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As a retired firefighter, I paid particular attention
to Terry Gray's
comments regarding the fellow attempting to re-enter a burning building,
in an attempt to rescue his pet. (Terry's Tidbits, JeffersonReview.com,
June 2, 2003 edition).
A friend of mine, knowing I had spent nearly half my life (24 years) as
a firefighter for the City of Louisville, ask for my view on that same
story last week. I told him pretty much the same thing I'll repeat here,
for the benefit of both Terry and your readers.
First of all, I would just like to comment on Terry's assertion that:
"preparations for firemen to put out a fire, at least in this case, are
far more important than doing the job."
Preparation IS the job! And, there can never be enough preparation.
Though, training and experience eliminate the need for an inordinate
amount of on scene preparation. Each fire is different; and it requires
an assessment (sizing up), that can ONLY be done once you are on the
scene of that particular fire. Also, it may have seemed as though
firefighters were taking an inordinate amount of time in actually
entering the building but, in such situations, seconds seem like minutes
and minutes like hours.
In addition, today's firefighters (rightfully) have much more emphasis
placed on personal safety; and much more safety equipment to don before
entering a hazardous atmosphere.
When I first joined the department, breathing apparatus (SCBA) were a
rare commodity; and many of the "old timers" considered you a wimp if you
actually used it, and didn't "eat some smoke". In fact, the truck company
I first worked on ran with a 6 man crew and ONE SCBA! In those (good
old?) days, MOST firefighters didn't make it past their 55th birthday.
Today, that figure is probably closer to 65, thanks in no small part to
SCBAs. But, they do take time to don. Even though most firefighters I
know slip into the backpack portion as they are leaving the station on an
emergency run. But there is still time involved in the final
"preparation" for use.
Secondly, you MAY have some inherent, individual 'right' to "run into a
burning building," but only a fool would do so unprepared, or
unprotected. The chief mission of a firefighter is the protection of
HUMAN life - starting with his or her own. After all, if the
firefighter gets killed he can't "save" anyone else, can he? Saving pets
and property, while important, is secondary.
When a fire crew arrives on the scene of a structure fire they "own" the
building - by law. Firefighters outrank even the police when there is an
active (working) fire and/or hazardous materials incident. Job one for
the firefighter is, to make sure every one is safely out of the involved
building and, that they DO NOT re-enter - UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, or for
ANY reason - until the fire scene commander has determined and declared
that it is safe to do so.
The reason for this is simple; and it should be obvious. The inside of a
burning structure is a VERY dangerous place to be! Once you are safely
out, you should NEVER re-enter a burning structure - for ANY reason! The
fire department, besides being there to extinguish the fire, is charged
with seeing to it that you don't - regardless of how much your emotions
may trump your common sense.
Inside of a super heated, smoke filled burning structure, you can last
approximately 3-4 minutes, without the aide of breathing apparatus and
protective gear.
The best thing is not to have a fire in your home in the first place.
But, if you do, the best advice is, have a plan to GET OUT - as quickly
as possible. Once safely outside, DO NOT RE-ENTER (or attempt to
re-enter) for ANY reason!
This fellow was lucky; he made it out - alive! It is the fire
department's number one job, to see that not change. When that fellow
attempted to go back into a burning building - regardless of the reason -
he was breaking the law. And he was endangering life; not only his own,
but the lives of firefighters, who may have been injured, or even killed,
trying to rescue him from his own folly.
Sincerely,
Claude A. Bohn
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