First Quarter 2015
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First Quarter 2015 INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Winners = Extremists Tri‐City Automac Aid Cold Weather Months Busy for the VBFD Emergency Communicaon Procedures NFIRS: Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them Accreditaon Update 9th Annual Search and Rescue Forum Baalion 1 Events of the Quarter “Truckie” Talk The Invesgator: Behind the Scenes Who We Are ‐ “Senior Man” Fire Explorer Post 343 Meet Media Specialist Art Kohn Corporate Landing Middle School Volunteer of the Year Overweight, Obesity and Health Risks Total Runs by Unit for January ‐ March 2015 “ON THE JOB” Page 1 Thoughts from Fire Chief Steven R. Cover As I sit to write remarks for this newsletter edition, I cannot help but reflect back approxi- mately 20 years ago when members of our department responded to the Oklahoma City bombing as members of VA-TF2. April 19, 2015, will mark the 20 year anniversary of this event and it certainly made a mark on this organization, as well as the entire country. On April 19, 1995, at 9:02 a.m., a truck bomb exploded on the north side of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The blast tore a nine-story hole in the building, causing a major collapse and fire in the building, adjacent buildings, and the parking areas around the building. This explosion killed 168 people, including 19 children who were in the day care center in the building. The blast injured 650 people and damaged or destroyed some 300 buildings in the area. On June 2, 1997, Timothy McVeigh was convicted on all 11 counts against him concerning the bomb- ing and he received the death penalty on August 14, 1997. His co -conspirator, Terry Nichols, was sentenced to life in prison in 1997 on counts of killing federal law enforcement personnel. In 2004 he was convicted in the Oklahoma State System of 161 counts of first degree murder and sentenced to 161 consecutive life terms in prison. McVeigh asked a federal judge to stop all appeals on his convictions and set an execution date. On June 11, 2001, McVeigh, 33, died by lethal injection. This event had far reaching impacts on all levels of government, as the United States had not seen terrorism at this level before. I want the younger members of this department to have some idea of the history behind the work that has been accomplished by some of our more tenured personnel. What seems to be routine work now by this department, as we deploy members of many different teams to many different types of events across the area, state, and country, was once very rare. The VBFD sent 26 members on this deployment. Fourteen members are now retired: Melven Mathias, Jim Kellam, Buddy Martinette, Mike Brown, Robert Harwell, Laurie Gurley, Scott Rogers, Keene Black, Roger Morgan, Paul Gleaton, Bruce Forester, Duane Krohn, Robert Helfant, and Bob Anderson. Twelve members are still on the job: Den- nis Keane, Pat Seigh, TJ McAndrews, David Hutcheson, Leon Dextradeur, Paul Pureza, Frank Lilley, Rex Gurley, John Lyons, Perry Ehle, Tracy Freeman and me. I also want us to remember those members of the organization who sup- ported the deployment in support roles from Fire Chief Harry Diezel and Deputy Chief Jimmy Carter, to those who backfilled and worked as part of the mobilization team. If you are interested, I am sure any of these individuals will share their stories with any newer member of this department. Many of us were young and grew up on several fronts during this seven day deploy- ment. The lessons learned are now a part of the fabric of the VBFD and have no doubt saved many lives over the years. As I reflect on that time, I want to thank all involved; the VBFD is truly a great organization! Stay Safe, Chief Cover Members of VATF-2 from the VBFD who responded to the Oklahoma City Bombing. Back Row: David Hutcheson, Paul Pureza, Dennis Keane, Steve Cover Front Row: Keene Black, Leon Dextradeur Page 2 “ON THE JOB” Winners = Extremists Submitted by Deputy Chief McAndrews Since we are in the midst of March Madness and the goal of every team playing is to “win” in or- der to move on, I thought this topic would be appropriate to see what it takes to be a winner so our members and the VBFD could be WINNERS! After all, we all want to be winners in what- ever we do. Several years ago I had the opportunity to attend a presentation by Pat Wil- liams, a co-founder and the Senior Vice President for the NBA’s Orlando Magic. He was an inspirational speaker who spoke about the “will to win”. He started out by saying “Winners equal Extremists”. He said there were 12 qualities of true winners and every one of those qualities winners took to the extreme. They possess the following 12 qualities: Extreme Dream – winners dream big and they take action on their dream. He stressed to not allow your dream to languish, you have to take action if you are going to win. Typically there are three “killers to taking action” - the potential risk involved, the fear of the “unknown”, and the change that will certainly occur. For those who are contemplating whether to go for that promotion one or all three of these may be preventing you from reaching that dream. Fight through it and don’t let anyone of these three kill your dream!! Extreme Preparation – winners leave nothing to chance, they handle every detail, and they pay special attention to the littlest items. They read every item listed on the bibliography list from cover to cover and then they go back and read them again. Every morning they come to work and check off their equipment thoroughly as if their life depends on it, because in the next 5 minutes, it might!! Extreme Focus – winners place all or most of their attention on the goal at hand [their dream]. Their days are cen- tered around their goal!! They set time daily to prepare, whether it’s fifteen minutes or two hours. Do you allocate time at the station to review the SOP’s or to re-review a book on the bibliography list? Extreme Passion – winners are enthusiastic and they’re passionate about their dream. They talk “ad nauseam” to their family, friends, and co-workers about their dream, how they’re going to get there, and what they have done so far to reach that goal. Have you driven your family and co-workers nuts yet?? Work Extremely Hard – winners put in long arduous days –everyday! They not only have to work their regular job, but they then have to put in extra hours on their goal. Michael Jordan wasn’t successful as an NBA player simply by showing up to practice every day whether that was in high school, college, or the NBA. He was successful because he put in the long extra hours at every level to ensure he wasn’t just good, but the best he could be. Extreme Responsibility – winners recognize they and they alone are accountable for things within their power to control. They don’t blame others when they are unsuccessful; they realize the burden to succeed is on them. We have all failed at something at some point in our lives and we had to do some introspection to see where and why we failed. I didn’t get promoted to Captain on my first or second attempt and when I took a step back to see why, it was very clear – to be successful, I simply had not put the time into my preparation. Extreme Positive Attitude – winners recognize they control their daily attitude and their optimism always trumps pes- simism. How do you view things around you daily – do you see the glass half full or half empty? Your perspective and attitude have a lot to do with your success!! Extreme Self-Discipline – winners recognize the need to control their destiny and to do so means controlling every aspect of their preparation, which typically means setting deadlines for every increment of their preparation. Extreme Perseverance – winners never quit!! They may not reach their goal on their expected timeline, but they don’t give up. They identify what their weakness was and they improve it, then they start all over again!! Extreme Competition – winners aren’t just competitive, they are COMPETITIVE!! For most of us in the fire service, we have a Type A personality which makes us competitive by nature, but winners take this to the next level. If you Continued on Page 3 Page 3 “ON THE JOB” Continued on Page 2 want to be competitive in the process you need to take your engagement in the process to the next level – “grab another gear” as they say. Extreme Desire – winners are self-motivated. They are resolute and steadfast in obtaining their goal. They don’t listen to the naysayers that they aren’t in the “right clique”, they’re not a “Techie”, or don’t camp with the right folks!! Extreme Team Participation – winners don’t win on their own, they are part of something much larger and they know that. They recognize their success is dependent on those around them – their family, friends, and co-workers. Win- ners lean on all of these groups to be successful. In the work environment, winners work and depend on their co- workers to be successful. During the promotional process, do you study and work with a group of co-workers to challenge yourself to be better? The question each of us needs to answer is – are we a winner or are we a WINNER??? The Duke Blue Devils and UConn Huskies are WINNERS!!!! Are You A WINNER? “ON THE JOB” Page 4 Tri-City Automatic Aid Submitted by District Chief Cooper, North Division Virginia Beach, Norfolk, and Chesapeake Fire Departments have long shared resources on emergency incidents through mutual aid; however, today’s technology and regionalism offers our area the ability to share these re- sources faster.