim is looking at our risk management model. That's the point in time where we're saying we're going to risk a lot to save a lot. But even in this case they're going in to do that rescue, that imminent rescue. But they also have water on the fire. That one company I forgot which one, it was already darkened it down from the outside by performing a quick hit before the water supply was even established, buying everyone a little bit of time to get into that victim. Now, luckily, they have a very robust response so they're able to apply water at the same time that they're also doing the rescue.

Speaker 2: 35:23

But the water definitely helps the rescue. It also helps the survivability profile of anybody else that may be in the house with blue card. We always say if you find one victim, be very wary that you're going to find more. So getting that all clear is very important. As far as the other critical fire ground factors go, I think you know, even on the size up, they call it out, they call it crawl space. I mean, they are identifying that stuff. If you have a basement it's going to be a whole different thing, right.

Speaker 3: 35:53

So they just all the way around the three C's that Chief Lester and the rest of the crew down there practice, preach and do, definitely coming out in this audio we say it all the time you can do so much more and be so much more productive when everybody's on the same page, the same plan, and when they all know what each other are doing. In this case, everybody there knew what was going on.

Speaker 2: 36:24

All right, josh, that's a good podcast. That was great audio. Thank you very much for being here today and going through that with us. Of course, if people have audio that they'd like to share with us, our emails are right here or in the show notes. If you're listening, you can send them to josh at vshiftercom. We'd love to feature audio from blue card departments out there, so we'll have more audio for you real soon. Until next time, thanks so much for listening to B shifter.