As Firehouse Sees It: Can You Always ‘Be Prepared’?

During my teen years, while participating in my local Boy Scouts troop, I proudly lived by the organization’s motto, “Be prepared.” I also joined the Fire Explorers. We didn’t have a motto, but the teaching of life skills was similar. If you followed either program’s path, you gained skills that prepared you for many events in life. However, even so, I’ve learned that you can’t always be fully prepared for what’s coming down the pike.

In the fire service, day in and day out, you can be called out for myriad nonemergent calls as well as emergencies with lives hanging in the balance. Within a week’s time in June, I witnessed one of the latter and learned about two others.

First, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue responded to a condo complex collapse in Surfside, FL. As of July 14, 97 victims have been recovered, dozens of injured were treated and 240 people have been accounted for, with eight people still listed as missing. Because it serves a large metropolitan area and is home to a FEMA USAR Task Force that’s accustomed to “the big ones,” the department’s resources likely could have handled many more injured, but this scenario included searching the noncollapsed section of the building, structural safety surveys, suppression and technical rescue.

Second, a U.S. Air Force veteran and captain with the Burton, SC, Fire District, Bobby Davidson, was prepared when a fellow passenger on a commercial airline flight, a former U.S. Marine, suffered a post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) episode. Davidson coupled his training as a member of South Carolina’s Lowcountry Firefighter Assistance and Support Team (F.A.S.T.) with his fire service and military experiences to calm the Marine. As a member of F.A.S.T., Davidson was trained to provide assistance to firefighters who suffer from PTSD. Because Davidson was prepared to help firefighters with vital support, his return flight from his wedding anniversary celebration helped the Marine and the others on the flight.

Finally, in Fort Worth, TX, I went to capture photos when firefighters were called to an accident that involved an overturned trailer that was hauling livestock. I learned that firefighters who had ranch and rodeo experience used those skills to rescue and tend to surviving animals.

In addition to the rescue techniques to breech the crumpled trailer, firefighters helped to move the injured cows, they used a booster line to cool down the animals, and they spent time with the rancher, who watched his livelihood take a large financial hit. The firefighters worked with the ranch family, law enforcement, a tow company and others to handle the situation.

These incidents illustrate the importance of continued training and the reinforcement of tried-and-true skills, so you always are prepared, whether you encounter an emergency with a crew of firefighters or on your own on a flight returning home from a celebration.