It has been quite a while since we checked in with Battalion Chief Mike Alder of the San Bernardino City Fire Department and his series of videos called Inside the Command Post. Above is Chief Alder’s most recent entry and below is one from two months ago.
Also on STATter911 …
- San Bernardino helmet-cams: The people & the stories behind the videos. – April 28, 2012
- Helmet-cam: Roof ops at San Bernardino, CA house fire. – April 22, 2012
- An elected fire chief? For a city career department? That’s what San Bernardino firefighters are proposing to the citizens. – February 3, 2012
- Raw video & fireground audio: Rochester, New York house fire with evac order. – June 12, 2011
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Shakey operation to say the least. Not sure I would want these videos posted on the web if they were from my Dept.
Lots of wandering around, setting up cones, standing in the yard with hooks, taking about a minute and a half to mask up while kneeling out front like they were sitting around a campfire and the chief asking the truck if everyone is out of the house????? That is one of the most stupid ?’s that is heard on the radio on many firegrounds. HOW IS ANYONE TO KNOW THE ANSWER UNTIL A PRIMARY IS DONE? Someone needs to light a fire under these guy’s butts and get them to engage quicker.
I was thinking more along the lines of why the first-due engine needs to be told to attack the fire, and why the first-due truck needs to be told to ladder the building…? SOPs should be eliminating about 90% of the talking.
At any fire in the large paid departments where from, the fire is attacked, searches are completed, and the building is vented without Command saying much of anything.
(The IC gets the hell out of “The Fire SUV” too.)
How bout the brother walking in frnt of the chiefs vehicle in the opening moment of the vid. A siren toot and the brother turns around , looks at the FD veh and is not very impressed. he continues at the same pace walking across the street. R-E-S-P-E-C-T, RESPECT (just a little bit). ALmost sounded like the chief gave the accelerator a little push going by said brother. It did take a little while to get the correct camera angle, er I mean parking space for the chiefs buggy.
What was refreshing was not hearing Chief Cackle screaming on a radio, setting the tone for a department full of “PRIORITY PANZIES” (Really, not much of what you say is a priority to anyone other than your fans in scanner land -mom,dad, your girlfriend or boyfriend) Our chief should watch this and see how to control yourself while NOT wetting your skivvies.
I still give this guy credit for posting things. I call his command, “California Silly”, but the “priority panzy” is more apt. He is also the first guy there, then he should get out of the vehicle and do the 360 himself. “I still want you to do a 360 before you commit to an offensive attack.: HUH?The 360 on a slab build stick frame is not like doing one with a large bldg or one with a basement. Obviously, there is fire on the 1st floor. Offensive is the default mode.
Hmmm, I rather enjoy his vids.
Why are searches the only way to determine if everyone is out? What if the homeowner walks up and says I was the only one home, or my wife and I or whatever.
Maybe first due isn’t always the first arriving engine????? Heaven forbid an IC clarifies assignments, took all of what, 10 seconds?
Other than him not doing the 360, I sort of like the way he runs a scene. Everyone is calm, no running around like chickens with heads cut off, tasks are assigned and taken care of. I think he does a fine job of setting the tone for his crews.
Would you rather have this guy running a fire or the one in Virginia that had freelancing\no accountability\no following through of orders\etc, etc, etc where the lady ended up dying because the whole incident was a clusterfoxtrot?
I really like the way he has complete faith in his company officers and firefighters to perform their assigned tasks and assess the conditions at hand.
I would gladly work for this guy after seeing some of the crap I have.
I just dont understand your new fire fighting tatics!The first eng.in should have used their 2 1/12 pre. connects, as the second eng. was laying a line from hydrant. As an engineer and Act. Capt. for many years on the S.B. Fire Dept. We put out a lot of fires with out a B.C. and had good results. I have never sen so much confusion and wasted time as on episode 20
I have to agree with the preceding! I suppose some of it is dictated by OSHA but never in 25 years did I ever see a BC sit in a car and call himself a OIC.