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Heavy Lifting with the High-Lift Jack

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Heavy lifting takes tools, training, and critical thinking.  For this training tip, we are going to look at the basic mechanical high-lift jack.  Pretend for a few minutes that all of your pneumatic, hydraulic, and electric tools are broke.  I’m not saying go back to the Stone Age all the time, but some basic tools and skills may help you significantly when confronted with a challenging pin job.

High-lift jacks can be used for lifting, winching, and clamping in a variety of scenarios.  These jacks depending on the manufacturer have lifting capacities of around 4,000 pounds.  A common length for our purposes is the 48” jack. (more…)

Posted by on May 26, 2011 • Filed under: All, Firefighter Training, School Bus Extrication, Vehicle Rescue • Tagged: , , ,

Ladder Bucket Standpipe

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Can we set-up an elevated standpipe off of the ladder bucket?  That is just what a couple young firefighters asked and it turned into a fine company drill.  This is an example of the younger generations breaking the lazy and unmotivated stereotypes.   (more…)

Posted by on May 22, 2011 • Filed under: All, Firefighter Training

School Bus Roll-Over Pinning

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This past week at BGSU’s State Fire School  (www.fireschool.org) we spent a great deal of time in the Heavy Rescue class focusing on lifting.  For this post, I am going to show some options for lifting a rolled over school bus that is pinning a victim.  Your thoughts might be gravitating towards the use of airbags, but what other options do you have?  When making a rescue you need to be fast and safe.

Remember:

  • School buses weigh upwards to 12 tons, but in this type of situation you are not lifting that entire weight.
  • We need to lift enough to get the victim out.
  • We are not trying to upright the school bus.
  • Always remember to crib as you go, if we move the load an inch, we crib an inch. (more…)
Posted by on May 13, 2011 • Filed under: All, Vehicle Rescue • Tagged: ,

Forcible Entry Door Prop

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We all have learned forcible entry techniques dating back to fire school, the key is to stay proficient in your trade.  Firefighters regularly blow apart residential doors with a boot, the irons, or the baseball swing, but one obstacle that many firefighters do not get much practice in is commercial door forcible entry.

For about $250 worth of steal, 3 old Oliver plow springs (from brother firefighter & farmer Josh Goetz in Carroll Township (OH)), and some time I was able to weld together a forcible entry prop that can take the abuse over and over.  There are some commercially made and other homemade props like this around the country, but here’s my variation.  (more…)

Posted by on May 6, 2011 • Filed under: All, Firefighter Training • Tagged:

Evaluation Strategies for Fire Service Mentors, Instructors, and Officers

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If I walked into the classroom and said……..I am glad some of you showed up.  My name is Paul Hasenmeier and I am a firefighter / paramedic and newly promoted lieutenant that is going to teach you everything you need to know about evaluating.  You might wonder what experience I have evaluating employees.  Not much really, but I did read the book sitting on your shelf left unread by you.

Your evaluation of me as an instructor would most likely be shattered by me not meeting your expectations even in the first minutes of the presentation.  Those expectations are preconceived thoughts and ideals based on your previous experiences.  In retrospect, if I were to begin the presentation looking sharp, professional, and able to relate to you, your evaluation of me would most likely receive higher marks. (more…)

Posted by on May 1, 2011 • Filed under: All, Leadership
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