SAMatters Radio

Recently I was having a conversation with a fire commander who shared an experience he had. He stopped by one of the stations for a visit and came upon a group of firefighters huddled around a computer screen watching fire videos and calling the responders in the video "stupid." This episode discusses how he turned this into a teachable moment.

Contact Us www.SAMatters.comwww.RichGasaway.com612-548-4424 (office) 651-331-8518 (cell) Get connected with SAMatter Facebook: Follow SAMatters LinkedIn: Follow Rich Gasaway Twitter: Follow Rich Gasaway Instagram: Follow SA_Matters Youtube: Subscribe to SAMattersTV Itunes: Subscribe to SAMatters Radio Stitcher Radio: Subscribe to SAMatters Radio Google Play: Subscribe to SAMatters Radio iHeart Radio: Subscribe to SAMatters Radio Our Sponsors Midwest Fire MidwestFire.com Chief Miller Instagram: @Chief_Miller Intro music Safety Dance (1982) Men Without Hats GMC - Virgin Records Licensed by BMI Music Firefighter Near Miss Reporting System http://www.firefighternearmiss.com/ SPONSOR THIS SHOW The SAMatters Show is the longest running, fastest growing, safety focused weekly program on the Internet. If you know a company that might be interested in advertising their product or service to our listeners and viewers, ask them to contact us by clicking the "Contact us" tab at the top of the SAMatters

On Saturday, September 13, 2014, the Brooklyn Park Fire Department was dispatched to a medical call that had the potential to be catastrophic for the members of their department, their EMS transport provider and their police department.

The call was for a person having a stroke. As the crew arrived and made entry through the front door of the house there was a man on the floor having a seizure. The two police officers on the scene were attending to the individual.

One of the firefighters on the scene, Jeff St. Martin, noticed a mess of exhaust and heard what sounded like a motor running. His quick actions prevented a catastrophic outcome. The levels of carbon monoxide measured in the home exceeded the capacity of the department's carbon monoxide meter (in excess of 600 ppm).

Some takeaways from the interview include:

• How complacency can creep into our mindset that we are responding to "just another medical call.
• How strong situational awareness can alert us when the pieces of the puzzle don't fit… and things don't make sense.
• How intuition, when followed, can compel action that that can be lifesaving, even when you may not know why you are taking the action at the moment.
• How a CO monitor carried by first-arriving medical personnel (and perhaps police officers) can alert responders to the potential of highly lethal CO levels.

Contact Us www.SAMatters.comwww.RichGasaway.com612-548-4424 (office) 651-331-8518 (cell)

Get connected with SAMattersFacebook: Follow SAMatters LinkedIn: Follow Rich Gasaway Twitter: Follow Rich Gasaway Instagram: Follow SA_Matter Youtube: Subscribe to SAMattersTV Itunes: Subscribe to SAMatters Radio Stitcher Radio: Subscribe to SAMatters Radio Google Play: Subscribe to SAMatters Radio iHeart Radio: Subscribe to SAMatters Radio

Our Sponsors Midwest Fire MidwestFire.com

Chief Miller Instagram: @Chief_Miller

Intro music Safety Dance (1982) Men Without Hats GMC - Virgin Records Licensed by BMI Music

Firefighter Near Miss Reporting System http://www.firefighternearmiss.com/ SPONSOR THIS SHOW

The SAMatters Show is the longest running, fastest growing, safety focused weekly program on the Internet. If you know a company that might be interested in advertising their product or service to our listeners and viewers, ask them to contact us by clicking the "Contact us" tab at the top of the SAMatters.com website.

The first arriving crews attempted to knock down the fire from the exterior but were not success. Subsequently, companies went to the basement, expecting to find fire in the basement. The conditions were warm with very little smoke.

The basement design was complex. The BC had the lines charged and started the search for victims and the fire. The crews were cutting holes in the walls and ceilings looking for the source of the fire.

Chief Schaeffer arrived and noticed the conditions were getting worse. An order was giving to cut access holes from the exterior.

While the BC in the basement was reporting relatively clear conditions there was heavy smoke billowing out of a basement opening viewable from the exterior.

Chief Schaeffer became Division 1 (on the first floor). He reported light smoke on the first floor. Companies were doing primary and secondary search on the first floor and look for extension from the basement.

Soon, the conditions started changing quickly. Division 1 reported this to the basement Division. The first-floor crews were on their knees. Basement reported no smoke and cold conditions. Exterior reported a dramatic change in conditions.

The crew on the first floor was in complete darkness. The first-floor crew exited. However, the crews were still in basement. The conditions continued to change rapidly. An evacuation tone was ordered and Division 1 crews went to the basement, located and assisted the basement crews to safety.

Some takeaways from the interview include:

1. You'll learn how rapidly changing fire conditions can unexpectedly over run the crews.
2. You'll learn what can happen when the fire does not behave as expected (i.e., when the puzzle pieces don't fit).
3. You'll learn how you can become normalized to your environment and may not see the severity of the conditions.
4. You'll learn how volumes of radio traffic on a single tactical channel can impact scene safety if at-risk crews cannot communicate via radio.
5. You'll learn how time distortion impacted the perception of speed at this incident.

Show Notes

Contact Us www.SAMatters.com www.RichGasaway.com 612-548-4424 (office) 651-331-8518 (cell)

Get connected with SAMatters

Facebook: Follow SAMatters

LinkedIn: Follow Rich Gasaway

Twitter: Follow Rich Gasaway

Instagram: Follow SA_Matters

Youtube: Subscribe to SAMattersTV

Itunes: Subscribe to SAMatters Radio

Stitcher Radio: Subscribe to SAMatters Radio

Google Play: Subscribe to SAMatters Radio

iHeart Radio: Subscribe to SAMatters Radio

Our Sponsors

Midwest Fire MidwestFire.com

Chief Miller

Instagram: @Chief_Miller

Intro music

Safety Dance (1982)

Men Without Hats

GMC - Virgin Records

Licensed by BMI Music

Firefighter Near Miss Reporting System

http://www.firefighternearmiss.com/

SPONSOR THIS SHOW

The SAMatters Show is the longest running, fastest growing, safety focused weekly program on the Internet. If you know a company that might be interested in advertising their product or service to our listeners and viewers, ask them to contact us by clicking the "Contact us" tab at the top of the SAMatters.com website.

The house that was on fire was a vacant, dilapidated structure with a fire on the second floor. John was part of a crew that was looking for fire extension on the second floor of this large farm-style house. While on the second floor, John separated from his partner – by his estimates – approximately 20 feet or so, and entered a room where the floor was weakened – not from fire, but from rot. With no warning, John fell through the floor and was caught by his SCBA bottle.

This resulted in a Mayday and John's successful rescue. During this interview, John will share some valuable lessons learned, including:

• The importance of not being complacent and letting your guard down. Simply because you are in an environment that does not contain a lot of smoke and fire, doesn't mean you are not in danger.
• John recalls hearing someone announce the structure was in poor condition and the floors had been compromised – yet he still fell through a weakened spot.
• At the time, the department did not have a mayday policy and firefighters were not trained to a standardized mayday procedure.
• Where John is from it is procedure for a Rapid Intervention Team is identified by the dispatcher at the start of the call. John does not recall a specific department or company being names RIT for this incident, even though there were over 40 firefighters on the scene.

Show Notes

Contact Us www.SAMatters.com www.RichGasaway.com 612-548-4424 (office) 651-331-8518 (cell)

Get connected with SAMatters

Facebook: Follow SAMatters

LinkedIn: Follow Rich Gasaway

Twitter: Follow Rich Gasaway

Instagram: Follow SA_Matters

Youtube: Subscribe to SAMattersTV

Itunes: Subscribe to SAMatters Radio

Stitcher Radio: Subscribe to SAMatters Radio

Google Play: Subscribe to SAMatters Radio

iHeart Radio: Subscribe to SAMatters Radio

Our Sponsors

Midwest Fire MidwestFire.com

Chief Miller

Instagram: @Chief_Miller

Intro music

Safety Dance (1982)

Men Without Hats

GMC - Virgin Records

Licensed by BMI Music

Firefighter Near Miss Reporting System

http://www.firefighternearmiss.com/

SPONSOR THIS SHOW

The SAMatters Show is the longest running, fastest growing, safety focused weekly program on the Internet. If you know a company that might be interested in advertising their product or service to our listeners and viewers, ask them to contact us by clicking the "Contact us" tab at the top of the SAMatters.com website.

On this episode, I interview Firefighter Richard Marcus of the New Hartford Volunteer Fire Department in Connecticut. On May 5, 2006, Firefighter Marcus was in the officer's seat of New Hartford Engine 1 responding to a report of a fire on the roadside.

While in route, they were cancelled and a discussion in the cab caused the driver to become momentarily distracted. For the brief moment that he had his eyes off the roadway, the engine drifted of the right side of the road. While the driver attempted to correct and recover, the engine veered out of control and struck a tree on the officer's side of the engine. Listen as Richard tells his close call survivor story.

Show Notes

Contact Us www.SAMatters.com www.RichGasaway.com 612-548-4424 (office) 651-331-8518 (cell)

Get connected with SAMatters

Facebook: Follow SAMatters

LinkedIn: Follow Rich Gasaway

Twitter: Follow Rich Gasaway

Instagram: Follow SA_Matters

Youtube: Subscribe to SAMattersTV

Itunes: Subscribe to SAMatters Radio

Stitcher Radio: Subscribe to SAMatters Radio

Google Play: Subscribe to SAMatters Radio

iHeart Radio: Subscribe to SAMatters Radio

Our Sponsors

Midwest Fire MidwestFire.com

Chief Miller

Instagram: @Chief_Miller

Intro music

Safety Dance (1982)

Men Without Hats

GMC - Virgin Records

Licensed by BMI Music

Firefighter Near Miss Reporting System

http://www.firefighternearmiss.com/

SPONSOR THIS SHOW

The SAMatters Show is the longest running, fastest growing, safety focused weekly program on the Internet. If you know a company that might be interested in advertising their product or service to our listeners and viewers, ask them to contact us by clicking the "Contact us" tab at the top of the SAMatters.com website.

Most workers know, intuitively, that having strong situational awareness is important, but very few actually understand the process involved with how to develop and maintain situational awareness while working in high-risk, high-consequence environments. This episode discusses deadly situational awareness barriers and offers tips, tricks and hacks for improve awareness.

Show Notes

Contact Us www.SAMatters.com www.RichGasaway.com 612-548-4424 (office) 651-331-8518 (cell)

Get connected with SAMatters

Facebook: Follow SAMatters

LinkedIn: Follow Rich Gasaway

Twitter: Follow Rich Gasaway

Instagram: Follow SA_Matters Youtube: Subscribe to SAMattersTV

Itunes: Subscribe to SAMatters Radio

Stitcher Radio: Subscribe to SAMatters Radio

Google Play: Subscribe to SAMatters Radio

iHeart Radio: Subscribe to SAMatters Radio

Our Sponsors

Midwest Fire MidwestFire.com

Chief Miller

Instagram: @Chief_Miller

Intro music

Safety Dance (1982)

Men Without Hats

GMC - Virgin Records

Licensed by BMI Music

Firefighter Near Miss Reporting System

http://www.firefighternearmiss.com/

SPONSOR THIS SHOW

The SAMatters Show is the longest running, fastest growing, safety focused weekly program on the Internet. If you know a company that might be interested in advertising their product or service to our listeners and viewers, ask them to contact us by clicking the "Contact us" tab at the top of the SAMatters.com website.

Most workers know, intuitively, that having strong situational awareness is important, but very few actually understand the process involved with how to develop and maintain situational awareness while working in high-risk, high-consequence environments. This episode explains the full process and includes tips and hacks for improving situational awareness.

Show Notes

Contact Us www.SAMatters.com www.RichGasaway.com 612-548-4424 (office) 651-331-8518 (cell)

Get connected with SAMatters

Facebook: Follow SAMatters

LinkedIn: Follow Rich Gasaway

Twitter: Follow Rich Gasaway

Instagram: Follow SA_Matters

Youtube: Subscribe to SAMattersTV

Itunes: Subscribe to SAMatters Radio

Stitcher Radio: Subscribe to SAMatters Radio

Google Play: Subscribe to SAMatters Radio

iHeart Radio: Subscribe to SAMatters Radio

Our Sponsors

Midwest Fire MidwestFire.com

Chief Miller

Instagram: @Chief_Miller

Intro music

Safety Dance (1982)

Men Without Hats

GMC - Virgin Records

Licensed by BMI Music

Firefighter Near Miss Reporting System

http://www.firefighternearmiss.com/

SPONSOR THIS SHOW

The SAMatters Show is the longest running, fastest growing, safety focused weekly program on the Internet. If you know a company that might be interested in advertising their product or service to our listeners and viewers, ask them to contact us by clicking the "Contact us" tab at the top of the SAMatters.com website.

On June 30, 2015, the Franklin Fire Department was dispatched to a multi-family structure fire. The first-arriving officer reported heavy smoke showing and there was a possibility of people trapped. The crew started an interior operation, climbing a long set of stairs to the second floor. Conditions changed quickly and during the ensuing chaos the captain became separated from his crew. This episode shares their story.

Show Notes

Contact Us www.SAMatters.com www.RichGasaway.com 612-548-4424 (office) 651-331-8518 (cell)

Guest Contact Information

Chief Kevin LaChapelle

FranklinNH.org

603-512-0852 (cell)

SAMatters Social Media Facebook.com/SAMatters

www.linkedin.com/in/richgasaway/

https://twitter.com/RichGasaway SAMatters TV

https://www.youtube.com/SAMattersTV

SAMatters Radio iTunes Stitcher

Google Play

iHeart Radio

Our Sponsors

Midwest Fire MidwestFire.com

Chief Miller

Instagram: @Chief_Miller

Intro music

Safety Dance (1982)

Men Without Hats

GMC - Virgin Records

Licensed by BMI Music

Firefighter Near Miss Reporting System

http://www.firefighternearmiss.com/

SPONSOR REQUEST

The SAMatters Show is the longest running, fastest growing, safety focused weekly program on the Internet. If you know a company that might be interested in advertising their product or service to our listeners and viewers, ask them to contact us at SAMatters.com.

On June 30, 2015, the Franklin Fire Department was dispatched to a multi-family structure fire. The first-arriving officer reported heavy smoke showing and there was a possibility of people trapped. The crew started an interior operation, climbing a long set of stairs to the second floor. Conditions changed quickly and during the ensuing chaos the captain became separated from his crew. This episode shares their story.

Show Notes

Contact Us www.SAMatters.com www.RichGasaway.com 612-548-4424 (office) 651-331-8518 (cell)

Guest Contact Information

Chief Kevin LaChapelle

FranklinNH.org

603-512-0852 (cell)

SAMatters Social Media Facebook.com/SAMatters

Linkedin.com/in/richgasaway/

Twitter.com/RichGasaway Instagram.com/SA_Matters SAMatters TV

https://www.youtube.com/SAMattersTV

SAMatters Radio iTunes Stitcher

Google Play

Our Sponsors

Midwest Fire MidwestFire.com

Chief Miller

Instagram: @Chief_Miller

Intro music

Safety Dance (1982)

Men Without Hats

GMC - Virgin Records

Licensed by BMI Music

Firefighter Near Miss Reporting System

http://www.firefighternearmiss.com/

SPONSOR REQUEST

The SAMatters Show is the longest running, fastest growing, safety focused weekly program on the Internet. If you know a company that might be interested in advertising their product or service to our listeners and viewers, ask them to contact us at SAMatters.com.

The brain does not like confusion and in the absence of factual information it can make up its own reality, notwithstanding what true reality is. This episode explains how it happens and shares one police officer's story of how he almost shot an unarmed man.

Show Notes

Contact Us www.SAMatters.com www.RichGasaway.com 612-548-4424 (office) 651-331-8518 (cell)

SAMatters Social Media Facebook.com/SAMatters

www.linkedin.com/in/richgasaway/

https://twitter.com/RichGasaway SAMatters TV

https://www.youtube.com/SAMattersTV

SAMatters Radio iTunes Stitcher

Google Play

Our Sponsors

Midwest Fire MidwestFire.com

Chief Miller

Instagram: @Chief_Miller

Intro music

Safety Dance (1982)

Men Without Hats

GMC - Virgin Records

Licensed by BMI Music

Firefighter Near Miss Reporting System

http://www.firefighternearmiss.com/

SPONSOR REQUEST

The SAMatters Show is the longest running, fastest growing, safety focused weekly program on the Internet. If you know a company that might be interested in advertising their product or service to our listeners and viewers, ask them to contact us at SAMatters.com.