Most people outside the fire service have no idea how many types of services are offered by their local fire department—an understandable fact since our shirts, patches and trucks all say, “fire department.” The truth is, the modern firefighter is a knowledgeable, proficient professional trained in multiple specialties. We do water, confined space, and rope rescues, deal with hazmat situations, provide EMS and, oh yeah, fight fires. The list continues to grow.
Why is it that the modern-day firefighter is tasked with mastering all these skills? Easy. We get the job done. Every time, all the time.
The common thread that weaves itself throughout these different skillsets is communication. Without communication on every level and at every rank, the entire process breaks down. And not just communication, but effective communication. I recently witnessed some of the best communication I have seen in years. So much so, I stood there silently watching these professionals get the job done effectively and quickly while I mentally took notes. These weren’t firefighters, though; they were furniture-movers.
A precision team
When the furniture movers arrived at my house, I was concerned about the couch they were delivering, specifically the method they use to get it around a series of turns and down some narrow stairs. I quickly became completely enthralled with how the movers were prepared for the task at hand. They walked through my house measuring every possible obstacle. This alone was impressive, but the best was yet to come.
I heard “the boss” talking to his helpers in a language that was already established and very clearly understood between all of them. “OK, Jeremy will walk back here and do-si-do, and I will do a hi-lo.” All the workers shook their heads in agreement. The head couch-wrangler continued to talk to his crew, “We will set the couch down here with the open side facing in this direction,” using hand gestures to accompany his verbal message. He continued, “Ryan, you will be on this side and will manage from here down and, Jeremy, we will do a low-hi and I will lean the couch back to you. Nobody will move until I give you the go-ahead. When I’m ready I will let you know. When I pick it up, I will have a majority of the weight, so that will be the full commit time. No turning back.”
After they all agreed on the method, they went out to the truck to execute their plan. They had few issues taking the couch downstairs and continued to communicate throughout the process. When they finished, I went down to ask the crew about their tactics. I commented on how effectively they communicated and how they were able to execute their plan so well. They seemed surprised I would even notice, until I explained how crucial effective communication is in my line of work. Ultimately, my couch was delivered without a hitch and I received a valuable reminder.
Thinking back to various emergency scenes I have worked as a line firefighter and as a battalion chief, I ran through how many times better communication would have made the emergency scene flow better. Every scene could be made better with effective communication like what was displayed by the furniture-movers. Not unlike moving a couch, a fire scene is a series of coordinated tasks being done simultaneously by multiple people with multiple skill levels. The only way to ensure success is through training and communication.
Communication games
As a training officer, I tend to focus on the meat and potatoes of training: ladders, lines and lays. Unfortunately, I haven’t prioritized communication during training as much as these skills. I clearly need to change my ways. Thankfully, I have had opportunities over the years to participate in or learn about several excellent communication drills. Here are a few of my favorites that I believe can help any crew improve their communications.
- Legos and radios: Have a small Lego toy set spilled out on a table. Do not have any pictures or instructions of what the finished Lego set is supposed to look like. In one room have two or three firefighters be the model-makers. Have them wear a SCBA and be on a talk-a-round channel. In another room, another firefighter wears an SCBA and looks at the instructions. He is the model boss and will tell the model-makers how to construct the set. Without telling the crew what the finished product is supposed to look like, the model boss tries to tell the model-makers over the radio what piece goes with what another piece. The model boss will quickly realize how their seemingly obviously clear instructions can be taken in more than one way.
- Paper fold drill: Another easy way to show the importance of effective and clear communication is the paper fold drill. Hand everyone in the room a sheet of paper. Set up the class in such a fashion that no one can see the other person’s paper. Give instructions that they are to do as you say with the paper and not ask any questions. Now give a series of instructions including, but not limited to, the following phrases: fold the paper in half, turn the paper upside down, take one corner of paper and fold it to the opposite side. You will find all the papers will look different by the end. Now, do the exercise again but allow questions to be asked and use terms like “fold the paper long ways from left to right.” If done properly, the papers will look exactly alike. This drill can also be done with ropes and knots.
- The telephone game: Come up with a story that includes multiple people, objects and objectives, with a few paragraphs that have a beginning, middle and end. Have a few firefighters leave the room. Show the rest of the room the story and give them 1 minute to read it. After the minute, take the story off the screen. Bring one firefighter in from outside and choose one person that read the story to tell the new firefighter what he remembers. Then have the new firefighter relate the story to the next firefighter to enter the room. Do this for about 5 firefighters and you will notice important information being omitted from the story and some details that have completely changed.
Simple but vital
While these may seem like simple games, they show the importance of communication. When an incident happens that has a negative ending, it almost always has a lack of communication component. In firefighting, this can have devastating—if not deadly—effects. We don’t have to wait until there is an issue to shore up our communication skills; we can (and should) incorporate effective communication practice skills into all our fireground training, and we can do it in fun and impactful ways.
Jake Barnes
Jake Barnes is a battalion chief of training for New Albany, IN, Fire Department. He has over 20 years in the career service, including with the U.S. Air Force and the Lexington, KY, Fire Department. Barnes has an associate’s degree in general studies and is currently finishing his bachelor’s degree in fire protection administration.
