FHExpo: Firefighters Get Lessons From Two Chiefs

BALTIMORE, Md. – Nonsense and free-lancing should not be tolerated in the fire service as they can get you killed.

That was the message drilled home to a room full of firefighters Friday morning by Penn Township, Ind., Battalion Chief Brian P. Kazmierzak and Chief Billy Goldfeder.

The two shared their ideas about command during a new featured Firehouse Expo "Pass it Forward" session that teamed a veteran chief with one working their way through the ranks.

“Drill with your mutual aid companies. If you’re running calls together, you have to communicate. We drill with our neighbors every month,” Kazmierzak said.

Likewise, Goldfeder flashed a slide on the screen that clearly identified the roles of firefighters arriving at an incident.

“This is clear. I know what my role is going to be depending on when I get there. Everybody should know, and do it. That’s why you have to have policies and procedures,” Goldfeder added.

Both stressed the need for commanders to let everyone know from day one what is expected, and that there will be consequences.

A ladder truck was removed from running mutual aid calls in an area of Ohio for two years for not following the pre-assigned plan.

“You can’t have this fooling around,” Goldfeder said.

When giving the officer information about the incident, keep it concise. “Use CAN – Conditions, Actions and Needs,” Goldfeder suggested.

It’s also important to get the extra help started.

Firefighters listened to a recording in which an officer tells a dispatcher not to strike the box even though they are headed to a working fire, saying he had a crew of seven.

At one point, the officer threatens the firefighters that if they can’t get the fire out, he’ll have to call for assistance. Later, he tells them not to come out until the fire is out.

Unacceptable, they said, but it happens. Get the mutual aid companies on the street. You can always turn them around, but get them coming.

“Have extra resources at the ready. We have two engines at staging at all times,” Kazmierzak said, adding that all departments follow a countywide operational plan.

The crowd was silent as they listened to audio from Bryan, Texas Lt. Eric Wallace saying he was lost in the building and low on air ‘I’m scared.’

Wallace and Lt. Gregory Pickard died in the Knights of Columbus hall blaze in 2013.

Two fellow firefighters on the RIT crew were severely burned attempting the rescue.

None of the firefighters called a ‘Mayday.’

Goldfeder suggested dispatchers making announcements every 10 minutes would help keep things in check. “You lose control of time…”

Kazmierzak encouraged the crowd to take advantage of every opportunity to train so they make the right decisions.