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This week, hosts Lt. Rom Duckworth and Chief Rob Wylie discuss why firefighters in San Francisco have penned a letter asking the mayor to replace Fire Chief Joanne Hayes-White’s position.
“What’s specifically being called into question is the large number of incidents where it took quite a bit of time for ambulances to arrive at calls,” Lt. Duckworth said. “This is related to under staffing of the department and not enough ambulances being on duty.”
Chief Wylie said it’s easy for a fire chief in a large organization to become decentralized, which makes it difficult for a chief to have good communication.
“As a chief officer, you can’t sit in your office and come up with policies and plans,” he said. “You have to include the people that are going to be affected and carry those plans out. Otherwise, they’re not going to buy it.”
In their frontline tactical tips segment, they talk about seven simple steps to secure vehicles with electricity while dealing with extrication.
The steps are as follows:
- Check 720 and mitigate hazards
- Stabilize suspension and set the brake
- Initial patient contact
- Adjust the power doors, power seats and power windows
- Kill the ignition and remove the key
- Turn the headlights off and put the hazards on
- Disconnect the battery, HV and pull fuses
And in today’s leadership lessons, Duckworth and Wylie dig into how to prepare for a promotion.
“You start preparing for a promotion the day you decide you want to get promoted,” Chief Wylie said. “Because everything you do every day is going to reflect on you.”
Here are some of the articles and resources discussed in this week’s podcast:
Rank-and-file S.F. firefighters call for chief’s ouster
S.F. supervisor: Fire department puts public safety at risk
Fire Attack: Vehicle Stabilization
How to make a quick vehicle stabilization chock
Vehicle stabilization: New tools to aid firefighters
The Command Post Podcast: Operation of FEMA USAR teams, newly promoted officer tips
2 ways to prep for the fire-officer exam
36 questions every officer candidate should answer
