New – out of the bag

After numerous hours of extrication training

We met the HexArmor crew at FDIC and they asked if we would review the new 4011 glove.  We’ve put several different gloves through the extrication paces.  Check out all of our reviews HERE.

Overall, these gloves provide great dexterity and impact protection at a firefighter friendly price.

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Description of the 4011 Gloves from the HexArmor website:

Above all else, an extrication glove must be tough.  Built to last through countless difficult missions, the EXT Rescue™ 4011 is the strongest, most dependable rescue safety glove available.  We armed this glove with our improved IR-X™ Impact Exoskeleton™ and an ISEA Level 5 cut-resistant palm, reinforced with our proprietary TP-X™ technology for added durability and grip.  We also double-stitched all exterior and interior seams and added a 2.5” Airprene™ Velcro® cuff, so this glove fits as well as it lasts.  The EXT Rescue™ 4011 is the HexArmor® commitment to the rugged vigilance of our first responders.  HexArmor® knows that you will never give up, and neither should your glove.

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 Pros:

• Great dexterity.
• Good grip.
• The “Impact Exoskeleton” provides excellent protection.
• These gloves were beat up pretty good during a week-long heavy rescue class and several tool demos.  No holes or cuts resulted.  Some notable wear on the palm side.  Overall durability solid.

Cons:

• Not good protection when using torches.
• I removed a sawzal blade from the saw after use and could feel the heat on my hand quickly.
• Hands will be cold during winter months in northern Ohio.
• Sizing was different.  I tried several sizes on and settled on a Large.  Normally, I wear XL.

Cost:

$49.99

www.hexarmor.com

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What torch do you have on your rig?  If you had to pick one, which would it be?  Why?

These videos are not necessarily great for initial teaching because of the sound, so be sure to get some seasoned guidance before burning your first time.

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Petrogen Torch

Click here to view the embedded video.

FireVideo.net

Slice Pack

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Conventional forcible entry on a school bus…

Roll-over pinning scenario lifting.

If you have never cut on a school bus, you get to ride along with Austrian FF Bernd Altinger in the videos below.  FF Altinger was wearing the Fire Cam from FireVideo.net during the heavy rescue class at the 2013 BGSU State Fire School.  We had lots of help with tools in this pit from:  TNT Rescue Systems, Milwaukee Tools, Dewalt, Hi-Lift Jack, Paratech, Packexe Smash. Give them a “Like”.  We couldn’t do the class without all the support.

Read the wrap-up from the under-ride pit HERE.

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Through The Side Windows and Wall (teaching point on the angle of your tool early in the video)

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You will see in the video below how easily the blade pops out of the sawzal when it is forced while trying to cut multiple layers of a school bus wall.  We also learned that our Austrian Brother Bernd Altinger was a new user of the sawzal.  Sounds like he was more familiar with a circular type saw.

Click here to view the embedded video.

One option for steering column displacement on a Type D school bus with hydraulics.  More coming soon in a FireRescue article comparing the challenges of Type C and Type D school bus driver entrapment.

More School Bus Extrication Posts

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Through The Roof

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Through The Floor.  A challenging and time consuming option.

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We all have the potential to face an under-ride scenario.  Columbus FF JD Vasbinder talks the crew through the steps of gaining access to a pinned driver in the video below.  The teaching points are in the video, so be sure to watch with your crew to learn new or review already known techniques.

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Click here to view the embedded video.

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Side door removal – Rip-N-Blitz

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Taking the roof

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I was initially concerned about durability because of the single layer, however, after multiple heavy rescue trainings; the gear has held up well.  No holes yet, just some grease, red mud (from South Carolina), and other stains.

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From the Tecgen Xtreme website:

For most departments… up to 80% of responses are non-structural in nature. Now you have a choice for these types of calls.

70 and sunny during this heavy rescue class. Guess what we allowed the attendees to do? Yup, take the thermal liners out of the structural gear.

Smitty from Boron Extrication and I spent some time with the Tecgen Xtreme crew at FDIC.

TECGEN XTREME® garments are UL certified to exceed NFPA 1951 (Technical Rescue) and NFPA 1977 (Wildland Firefighting), making them the perfect choice for the following types of responses:

• Extrication
• Search and Rescue
• MVA
• Junior Firefighting / Explorer Programs
• Wildland, Grass and Brush Fires
• Confined Space
• Trench Rescue
• High / Low Angle Rescue
• Good Will Calls
• Support Personnel

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 Pros:

• No break-in needed.
• Lightweight and breathable.  I purposely wore this gear during the FDIC stair climb to feel the difference from working in structural gear.
• Flame resistant.  During some torch training, some slag splashed onto the coat.  No burns to the skin underneath.
• Much lower cost than structural turnout gear.  Could be worn for extrication, technical rescue, wildland, EMS assists to extend the life of turnout gear.
• Multiple pockets with velcro closure are useful for small tools.

Snow showers in the morning kept me in structural pants.

Cons:

• No water resistance.  You will get wet in the rain.
• Will require additional undergarments during cold weather.

Cost:

About $500 for jacket and pants, but check with Tecgen Xtreme for exact pricing.

www.tecgenxtreme.com

From about November to the end of March in Ohio, I anticipate wearing structural gear simple for the warmth aspect.  However, during the spring, summer, and early fall months the Tecgen Xtreme gear is a great option to keep the core temperature of firefighters down.  With all the talk about health and safety, we should consider options to reduce heat stress during non-structural responses and training.  This gear will meet our expectations of reducing heat stress.

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Click here to view the embedded video.

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Specs from the Haix website:

NFPA 1971-2013, NFPA 1951-2013, NFPA 1992-2012, NFPA 1977-2011, CAN/CSA Z 195-2009*, ASTM F 2413-2011

• STRUCTURAL, USAR, HAZMAT and Wildland
• Secura Liner – will never pull out or wrinkle up over time
• HAIX Sun Reflect leather keeps feet cooler in direct sunlight
• waterproof/breathable with CROSSTECH®
• HAIX® Lacing system for superior fit
• KEVLAR® chainsaw protection
• protective toe cap
• puncture protection sole
• Increased chemical protection
• Nitrile/rubber sole
• heat resistance

Pros:

• Little to no break-in needed
• Feet have not been sore or blistered after extended time in the boots
• Feet stayed dry
• Multi-use
• Zipper seems heavy-duty
• Personal preference, maybe…but the jump from rubber pull-ons to leather pull-ons is great and the jump from leather pull-ons to zip-ups is that much better again

Cons:

• Tread could be a bit more aggressive for muddy / snow conditions
• It took a little while to adjust lacing system, however, the boots felt like a custom fit when done
• Loop on the back of the boot is useful for donning, however it takes a while to break in

Cost in the Haix Bootstore:  $365.00

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Going from pull-on boots to zip-ups changed my decade + routine of turning out.  Several brothers wondered if pants then boots slowed me down…nope.  I’m looking  forward to putting more miles, stairs, mud, heat, and snow on these boots.  If anything eventful happens as far as durability, we’ll let you know.

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Packed classroom to start the day with JD Vasbinder.

Stabilization and school bus work.

Day 1 in the classroom for the Heavy Rescue class at the 2013 BGSU State Fire School has come and gone.  Part of the crew was at the HOT training group prepping the pits for the rest of the week.  This is going to be a quick post with a few pictures and teaching points from todays session.  Several links to other training reference are scattered throughout.

We’ll try to get pics and a few teaching points each night this week…

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JD made a “rule of thumb” point on knowing the weights of heavy vehicles.

• 1000 lbs. per foot for the trailer
• 20,000 lbs. per axle

BGSU State Fire School on Twitter

John from Gary Schumaker LLC. brought this fuel tanker by for an afternoon walk-around.  It can carry gasoline, diesel, and gasoline with ethanol.

 Garbage Trucks – Lifting A Heavy Load

John talking about the bill of lading. Helps determine what in the tanker. Is it loaded or gas?

Emergency valve shut-off on front of tanker. Air hose – Red – Emergency Brakes / Blue – Application.

Stuck Between a Car and a Garbage Truck

Another lifting pit for the week.

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Yesterday, Andrew Brassard shared some pictures from a recent Brotherhood Instructors Man-In-The-Machine class with a rescue email group.  The picture below jumped out at me and I quickly traded another email with Brass.

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To be honest, I had never even thought about having to extricate a kid from a safe.  Is it possible, you bet.  Just google “kid trapped in a safe”.   Think about all the safes in Dick’s Sporting Goods, Walmarts, Gander Mountains, etc…

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Brass shared that for this drill they drilled several air holes and then used an angle grinder to cut off the top. Below is a video from across the pond with a combination of techniques to free the victim.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Do you have any experience with this type of rescue.  If so, please share.

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OTHER FDIC POSTS HERE & HERE

Some of these people below are firefighters, instructors, and/or innovators.  Be sure to check them for training and equipment.  Next week we’ll be teaching in the Heavy Rescue class at BGSU State Fire School.  There are 6 semi cabs, 3 school buses, 2 garbage trucks, and 16 cars lined up for 30 firefighters to cut on.  We will try to get pictures up each day next week and if time permits a post each night with a few lessons learned or teaching points.

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Chris Moren and The Pig, Hasenmeier, Smitty from Boron Extrication

THE PIGSKIN REVIEW & THE PIG REVIEW

Sarah from Tecgen Xtreme, Hasenmeier, Smitty from Boron Extrication, and Todd from Tecgen Xtreme

Climbed for Douglas Miller, Rescue 5

We had a good time wearing the lightweight extrication gear from Tecgen Xtreme.  We wore the gear during the stair climb, although lighter than structural gear; we found that it would provide a definite advantage during extrication, wildland firefighting, and other technical rescue operations.  You can talk health and safety until your blue in the face, but is structural gear necessary for fighting a non-structural fire or working an extrication?    Reducing internal core temperature while prolonging the life of structural gear may be a growing trend.

We also heard a few grumblings of us wearing extrication gear during the climb and not structural gear.  Well, those grumblings are certainly unfortunate considering the cause, brotherhood at the event, and funds raised for the NFFF.  If anybody has the brass axes to criticize from a computer screen this year, then here is my proposal for next year:  I’ll climb next to you next year at FDIC with structural gear plus an airpack and make the donation for your entry fee.

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The Haix Fire Flash Xtreme boots were awesome during the stair climb. With Tracey Cline.

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Hasenmeier, Ryan Pennington (Views from the Jumpseat), Antonio Cugini (FoxFury), & Smitty from Boron Extrication

Packexe CEO Andrew Orchard talking with us about some new Packexe Smash developments.  Read our review HERE

We dropped in on the FoxFire booth on the way to the stair climb.  I had some helmet tets on my helmet, but right away Zac from FoxFire threw some helmet bands our way.  Check out the many illuminating products they have in addition to the new SCBA ID Tags.

We’ve been using the First Responder Jack during training for some time now.  Read the review HERE.  It was nice to meet Jeff Pugh along the way.

First Responder Jacks

It was nice to place a name with a face on several occasions, see the latest / greatest equipment, and chat with countless Brothers.  Now it’s time to get back to learning, burning, breaking, and cutting…

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Photo by Second Due Tackle photographer Kevin Gadd

Well, the annual pilgrimage to Indianapolis has come and gone, but not without many great memories and a recharged battery.  FDIC is truly an awesome event for learning, networking, and brotherhood.  If you haven’t made the trip, we all hope to see you there one of these years.    If you missed the post about Thursday’s journeys, CLICK HERE.

Also, on Thursday many Brothers attended the National Fallen Fire Firefighters dinner and auction.  A must attend event if you have never made it.  On our walk to the dinner, Veteran Firefighter Kevin Gadd brainstormed another website.  He said its going to be called Second Due Tackle and all posts will be re-shared from this page the next day.  We all got a laugh out of his idea, but in all seriousness, Kevin has contributed lots to the site, taken lots of pictures, carried a few bags, and taught during some of our classes.

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NFFF Dinner and Auction

Stair Climb

We were checked in and waiting for the start of the stair climb ceremony when Smitty from Boron Extrication had a very special encounter.  Be sure to “LIKE” BORON EXTRICATION to read about the story soon.

The climb itself was very motivational.  The atmosphere, the 400+ on the stairs, and the constant words of encouragement we heard from one firefighter to another.  Below is a short video (about a minute) with several clips during the climb.

Click here to view the embedded video.

With Brother Snyder and Brotherton from Sandusky (OH) FD and Brother Bronner from Perkins Twp (OH) FD after the climb.

FireRescue / FirefighterNation Award

We hit the road for home after the stair climb because firehouse duty was on the calendar for Saturday morning.  We missed the FireRescue meet-up, but were notified the next morning of being recognized for one of the 2013 Fire Service Writers Awards.   Shannon Pieper, Editorial Director, wrote that “the fire service has long depended on the generosity of its members in sharing their knowledge to teach the next generation.”

FireRescue / FirefighterNation Awards

Whether you get an idea on the FDT page, contribute to the conversation via social media, share your ideas for all to see, or pass your knowledge on to the young guys – THANK YOU.

Don’t let your education journey stop, stay disciplined, and pass it on!