First Responders

What is your take on tattoos in the fire service?

So what do I think of tattoos in the fire service while I have a few tattoos? And I think for the majority of it I think it's it's not a lack of professionalism. I think it's really a lot of people put a lot of thought into what they put on their bodies and for me a lot of it is my history. My story is so that I can remember. And also it's kind of putting it into permanent form of this. Something that I want to remember and this is something I want to be able to utilize to help other people remember. Maybe they're, they're struggling moments or their perseverance moments and I think, you know, it's it's a very personal thing. It's a very powerful thing to some people, so that's my take.

I think that tattoos in the fire service are not unprofessional and they are a way for firefighters to remember their story and to use it to help others.

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What strategies do you use to ensure that your Fire Department stays up to date with the latest technologies and best practices?

This is something in the fire service that we always have, as we always have the latest and greatest and best practices. And a lot of times, it's great to understand the basics. And that's what we always say, is understand the basics first, because you never know when the latest greatest or the technology is going to fail. And you have to go back to the roots of what your training was. And we always maintain, I mean, there's a fire engineering Firehouse magazines that really keep us up-to-date the UL testing. Is also another thing that helps us to understand the materials that are being used in buildings, but a lot of times it comes from experiences that comes from the situations that people get into and they tell their story afterwards of how they utilize certain equipment, how do they utilize certain Personnel to be able to make it work? And I think that's how we stay up-to-date on most of the new technologies needed and the best practices.

Firefighters stay up-to-date on the latest technologies and best practices by understanding the basics, reading Firehouse Magazine, staying aware of UL testing, and learning from experiences.

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What’s the difference between a fire engine and a fire truck?

This is a great question and my son would know exactly what the answer is because a fire engine and a fire truck. So a fire truck is the one that does the ventilation and as the ladders on it as the aerial ladder, it is the truck crew in essence, they will do search and rescue within buildings. Will do the ventilation on the buildings? They are the ones that do elevator rescues. They are also the ones that have the tools that you call the jaws of life that are Cutters and spread. Has for any kind of car accidents extrication, 's and then you have the fire engine. The fire engine is your source for water. It is your source with the hoses on it. They are the ones that are going to be putting out the fire from the interior from the exterior. If you're doing a defensive but they're the ones that are going to be running the show for any of your water supply and your fire attack. Some actually, some of our ladder trucks in the city actually have water on them as well as hoses for Or attack, but a lot of cities in the country. Actually run it. As a truck company is a truck company and you do ventilation you do search, you do extrication, and that is your job, and you're really good at it. So that's the difference between a fire engine and a fire truck.

A fire engine is the vehicle used for water supply and fire attacks, while a fire truck is the one used for ventilation, search and rescue, elevator rescues, and extrication.

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How do you eat when your on shift as a firefighter?

Yeah, we actually pretty good here at the firehouse. There's some good chefs. There's some really really bad chefs like myself. I'm great at opening boxes and jars and cans, but yeah. Every single day we have, we make lunch, we make dinner and a lot of times people will eat leftovers from the day before for breakfast, we always have lunch and dinner together at the fire table and yeah, we pretty good and we enjoy it we get to make our own Own menus and when somebody is on overtime, we get to have a little more food that day.

At the firehouse, we have good chefs who make lunch and dinner for everyone. We get to have leftovers for breakfast and make our own menus when someone is on overtime.

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How do you "wipe your work boots off" before you get home?

I know it's odd, but I'm gonna answer my own question. The way that I wipe my boots off before I get home, and what I mean by wipe your boots off is all the challenges, struggles, everything that went through that day that I don't want to bring into the house or bring in with my attitude. I usually listen to music, and if I'm not ready by the time I get into the garage, I'll sit in there for a little bit and really try to focus my mind. If I need to take a rest, I take a rest when I get home. If I need to do something like work out, I do that first. My focus needs to be on getting my head right and my body right so that I can be engaged in the house, so I can be engaged in my own life. So making sure to have that habit, whether it's talking to yourself through it, whether it's having a mantra, make sure that you have that before you step into the house.

To wipe my boots off before I get home, I listen to music and take a break if needed. I also focus on getting my head and body right so I can be engaged in my own life when I get home.

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So when somebody talks about the jaws of life, a lot of times I think it's one tool, but actually it's a multitude of tools that we have here. This is our spreader. That's one of the tools that we call the jaws of life. Here's the other thing that's called a cutter. And this is our ram. So all of these tools in unison will be utilized to be able to extricate somebody from a car, whether it's taking the door off the hinges or cutting bolts on the car. Another thing that we also use is a sawzall, which is very beneficial. Now there's many different types of these. We have the Hurst tools, there's TNT, there's Homatra, but these are the main three components, the spreaders, the cutters, and the ram.

The jaws of life refers to a set of tools used by rescue workers to extricate people from cars. It consists of spreaders, cutters, and a ram. Additionally, a Sawzall can be used for more intricate work.

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Robert Verhelst answers your First Responders questions. See all the advice Robert Verhelst has and get answers to your own First Responders questions.

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Fireman Rob is an inspiring storyteller and impact leader. He is a speaker, trainer, competes in Ironman races in 50 lbs. of firefighter gear, breaks World Records, and delivers bears to children in hospitals. He has worked with Fortune companies, community groups, and colleges, including 3M, US Bank, Southwest Airlines, ATF, Timex, USA Triathlon, and Kraft. His presentations focus on overcoming adversity and discovering purpose. He encourages people to build mental strength and become better leaders.

What is your take on tattoos in the fire service?

Robert Verhelst