RIT Training Slideshow

   This past week our department conducted RIT training at 16th and Arlington on the east side of Indy on the campus of the now closed Naval Avionics Center. Each of the three shifts were brought in for three demanding drills each involving a downed firefighter. I made a trip on my day off to take photos of A-shift as they made their way through each drill.

You can see the entire photo set here on Flickr.



   The "Denver" drill was performed in a simulated hallway with a roof-type obstacle. A team of two firefighters climb over to find a downed firefighter, unresponsive and unable to help during the rescue. The rescuers are directed to package the firefighter and position him for removal over the obstacle and then through a small opening to safety.



   The maze drill was conducted in a building in which a maze was constructed throughout the first floor. Two firefighters maintained a right or left hand search pattern through simulated rafters, exposed floor joists, wire traps and stairs to find a downed firefighter who was then packaged and pulled back through the maze.



   The third drill was called RIT combat. Basically simulating an actual RIT mission, RIT combat challenges the whole fire crew to find and rescue a downed firefighter upstairs in a two-story residence. This drill was a good test for a crew's ability to communicate and organize a rescue.



   Each of these drills were physically demanding on their own. Put together, they emphasize the importance for each crew to train regularly on their own and to maintain a high level of physical fitness. Great job by Chiefs Duncan and Taylor and the rest of the instructors for organizing a valuable training for our department!




-MAG

Check out our new back apron...

     Station 84 began receiving concrete for its new back apron today. We are now looking forward to a nicer view out the back door, safer basketball games -without having to avoid all the potholes, and not having to park in the Ben Davis High School softball lot.

Engine Company 84

Scare Of The Day...

It is quite possible that being on-shift for overtime will make you even more of a target for practical jokes.

Check out this new blog by Bryan Fleck, a paramedic on Medic 82:

http://indyemsblog.com

I'll add it to the list of links to the right.

-MAG

Sláinte!

    St. Patrick's Day 2010 came and went and it seems that everyone had a great time. The best part of the daylong celebration was definitely the weather -sunny with a high of 63 degrees. That's about as nice as you could hope for. But, as has been proven in the past, even a cold rain could not have put a damper on festivities at the hall. Spirits were high with the company of hundreds of fellow firefighters from different departments in and around Indy, around twenty kegs of beer, boxes of wine, enormous pots of Irish stew and the Indianapolis Firefighters Emerald Society Pipes and Drums.

     If this were not enough, we spotted quite a few Engine and Ladder 84 t-shirts on the crowd. We received a lot of compliments on this year's design by many who even wanted to buy one for themselves. Great job showing our "Townie" pride!

     If you watch NBC's The Biggest Loser you probably recognized one of the show's most popular contestants walking through the hall shaking the hands of fans. Allen Smith is a career firefighter with the Columbus, In Fire Dept and and lost 116 pounds during the 8th season of The Biggest Loser. He continues to promote a healthy lifestyle for his fellow firefighters and is an inspiration to all. Great job Allen!

     An occasion like this is guarantees great photo opportunities. I have put together a slide show for those not able to attend and for the sake of those not able to remember much after the first few beers. If anyone else has pictures they would like to share, feel free to upload them to our Engine84 Facebook fan page.

     Don't forget, FDIC is just around the corner! This year's conference runs from April 19th through the 24th.
     Take care and be safe!

-MAG

Racing for the Cure...

What am I doing?

I’m walking to support the Indianapolis Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure because I want to make a difference in the fight against breast cancer. Please help me reach my fundraising goal by making a tax-deductible donation today! 

-Dennis Smith

Engine 84  B-shift

Insanity in the Firehouse

     Working out on duty and off is a different beast for different firefighters. Fitness levels can vary from average human to superhuman. We got young pups and old farts. Single with nothing to do on days off and married, tending to babies as soon as they get home. Whatever the situation, staying in shape is important. According to the U.S. Fire Administration, heart attacks were the cause of almost half of all on-duty firefighter fatalities in 2009. Why? Because this job is more than just sitting in a recliner. While most people have the luxury of scheduling their workday, we cannot. At any time during the day (or night) we could go from zero to exhaustion in a matter of a few minutes without any kind of warm up. It's kinda crazy sometimes, when we're in a fire and I realize that we were all in REM sleep just ten minutes ago.

2-alarm apartment fire, Feb. 2009, across the street from the 
firehouse around 3 in the morning.
Photo by Tod Parker @ phototac.com

     Since I've been on B-shift, I've been impressed with the level of physical fitness of not just the 84's, but of the other four stations. It's a good feeling when we have to schedule time at the training tower with the Battalion for bottle-drills because the other stations want to be there too. It's gives me a sense of security to know that the crews I work with are healthy and able to perform well.

Hill repeats at the end of another bottle drill

     Sometimes though, for guys like me, the reality is that it can be difficult to stick with it. The honest truth is that working out sometimes takes a back seat to everything else like, parties, dinners, vacations... beer. That's when working out with a partner or group can really help. I'm lucky to have my wife, Shawn, as a running partner. And together we're training for the 13-mile Mini-Marathon this May. Training together at the firehouse as a crew is good, too.

Obviously gettin' ready for some insanity...

     So, today we started a new workout program called "Insanity". This is the relatively new workout program from the same people that came up with P90X. It focuses on "Max-Interval" training or long bursts of maximum intensity exercise and short periods of rest. The entire program involves scheduled workouts on DVD's. Once a day, six days a week, for two months. It also contains a nutrition guide to follow throughout those two months. Now, if you're like me, you're not really into workout programs. But I figure, what the hell. I'm thinking it will be fun and challenging and give me something to work on other than just running. And, yes, I'll be following the meal plans, too.

Today was the first of 56 days... what did Mike Lewis get us into?!?!

-MAG

Station 84 - Firefighter's Credit Union's STATION OF THE WEEK

     Yup, that's right. Station 84 is the Firefighter's Credit Union STATION OF THE WEEK (week, week, week...). Jealous much? A whole week of preferential treatment and free money! We of course donated all that to charity, but we did accept a nice box of chocolates. I'm not sure what the criteria was for choosing the station of the week, but I can only assume it involved very high standards.

     To document the occasion the credit union sent Francine Napariu (left) and Pat Wilmoth (right) while George Caughlan (center) provided the charm and hospitality. 

     You can check out the pics Pat took here after she posts them on the credit union website.

-MAG

T-Shirt Update...

     T-shirt orders going out today! To accommodate the limitations of the silk screeners we've decided to omit the station patch from the front of the t-shirt. The letters were too small to guarantee a good result so we just left it out. Sorry if you had your heart set on that, but that's just how it goes. Let us know if that's a problem for you. Here's how the front will look now...

Only sixteen days left! Here's how some of us feel about St. Patrick's Day...

See you at the HALL!

-MAG

St. Patrick's Day T-shirts!

     St. Patrick's Day, also known as National Firefighters' Drinking Day, is just around the corner. That day is full of great events starting with drinks at the Elbow Room, the parade downtown at 11:30 and the party at the union hall immediately afterward. And if you've never been to the Firefighters' Local 416 Union Hall for the annual St. Patrick's Day party you're simply missing out.
     This year, Engine and Ladder 84 have designed a t-shirt just begging to be shown off at whatever party you decide to go to. This design sports phrases inspired by Kris Able's legendary t-shirt of 2009. His "Kiss Me, I'm a Townie" shirt got such an overwhelming amount of attention a the hall last year that we just had to keep it going. Thanks Kris!

what legends are made of

And now, St. Patrick's Day 2010

Here's the design on the front of the t-shirt...

And here's the back...

You can order your shirt now by email at 

WAYNEENGINE84@gmail.com

-or-

stop by Station 84 and put your name on the list on the bulletin board

Short sleeve T's are $10 and long sleeve T's are $15

     Timmy Gallagher is puttin' up the money to get these done so please, order early and have the money ready when get them in. If you're from out of town (we're really big in Japan) I'm sure we can work something out.

-MAG


-We're going to try to send out an order early next week (3/1/10), so order one sooner than later!

Now for a little fun...

... at the probie's expense.

     Every firehouse has it's own way of breaking-in the new guys, or probies as they're traditionally called in the fire department. In addition to making coffee, answering phones and performing seemingly endless clean-up duties we find time in their busy schedule to de-stress. These guys are already as nervous as a dog shittin' peach seeds so they're like putty in our conspiring hands.
     The victim of this particular incident is John Harrington. Mike Owens does a decent job with the scare and John seems to see the humor in it all. I even put a little spin on the last part of the video. Enjoy...



If you see Harrington around, let him know about his video debut 'cause I haven't told him yet!

-MAG

Air Pack Info...

    This week's training takes us to the warm and cozy 83's where Captain Rick Scott reviewed the finer points of using our Scott air packs. Overall Rick gave a pretty good training. I know, I know -I was surprised too!

Here's some good things to remember...

During your morning pack checks:
     Check your lights and electronic sounds. This includes the Heads Up Display (HUD) and your PASS alarm.
     Check your Vibra-Alert in your regulator.
     Make sure that both the Air bottle pressure gauge and the harness pressure gauge read within 100 psi of each other.

And don't forget to check your buddy breather, too!

The Heads Up Display


The lights will all be on when the system check is initiated.

When two green lights remain during use, your bottle is full or close to 100%

One green light means 75%

When the green lights expire and the yellow light comes on then you are at 50%

The Vibra-Alert will come on when the red light comes on denoting 25% of your air is left. At This point we are to be out of the structure in a safe environment.

*At this point we should be out of the structure in a safe environment*

The red light to the far right is the low battery alert.

Here are a few problems that Capt Scott has been noticing


     First of all, if you have a problem on your pack that needs attention, Rick says to tell your officer so they can enter it into Filemaker. This is important because they can track issues for each specific pack.

     Air masks are expensive. It's much cheaper to protect them with the bag we were issued. If you don't have one or need an extra one, enter it into Filemaker. We are encouraged to order an extra one.

     On older pack models, there is a problem with the frame breaking at one of the welds. This is probably caused by having too much pressure on the bottle strap.

     Check your pack for this and if you see it, enter it into Filemaker and have it switched out. The newer design places this weld at a different spot higher in the frame so this is no longer an issue.
     There have been a number packs that have received damage to the wiring which runs from the power management area (where the batteries are) upward toward the shoulder straps. This is caused by inadvertently pulling on them during drills when we drag each other around the tower. Please avoid this by using the built-in handle at the top of the pack or by being more careful.

     Speaking of dragging each other around, some of the bottles are sustaining abrasive damage to the carbon fiber wrap. This layer is very thin and is easily worn away by concrete. Just take it easy.
     Finally, keep the packs clean. Wash them off after a fire and wipe dry. Use a brush of you have to. This pack apparently was not up to snuff...

We can now change our own batteries. Pretty easy really. Follow closely...

Step 1: Find a screwdriver, flat or phillips.

Step 2: Unscrew the battery compartment cover

Step 3: Replace the six AA batteries inside with SIX NEW ONES. There are pictures inside showing
you how they go in.

Step 4: Replace the cover, turning an additional 1/4 turn after it gets snug.

We also trained a bit on the new air bottle fill station at the 83's and the Pack Tracker which will be carried on both the BC and Safety buggies. Be sure to get familiarized and do some training!

-MAG

Update on the Haitian Relief Fund, Inc...

    The guys have returned from Haiti and have produced an amazing video of their involvement. The firefighters that made the trip were...

Aaron Gerth, Ladder 82 B-shift
Ron Evans, Jr. Ladder 82 A-shift
Brian Minton A-shift

Here is a link to their video... The Words I would Say
Be sure to check out their other videos and make a donation while you're there!

-MAG

     Here's a video that was posted on our Facebook fan page by Mark Ludwig. It's the 2-alarm Island Club Apartment fire of September 2008. Engine 84 laid out about 700 feet of 5" supply from Pebble Point Apartments and was assigned an attack position at the rear of the apartment building. We were also  able to save a cat. He was not very happy.



     Here's a reminder to the engine crews. Island Club's water mains can only supply so much water so if you think you've got a big fire and you're gonna need a lot of water, consider laying the second supply line from Pebble Point Apartments just to the east which is on a separate main. There is currently a gate with a Knox lock separating the two complexes. Use your Knox key (or bolt cutters if you have to). Command might be too busy or unfamiliar with this so it may require you to make one of those "judgement calls". And another thing... pace yourself. You're gonna be there a while.

Thanks Mark for the great video!

See more pics of that fire on Phototac.com.

-MAG

Tactical 84 responds to a car in the water...

     Yesterday seemed to be a fairly busy day for the city. For Ladder 84 it began with a working building fire on the south side of Indy's famous west borough. Engine 84, however,  wasn't invited. There was an accident on I-465 involving a semi which turned into working haz-mat spill, a fatality accident to the northwest, a shooting on the near west side and a semi fire which shut down I-65. Engine 84's day didn't really start until the evening when we responded with Ladder 84 as Tactical 84 for a vehicle in the water.

       As we responded toward the pond in the Darby Court apartments life vests and ice suits were put on, radios were set and the traffic on 10th street was parted. Speedway's FD arrived first and established command then Tac 84 arrived to set up rescue operations. We received dive teams from Pike and IFD. Working together, assisted by accounts from witnesses, the vehicle was found thirteen feet below the surface in the middle of the pond. One victim, a 35 year old female, was found inside and was pulled from the water by Pike divers and the Engine 84 crew of Ryan Rowley and Terrie Wyant. She was quickly placed into a stokes basket and transported to Wishard. I did hear that the medic crew gave an excellent effort en route, however, we found out later that she was pronounced dead in the ER.

      There can be a lot of emotions you run through during runs like this. There's excitement during the response as you listen to to size-up on the radio, play out procedures in your head and put on your gear and equipment. There's some confusion when you get to the scene, greeted by bright lights and strobes, cameras, concerned bystanders and what seems like hundreds of other people. There's a nervous feeling when things develop more slowly than you'd like because minutes can seem like hours when you are someone's only hope as the news cameras roll. Then the elation of the rescue. Things went well. You see smiles all around as you pack up your equipment to go home, saying hellos to old and new friends from other trucks and complimenting each other on a job well done. Then, many times, there's the disappointment, the sadness and the frustration that in spite of all this effort someone still lost their life.

     All of this these emotions come and go for the most part. One is replaced by another fairly quickly. The support truck arrives with coffee, hot chocolate and candy bars. That, of course, always helps. Back at the firehouse we clean up, insult each other and fart. A lot. FaceBook statuses are updated and we head for the bunk rooms cold and tired.
     At 3:30 a.m. we wake up to help someone with an ulcer... that they've had for five months. This run pretty much involved only one emotion...

WTHR News video

Links:

PhotoTac pics

WTHR News Story

-MAG

Haitian Relief Fund, Inc.

    Two of fellow firefighters from Ladder 82, Aaron Gerth and Ron Evans Jr., run a non for profit organization -the Haitian Relief Fund, Inc. whose mission is

"to provide ongoing hands-on spiritual and logistical support to the citizens of Haiti"

Recently Aaron, Ronny and a few others returned to Haiti to bring financial and medical aid to the earthquake-stricken island.

    I received an update by email from Aaron today and I wanted to pass it along to our readers. Obviously, they are still in need of assistance. If you are interested in helping out, here is a link to the Haitian Relief Fund, Inc. There is also a page for the Earthquake Relief effort. This page has updates of the current trip to Haiti.  Please visit their site and have a look a their picture albums. Thanks you Aaron and Ronnie. You two are amazing and an inspiration to us all here in Indy. 
     Along with Ronnie and Aaron are other firefighters who made the trip but I'm not sure who they are. I will post their names when I find out. Feel free to share this information in the comments section If you already know. 
-MAG


Sunday, February 14, 2010 10:08 AM


    There has been many questions about The Haiti Relief Fund and our past trip.  I wanted to address a few questions.  The Haiti Relief fund is a non for profit organization that my wife and I  started in 2008, because my son's haitian father had lost two walls of their house from a hurricane. Since the earthquake  last month 100% of monetary donations have been and will continue to go to a food program for refugees of Port au Prince that are living in the St. Ard area just outside of Archaie, Haiti. Also the money from donations will be allocated  to rebuilding new homes or fixing existing homes that have damage but can be salvaged.   We have a group of haitian constructions workers that we are employing to continue these efforts since we have left.  I will receive pictures of projects completed before more money is sent for the next project. We also have a small board that has to okay building projects before moving forward. We are still collecting medical supplies such as vitamins, over the counter pain medicine, triple antibiotic ointment / anti fungal cream, eye drops, ant acids, antibiotics, and basic first aid bandages to name a few. When we have enough medical supplies to run a feasible clinic there will be another group going to Haiti.  Thank you all for your generous donations, prayer, and support.  If you know anyone at all that is interested in supporting these projects please give them my information. This is a small organization for a big group of people with a great need. All donations are tax deductible and our tax id. number is located on the website along with my address for sending checks.  The website is updated with some pictures and video so anyone interested can see where there contributions are going. Here is a link to the website.web.me.com/haitirelieffund  

Lastly I wanted to share an email I received yesterday from a friend in Haiti. Thanks again for your support.

Aaron C. Gerth

Hi my dear brothers,how are you doing? And how is everyone doing? Very well,I hope in Jesus’s name.   Well brothers,this note is to inform you a little bit more what’s going on down here for the great project and work you guys are doing in Haiti right now.Let me tell you after you guys left,many people in the community whose houses have been cracked through the Earthquake have come to me for help Request in order  to fix them for they’ve heard the news which have been spreading out already.So there my brothers and friends,I would suggest that:if you could find more Sponsorship to keep it alive?that would be great and perfect.You might not pay attention about what you guys have been done while your short time here but on the people sights,you’ve done such great things that our Haitian President I mean Preval has never even thought about so as for them,you’re worth to be their president,they also clap deeply for that and say:it’s been for years we’ve been attended Church of God at Saintard,they have never looked down to see those who are really in needs  and to see where they live so that they can be aware about what’s going on,but they don’t do it that way,so it was like Godsent when you guys came around.My Request to you is to pray hard my men for there is nothing too hard for the Lord in Gen 18v14 but only believe and it will be happen the way we want it.I pray that the Lord will bless you richly so that you can bless others in Return. Secondly:I’ll send you all the receipts and Pictures by DHL so that others can have an Idea about what we already do. Here some informations about what we bought for Venante’s mom house and so others: a)150 blocs with $5 each=$750 haitian b)50 Metal sheets,$ 50 each=$2500 c)45 poles for the Roof,$35 each=$1575 d)50 bags of Cements,$60 each=$3000 e)5 concrete iron ½,$ 70 each=$350 f)we also rent some materials for the Concrete for :$500 g)we bought 5 doors with $ 400 each=$2000 such as:3 doors for Venante’s,1 for TiJunior’s Mom and 1 for the house that we already built for the family of 8. h)we bought foods,coffee and drinks for $ 700 from Mon to Sat. i)We had 7 labors ( workers ) with $ 100 each for six (6) days from Mon to Sat=$4200 we have a big Total of:$15575 haitian which is:$ 2022,72Us with the Amount of:770%,so you gave me $8400 when we subtract it from $ 15575 then we have:$7175 haitian which is :$931.81Us that we owe . God bless you!  Sincerely, -              LUXON BELIZAIRE

A news story from the summer of '09 featuring the 84's...

Fitness Events for February...

    For those of you looking to make good on those New Year's resolutions, I have a couple events to pass on.

First up is the 2010 Polar Bear Run...

It has both a three mile and five mile run (and walk) starting at the City Market downtown and continuing north then returning. The PBR is next Saturday, the 20th of February, on an A-shift.

The next event is the American Lung Association Fight for Air Climb at the Market Tower downtown.

This event is a 30 story climb with the following events:

30 Floor Climb - Climb 30 floors to the top of Market Tower.

Extreme Climb - Climb the tower twice (60 floors) and combine your times.  Climbs are intended to be consecutive.  Elevator time will be removed from timing results.

Ultimate Climb - Climb the tower three times (90 floors) and combine your times.  Climbs are intended to be consecutive.  Elevator time will be removed from timing results.


The Fight for Air Climb is March 6, 2010
Firefighters have a separate division.
This is on a C-shift.


If you're interested in either of these events, check with Scott Williams or George Caughlan to see if the union can sponsor your entry free. 

-MAG