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ALABAMA RESCUE SQUAD MEMBER KILLED IN THE LINE OF DUTY
An Etowah County (NE of Birmingham) Rescue Squad member has died in the Line of Duty as a result of injuries during a search for a missing kayaker in an Etowah County creek.
Squad Member Vicky Ryan, 46, died last night at Riverview Regional Medical Center. Ryan, along with three rescue squad coworkers, was injured when two boats capsized during a search on Big Wills Creek. WHAT HAPPENED?
A 25-year-old man was out kayaking with family members about 1107 hours yesterday (Saturday) in Big Wills Creek when he was swept into the water. The man went missing near an old low head dam that was once used to pump water into the Gulf States steel mill nearby.
The Etowah County Rescue Squad began a search, and employed two rescue boats.
One of the boats got too close to the dam and was swept over the side. The second boat soon followed and nine Rescue Squad workers were cast into the creek. Members of the Gadsden Fire Department and the Etowah County Sheriff's Office assisted in rescue efforts.
One other worker was taken to Riverview, and two more to Gadsden Regional Medical Center. Fire medics have still not located the missing kayaker. Members will maintain a presence in the area overnight and resume searching tomorrow, but will not attempt any more recovery efforts tonight.
Water levels were already high at the creek because of spring rains, which also made the current especially dangerous. Our condolences to all those affected. RIP. TWO APPARATUS CRASHES IN MARYLAND Last night there were two apparatus crashes in Prince Georges County, MD. The first one, early this morning, involved an overturned engine company (827) out of the Morningside firehouse. A bit later, heavy rescue squad (806) out of the Spingdale firehouse collided with a passenger car at Route 202 and Arena Drive in Largo. One Firefighter and a civilian suffered NLT injuries. We have some photos on our home page. They'll be more details posted HERE: http://pgfdpio.blogspot.com/ LAME APPARATUS EXCUSES We wanted to share these dead on comments with you from an old friend of FFCC, veteran Firefighter and Police officer Chris Daly, from www.DriveToSurvive.org Check it out: I just read an article about a firefighter who fell out of a truck while it was responding to a call. The incident itself is disturbing on many levels, but what disturbed me more was the comments and discussions that were generated on social media in reference to the use of seatbelts.
Let's get one thing straight. For anyone who defends the NON-USE of seatbelts, you're an idiot. Yes...I said it...an idiot. The fire service has tried to gently get you fools to wear your seatbelt for years now, but that approach just isn't working. So here you go...you're an idiot.
Now, allow me to immediately put to rest the comments that are about to manifest themselves under this post. I've been a firefighter for 25 years. I've served as nozzleman, Captain, Battalion and Assistant Chief. I've driven to fires, I've fought fires and believe it or not, I figured out how to put my airpack and my seatbelt on at the same time. It's not rocket science.
I've also spent 18 years as a police officer, reconstructing thousands of serious and fatal vehicle crashes, some of which involved emergency vehicles. I have a Master's Degree in Safety, having worked for several years in the private industry conducting OSHA-type safety audits. And I've testified in real-life court trials as an expert witness on the proper operation of an emergency vehicle.
In addition, I've taught the "DRIVE TO SURVIVE" emergency vehicle crash awareness seminar over 350 times to over 15,000 firefighters and emergency responders across the country. So to those of you who feel the need to troll the web saying that firefighters can't pack up and wear seatbelts at the same time, and anyone who says otherwise doesn't know what they're talking about...see above. You're an idiot.
If you can't put your seatbelt on around your gear, buy seatbelt extenders. They're easy to find. If you can't put your airpack on with your seatbelt on, practice. Or wait until you arrive. If it takes you longer than 15 seconds to sling a pack on your back as you hop out of the truck, you should probably revisit the fire school. If you're jumping off the truck with a fogged up mask to save a ? second running to the front door, you're missing the big picture. Calm down, take a deep breath and size-up the building before you put your mask on. That's what real firemen do. Not keyboard warriors who graduated high school two years ago and have melted "NO FEAR" stickers on their helmets from crawling around a concrete fire school.
I especially love the comments that say NFPA doesn't require drivers to make sure everyone has their belt on. I won't bore you with all the details because I'm pretty sure the guys who say this sort of thing have already stormed away from the keyboard or put down the smart phone by now, but let's just look at one of several standards that address this fact:
NFPA 1500 (6)(2)(5) - Drivers shall not move fire apparatus until all persons on the vehicle are seated and secured with seatbelts in approved riding positions, other than as specifically allowed in this chapter (there are no exemption provided anywhere in the chapter).
NFPA 1500 (6)(3)(2) - Seat belts shall not be released or loosened for any purpose while the vehicle is in motion, including the donning of respiratory protection equipment or protective clothing.
NFPA 1451 (8)(2)(7) - Drivers/Operators shall not move fire department vehicles until all persons on the vehicle are seated and secured with seat belts in approved riding positions, other than as specifically allowed in (8)(3)(3) (which addresses patient care in an ambulance).
So there you have it, NFPA makes it pretty clear that if you don't have your seatbelt on, the truck shouldn't move. If you claim the truck doesn't have seatbelts, the truck shouldn't be in service. I don't care if it's a "loaner" truck, a reserve piece, or heaven forbid, a first out rig. If your fire truck doesn't have seatbelts, put it out of service. You can't do the job. Sorry. Tell your city hall dwellers to get off their wallets and install some seatbelts. I'm pretty sure a bake sale or a boot drive would cover the cost in a few hours.
For those who think there are exemptions to the vehicle code regarding this matter, I can tell you this... no exemption in the vehicle code is going to help you as you fly out the window at 45 MPH. For those who may be making reference to the incident that generated this rant, I can tell you that unless you are a rural postal carrier in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, you have no exemption for wearing your seatbelt. Last I checked, fire trucks don't carry mail.
So...if your nose is out of joint...good. I made my point. Yes, I'm sure your grandfather told you about his best friend Larry who would be dead today if he had been wearing that pesky seatbelt, but those instances are few and far between. There are tens of thousands more people who would be alive today if they had worn their seatbelts.
Stop making excuses, suck it up and make sure you go home to your family. Peace. Thanks Chris. Take Care. Be Careful. Pass it On. BillyG The Secret List 4/26/2015-1200 Hours www.FireFighterCloseCalls.com |
