West Douglas County Fire West Douglas County Fire Protection DistrictProtection District

Recruit Orientation course

IntroductionIntroduction

This course is an introduction to the department, and a set of classes to teach the bare minimum of subject matter for a new firefighter to be safe.

Also included are basic skill training to help you get started on the department.

The grand purpose of this course is to help you fit into your part of our team

Things you need to rememberThings you need to remember

Keep in mind that this is now your department too!

Nobody is automatically a “good firefighter”. It has to be learned.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions (easier said than done, but ask!)

Safety is job #1!

About West Douglas CountyAbout West Douglas County

WDCFPD was formed in 1980 from three departments in our current district.

We have four stations spanning the district.

Cover 54 square miles of teritory, with 1200 residents to protect.

The bottom lineThe bottom line

Our responsibility is to protect lives, property and enviorment, in that order of priority.

In terms of lives, always remember that our lives come first!

Keep in mind that we didn’t cause the emergency, we’ve come to help.

““Rules of Engagement”Rules of Engagement”

We may take significant risk to save lives.We will take only small risks in saving

property.We will risk nothing for what has already

been lost.

What all members must do What all members must do

The following are requirements for all members of the department;– Must attend 36 hours of training per year– Must attend 20% of the total emergency calls

for the year

What all volunteers should try What all volunteers should try to doto do

Become interested and dedicated to the fire service.

Guard your speech on and off duty.Be honest, and try to inspire confidence.DON’T EVER BE AFRAID TO ASK

QUESTIONS!Remember you are part of our team.

Things that probationary members are not Things that probationary members are not yet allowed to doyet allowed to do

Drive department vehicles (except in some training situations)

Drive personal vehicles to emergency scenes (this practice discouraged for all members)

Perform front line fire attack

What the fire service doesWhat the fire service does

Traditional Firefighting

Wildland firefighting Techincal rescue Emergency medicine Hazardous materials

response

Across the world, the fire service has become the problem solvers for the public that we protect. We have had to take on several other different roles in addition to firefighting.

FirefightingFirefighting

Nuissance fires (trash, truck cargo, even compost)

Vehicle fires Structure fires Train/locomotive fires Electrical equipment

fires

Wildland firefightingWildland firefighting

These range from small grass fires all the way up to major campaign fires that we can only try to protect what is in the fire’s way

The 130/190 course will teach wildland firefighting

Technical RescueTechnical Rescue

Vehicle extrication; Low angle rope rescue Search and rescue

support

Emergency MedicineEmergency Medicine

This task has become more than half of our responses. It could consist of just a broken finger all the way to a heart attack or major trauma

Hazardous Materials Hazardous Materials ResponseResponse

This is potentially the most dangerous of the responses we could be called on. Most “hazmat” calls do not come in as hazmats, and we are 6 times as likely to be seriously injured at a hazmat scene than we are at a structure fire.

Your StationYour Station

Everyone will be assigned to a station that will be your “home station”. This will be the closest station to where you live.

Each station has a Captain and a Lieutennant. They will be your superior officers and will help teach you about the department.

Learn the vehicles at your station, and where the equipment on them is located.

The pager and youThe pager and you

The pager that you have been issued has three controls on the top;– Volume / on-off– Channel selector– Clear button

Pager channelsPager channels

The bell symbol is the “alarm only” setting. This allows the pager to activate only when we have an emergency call. You will be able to hear the radio traffic for the call after the initial tones go out clear button.

Pager channels Pager channels

The “1” setting allows you to listen in on the Douglas County fire dispatch radio traffic

The “2” setting recieves our own department’s VHF radio channel

Pager notesPager notes

When an alarm goes out, the dispatcher will call for units by name and number out of specific stations. No matter what units are called, remember we are volunteers, and the people from that station may not be home. Assume that all pages are for all of West Douglas Fire, and respond if you can.

Personal Protective Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)Equipment (PPE)

Bunker or Turnout gear is used for fires, tech rescue, and most hazmat calls. It includes;– Jacket and pants– Helmet w/ shield– Gloves and hood– Bunker boots

Wildland PPEWildland PPE

Bunkers are too heavy to use on wildland fires, so we have special wildland gear. It includes;– Helmet w/ goggles &

shroud– Shirt and pants– Wildland boots– Web gear with fire shelter

PPE for medical callsPPE for medical calls

Parts of your bunker gear can be used depending on the weather, but always remember gloves if you will have patient contact.

Self Contained Breathing Self Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA)Apparatus (SCBA)

Also commonly called an air pack, it protects us from;– Extreme heat– Smoke– Toxic gases– Lack of oxygen

Wear SCBA for fires and Hazmat calls like CO alarms or anytime the atmosphere is questionable

PPE/SCBA notesPPE/SCBA notes Bring all your PPE to every call If you’re not sure if you should have your PPE on, wear

it for safety’s sake, no matter what anyone says. If you get hot and tired, let someone know. You need a

break and a chance to take PPE off for a few minutes. If there is smoke (and its not a wildland call), wear

SCBA. Get used to wearing your PPE every chance you get;

you will become more comfortable with having it on.

End Part OneEnd Part One

Radio use next!

Radio communicationsRadio communications West Douglas uses

two sets of radio networks– 800mHz radios– VHF radios

The 800mHz is the county wide radio system, and uses new technology to repeat the messages over long distances

West Douglas Radio SystemsWest Douglas Radio Systems

800 mHz system– Longer range– Better comm with

dispatch (sometimes)– Common system to all

DC fire units– More communications

channels

VHF radios– Easier to use– West Douglas usually

only department on the network

– Better comm in mountain areas

– System is more simple and user friendly

Common radio terminologyCommon radio terminology

(unit) responding On scene In service/returning Fireground/ops

channels Command

Modes of operation– Investigating– Fast attack– Defensive

Codes 2, 3, 4

DC fire numbering systemDC fire numbering system

Littleton fire; 10-19 South Metro, 30-43 Parker; 70-79 West Douglas 130-139 Castle Rock; 150-159

Jackson 105; 140-149 Larkspur; 161-169 Franktown; 181-189 Mtn Communities;

190-199

West Douglas Call SignsWest Douglas Call Signs

Station 131– Chief 133– Captain 131– Lieutennant 131– SCAT 131– Tender 131

Station 132– Captain 132– Lieutennant 132– Engine 132– Tender 132– Rescue 132

West Douglas Call SignsWest Douglas Call Signs

Station 133– Captain 133– Lieutennant 133– Engine 133– Rescue 133– SCAT 133

Station 134– Chief 131– Chief 132– Captain 134– Lieutennant 134– Engine 134– Rescue 134– Tender 134– SCAT 134

Talking on the radioTalking on the radio

…is harder than it seems, everyone in the county is listening on the 800 system.

Think about what you will say before you transmit Hold the mike about 1-2 inches away from your

mouth and talk normally, even when theres lots of background noise

Use the VHF radio for West Douglas communications, especially questions you may have.

Talking on the radioTalking on the radio

When calling another unit, remember to use their call sign first, then yours;

Example; “Rescue 133, this is rescue 134”When using the VHF, follow this transmission

with “on VHF 2” so the other unit knows which radio to answer on;

Example; “Engine 134, SCAT 131 on VHF 2”

800mHz Radios800mHz Radios

The 800 system works by using repeaters placed at high points across the county to receive your messgaes, then re-transmit them to everyone else. This is called a repeated channel.

When you hit the PTT button, you have to wait for a set of beeps before talking (anything before the beeps the repeater didn’t pick up).

800mHz radio use800mHz radio use

At times, the radio will emit a low long beep when you try to transmit, this signal means “all circuits busy”, even if nobody may be heard talking.

The 800 system has 36 channels we can use, placed in 3 banks of 12 channels, A, B, and C.

For most of DC Fire, we operate off of the A bank, with A-1 being the dispatch channel

800mHz system notes800mHz system notes

There are at least 8 agencies sharing one dispatch channel, dispatch wants us to minimize any unnecessary communications

Some 800mHz channels are not repeated, these are called “simplex” channels, and can only be used with a line of sight distance.

Don’t use the emergency button unless you’re in trouble

VHF RadiosVHF Radios

There are areas of the district and county that the 800mhz radios cannot transmit out of, or sometimes even receive.

The VHF is the old radio system that is still in use because of the shortcomings of the 800 system.

The VHF system has better communication capabilities in our mountainous areas

VHF channelsVHF channels

There are three main channels we use on the VHF system;

VHF 2 (West Douglas repeated chennel)

VHF 6 (FERN 1, usually used to land medical helicopters)

VHF 13 (West Douglas non-repeated)

VHF radio notesVHF radio notes

When talking on the VHF radio, remember to say “…on VHF 2” when calling so that all units know what radio to use to reply.

The VHF is the best radio to use when communicating with other West Douglas units, especially when you need to ask questions about instructions or directions to the scene.

Radio exercise 1Radio exercise 1

Using the 800mHz radio, tell the dispatcher you have found the car accident you were dispatched to, and ask for a fireground channel.

Radio exercise 2Radio exercise 2

On the 800Mhz radio, tell the dispatcher that the call is finished and you’re going home.

Radio exercise 3Radio exercise 3

On the VHF radio, tell Captain 134 that you have arrived at the incident and are in need of instructions.

End part twoEnd part two

West Douglas maps next!

Map booksMap books

Each rig has a binder with maps of the entire district, including all addresses.

The district is split up into blocks, each one assigned a pair of letters and numbers.

It is essential for you to understand how to use them, and to become more familiar with the district.

““Master” page for map booksMaster” page for map books

Learning the master pageLearning the master page

Everyone should learn to recognize the following roads and highways on the master page;

Hwy 85 Hwy 67 Hwy 105 Hier north and south Indian creek Oak valley Madge Gulch Elephant rock Rampart range road Sugar creek road

The map pagesThe map pages

Map page detailsMap page details

Map book notesMap book notes

The residences in Hier North and South, Oak Valley, Madge Gulch, and Elephant Rock all have “Hwy 67” addresses.

Some map books will have “cheat sheets” on the cover.

All map books should also have a sheet with out helicopter landing zones and Lat/longs to them.

Map book notesMap book notesDispatch will normally give a map page in

the initial page out of the incident. If not, you must be able to navigate using the map book by address.

Try to learn the general “block” numbers of addresses (5000 to 4000 on Hwy 67 would be between Sedalia and Oak Valley)

Pre-plans are being added to the book as available.

Map book excercisesMap book excercises

Find the following addresses;