September 12, 2023 • 28 mins
Have you ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes in a fire department? Get ready to step into the shoes of a firefighter as Lieutenant Scott Wallace from Dayton Fire takes you on a fascinating journey through his department's operations. We not only uncover the differences between truck and quint operations but also explore Scott's on-scene experiences as a training officer. The conversation takes a deeper turn as we dissect the critical analysis of responses and the importance of safety.
The discussion heats up as Scott shares his expertise in water mechanics and water mapping. This is not just about introducing cutting-edge research to fellow firefighters, but also about understanding the impact of air entrainment and choosing the right strategies for each department. The conversation becomes more intriguing as you learn about the concept of spraying at a steep angle to coat all surfaces evenly - a technique that plays a vital role in keeping everyone safe.
But it doesn't stop there; Scott emphasizes the importance of continuous learning and adaptability in the fire service. From his personal experiences, we discover how understanding water mechanics and exterior applications can make or break firefighting efforts. He underlines the need to focus on victims rather than personal egos and encourages us to see certifications as the beginning, not the end, of the learning journey. So, are you ready to gain some valuable insights from one of the best in the field? Tune in and ignite your curiosity!
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
As always, today's podcast is sponsored by Fire
Facilities.
Makers of reliable all-Americansteel fire training structures
built the way you train Firefacilities.
Towers, burn rooms and mobileunits help you prepare to
respond and survive.
Welcome back to 3 PointFirefighter.
(00:30):
Tonight's guest is a very goodfriend of mine, Scott Wallace.
Now, Scott has been in the fireservice for 30 years, 16 of
that has been at Dayton Fire inOhio.
He's been a lieutenant for thepast five years, done two stints
in training.
He's currently in training.
Right now he's an excellentISFSI instructor and that's
where I met him.
He's just downright good guy.
(00:50):
With all that being said, Ihope you enjoy the episode,
Lieutenant Scott Wallace.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
No, busy week, man Busy busy.
Speaker 1 (00:58):
I bet.
So welcome back to 3 PointFirefighter Today.
My guest, as you heard in theintro, is my buddy, my blood, my
brother, scott Wallace fromDayton Fire.
Buddy cheers to you.
Yes, sir, so they've listenedin the intro about you being a
Dayton firefighter, a trainingofficer.
(01:18):
They've heard that you're theduck.
They've heard that you're ISFSIinstructor.
You do all the good things.
You're somebody I care deeplyabout, one of my favorite people
, man, how's it going up therein Dayton?
Speaker 2 (01:31):
Yeah, it's good, nice and cool today.
Speaker 1 (01:35):
Is it?
Tell me about your firedepartment.
How big is that?
Speaker 2 (01:39):
So it's a.
We have 12 stations, fourfour-liter trucks, eight engines
, eight medic units Gettingquints Any of those trucks
quints.
They all have pumps, but wedon't run the quint operations.
Our trucks operate as a truck.
So you don't really ever usethem as a quint at all, like
(02:00):
first day, yeah, I mean, yeah,they'll pull hand lines, yeah,
they'll do that, but we try tostay focused in the truck.
Does truck work?
And the engine does engine work.
I love that idea.
Speaker 1 (02:17):
We have a truck, we have two quints One, but one's
called truck one, one's calledquint two.
And my issue not that anybodyasked, but my issue is the quint
never really knows 100% whatthey're going to be right, they
don't know if they're going on arun as a truck or they're going
to run as a engine and plusthey make all the medical runs
(02:38):
so that truck gets beat up a lot.
So I'm kind of, you know, butthe other one is a truck but it
just does truck work.
So they know when they go outthey're just going to be doing
truck work.
I feel like it's kind of almostnot only my opinion, but I feel
like it's kind of a little muchto ask a company to wait till
the run comes in to decide ifthere should be a truck or an
(03:00):
engine.
That's my thought, yeah.
Speaker 2 (03:02):
Yeah, and I mean, and like our first new truck, they
know there, you know that thecaptain on that truck is inside
division and you know theirprimary work is.
You know horse boy entries, youknow primary search, you know
doing the inside stuff and thenall working fires gets a second
truck and they're outside truckwork.
You know control utilities andyou know other tasks you know
(03:26):
that are required.
First engine is always theattack engine, second engine
supply if we back down for oursupply lines.
And third engine usually youknow is supporting.
Third engine is the operators,usually AO.
Speaker 1 (03:45):
What about Rick?
Do you have dedicated writ ordo you?
Speaker 2 (03:48):
Yeah, yeah, they're no, they're yeah, writ, writ or
we use the writ, but yeah, itcould be that third engine or
you know the district chiefcould request a you know
additional apparatus to beassigned to to writ.
Speaker 1 (04:07):
Are there anything like?
So you're in a trainingdivision, right?
Yes, sir.
So, yes, sir, I like that.
Yeah, got you Gotcha.
Yeah, yeah.
So, as a training officer, isthere any time that you would be
called out to a fire for anyreason?
Speaker 2 (04:25):
I mean we, you know we listen, you know when we're
there money through Friday ifsomething and we can, if it's
something noteworthy of you knowthat we could gain for training
, we could go.
You know recalls were subjectto recalls for staffing or it
(04:45):
could be, you know if whateverlogistical support could be
needed, you know within the cityas well.
So yeah, we're subject to it,but it's not like we get
assigned to the actual incident.
But yeah, we a lot of times youknow what we'll go and you know
, you know kind of document,especially if it's, you know, a
(05:06):
second Laram fire.
We'll definitely get involvedwith that.
Speaker 1 (05:11):
Yeah, I'll go as training officer.
I will go from time to time, as, and I usually show up and just
ask the battalion chief whatthey want.
Usually it's some type ofsafety role, or maybe, if it's a
big enough place, they have me,you know, be a division guy, so
you know it's kind of hit ormiss for me as well.
It's always fun as a trainingofficer, though, to see how your
guys are handling the fires anddoing everything they're
(05:34):
supposed to be doing, based onwhat you teach them.
So I'm assuming everything youteach in your academy and all
your firefighters is done 100%perfectly on the fire ground
every time.
Speaker 2 (05:45):
Yeah, you know that's not the correct answer, but yes
, I mean.
But yeah, I mean you want tosay that yes, that it's being
done.
But you know things get said,things get done and then we'll.
You know if it gets critiqued,you know we can.
You know if it's a big incident, requires like a, like a PIA,
(06:06):
then you know we definitely getinvolved with that and you know,
add the training component toit.
You know you don't want to sitthere Monday morning quarterback
going in as training, but youknow you pick up stuff, take
pictures and you know, and thenyou know guys don't like to be
so you didn't do this, youdidn't do that.
But you know you can take itand then use it as a.
(06:28):
If it was something major, thenyou know it can be addressed.
You know, but we don't, wedon't jump over.
You know the district chiefruns our district and you know
we have a district chief of thetraining center that you know
hit.
You know it's handledinternally that way.
But for the most part, like youknow, we'll pick up stuff.
You know if we see stuff, takepictures, we have to take video
(06:50):
and use it as lesson learnedstuff.
Speaker 1 (06:53):
That's good.
That's a really punishment kindof thing.
It's more like hey guys, here'show we can enhance our skills,
you know, build on the skills wehave, and if people aren't, by
the way, if you're listening topodcasts, you got to go to
YouTube and watch the video.
And look at his awesome shirtit's a 3.5-finder shirt and then
behind him he has his helmetthat he travels with when I
(07:14):
teach with him, and it's aglorious, glorious Taylor Tyn,
and we are part of a secretsociety and he is known as the
duck.
There it is, he's showing it.
I, of course, because of mymajesty and how glorious I am, I
am the eagle.
And then we have Jesse Marcott,who's been on here before.
(07:34):
He is the Falcon, and we have anew addition to our secret bird
society.
Who's that and what's hisnickname?
Speaker 2 (07:41):
Oh, Sean Biggins.
Speaker 1 (07:43):
Mm-hmm.
Speaker 2 (07:44):
Mm-hmm, yeah, and what'd you?
Speaker 1 (07:46):
name it.
Speaker 2 (07:47):
Well, what do we do?
We said the hawk right.
Speaker 1 (07:50):
Well, god the hawk, Because there was a hawk line
over you, yeah right over rightat our last class up in
non-Michigan.
Speaker 2 (07:56):
Yeah, it was just kind of like.
We were like, oh, you know, theother two days it's her to come
up with it and you know youkind of said, well, I got to do
it and it was just kind of thereit's perfect, right yeah it was
just like okay, well, we got todo it.
Speaker 1 (08:10):
That's how you got your name, though, so we were
training.
I think we were in Aletha Isthat right Kazis, yeah, yeah.
So so Scott is an excellentinstructor and he really loves
throwing water, moving hoses andteaching the UL studies and I
always get a kick out ofwatching.
First time I think I taughtwith him was water mapping, but
(08:30):
anyway, I'll never forget.
The smoke is theater smoke, butit came pouring out of the
bottom and here comes Scottwalking soaking wet.
You could tell his the insideof his toenails were wet because
there was so much water and hehad his big smile like a, like a
kid, on Christmas and I'm like,oh shit, he's the duck.
And then, of course, on theshield that he has it says the
(08:53):
duck.
But at the bottom there'salways a little tagline.
Everybody's got a specifictagline.
His is an Andy Fredericks quote.
As a first line goes, so goesthe fire, and I couldn't help
but think that when I, when you,became the duck.
Yeah, well, that day also thegreatest moment of your life,
probably right.
Speaker 2 (09:10):
Oh no, I don't know All the way back to probably,
andy, the first time we met,when you know that was, you know
, when we did our very firstbase of fire class.
That was probably the best, butyeah, but.
But I mean, besides, that day,you know, in the late years,
like I mean, it rained, so wewere already wet, and then we
just we'll just flow a bunch ofwater, so you get wetter man.
(09:30):
Yeah, I've seen a pattern.
Speaker 1 (09:32):
And let me ask you this so you go around the
country I know I I work with youa lot what do you think the
common problem that you see?
And I'm not bashing on anybody,but when you're teaching you
know, like water mapping andhose movement and all that what
do you think?
What do you see?
What's your common problem thatyou're seeing across the
country?
Um, it's.
Speaker 2 (09:52):
It comes back to the lack of not knowing where the
water is going.
You know the, the, the, theshock that everybody sees like,
oh, I never thought of that,like I never thought that of
water.
You know the momentum carryinglike that and and all the way to
like, yeah, I did a three skidfire in a in a in a burn room
(10:13):
and that's how I was taught toto put out fire and not having
the training which it wasn'tthere.
I mean the studies weren'tthere when myself and yourself
we didn't have that study, thestudies weren't there.
And the technique I mean whenyou introduce and everybody's,
(10:35):
if it's combination nozzle,smoothbore nozzle, whatever it's
, when you sit and show them thetechniques, they're like, oh, I
never thought of that.
The common problem is just thelack of getting educated on the
new research.
If I wasn't involved in thesociety, I don't know if I would
(10:55):
have found the research as muchas I wasn't a research guy.
I'm going to get my hands dirtytype of guy.
But then when it got introducedto me and it was like, wow,
really, I opened it for me.
And then when we deliver theseclasses, it's like, yeah, I get
where you are at and I feel thatway.
(11:18):
I mean, I know how you feel,but this is good stuff.
This is stuff that you reallyneed to incorporate in your
department and get the messageout.
And the important part of us iswhen we teach this and all the
cadres that teach the watermechanics, water mapping stuff
is delivered and message right.
It's not about the smoothboreversus combination, blah, blah,
(11:44):
blah.
That's not what it's about.
What it's about is learning howto technique, how to move hose,
airfields, those guys, allthose that do that stuff.
It's like, yeah, I mean, theygot it right.
And it's like more and more ofthat needs to be taught.
And with ISFSI, it's like weget the opportunity to do a lot,
(12:07):
and taking this message to alot of departments is great that
we can deliver up-to-dateresearch and have our backing
when we sit and do water mappingin the prop and everybody's
eyes get wide open like, wow, Inever thought of water going
(12:27):
that way.
I just want to put it on thatred stuff, right, yeah that's
always the thing.
Speaker 1 (12:34):
Yeah, and that's the thing that we're fighting.
You know old firefighters thatare setting their ways.
We're old firefighters, sort ofsetting our ways, but, like you
said, our eyes were open andthere's no way that you can read
this research and not changeyour tactics, not change your
strategy for your department,and if you're not doing it,
(12:54):
you're putting people in harm'sway.
So the old, like one of thethings that we teach and one of
the things I love watching Scottteach so much is air
entrainment.
It's air and water is all thatis air and water.
Speaker 2 (13:05):
Oh air so.
Speaker 1 (13:06):
Scott teaches how you know how air will drag.
Water will drag air behind it.
A low pressure front behind itis going to bring more and more
air.
The idea of spraying through afire and hitting the back wall
is useless Having to a steepangle at the ceiling and then
raining it down and you'recoating all the surfaces evenly,
contracting those gases, whichis what we want.
(13:28):
We want to contract those gasesquickly because they're going
to be replaced by cool air andalmost always on the bottom and
that's where our victims are.
So it's great information.
You go to FS, FSRIorg, Ibelieve, yeah, and there's free
training and it's all thestudies.
So the ISFSI basically is sortof an informal branch, education
(13:50):
branch of the FSRI that do allthe studies and then Scott and I
get to go out with a bunch offantastic instructors and go
some great places and teach thisstuff.
So for us we teach it over andover and over and it's always
the same results, right.
So when we teach water mappingor air entrainment, we're never
(14:10):
surprised.
Everything happens exactly thesame way.
Every time it's science.
So if you're out there listeningand you're like I don't know
about that bullshit, First offyou're wrong and second off, get
educated.
Get educated, you know.
Take care of your company, takecare of your district, take
care of your department.
Learn the stuff.
It's the real deal.
(14:31):
Was there any time like whenyou were teaching the Scott any
of the stuff?
Basement, fire 1700, any ofthat stuff that you were still
kind of questioning a little bit, or were you all in as soon as
you saw the data?
Speaker 2 (14:44):
No, like I mean, the first basement fire that I did,
it was in the first basementfire I did, it was in Ohio and,
like you know, I kind of gotthrown to that and I mean, you
know, and I had done the videosthat Brad French made Well, my
crew, when I was in company, wemade the videos for his part of
(15:04):
the water mapping and I was kindof like, yeah, that kind of how
, like it all kind of startedlike that.
I got that experience.
And then, you know, brad's onegot me in the society and you
know owe it to him to where I'mat today.
And you know, like, so when Iwent to that first class and
Brad's like, oh yeah, you knowwhat to do with this water
mapping, you know.
(15:25):
And then you know that firstone is like, ok, like you know,
what's the best way to teachthis?
You know like, and you know,because every place we go is
different, and until you to goto set up day, and you're just
kind of like, ok, what I got towork with, right, you know.
And then you just kind of comeup with it.
I remember the first day, youknow, we went to the dollar
(15:46):
store and bought a bunch ofplastic Tupperware to show them
how much water we was containingand then like it built up to
like, ok, I got five gallonbuckets.
And then we got to the pointwhere it's like, hey, we need to
get some smooth surfaces sothey can see the momentum and,
you know, watch the water.
You know and like, because alot of the you know places we go
on either you know concretewall which had the smooth
(16:08):
surface, or like the inside of apanel of fire facilities you
know, like you know could have.
Yeah, that's why I was giving aplug right back here.
But you know like yeah, yeah,but you know, like you know, and
it just kind of built you know,and it just kind of like once
you know, you know, just do justlike anything else.
(16:30):
Going out and teaching youlearn as much as they're
learning right.
I mean, every, every single one, every single one of those, I
brought something back and thenmade it better the next time,
and that's what I think like.
And then having everybodyengage, like supporting each
other when we go teach, makes it, and then we all kind of got
her like her own niche.
(16:51):
I mean I wish we could continuewith like base and fire in 1700
.
Both was like I felt like wewere roll.
Speaker 1 (16:57):
I mean, everyone we did was was getting better, you
know, yeah and then it did, thegrant runs out and you know,
like we just we just did thevery last NFPA 1700 for this
year under the grant and we werein, we were, okay, so we're not
just outside Detroit, yeah,yeah, so we're at Northville
(17:18):
with.
So we were, we were see, wewere just outside of Detroit,
it's just outside of Northville,that's how we should say it
right yeah, yeah.
We were rolling through thatstuff and everybody was clicking
everybody.
We were picking up what weneeded to pick up for the other
person.
It was fantastic.
And then it's like well, allright, now we're moving on to
the next one, which is gonna beengine company operations.
(17:40):
Yeah water mapping again,hostroom mechanics against, but
that's gonna be exciting, mm-hmm.
Yeah, you're right, you knowyou get this rhythm going.
And quality classes.
I really think.
I really think that ourbasement fire class is
absolutely one of the best inthe country and I'm hoping that
we're gonna start offering that.
Yeah, and then 1700.
I'm still running into peoplesay I've never heard of NFPA
(18:01):
1700.
I'm like, got check it out,brother.
Especially if you're trainingofficer, you got to check it out
.
Speaker 2 (18:07):
Absolutely.
And they get.
They get scared away by I'm atFBA and like they don't read
into it and it's like well,actually, you know, you know
we're not saying this isstandard.
You know, when we sit and tellthem, hey, this is stuff We've
been doing, it's just under oneGuide, you know like it's.
It's like NFPA 1700.
Oh yeah, we, you know we don'tfollow all the standards right,
(18:27):
and so they just like that I'mnot taking that class, we, we
can't follow it.
Well, in reality, it'sEverything that we do already.
It just it's just honing theskills and then adding the, the
research with it.
You know when it, if it comesfrom.
You know search ventilation.
You know even the, the ICposition on the outside.
(18:48):
You know A couple of ourclasses.
Some people like didn't evenreally even think about doing
the 360 with the camera.
You know, like, oh, you know,and you know Jesse does a great
job with that part and it's like, yeah, I mean there's a lot you
know, and that that's probablythe biggest thing when it comes
to fire services is gettingPeople to keep buying in.
(19:08):
You know, you know we all say,you know we don't want to change
and one change, blah, blah,blah, but the reality.
I mean that our services, aliving document.
You cannot Just stop, you can'tjust okay, that's it.
I got my card, I'm gonna gofight fire.
Everybody know it's a gamechanger.
The buildings change, you know.
(19:30):
Or PPE changes, our tacticschange.
I mean, you know, you know,your manning changes, whatever.
Whatever you got, I meaneverything changes and every
department's different.
But if there's the standard of,hey, we should do this, no, it's
, it's, it's not slicers, it'snot this, it's x-ray water
application.
Okay, you can still call itwhat you want, but yeah, I mean
(19:52):
you still can, you can stillcall it whatever you, whatever
you know, transitional attack.
But in the standard it saysx-ray water application.
Okay, and and what are we doing?
We're making it more tenable.
Making it more tenable for us.
You know the victims, you knowwe're putting them first in.
The studies have shown that.
You know that it's it's notpushing fire, it's it's not, you
(20:14):
know, killing people.
By doing it, we're we're makinga more tenable.
I mean there, you know some ofthose videos that we show when
we teach these classes.
It's like just watch this, justwatch these videos.
You know that one out ofFlorida, that we Fort Walton
Beach, I think it's what the onewhere they show that.
Speaker 1 (20:30):
Shannon Stones brother.
Yeah it's Shannon Stones,brother.
I think that the VES one youtalk about.
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (20:35):
Yeah.
That's amazing that I mean thatis.
I mean you want to, you want tosee, like a lot of the things
we talk about between you know,transitional attack, x-ray water
application, what you want tocall it and then you look at how
they they go in, you know,belly in to do the search, they
stay low, communicate.
I mean all the stuff that youhear from day one, like recruit
(20:57):
classes, like okay, that happens, still doing there, they're all
still doing their job and andthen when they bring the victim
out, they did everything right.
And you know, we've, we'vepreached that how many times
when we talk that class and it'slike, hey, that's good stuff.
I mean that shows you, you know.
And then the little tricks ofthe trade of you know, hey, one
(21:17):
guy's masking up, the otherone's flowing water to mask up
and go.
You know that just those littlequick tidbits that you know
helps people.
Well, I tell you, what.
Speaker 1 (21:26):
What grinds my gears is idiots, and I'm going to call
you an idiot If you'relistening to this and going hey,
that's me.
Well, you're probably an idiotIf you are a kind of person that
does that hit it hard from theyard.
You know transitional tacky forme.
I ain't fighting fire from theoutside, Nobody.
I tell you what.
You watch two minutes of athree hour movie and think
you've got the plot, becausethat ain't it, brother.
(21:46):
It ain't about fighting firefrom the outside.
It's about using to reach yourstream, making more tentable for
the victim and then getting inthere and doing your job.
Now, you would never, in aburning building, go past fire.
You put it out.
You don't walk past fire.
Why would you do it outside?
And if you apply that water ina certain way, it's going to be
(22:06):
better for the victims.
Now, if you don't want to dothat, because you want to go in
and feel the heat and all that,please get out of the fire
service, because you're not afireman.
Firemen take care of victimsand that's ego.
Ego's like fuck that big fire,I'm going to go inside and get
it.
No, man, don't be that guy.
You're now putting at risk alittle Johnny and the Spider-Man
pajamas on the ground.
(22:27):
Because you want to prove whata badass you are, Put water in
the window If you got theopportunity.
Cool that area, contract thosegases, make it better for your
victims.
But if you're one of thoseboner firemen brothers, just go
be a cop or something.
If you're all about to ego, gobe a cop, because that ain't it,
brother, we're here for them.
Period, flat, full stop, end ofstory.
(22:49):
We're here for them, and ifthat means we got to spray a
little bit of water on theoutside while we're doing a 360
and make things better, let's dothat shit.
It could drop the floortemperature hundreds of degrees.
Speaker 2 (22:59):
Yeah, absolutely you can save people's fucking lives.
Speaker 1 (23:02):
But I get on a soapbox sometimes, Scott, sorry.
Speaker 2 (23:05):
I mean.
Speaker 1 (23:06):
I hate those firemen.
Speaker 2 (23:07):
Well, you know, and I've had like scenes I one
really sticks out my head wherewe had a truck delayed getting
there and we had a boarded uptwo-story wood frame and we had
heavy fire on the second floor.
And so, you know, enginecompany, we don't carry saws in
our engines, but so I had oneguy forcing the door with hand
(23:28):
tools and then the other guysflowed water from the outside
the time the second crews gotthere, you know, we made entry,
done it, and they're like I betyou guys had a lot of fire.
I was like, yeah, we did, wejust put a lot of it out and you
know, and honestly, you couldactually see like the line of
demarcation, like exactly whereit stopped.
It was pretty impressive, ohreally, oh yeah, yeah, the only
(23:50):
thing that there was a knee wallthat you could see where it
still had a hotspot at, but Imean it was a perfect.
Like when you're talking aboutthat exterior application making
a 10, well, making it making adifference, that was a good one
and we've really our departmenthas really went to making those
type of, you know, attacks.
I mean it's not uncommon.
(24:12):
I wasn't on it a week or so ago.
They had a.
They had a really good twostore, a row apartment fire and
they did a great job and itmakes you feel good because it
was some of the recruits I justhad Did a like a second floor.
They did an exterior hit andwhen it went in I mean it was
like boom, knocked it down likeright now.
(24:34):
And so you know and that stuff,like I get some of that stuff.
You know, brad Fritz goes out,he's the PIO and he takes photos
and stuff and he was telling mesome stuff about that and he
says it was exactly like what wetalk about.
And you know that if we wouldhave had a video it would have
been, like, you know, perfect toshow some.
Speaker 1 (24:53):
But yeah, it's hard, it's hard.
you know you get set in yourways when you you're an older
firefighter and you kind ofmentioned this earlier and I
want to touch back on it.
You said you know you'll getyour card and go boom, I'm a
fireman.
Now Right, any certificationyou get firefighter one,
firefighter two, fire officerone, two, three, four, whatever
it is.
Whatever certification you getin the fire service, it's not a
(25:14):
finish line, it's the startingpoint.
It's a license to learn.
It doesn't mean you're now theperfect rope rescue guy or the
perfect firefighter, fire orfirefighter one or two guy.
That means you've put in theeffort to start your career and
if you're one of thosefirefighters and you don't, you
don't keep up on your skill setand you don't keep learning and
(25:34):
driving and pushing and teachingothers.
You're not a fireman, I'm sorry.
You're a city employee.
Our job, our job demands, ourjob, demands that we constantly
learn, we constantly care and weput our citizens first, and
that's what we need to keep inmind Now.
Now we'll say this anybody saysmy podcast for any amount of
(25:54):
time knows I've been a big bagof shit at work before.
I went through a period where Ifelt like you know, I'm settled
in, I'm, I know everything, I'mgood for any run.
I actually remember this is noshit, scott.
I remember at my worst when Iwas the biggest piece of shit
mutt firefighter you ever saw.
I remember thinking I don'thave to learn anymore.
(26:16):
I remember thinking thatthought, like man, this is nice
to be this part of my career,that I can handle any emergency.
Now I truly thought that that'spretty arrogant.
If you look, go back and lookat that, but it's a truth,
that's what I thought, and thenI started getting more and more
into training, more and moreinto learning.
Then the big shift for me camewhen I just put it all in
perspective I'm not here for me,I'm not here for even anybody
(26:38):
in the fire and the firedepartment.
I'm here for the victims, forthe patients, for the people
outside the fire department, andif you change your perspective
on that, you can't help but moveinto a better fire career.
But yeah, to your point earlier, you don't just you don't stop
learning.
Right, who wants to go to acardiologist?
It's you know, said you know.
I got my certificate about 30years ago.
(26:59):
Hey, let me cut your chest open.
Fuck, no, what's up?
It stays on top of shit.
Speaker 2 (27:05):
Well, and I mean you know with, with the changes of
things, I mean if it's between,you know if your department
changes hose load, changes, airpacks, and you know changes
apparatus changes, tactics,whatever it is.
I mean just that stuff initself is something you should,
you know, be staying up on allthe time.
You know if you're changinghigh rise loads, you know high
(27:26):
rise operations, whatever.
But you know if you're notwilling, in everything's a fight
which you know, a lot ofdepartments run into that like,
oh, that's, I'm just, that's,I'm not doing.
You know this way, I was taughtthis, what we're doing and you
know, and that that's always, Imean I'm, you know everybody has
that, you know every department, and it's the delivery, that is
(27:47):
how you do it.
Speaker 1 (27:49):
That's part one, with my brother from another mother,
scott Wallace.
Be sure to listen next Mondayfor part two.
Our podcast today was sponsoredby Fire Facilities.
This Made in America company isdedicated to constructing top
quality custom trainingstructures to meet your needs.
Make your training count withall steel structures that are
made to last.
Visit firefacilitiescom formore details.
As always, today's podcast is sponsored by Fire
Facilities.
Makers of reliable all-Americansteel fire training structures
built the way you train Firefacilities.
Towers, burn rooms and mobileunits help you prepare to
respond and survive.
Welcome back to 3 PointFirefighter.
(00:30):
Tonight's guest is a very goodfriend of mine, Scott Wallace.
Now, Scott has been in the fireservice for 30 years, 16 of
that has been at Dayton Fire inOhio.
He's been a lieutenant for thepast five years, done two stints
in training.
He's currently in training.
Right now he's an excellentISFSI instructor and that's
where I met him.
He's just downright good guy.
(00:50):
With all that being said, Ihope you enjoy the episode,
Lieutenant Scott Wallace.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
No, busy week, man Busy busy.
Speaker 1 (00:58):
I bet.
So welcome back to 3 PointFirefighter Today.
My guest, as you heard in theintro, is my buddy, my blood, my
brother, scott Wallace fromDayton Fire.
Buddy cheers to you.
Yes, sir, so they've listenedin the intro about you being a
Dayton firefighter, a trainingofficer.
(01:18):
They've heard that you're theduck.
They've heard that you're ISFSIinstructor.
You do all the good things.
You're somebody I care deeplyabout, one of my favorite people
, man, how's it going up therein Dayton?
Speaker 2 (01:31):
Yeah, it's good, nice and cool today.
Speaker 1 (01:35):
Is it?
Tell me about your firedepartment.
How big is that?
Speaker 2 (01:39):
So it's a.
We have 12 stations, fourfour-liter trucks, eight engines
, eight medic units Gettingquints Any of those trucks
quints.
They all have pumps, but wedon't run the quint operations.
Our trucks operate as a truck.
So you don't really ever usethem as a quint at all, like
(02:00):
first day, yeah, I mean, yeah,they'll pull hand lines, yeah,
they'll do that, but we try tostay focused in the truck.
Does truck work?
And the engine does engine work.
I love that idea.
Speaker 1 (02:17):
We have a truck, we have two quints One, but one's
called truck one, one's calledquint two.
And my issue not that anybodyasked, but my issue is the quint
never really knows 100% whatthey're going to be right, they
don't know if they're going on arun as a truck or they're going
to run as a engine and plusthey make all the medical runs
(02:38):
so that truck gets beat up a lot.
So I'm kind of, you know, butthe other one is a truck but it
just does truck work.
So they know when they go outthey're just going to be doing
truck work.
I feel like it's kind of almostnot only my opinion, but I feel
like it's kind of a little muchto ask a company to wait till
the run comes in to decide ifthere should be a truck or an
(03:00):
engine.
That's my thought, yeah.
Speaker 2 (03:02):
Yeah, and I mean, and like our first new truck, they
know there, you know that thecaptain on that truck is inside
division and you know theirprimary work is.
You know horse boy entries, youknow primary search, you know
doing the inside stuff and thenall working fires gets a second
truck and they're outside truckwork.
You know control utilities andyou know other tasks you know
(03:26):
that are required.
First engine is always theattack engine, second engine
supply if we back down for oursupply lines.
And third engine usually youknow is supporting.
Third engine is the operators,usually AO.
Speaker 1 (03:45):
What about Rick?
Do you have dedicated writ ordo you?
Speaker 2 (03:48):
Yeah, yeah, they're no, they're yeah, writ, writ or
we use the writ, but yeah, itcould be that third engine or
you know the district chiefcould request a you know
additional apparatus to beassigned to to writ.
Speaker 1 (04:07):
Are there anything like?
So you're in a trainingdivision, right?
Yes, sir.
So, yes, sir, I like that.
Yeah, got you Gotcha.
Yeah, yeah.
So, as a training officer, isthere any time that you would be
called out to a fire for anyreason?
Speaker 2 (04:25):
I mean we, you know we listen, you know when we're
there money through Friday ifsomething and we can, if it's
something noteworthy of you knowthat we could gain for training
, we could go.
You know recalls were subjectto recalls for staffing or it
(04:45):
could be, you know if whateverlogistical support could be
needed, you know within the cityas well.
So yeah, we're subject to it,but it's not like we get
assigned to the actual incident.
But yeah, we a lot of times youknow what we'll go and you know
, you know kind of document,especially if it's, you know, a
(05:06):
second Laram fire.
We'll definitely get involvedwith that.
Speaker 1 (05:11):
Yeah, I'll go as training officer.
I will go from time to time, as, and I usually show up and just
ask the battalion chief whatthey want.
Usually it's some type ofsafety role, or maybe, if it's a
big enough place, they have me,you know, be a division guy, so
you know it's kind of hit ormiss for me as well.
It's always fun as a trainingofficer, though, to see how your
guys are handling the fires anddoing everything they're
(05:34):
supposed to be doing, based onwhat you teach them.
So I'm assuming everything youteach in your academy and all
your firefighters is done 100%perfectly on the fire ground
every time.
Speaker 2 (05:45):
Yeah, you know that's not the correct answer, but yes
, I mean.
But yeah, I mean you want tosay that yes, that it's being
done.
But you know things get said,things get done and then we'll.
You know if it gets critiqued,you know we can.
You know if it's a big incident, requires like a, like a PIA,
(06:06):
then you know we definitely getinvolved with that and you know,
add the training component toit.
You know you don't want to sitthere Monday morning quarterback
going in as training, but youknow you pick up stuff, take
pictures and you know, and thenyou know guys don't like to be
so you didn't do this, youdidn't do that.
But you know you can take itand then use it as a.
(06:28):
If it was something major, thenyou know it can be addressed.
You know, but we don't, wedon't jump over.
You know the district chiefruns our district and you know
we have a district chief of thetraining center that you know
hit.
You know it's handledinternally that way.
But for the most part, like youknow, we'll pick up stuff.
You know if we see stuff, takepictures, we have to take video
(06:50):
and use it as lesson learnedstuff.
Speaker 1 (06:53):
That's good.
That's a really punishment kindof thing.
It's more like hey guys, here'show we can enhance our skills,
you know, build on the skills wehave, and if people aren't, by
the way, if you're listening topodcasts, you got to go to
YouTube and watch the video.
And look at his awesome shirtit's a 3.5-finder shirt and then
behind him he has his helmetthat he travels with when I
(07:14):
teach with him, and it's aglorious, glorious Taylor Tyn,
and we are part of a secretsociety and he is known as the
duck.
There it is, he's showing it.
I, of course, because of mymajesty and how glorious I am, I
am the eagle.
And then we have Jesse Marcott,who's been on here before.
(07:34):
He is the Falcon, and we have anew addition to our secret bird
society.
Who's that and what's hisnickname?
Speaker 2 (07:41):
Oh, Sean Biggins.
Speaker 1 (07:43):
Mm-hmm.
Speaker 2 (07:44):
Mm-hmm, yeah, and what'd you?
Speaker 1 (07:46):
name it.
Speaker 2 (07:47):
Well, what do we do?
We said the hawk right.
Speaker 1 (07:50):
Well, god the hawk, Because there was a hawk line
over you, yeah right over rightat our last class up in
non-Michigan.
Speaker 2 (07:56):
Yeah, it was just kind of like.
We were like, oh, you know, theother two days it's her to come
up with it and you know youkind of said, well, I got to do
it and it was just kind of thereit's perfect, right yeah it was
just like okay, well, we got todo it.
Speaker 1 (08:10):
That's how you got your name, though, so we were
training.
I think we were in Aletha Isthat right Kazis, yeah, yeah.
So so Scott is an excellentinstructor and he really loves
throwing water, moving hoses andteaching the UL studies and I
always get a kick out ofwatching.
First time I think I taughtwith him was water mapping, but
(08:30):
anyway, I'll never forget.
The smoke is theater smoke, butit came pouring out of the
bottom and here comes Scottwalking soaking wet.
You could tell his the insideof his toenails were wet because
there was so much water and hehad his big smile like a, like a
kid, on Christmas and I'm like,oh shit, he's the duck.
And then, of course, on theshield that he has it says the
(08:53):
duck.
But at the bottom there'salways a little tagline.
Everybody's got a specifictagline.
His is an Andy Fredericks quote.
As a first line goes, so goesthe fire, and I couldn't help
but think that when I, when you,became the duck.
Yeah, well, that day also thegreatest moment of your life,
probably right.
Speaker 2 (09:10):
Oh no, I don't know All the way back to probably,
andy, the first time we met,when you know that was, you know
, when we did our very firstbase of fire class.
That was probably the best, butyeah, but.
But I mean, besides, that day,you know, in the late years,
like I mean, it rained, so wewere already wet, and then we
just we'll just flow a bunch ofwater, so you get wetter man.
(09:30):
Yeah, I've seen a pattern.
Speaker 1 (09:32):
And let me ask you this so you go around the
country I know I I work with youa lot what do you think the
common problem that you see?
And I'm not bashing on anybody,but when you're teaching you
know, like water mapping andhose movement and all that what
do you think?
What do you see?
What's your common problem thatyou're seeing across the
country?
Um, it's.
Speaker 2 (09:52):
It comes back to the lack of not knowing where the
water is going.
You know the, the, the, theshock that everybody sees like,
oh, I never thought of that,like I never thought that of
water.
You know the momentum carryinglike that and and all the way to
like, yeah, I did a three skidfire in a in a in a burn room
(10:13):
and that's how I was taught toto put out fire and not having
the training which it wasn'tthere.
I mean the studies weren'tthere when myself and yourself
we didn't have that study, thestudies weren't there.
And the technique I mean whenyou introduce and everybody's,
(10:35):
if it's combination nozzle,smoothbore nozzle, whatever it's
, when you sit and show them thetechniques, they're like, oh, I
never thought of that.
The common problem is just thelack of getting educated on the
new research.
If I wasn't involved in thesociety, I don't know if I would
(10:55):
have found the research as muchas I wasn't a research guy.
I'm going to get my hands dirtytype of guy.
But then when it got introducedto me and it was like, wow,
really, I opened it for me.
And then when we deliver theseclasses, it's like, yeah, I get
where you are at and I feel thatway.
(11:18):
I mean, I know how you feel,but this is good stuff.
This is stuff that you reallyneed to incorporate in your
department and get the messageout.
And the important part of us iswhen we teach this and all the
cadres that teach the watermechanics, water mapping stuff
is delivered and message right.
It's not about the smoothboreversus combination, blah, blah,
(11:44):
blah.
That's not what it's about.
What it's about is learning howto technique, how to move hose,
airfields, those guys, allthose that do that stuff.
It's like, yeah, I mean, theygot it right.
And it's like more and more ofthat needs to be taught.
And with ISFSI, it's like weget the opportunity to do a lot,
(12:07):
and taking this message to alot of departments is great that
we can deliver up-to-dateresearch and have our backing
when we sit and do water mappingin the prop and everybody's
eyes get wide open like, wow, Inever thought of water going
(12:27):
that way.
I just want to put it on thatred stuff, right, yeah that's
always the thing.
Speaker 1 (12:34):
Yeah, and that's the thing that we're fighting.
You know old firefighters thatare setting their ways.
We're old firefighters, sort ofsetting our ways, but, like you
said, our eyes were open andthere's no way that you can read
this research and not changeyour tactics, not change your
strategy for your department,and if you're not doing it,
(12:54):
you're putting people in harm'sway.
So the old, like one of thethings that we teach and one of
the things I love watching Scottteach so much is air
entrainment.
It's air and water is all thatis air and water.
Speaker 2 (13:05):
Oh air so.
Speaker 1 (13:06):
Scott teaches how you know how air will drag.
Water will drag air behind it.
A low pressure front behind itis going to bring more and more
air.
The idea of spraying through afire and hitting the back wall
is useless Having to a steepangle at the ceiling and then
raining it down and you'recoating all the surfaces evenly,
contracting those gases, whichis what we want.
(13:28):
We want to contract those gasesquickly because they're going
to be replaced by cool air andalmost always on the bottom and
that's where our victims are.
So it's great information.
You go to FS, FSRIorg, Ibelieve, yeah, and there's free
training and it's all thestudies.
So the ISFSI basically is sortof an informal branch, education
(13:50):
branch of the FSRI that do allthe studies and then Scott and I
get to go out with a bunch offantastic instructors and go
some great places and teach thisstuff.
So for us we teach it over andover and over and it's always
the same results, right.
So when we teach water mappingor air entrainment, we're never
(14:10):
surprised.
Everything happens exactly thesame way.
Every time it's science.
So if you're out there listeningand you're like I don't know
about that bullshit, First offyou're wrong and second off, get
educated.
Get educated, you know.
Take care of your company, takecare of your district, take
care of your department.
Learn the stuff.
It's the real deal.
(14:31):
Was there any time like whenyou were teaching the Scott any
of the stuff?
Basement, fire 1700, any ofthat stuff that you were still
kind of questioning a little bit, or were you all in as soon as
you saw the data?
Speaker 2 (14:44):
No, like I mean, the first basement fire that I did,
it was in the first basementfire I did, it was in Ohio and,
like you know, I kind of gotthrown to that and I mean, you
know, and I had done the videosthat Brad French made Well, my
crew, when I was in company, wemade the videos for his part of
(15:04):
the water mapping and I was kindof like, yeah, that kind of how
, like it all kind of startedlike that.
I got that experience.
And then, you know, brad's onegot me in the society and you
know owe it to him to where I'mat today.
And you know, like, so when Iwent to that first class and
Brad's like, oh yeah, you knowwhat to do with this water
mapping, you know.
(15:25):
And then you know that firstone is like, ok, like you know,
what's the best way to teachthis?
You know like, and you know,because every place we go is
different, and until you to goto set up day, and you're just
kind of like, ok, what I got towork with, right, you know.
And then you just kind of comeup with it.
I remember the first day, youknow, we went to the dollar
(15:46):
store and bought a bunch ofplastic Tupperware to show them
how much water we was containingand then like it built up to
like, ok, I got five gallonbuckets.
And then we got to the pointwhere it's like, hey, we need to
get some smooth surfaces sothey can see the momentum and,
you know, watch the water.
You know and like, because alot of the you know places we go
on either you know concretewall which had the smooth
(16:08):
surface, or like the inside of apanel of fire facilities you
know, like you know could have.
Yeah, that's why I was giving aplug right back here.
But you know like yeah, yeah,but you know, like you know, and
it just kind of built you know,and it just kind of like once
you know, you know, just do justlike anything else.
(16:30):
Going out and teaching youlearn as much as they're
learning right.
I mean, every, every single one, every single one of those, I
brought something back and thenmade it better the next time,
and that's what I think like.
And then having everybodyengage, like supporting each
other when we go teach, makes it, and then we all kind of got
her like her own niche.
(16:51):
I mean I wish we could continuewith like base and fire in 1700
.
Both was like I felt like wewere roll.
Speaker 1 (16:57):
I mean, everyone we did was was getting better, you
know, yeah and then it did, thegrant runs out and you know,
like we just we just did thevery last NFPA 1700 for this
year under the grant and we werein, we were, okay, so we're not
just outside Detroit, yeah,yeah, so we're at Northville
(17:18):
with.
So we were, we were see, wewere just outside of Detroit,
it's just outside of Northville,that's how we should say it
right yeah, yeah.
We were rolling through thatstuff and everybody was clicking
everybody.
We were picking up what weneeded to pick up for the other
person.
It was fantastic.
And then it's like well, allright, now we're moving on to
the next one, which is gonna beengine company operations.
(17:40):
Yeah water mapping again,hostroom mechanics against, but
that's gonna be exciting, mm-hmm.
Yeah, you're right, you knowyou get this rhythm going.
And quality classes.
I really think.
I really think that ourbasement fire class is
absolutely one of the best inthe country and I'm hoping that
we're gonna start offering that.
Yeah, and then 1700.
I'm still running into peoplesay I've never heard of NFPA
(18:01):
1700.
I'm like, got check it out,brother.
Especially if you're trainingofficer, you got to check it out
.
Speaker 2 (18:07):
Absolutely.
And they get.
They get scared away by I'm atFBA and like they don't read
into it and it's like well,actually, you know, you know
we're not saying this isstandard.
You know, when we sit and tellthem, hey, this is stuff We've
been doing, it's just under oneGuide, you know like it's.
It's like NFPA 1700.
Oh yeah, we, you know we don'tfollow all the standards right,
(18:27):
and so they just like that I'mnot taking that class, we, we
can't follow it.
Well, in reality, it'sEverything that we do already.
It just it's just honing theskills and then adding the, the
research with it.
You know when it, if it comesfrom.
You know search ventilation.
You know even the, the ICposition on the outside.
(18:48):
You know A couple of ourclasses.
Some people like didn't evenreally even think about doing
the 360 with the camera.
You know, like, oh, you know,and you know Jesse does a great
job with that part and it's like, yeah, I mean there's a lot you
know, and that that's probablythe biggest thing when it comes
to fire services is gettingPeople to keep buying in.
(19:08):
You know, you know we all say,you know we don't want to change
and one change, blah, blah,blah, but the reality.
I mean that our services, aliving document.
You cannot Just stop, you can'tjust okay, that's it.
I got my card, I'm gonna gofight fire.
Everybody know it's a gamechanger.
The buildings change, you know.
(19:30):
Or PPE changes, our tacticschange.
I mean, you know, you know,your manning changes, whatever.
Whatever you got, I meaneverything changes and every
department's different.
But if there's the standard of,hey, we should do this, no, it's
, it's, it's not slicers, it'snot this, it's x-ray water
application.
Okay, you can still call itwhat you want, but yeah, I mean
(19:52):
you still can, you can stillcall it whatever you, whatever
you know, transitional attack.
But in the standard it saysx-ray water application.
Okay, and and what are we doing?
We're making it more tenable.
Making it more tenable for us.
You know the victims, you knowwe're putting them first in.
The studies have shown that.
You know that it's it's notpushing fire, it's it's not, you
(20:14):
know, killing people.
By doing it, we're we're makinga more tenable.
I mean there, you know some ofthose videos that we show when
we teach these classes.
It's like just watch this, justwatch these videos.
You know that one out ofFlorida, that we Fort Walton
Beach, I think it's what the onewhere they show that.
Speaker 1 (20:30):
Shannon Stones brother.
Yeah it's Shannon Stones,brother.
I think that the VES one youtalk about.
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (20:35):
Yeah.
That's amazing that I mean thatis.
I mean you want to, you want tosee, like a lot of the things
we talk about between you know,transitional attack, x-ray water
application, what you want tocall it and then you look at how
they they go in, you know,belly in to do the search, they
stay low, communicate.
I mean all the stuff that youhear from day one, like recruit
(20:57):
classes, like okay, that happens, still doing there, they're all
still doing their job and andthen when they bring the victim
out, they did everything right.
And you know, we've, we'vepreached that how many times
when we talk that class and it'slike, hey, that's good stuff.
I mean that shows you, you know.
And then the little tricks ofthe trade of you know, hey, one
(21:17):
guy's masking up, the otherone's flowing water to mask up
and go.
You know that just those littlequick tidbits that you know
helps people.
Well, I tell you, what.
Speaker 1 (21:26):
What grinds my gears is idiots, and I'm going to call
you an idiot If you'relistening to this and going hey,
that's me.
Well, you're probably an idiotIf you are a kind of person that
does that hit it hard from theyard.
You know transitional tacky forme.
I ain't fighting fire from theoutside, Nobody.
I tell you what.
You watch two minutes of athree hour movie and think
you've got the plot, becausethat ain't it, brother.
(21:46):
It ain't about fighting firefrom the outside.
It's about using to reach yourstream, making more tentable for
the victim and then getting inthere and doing your job.
Now, you would never, in aburning building, go past fire.
You put it out.
You don't walk past fire.
Why would you do it outside?
And if you apply that water ina certain way, it's going to be
(22:06):
better for the victims.
Now, if you don't want to dothat, because you want to go in
and feel the heat and all that,please get out of the fire
service, because you're not afireman.
Firemen take care of victimsand that's ego.
Ego's like fuck that big fire,I'm going to go inside and get
it.
No, man, don't be that guy.
You're now putting at risk alittle Johnny and the Spider-Man
pajamas on the ground.
(22:27):
Because you want to prove whata badass you are, Put water in
the window If you got theopportunity.
Cool that area, contract thosegases, make it better for your
victims.
But if you're one of thoseboner firemen brothers, just go
be a cop or something.
If you're all about to ego, gobe a cop, because that ain't it,
brother, we're here for them.
Period, flat, full stop, end ofstory.
(22:49):
We're here for them, and ifthat means we got to spray a
little bit of water on theoutside while we're doing a 360
and make things better, let's dothat shit.
It could drop the floortemperature hundreds of degrees.
Speaker 2 (22:59):
Yeah, absolutely you can save people's fucking lives.
Speaker 1 (23:02):
But I get on a soapbox sometimes, Scott, sorry.
Speaker 2 (23:05):
I mean.
Speaker 1 (23:06):
I hate those firemen.
Speaker 2 (23:07):
Well, you know, and I've had like scenes I one
really sticks out my head wherewe had a truck delayed getting
there and we had a boarded uptwo-story wood frame and we had
heavy fire on the second floor.
And so, you know, enginecompany, we don't carry saws in
our engines, but so I had oneguy forcing the door with hand
(23:28):
tools and then the other guysflowed water from the outside
the time the second crews gotthere, you know, we made entry,
done it, and they're like I betyou guys had a lot of fire.
I was like, yeah, we did, wejust put a lot of it out and you
know, and honestly, you couldactually see like the line of
demarcation, like exactly whereit stopped.
It was pretty impressive, ohreally, oh yeah, yeah, the only
(23:50):
thing that there was a knee wallthat you could see where it
still had a hotspot at, but Imean it was a perfect.
Like when you're talking aboutthat exterior application making
a 10, well, making it making adifference, that was a good one
and we've really our departmenthas really went to making those
type of, you know, attacks.
I mean it's not uncommon.
(24:12):
I wasn't on it a week or so ago.
They had a.
They had a really good twostore, a row apartment fire and
they did a great job and itmakes you feel good because it
was some of the recruits I justhad Did a like a second floor.
They did an exterior hit andwhen it went in I mean it was
like boom, knocked it down likeright now.
(24:34):
And so you know and that stuff,like I get some of that stuff.
You know, brad Fritz goes out,he's the PIO and he takes photos
and stuff and he was telling mesome stuff about that and he
says it was exactly like what wetalk about.
And you know that if we wouldhave had a video it would have
been, like, you know, perfect toshow some.
Speaker 1 (24:53):
But yeah, it's hard, it's hard.
you know you get set in yourways when you you're an older
firefighter and you kind ofmentioned this earlier and I
want to touch back on it.
You said you know you'll getyour card and go boom, I'm a
fireman.
Now Right, any certificationyou get firefighter one,
firefighter two, fire officerone, two, three, four, whatever
it is.
Whatever certification you getin the fire service, it's not a
(25:14):
finish line, it's the startingpoint.
It's a license to learn.
It doesn't mean you're now theperfect rope rescue guy or the
perfect firefighter, fire orfirefighter one or two guy.
That means you've put in theeffort to start your career and
if you're one of thosefirefighters and you don't, you
don't keep up on your skill setand you don't keep learning and
(25:34):
driving and pushing and teachingothers.
You're not a fireman, I'm sorry.
You're a city employee.
Our job, our job demands, ourjob, demands that we constantly
learn, we constantly care and weput our citizens first, and
that's what we need to keep inmind Now.
Now we'll say this anybody saysmy podcast for any amount of
(25:54):
time knows I've been a big bagof shit at work before.
I went through a period where Ifelt like you know, I'm settled
in, I'm, I know everything, I'mgood for any run.
I actually remember this is noshit, scott.
I remember at my worst when Iwas the biggest piece of shit
mutt firefighter you ever saw.
I remember thinking I don'thave to learn anymore.
(26:16):
I remember thinking thatthought, like man, this is nice
to be this part of my career,that I can handle any emergency.
Now I truly thought that that'spretty arrogant.
If you look, go back and lookat that, but it's a truth,
that's what I thought, and thenI started getting more and more
into training, more and moreinto learning.
Then the big shift for me camewhen I just put it all in
perspective I'm not here for me,I'm not here for even anybody
(26:38):
in the fire and the firedepartment.
I'm here for the victims, forthe patients, for the people
outside the fire department, andif you change your perspective
on that, you can't help but moveinto a better fire career.
But yeah, to your point earlier, you don't just you don't stop
learning.
Right, who wants to go to acardiologist?
It's you know, said you know.
I got my certificate about 30years ago.
(26:59):
Hey, let me cut your chest open.
Fuck, no, what's up?
It stays on top of shit.
Speaker 2 (27:05):
Well, and I mean you know with, with the changes of
things, I mean if it's between,you know if your department
changes hose load, changes, airpacks, and you know changes
apparatus changes, tactics,whatever it is.
I mean just that stuff initself is something you should,
you know, be staying up on allthe time.
You know if you're changinghigh rise loads, you know high
(27:26):
rise operations, whatever.
But you know if you're notwilling, in everything's a fight
which you know, a lot ofdepartments run into that like,
oh, that's, I'm just, that's,I'm not doing.
You know this way, I was taughtthis, what we're doing and you
know, and that that's always, Imean I'm, you know everybody has
that, you know every department, and it's the delivery, that is
(27:47):
how you do it.
Speaker 1 (27:49):
That's part one, with my brother from another mother,
scott Wallace.
Be sure to listen next Mondayfor part two.
Our podcast today was sponsoredby Fire Facilities.
This Made in America company isdedicated to constructing top
quality custom trainingstructures to meet your needs.
Make your training count withall steel structures that are
made to last.
Visit firefacilitiescom formore details.
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