Our discussion with Dan Gerrard, Bobby Halton and Jow Telles continues in our special look at building relationships in Emergency Response.

Whether a Chief Officer or Probationary Member, all can learn from this discussion, have a look.

We had a great day of filming yesterday in San Jose with disaster experts gathered to attend the Tak-Response conference which ends today.

Even though we have not yet found a sponsor to cover the expenses, this opportunity was too important to let pass.

The conference has been a lot of fun, with Thaddeus, Natalie, Jeremiah and Sam Bradley begin_of_the_skype_highlighting     end_of_the_skype_highlighting, the extended Chronicles family, all except Mark.
For a new conference in a new place with a new concept I think it did very well.

I think Kelly Greyson would have enjoyed the shooting simulator side by side with some of the SWAT folks on hand at the show.
And the law enforcement members we did meet were interested not only in what we were doing, but marveling at the wide array of equipment EMS carries, not just a bag and a cot.

Just the show floor was working to break down barriers and let disciplines mingle, imagine what the speakers are inspiring.

The audio difficulties in the filming of the Seat at the Table are well known, but finding a solution we can afford on a negative budget is difficult. We’re trying, I promise.

Today it’s back to the conference with the meetup tonight at Gordon Beirsch Brewery. See you there?

Over the next few weeks you’ll be hearing from me about the Tak Response Conference in San Jose coming up September 14th-16th.

Chronicles of EMS was invited to be a part of this collaborative training opportunity that will bring the best of all fields together to network and learn from each other.

This conference combines nursing, Fire, Haz-Mat, law enforcement, SWAT, EMS, public works and a number of other disciplines together, since when we all arrive on scene we have to work together.

Let’s start to train together.

Tak Response is not only a chance to learn from other disciplines where you fit in at “their” scene, but to network socially with your fellow providers before the you know what hits you know where.

Imagine a scene where the Battalion Chief, Patrol Officer and EMT all already know each other and what each agency expects from the others.  That’s a smooth running scene.

Here’s the episode of Seat at the Table where we meet the organizers of the Tak Response Conference and run the concept by paramedics, firefighters and even a cop.

The 3 AM building alarm.  This is the Fire Service equivalent of an abdominal pain from a month ago.  Thing is, when it’s in a retirement home, all bets are off as to what might be going on.

THE EMERGENCY

Audible and visual warning devices triggered by an automatic alarm, water flow indicated.

THE ACTION

When the bells strike at work, I always get out of bed and sit on the corner and wait for 2 distinct dispatcher comments:

1. “Unit dispatch…” Which means it’s a medical job and I should continue waking up, OR

2. “Units stand by for the box…” Which means we have a report of smoke or fire in a building.

But there is a glimmer of hope when the dispatcher calls out a building alarm box because our Truck Company also covers 2 other engine areas.  Sometimes they’re the only ones going out.  Sometimes.

Tonight it’s everyone and we’re quickly on scene to a very beautiful brick 4 story type 3 we drive by all the time wondering what’s inside.

Old people.

We’re met by a security guard who of course is more interested in our supervisor’s name than telling us the situation inside.  A representative from the water department wanders over from a giant hole in the ground surrounded by water department vehicles and informs us they just turned the main back on.

As the pressure slowly built against the sprinkler valve, it likely shuddered and set off the alarm.  We relax and go in to make sure and reset the alarm.

Like in a zombie movie, we enter to see various persons in pajamas and robes wandering the halls and standing on the stairs, all staring at us as we go by.  They say nothing, only watch and slowly begin to come closer the longer we stand at the alarm panel under the grand staircase.  At some time in the past 100 years, this was one hell of a mansion, but now is populated by scores of the aged.

Which is odd, since I’ve never been on a medical run here before.

As we reset the alarm, the occupants begin to slowly shuffle away in different directions, except for one.

He corners the other firefighter and asks her if she knew they had a new elevator installed recently.

“OK, wonderful, thanks.” She says, being as polite as you can at 3:15 AM.

“No, you need a key to use it if the alarm goes off,” he informs her.

“Yes, we have that key,” she says, trying to walk away.

“No, it’s a new kind of elevator, come, I’ll show you.” and he begins to lead her down a hallway.

As much as I wanted to follow and keep her company, she went along as one might go along to look at baby pictures of your third cousin while visiting long lost family.

She eventually emerged, unharmed and still in good spirits, to inform us that it was a standard elevator.  Go figure.  It wasn’t until later I learned that the inventor of the modern elevator, Elisha Otis, died long ago.  I was half hoping that was him, remarkably old and well preserved, in a home for the very old and the very rich.

Seems the neato thing to do these days is get your hospital registered some kind of specialist center.  we have STEMI Centers, Stroke Centers, Trauma Centers, Burn Centers, Pediatric Centers and so on and so on.  Well, in my system we also have a microsurgery center.

So I got a text message on July 3rd from an old intern who had an interesting question:

John- “If I get a firework injury with fingers blown off, but there is burns, do I go to burn center, microsurg or trauma?”

HM- “You decide, because each of the decision matrix end with Paramedic Judgment. If the burns are considered extensive, go to the burn center, unless there is significant trauma, otherwise go to the trauma center.  BUT, if there is tissue that could be salvaged and repaired, immediate transport to the micro surg unit is warranted.”

John- “What about a peds?”

HM- “The system will implode.”

Tuesday night at 6pm Pacific time I’ll be taking over the Firefighter Netcast show LIVE on blogtalk radio.  You can call in at  (347) 327-9920  and join the chat room at the link below.

As is usual with the Happy Hour Show I’ve got a few things I want to talk about so I’m taking over.

Some topics discussed may include:

PPV fans

Crew size

Officer experience

Rural vs Urban and many many more.  But since it’s a live call in show, YOU can ask me about what you want to talk about.

See you on the radio!

I hate that saying “Where there’s smoke, there’s fire” because we all know it to be false.  Don’t believe me?  Light a candle.  No smoke.  Now blow it out. Poof…smoke.  Where there’s smoke there are byproducts of combustion.

Now where did they put that darned combustion?

THE EMERGENCY

11 PM and things are winding down at the firehouse when the radio teases us the way they love to do, “Standby for the box” the voice calmly states as if settling on a choice of new carpet.

Most times the alarms hit somewhere else and we get to listen to the response, but when that tease is followed by the automatics firing on and the bells ringing, we get moving.  And fast.

“Engine 99, Engine 66, Engine 88, Truck 4, Truck 21, Battalion 5, Battalion 12, Rescue 3, Division 4 and Medic 99 respond to 123 Maple for a reported smoke in a building, alarm sounding.  Repeating…”

She went on but I was already heading for the engine, turnout pants buckling as I went, weaving in and out of the paths of the firemen descending the poles.

THE ACTION

There are folks outside of the 4 story type 3 with similar buildings on each exposure-attached and we see nothing showing.  Alarm bells are ringing and folks tell us of smoke on the third floor.

Grabbing the can and a tool I’m right behind the officer as we make entry to the lobby to an old alarm panel that simply has a light flashing next to “trouble.”  Trouble indeed, no zone, no detector, we’ll have to do the walk.

The walk, as we call it, is the systematic check of all doors by opening them to check for fire conditions.  If they can not be opened we gently break the seal at the top of the door feeling for heat and looking for smoke.

As we continue our walk there is indeed a scent of burning paper on the third floor, but no visible sign of smoke.  the truck has made the roof and done a 360 of the building, (yes we do that part of the sizeup from the roof) and are now searching top down.

Minutes pass as we investigate the source of the smell of smoke.  None of the units have fireplaces, the garbage chute is clear, the grills are clean and cool, but darn it if we can’t find the source.

After making another walk through each unit I was resigned to take the apartment hose pack back downstairs when the firefighter emerged from the hallway and said, “Come take a look at this, will ya?”

Inside one of the kitchens he has a headlamp I admired at FDIC pointed towards the ceiling and said, “Do you see smoke up there or am I crazy?”

“Command Engine 99, we have smoke in unit 4.” was my traffic and we set out to discover the source.  As more bodies came into the tiny unit and the even tinier kitchen, all in full gear, I stuck my head out the kitchen windows and looked outside.  I could smell the burning paper, but where was it?

As I turned to leave the spot near the window behind a table, my axe handle rubbed against a large paper bag and the bottom fell right out of it.  The burnt bottom.  And all the trash in it was burnt.  We dug through looking for a match or a cigarette or some other source but found nothing but trash.

Where there was smoke, there had been an early stage of combustion.  but had it not been for the smoke detectors, the occupants likely would have gone to bed, not knowing they would be awoken by fire cutting off their only means of egress.

A 9v battery saves the day again.

It figures.  Finally a day away and the job finds you.  Well, at least everyone evacuated, that’s a plus, but when no notification appears to have been made to the Fire Department, soemthing should be done…but what and by whom?

First, let’s walk this back a few Departments and talk to the young kid who was an Explorer scout in a sub-urban system:

• I can’t do anything because 1) I have no gear with me and 2) all the payphones are inside, so I can’t call it in.  Maybe someone here has a car phone they can use.  Keep everyone outside until help arrives.

Thanks kid, and this is likely the most common response aside from pulling out the cell phone and calling 911 these days which, to my surprise no one was doing this particular day.  One bicyclist stops to fix a flat and 5 people report him unconscious but 1000 people listening to a fire alarm do nothing.

Now skip to the rural volunteer firefighter of old and let’s see what he does:

• My pager is on my belt, but my radio and gear is always in the truck.  I’m on the radio calling in the whole South region of the County and getting bunkered up and to the head of the museum to investigate the panel, then radio ahead my findings.  Since there is only a paid driver on the engines around here I’ll be able to get an airpack no problem.

Again, a go getter that guy, recently dropped out of college to get more “street time.”  We’ll see how that goes for him.  But a fair response in a volunteer district.  No point running back to the car, driving to the firehouse, then returning.

And now to the paid guy in the public safety system, let’s see how he handles it.

• I don’t carry my radio or gear off duty, but we’re a small community, so I’m getting my badge out and asking what is going on.  Judging by the delay in response the cross staffed engine is likely out of service transporting someone into town in their ambulance.  It happens.  If I can I’ll find out what is going on.

Not a bad solution, at least for peace of mind, see if they’ll tell you what’s happening.

So, you ask, what did Happy do?

• The first 15 minutes were annoying to say the least.  Even the 3rd due on a 3rd alarm would have made it by then and the alarm was still ringing which meant only one thing: They couldn’t reset it alone.  I grabbed my handy iphone and called the non emergency dispatch number and asked if they had received an alarm bell at the museum.  He checked the board and found no incident and asked if I wanted it rung out.
• Just as he asked the strobes stopped and the bells went silent.  I told him to hold off, I’ll find out what’s going on.

• ID came out of the wallet and with phone to ear I identified myself and asked if they had an emergency.
• “No, it was a smoke detector in the kitchen, just a false alarm.”

What do we say here at the Happy Medic when we get answers like that?

Blink…blink.

Radio, in my other ear, was asking me to confirm what he heard, that a fire alarm was activated by a smoke detector that was triggered by smoke and the location asked the alarm company to cancel the fire department.

The woman who called herself the manager indeed confirmed that information and I simply advised dispatch.  It was just then there was a tug at my pant leg and the 4 year old needed the restroom and folks were already being let back in.

Radio advised me they would have a supervisor come by and speak to the staff about when to and not to cancel a fire alarm activation.

Reasons to cancel it: “I saw that guy pull the alarm by mistake thinking it was the elevator button.”

There are no other reasons.

If you said find out what is going on and relay when necessary, you made the right call.

The following tale is of a guy who got lucky, but not for the reason you think.

THE EMERGENCY

Don’t you just love when your dinner is interrupted at work?  I do, especially when your bells are preceded by dispatch calling out for units on the air to stand by for a fire dispatch. “Stand by for the box!”

THE ACTION

It is the evening and we are first due with the truck close behind.  On arrival we have light smoke showing from the alley between two 5+ story type 5 apartment buildings, this is going to be tricky.

As we pack up the truck is already stopped and I hear the PTO kick in as the officer calls for a ready line and I pull it down and onto the nozzleman’s (woman tonight) shoulder.

She advances as I follow laying the line out, irons in my other hand.

The sound of the aerial going up is just below the shouts of people down the alley shouting and pointing at a rear garden apartment with heavy white smoke coming out.

As we set the line for entry we can see it was a small kitchen fire which has been extinguished with a small dry chem can which is now sitting in the doorway.

The doors and windows are opened up to ventilate the chemical and the offending pan is removed to the alley.

As we down shift from working fire to PR mode I notice two folks in their late teens or early twenties who appear to have been hastily dressed.  Hair tossled, faces red.

When the Battalion Chief asked them what happened there was the embarrassed smile and a look at each other.

“I should have waited to start the oil.” He says and smiles to the now dozen firefighters cleaning up and helping to open windows.

“Tough way to learn that lesson,” the Chief remarks later.

Back at the dinner table we discussed various comments that may have been made in the other room while the kitchen began to burn.

Everyone got out safe and they were able to stay there that night.  The lucky part of all of this was that their smoke detector did not go off…no battery.  Lucky guy indeed.

My EMS adventures in Newcastle upon Tyne had come to an end and I had but one full day left in England.  Swalwell Station Manager Peter Mudie has arranged for me and Mark to take a bit of a tour of the capabilities of the Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service, so we’re up early and he’s taken us for a road safety class.

Not for me, thank goodness, but for a group of young drivers to impress upon them the importance of not drinking and driving.

Many of us have been to these presentations before.  A middle aged expert prepares what to them appears to be a hip multi-media presentation and the attendees seem less than interested.  I was the same way at 16, we all were.

Enter the Happy Medic and UKMedic999 and the class is now wondering what just happened.

The presentation was actually one of the best I’ve seen including some racy videos that in the end have a message about driving safely.  The kids were really paying attention then.  Mark and I had a chance to impress upon the gathered youth the importance of seat belts and driving safely. I think my “accent” kept their attention more than my content.

Even the locals were cold. Mrs HM knit me two hats, so I shared.

Then it was off to the yard behind the station for an extrication drill to show the new drivers what happens when cars collide.

Set up down the hill were two cars and two students were chosen to be the victims.

To say it was “balls cold”, as one student put it, would be an understatement.  I’m a 6th generation Californian, 50 is cold for me.  This yard was cold.  Wind blowing, snow falling and me with no gloves.

The kids watched as their friends shivered in the cold while the fire appliances pulled up and began their task.  I mentioned in passing to the instructor that I would have let the kids go back inside and he suddenly had a point to make to the youth suddenly more interested in each other than the hydraulic tools freeing their friends.

“AYE!” He shouted to the huddled, hooded forms, “You’re here wearing your coats and gloves, hats and whatnot, but what if you were heading back from your mate’s place and were wearing only a shirt and crashed?” He was moving around in front of them, almost pacing like a drill sergeant, “Laying in the snow, cold, tired and hurt?  You wouldn’t last very long would you?”

He had their attention the rest of the morning.

The extrication was straight forward with the only difference being the use of the smaller ladders to brace the car on it’s side.

After a lunch cooked by the station’s french chef (Yes, the chef is not a firefighter) it was off to Tyne and Wear Fire Headquarters.

What an impressive building and training ground they have!

A grand foyer greets the visitor and many small groups of men are sitting in plain clothes discussing this and that.  One of them, the only one wearing a shirt and tie sees my SFFD Firefighter/Paramedic jacket and does a double take.

As I surveyed the enormous complex I would assume candidates are intimidated when they enter to get their employment packets.  Peter led Mark and I on a brief tour of the lower level and the man in the tie wandered over and said hello.  Just a casual greeting, he seemed like a regular guy in a sea of white embroidered uniforms and street clothes.

Chief Bathgate, Yours Truly, Peter Mudie

The man in the tie wandering the lobby is none other than Iain Bathgate – Chief Fire Officer for Tyne and Wear.

blink. blink.

He offered a hand and I shook it.  There I was in my uniform shirt, but buried under a sweatshirt and a jacket.  Had I known I was going to meet the Chief I would have at least donned my cap and tie to show respect.

Turns out he was more interested in the back of my jacket than what wasn’t around my neck.

“You do both then?” he asked me.

“Not often at once, but yes, I am proficient in both skills” I replied, wondering if I should go into further explanation.  As we spoke the other men were taking interest in the fellow with two titles on his jacket their Chief was talking to.  He immediately suggested a tour of the training grounds, something his face glowed about, he was proud of it.

Through the main lobby and out another set of large glass doors was their training facility, easily 5 acres and including a wide variety of props.

There was a standard training tower that, since once at the top one could peer over to the automobile manufacturer test track next door, was rotated and modified to keep wandering eyes away.

Next to that was a high voltage power line tower prop for high angle rope drills.  Under construction nearby was a large two story collapse house that can be dropped and rebuilt quickly to simulate rescues.

A number of burn buildings stood ready for recruits and in service crews alike, one of which was in service when we visited.

But the piece of equipment that caught my eye as special was their train rig.  Over behind the airplane prop and the piles of wood was a full size train car half in a man made tunnel. I wish we had one.

Half way through my tour, Mr Bathgate dismissed himself and went back to running what appeared to be a well funded and well respected organization.

Mark, Peter and I finished the tour and the Department had a photographer come down and snap a few pictures of us in front of some of the appliances.  then a few minutes later she rushed out with a stack of nice photos for me and Mark to remember our visit.

The only comments Mr Bathgate made regarding the wording on my jacket was, “Oh, we’ll not be doing that here” which is something I’m not unused to hearing from the Big Red Machine.

Same System, Different Country.

I’ve got a few more posts worth of observations and anecdotes that I’ll be saving until after the Chronicles of EMS premiere on February 12th.