It's Been Fun
Question and Answer
Scrapbook
Call for Articles
1998 Conference in Review
Are all Thermal Imagers Created Equally?
New Treasurer
Member Profile
2 In - 2 Out codified by OSHA
Texas Fire Service and Texas Dept. of Health Meet
New Vice President
Leadership vs. Management
Upcoming Events
Why Are Fire Trucks Red?
FROM THE PRESIDENT
Our conference in January was a great success. Thanks to Jay Petty and all of those who worked on the committee. Great Job!!! Also, a special thanks to all the vendors that participated. Without the vendors, this conference would not be the success it is.Next year's conference is already in the planning stage. The first meeting is scheduled for March 6, 1998. The 1999 conference chairman is Gary Vincent. Gary has the major committees in place and working hard.
I would like to welcome the newly elected officers, Kent Howard (Vice President) and David Schlottach (Treasurer). Both are long time members of the association and will serve you well.
Sorry to be so brief, but as each of you know, the schedules are full. If you have any ideas or concerns, please contact me or any of the board members.
by David Gabaree, Copperas Cove Fire Department
![[Return to Index]](up.gif){kind=small}
Return to IndexIt starts working the minute you're born & never
stops until you get up to speak in public.
IT'S BEEN FUN
I would like to thank all the members of the board and the association for the last four years in allowing me to facilitate the finances of the organization. It has been very interesting and fun. I enjoyed serving the Texas Association of Fire Educators. I am sure David Schlottach will do a great job. Thanks to everyone who helped me with this job. I am looking forward to assisting the officers and board members from the sidelines.by Elroy Friesenhahn, New Braunfels Fire Department
QUESTION AND ANSWER
This section will be a regular in each issue. Members may submit questions or problems found during training and request suggestions & solutions from other instructors. We will print your questions in an issue (with or without signature) and respond in the next issue with recommendations.The first Q & A will be a Training Survey for the membership. Responses should be sent to Pat Clinton, Secretary, 1763 Cricket Hollow, Austin, Tx 78758.
WE ARE PUTTING TOGETHER AN ASSOCIATION SCRAPBOOK!
1. Do you have any pictures from previous conferences you would be willing to share?
2. Do you have copies of previous Conference announcement mail-outs?
Send any item you have from previous conferences to Pat Clinton, Secretary, 1763 Cricket Hollow, Austin, Tx 78758.
CALL FOR ARTICLES
Each and every one of our members is an incredible wealth of information. Please send an article on new ideas, training methods, innovative tips, unique situations, or safety concerns. Use your imagination! If it helped you, chances are it will benefit others!Articles should be submitted to Pat Clinton, Secretary, 1763 Cricket Hollow, Austin, TX 78758.
1998 CONFERENCE IN REVIEW
Hello everyone. I hope all had a safe trip back home and your work was not piled as high as mine. From my perspective, the conference was terrific!! In talking with several attendees, it seems most felt the same way. This makes me feel great.However, we need to remember all the work which went on behind the scenes to make this whole thing happen. It was people like Rusty Sanders who coordinated the registration and sent out the confirmations; Pat Clinton, who handled all the support work (i.e. notebooks, name tags, and lots of computer work). Alan Storck who was responsible for arranging our speaker line-up, and making all their reservations. "GREAT AGENDA" Alan!! Benny Howard put together the vendors who helped sponsor the conference. Without these vendors, the cost to everyone would be extremely high. Please make every effort to support those vendors who support us. Gary Fox did the negotiations with the hotel, which I must say was very well done. Last, but not least Jeff Tokar, our entertainment expert. Jeff took on the task of giving us something to do without leaving the hotel. It was an item which has never been on our agenda before. I personally feel this was a great success. Look for something along the same lines to be back next year. There were many other assistants who helped in each of the areas, and my sincere thanks goes to each.
Well, the 1998 conference was a great one which I will never forget, and I hope all you feel the same. However, my challenge goes out to the 1999 Conference Chairperson, Gary Vincent, to make next year's even better. If he has the same support as the '98 conference had, I have all the confidence in the world he will lead your 1999 Conference Planning Committee to planning and hosting an event which will bring many benefits and far exceed any we have had in the past.
Jay Petty, The Colony Fire Department
ARE ALL THERMAL IMAGERS CREATED EQUALLY?
On the market today there are several thermal imagers. While they all see thermal radiation variations of approximately 0.5 degrees F (give or take 0.3 deg F) and transform that reading into a picture, the different manufactures use different technology to accomplish this feat. There is also a difference in the resolution on the display of the various imagers. Then there is the question of helmet-mounted vs. hand held.
While I do not propose to know better than you what imager would best serve your needs, perhaps my findings will assist you in making an informed decision. The following observations were formed by analyzing the evaluation sheets filled out by ten line firefighters assessing five different thermal imagers in a burn house with hay and wood for fuel (thanks to sta.3 A-shift).
THE RESULTS WERE AS FOLLOWS:
Imagers with the focal array chip were rated higher than those using vidicon tubes. The imagers using a vidicon tube would "white out" when viewing extreme heat and had a short delay in resetting after viewing high heat sources.
The higher the resolution the clearer the image. We found that there is a substantial difference in the resolution (clarity) in the various imagers.
In the area of ease of use, the imagers designed similar to a nozzle with a handle were preferred to imagers without a handle on the bottom. Also the evaluation showed a preference for a large screen that could be viewed without placing the unit directly against the facepiece.
Helmet-mounted vs. hand held. A few evaluators liked the idea of helmet-mounted, but most felt it was too bulky and difficult to focus on the image. You must also take into consideration the fact that you must exit the building to hand off the helmet-mounted unit to another firefighter (low on air). On the other hand, you will have two hands free to operate with.
Hopefully this article will assist you in the future. I feel that while it may be difficult to acquire the funds to purchase these imagers, no aggressive interior operation should be without the added benefit of being able to see what it's doing. If you seek more information on the capabilities of thermal imaging, Steven P. Woodworth wrote a very informative series of articles in the July, August, November 96 and February, March and August 97 issues of Fire Engineering. Also be aware of the fact that new units are becoming available on a regular basis, tow since this evaluation in Oct. 97, so TRY BEFORE YOU BUY!
by Lt. Craig Allen, Garland Fire Department
NEW TREASURER
It is with great pride that I assume the position of treasurer of our organization. Elroy Freisenhahn has set a very strong example that I can only hope to follow. Elroy has given unselfishly of his time for the past four years to serve in the position. He was our first elected treasurer and was charged with the job of setting up a bookkeeping system for our organization. The quality of the system devised by him has been attested to by the four audits performed by the audit committee. Everything has been easily accounted for. We are indeed fortunate to have person like Elroy as member of our organization. I believe that everyone attending our annual conference in Austin would say that it was a great success. Jay Petty, chairman of the 1998 conference, and all of his committee members should be commended for putting on the finest conference we have had to date. It seems that each year the conference gets better and better. I would suspect that everyone attending our conference said to themselves at one time or another, "Boy, I wish that my Chief were here" or "Man, if my Assistant Chief had heard that we would really shake and move our department in the right direction".
Well, why not get them involved. They can and should attend the conference in 1999. The dates are set and the planning committee is already hard at work. If you said "WOW" to this year's conference then I can say, "You ain't seen nuttin' yet!!"
Over the next year, our organization hopes to grow. We hope to implement regional training programs for members of the organization. These training programs should assist us in enticing new membership into the Association. You should tell other persons in your department about the conference and how it could help your department. You should talk to your Chief, Assistant Chief, or whoever is responsible for approval of travel. Convince them to attend the 1999 conference. Get them to send other instructors from your department. The 1999 Conference should be even better.
Thank you again for the trust you have shown by electing me as your treasurer. I vow to do my best to live up to this trust and continue on with the example set by Elroy. If I do not see you in Austin during the 1999 conference. Be safe.
by David Schlottach, Tyler Fire Deparment
MEMBER PROFILE
David Schlottach
In 1977, David Schlottach joined the Tyler Fire Department. Since then he has been promoted through the ranks to his current position of Chief Training Officer where he has served for over eight years.
He believes in giving what he can to both the department and to the community which it serves. He works with the Muscular Dystrophy Association, the firefighters booth at the East Texas Fair; headed the local Firefighter Olympics Committee which brought the State Firefighter Olympics to Tyler; works to train area paid and volunteer departments, in order to make the profession, as a whole, stronger. He brought the first personal computer into the department and has assisted in implementing a Wide-Area Network for all department facilities. He has designed and implemented many computer programs used by the department, that include: Supply Inventory System, System [I-01] -- a system designed to control regularly used inventory items in the stations, Department Requisition System, Fire Hose Inventory System, information gathering for CAD / Fire Records System, ALL databases currently used for information gathering, storage, and analysis, a system designed to meet and maintain compliance with state requirements for continuing education, a Training Library, is currently researching programs in other departments statewide to develop and make recommendations for an apparatus preventive maintenance program. David has been heavily involved in the preparation and presentation of Fire Department budget and in long range planning for the department for next 5-20 years. He has have been in command or assisted in command of major incidents throughout his years as an officer.
David belongs to many associations and committees, such as the City-Wide Computer Committee; Combined Dispatch Committee; coordinator of the Tyler Emergency Management Plan, Smith County Local Emergency Planning Committee, East Texas Historical Fire Society, Texas Association of Fire Educators: charter member and first elected secretary of this association. He holds certification of Master Firefighter and Intermediate Instructor Certificate with the Texas Commission on Fire Protection and was the head of Tyler Fire Department Hazardous Material team for over 3 years. He also holds Multiple Radiological Certifications with the Texas Department of Health.
David was born in Enid, Oklahoma. He and his wife, Kathryn have one daughter and one grand-daughter.
TWO IN - TWO OUT CODIFIED BY OSHA
January 14, 1998 press release from the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC)
On January 8, Department of Labor (DoL) Secretary Alexis Herman unveiled the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) new respiratory protection standard. The new standard specifically address procedures for interior structural fire fighting in atmospheres that are deemed immediately dangerous to life or health (IDLH).
The new regulation requires that at least two employees enter the IDLH atmosphere and remain in visual or voice contact with one another at all times, and that at least two employees are located outside the IDLH atmosphere. All employees engaged in interior structural fire fighting must use self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA).
According to the regulation, one of the two individuals located outside the IDLH atmosphere may be assigned to an additional role, such as incident commander in charge of the emergency or safety officer, so long as this individual is able to perform assistance or rescue activities without jeopardizing the safety or health of any fire fighter working at the incident. Furthermore, the regulation states that nothing in the regulation is meant to preclude fire fighters from performing emergency rescue activities before an entire team has assembled.
According to the DoL, as many as 19 of the 25 "plan" states and territories have already adopted "two in - two out" as policy. These states and territories are Alaska, Arizona, Connecticut, Hawaii, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, and Wyoming.
The federal standard will apply only to federal employees who fight fires and to private-sector employees who fight fires (for example, those in industrial fire brigades and other private fire companies). OSHA has no jurisdiction over fire fighters who are state and local government employees or volunteers.
Although OSHA has no jurisdiction over public sector (state and local government) fire fighters, the 25 states operating OSHA-approved state plans do cover those workers. These 25 states are required to revise their respiratory protection standards within six months to provide equivalent protection to the federal standard.
The NVFC has supported the "two in - two out" policy as a fire fighter safety measure since the concept was presented in the National Fire Protection Association's Tentative Interim Amendment (TIA) to NFPA 1500. The final OSHA standard is consistent with relevant NFPA standards including the 1997 version of NFPA 1500.
THE TEXAS FIRE SERVICE & PRIVATE SECTOR MEET
TO DISCUSS THE TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH'S SUNSET PROCESS
Representatives from various state fire service organizations throughout the state, met recently in Austin, with representatives from other providers of EMS, to share information and determine if there is a need to form a consortium to address shared concerns about Texas Dept. of Health as it pertains to EMS providers and First Responders.
The Texas Fire Chief's Association, Texas State Association of Firefighters, State Fireman's and Fire Marshals' Association, and the Houston Firefighters Local, along with members of some local fire departments that provide EMS, met with public and private EMS providers to discuss the pending Sunset Commission review of the TDH.
The purpose of the meeting was for all organizations to provide and receive input concerning issues that pertain to the TDH. Issues discussed at the first meeting were EMS certification, Project Alpha, Paramedic Licensing, and the various subcommittees that report to the TDH Board.
The sunset process will consist of a review of the TDH by staff of the Sunset Commission and a public hearing by the Sunset Commission members. At the completion of this process, legislation will be drafted, and carried during the 1999 legislative session. Changes in the statutory language for the Texas Dept. of Health could be impacted by the desires of the consortium.
All participants seemed to be in agreement that each organization would like to continue the consortium concept. There was also discussion as to what other organizations might wish to participate with the consortium and the Texas Association of Fire Educators was one that was named. Any fire service member or organization wishing to have a voice in this process should contact any of the organizations previously mentioned and provide them with your input.
The next meeting is scheduled for April 3, 1998 in Austin, at a location yet to be determined.
by Pat Hughes, North Richland Hills Fire Department
NEW VICE PRESIDENT
Greetings Educators,
It is a great honor to be elected vice president of our great organization. Looking back on my career I find this to be one of the highlights of my life. I joined the fire service in 1974 as a fire fighter for Universal City. In 1978 I had an overwhelming urge to go into law enforcement I worked as a public safety officer in one of our local suburbs, I won't say which one, but you did do 55 MPH through my town. In 1979 I was recruited by the New Braunfels Fire Department where I worked as a "Floater" to fill in at any station when someone used leave. In 1982 I was asked to return to the Universal City Fire Department where I became a captain and training officer in 1985, about the same time I started attending a small conference in Austin of training officers.
I have been a coordinator and an instructor at the San Antonio College Regional Firefighter Academy since 1989. I have served our organization in many capacities over the past twelve years. I was conference coordinator in 1991. Conference Chairman in 1992 and have served on several committees throughout my years in the association. I have great hopes for the Texas Association of Fire Educators. I will work with the Board of Directors and the Planning Committee to make this conference bigger and better each year, to enhance the instructors knowledge and teaching skills. Top on "my" wish list is to divide the state into regions to provide local training sponsored by the association. I would like to see standardized lesson plans available to instructors on the internet to exchange training aids and ideas, much like took place at this pat conference.
Today I live in Castroville, Texas with my WONDERFUL wife Cheryl, 9 year old step-daughter, Page and our new 5 month old son, Travis Wade, born October 4, 1997.
Let us move forward into the new century and keep our brother and sister firefighters safe through training.
by Kent Howard, Universal City Fire Department
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT
Leadership is of the Spirit, compounded of personality, vision and training.
It's practice is an art!
Management is a science of the mind.
Managers are necessary; leaders are indispensable!
UPCOMING ASSOCIATION EVENTS
1999 Conference Planning Committee Meeting - March 6, 1998 @ 8:30 a.m.
Omni Hotel-Southpark, Austin, Texas
TAFE Board Meeting - March 6, 1998 (following Planning Meeting
Omni Hotel-Southpark, Austin, Texas
1999 Conference Planning Committee Meeting - June 26, 1999 @ 8:30 a.m.
Omni Hotel-Southpark, Austin, Texas
Final 1999 Conference Planning Committee Meeting - November 6, 1998 @ 1:00 p.m.
New Braunfels, Texas
1999 - 13th Annual Instructor's Conference - January 9-15, 1999
Omni Hotel-Southpark, Austin, Texas
WHY ARE FIRE TRUCKS RED?
Fire trucks have four wheels and eight men.Four plus eight equals twelve.
There are twelve inches on a ruler.
Queen Elizabeth was a ruler, but the "Queen Elizabeth"
was also a ship that sailed the seas.
The seas have fish and the fish have fins.
The Finns fought the Russians and the Russians are red.
Fire trucks are usually rushin' to a fire, therefore they are usually red.