June 4-8, 2005 • Los Angeles, California
For more information on FDIC West, go to fireengineering.com or FDICWest.com
Here’s just a sample of what’s new:
Hands-On Training
Elevator Emergencies: In this combination workshop/hands-on evolution, students will increase their proficiency and safety in elevator entrapment operations. It includes a detailed review of elevator mechanics and systems, construction, and safety devices. Tool use and safe rescue procedures are practiced.
Emergency Vehicle Operators Course and Simulator: A three-phase course developed by the Los Angeles Fire Department that incorporates classroom lecture, state-of-the-art driving simulator, and “behind the wheel” practice. Designed to increase your “road worthiness” and reduce the potential for disaster. The first phase increases your understanding of how road positioning and vehicle dynamics affect emergency driving; the second includes simulated practice for Code 3 response and accident vehicle placement; the third, LAFD’s driving course instruction.
Swiftwater Rescue: This course is for any firefighter who may be first on-scene for a swiftwater/rope rescue incident and will assist you in meeting Operations Level of NFPA 1670 standard for water incidents. Students will be trained in hazard recognition, equipment use, and techniques necessary to conduct basic shore- and boat-based swiftwater rescue.
Live Fire Simulator Training: This intensive program, using the Swede Survival simulation system, is designed to help increase knowledge of fire behavior; increase recognition of the warning signs of flashover and backdraft; reinforce the proper use and limitations of PPE; methods for testing and cooling the environment to delay flashover; and handline advancement methods, including hydraulic ventilation.
Fireground Academy: Learn seven steps to reading a building for size-up, how to read fire and smoke to develop a guideline for extension and flashover potential, and strategic and tactical considerations applied to the five major types of buildings.
CPAT Physical Fitness Recruit Training Workshop: This course is for firefighter recruits or soon-to-be recruits who wish to enhance their physical performance in the nationally based Candidate Physical Agility Test.
Emergency Medical Response Considerations in Tactical Police Operations: Recent history has shown that close integration and coordination among agencies at tactical police/SWAT operations is imperative. This course, using lessons learned from case studies as a basis, will explore vital issues for working with police units under these extreme conditions and provide instruction on how to strengthen and improve your interagency plan for safety and operational effectiveness.
LAFD Company Tour Training/Ride-Along: Each year, the Los Angeles Fire Department processes hundreds of requests for ride-alongs. The LAFD occasionally allows fire service and emergency professionals to spend tours and ride with field resources to assist other public safety agencies in accomplishing their specific organizational goals. During FDIC West 2005 in Los Angeles, LAFD will offer interested fire and emergency service personnel the opportunity to participate in a Ride-Along program. Spend a 24-hour shift with the busiest engine, truck, heavy rescue, or haz mat company of your choice.
CERT Master Exercise Refresher Drill: In conjunction with a Community Emergency Response Team refresher drill conducted that day, members of the fire service who are assigned or will be assigned to run CERT programs in their organizations will have the opportunity to learn from the LAFD CERT training program. The refresher events include “disaster alley,” triage/medical, heavy lift, hose relay, DOT traffic control, and Department of Water and Power safety demonstration.
Classroom Sessions
Tsunami Lessons Learned • Captain Larry Collins, Los Angeles County (CA) Fire Department: The staggering death toll of the Indian Ocean tsunamis illustrates why Pacific Coast fire departments must prepare for the eventuality of damaging seismic or landslide-generated sea waves. Despite their potential to destroy, tsunamis remain a little-understood phenomenon to many emergency responders. Combined with the other effects that occur during damaging quakes, large tsunamis striking the coast for periods ranging from minutes to hours would clearly impede the ability of fire/rescue agencies to cope with the disaster. Learn the hows and whys of tsunamis and planning for and emergency response to near-source and tele-tsunamis, which the Los Angeles County Fire Department and other fire/rescue agencies have been addressing since 1987.
The Psychology of Survival: Lessons Learned from a “Near-Death” Flashover • Robert T. Scott, Director, Los Angeles City (CA) Fire Department Behavioral Health Program; Assistant Chief Gregory West, Battalion Chief Rob Wilcox, and Firefighter Mark Woolf, LAFD: A near-death incident in a commercial shopping market greater-alarm fire highlights the need for psychological incident survival training, including on-scene support and post-incident psychological interventions to protect the physical and mental health of exposed responders.
The Point of No Return: Need, Mandate, Solution • Captain Casey Phillips and Lieutenant Mike Gagliano, Seattle (WA) Fire Department: The “Point of No Return” is trying to kill your firefighters from the moment they arrive at work until they safely clear the emergency scene. This multimedia presentation, focusing on three critical components of air management, will give you a solid strategy to keep from becoming a victim of the “Point of No Return.”
Commercial Ventilation Tactics • Fire Training Instructor Ed Hadfield, Huntington Beach (CA) Fire Department: Commercial ventilation is critical to effective and safe fireground operations at larger commercial occupancies. This class will teach the basic and advanced skills necessary to perform the critical function of ventilation at these occupancies. From the chief officer to the firefighter, each member must work as part of a team to eliminate the rapid spread of fire throughout these large structures.
Cause and Origin: Reconstruction of a Fire Scene • Captain Patrick Butler, Senior Arson Investigator Glen Lucero, and Investigator Frank Oglesby, Los Angeles City (CA) Fire Department Arson/Counter Terrorism Section: The John Orr Case. The Cugees Fatality Fire. These are infamous cases handled by the most experienced arson investigators in the country. This class will take you through a step-by-step method for processing a fire scene, determining cause and origin, and successfully preparing a case for court. It will also discuss the implementation of the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) and the importance of field documentation.
Current Controversies in EMS • Mark Eckstein, MD, Medical Director, Los Angeles City (CA) Fire Department: Despite years of traditional approaches to patient care, evidence suggests that some of the things considered sacred in EMS might actually be harmful to the patients. Presented is a fresh perspective and a new, critical analysis of prehospital care.
I’m the Training Officer; Now What? • Training Officer Jack M. Smith, North Slope Borough (AK) Fire Department: Few resources exist to prepare individuals to take on the role of training officer or training chief. With declining budgets, training officers face increasing responsibilities with fewer assets. Learn methods to prioritize training needs and available resources.
Scenario-Based Terrorism Training for First Responders • Debra Malinowski, Director, Grants Development and Public Safety Academy, and Steve Dixon, Department Chair, Fire Technology, College of the Canyons, Los Angeles: How can you make terrorism training as cost-effective and as far reaching as possible? Technology. This cutting edge multiagency incident command training brings police and fire personnel together to train on realistic events that have real-life consequences.
How to Read a Building • Battalion Chief (Ret.) John Mittendorf, Los Angeles City (CA) Fire Department: Students will learn the importance of reading a building before committing personnel and why some buildings and features contribute to early collapse. A detailed look at specific areas of building size-up.
The Road from Calabasas: Where We Are Nine Years Later • Battalion Chief Patrick Shanley, Los Angeles City (CA) Fire Department: On the morning of October 21, 1996, fire department resources were dispatched to a half-acre brush fire moving uphill, through medium brush, pushed by strong winds. Six days later, the Calabasas Incident was declared under control after burning a total of 13,010 acres, taking six structures, and entrapping crews of firefighters. This massive firefight forever changed the way brush fires are fought. Learn the actions taken pursuant to a Significant Incident Investigation Team’s recommendations after the incident.
My Last Dying Breath: A Survivor’s Roundtable • Moderator: Battalion Chief (Ret.) Roger Gillis; Captain Mike Jacalone, Captain Greg Stone, Firefighter Henry Graciano, Los Angeles (CA) Fire Department; Captain Doug McDonald, Novato (CA) Fire Department: Lessons learned are often discussed by incident investigators and pundits. But a near-death experience forever alters the way a firefighter approaches the job. “Been there, done that” takes on an entirely different meaning when firefighters discuss their experiences and how they have affected them, their crews, and their families.
Safety First at High-Rise Fires • Battalion Chief (Ret.) Roger Gillis, Los Angeles City (CA) Fire Department: The challenges in battling a high-rise fire are complex and dangerous-the distance personnel have to travel carrying heavy equipment, the time factor required to place orders into action, the complexity of moving toxic gases in a sealed building, and the fatigue factor-all contribute to the potential for serious injury or death. Whether you are a member of the first-arriving fire attack team or part of the ICS, personnel safety should be your primary objective.
Bicycle Medic Teams: Bridging the Gap Between Foot Patrols and Ambulances • Captain Marc H. Segal, MICP, Los Angeles City (CA) Fire Department Emergency Medical Services Division: Cost effectiveness and mobility allow bicycle teams to bridge the gap between foot patrol and ambulance. Is your department ready for an innovative deployment model that puts medics on bicycles, which may be the difference between life and death in congested and crowded conditions? If so, you will learn how to establish a fire department-based bicycle medic program, recognize the need for deployment of such teams, identify the steps needed for the development of a program, understand the unique training requirements and operational guidelines, recognize the need for specialized equipment, identify alternative funding profiles and resources, and realize the importance of getting the support of management and employee bargaining units early in the process.
Military Strategy Applied to Wildland Fire Suppression • Unit Chief (Ret.) William R. Sager, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection: Learn the military concepts of speed, leverage, and fluidity as they apply to wildland operations. These are practical applications that fire officers can use in the field. A case study shows how to apply the concepts to a typical wildland fire.
Special Class
Tools for the Haz Mat Safety Officer • Fire Tech Coordinator Tim Capehart, Bakersfield College; Bakersfield City (CA) Fire Department: This new interactive, computer-based training course, developed through the California State Firefighters Associations, addresses critical information for the haz-mat safety officer to handle small- and large-scale incidents safely and effectively. It includes plume modeling and other real-world, applications-oriented information on WMD agents and industrial chemicals critical to the safety officer’s response “toolbox.”
Western Fire Services Caucus Dinner
All FDIC West attendees and exhibitors are invited to join fire service and government leaders for the First Annual WESTERN FIRE SERVICES CAUCUS DINNER at FDIC West on Tuesday, June 7, 2005, at 6:30 pm. The dinner is a way to be a part of the political process; show support for Western fire service legislative needs; say thanks to the legislators who support fire service causes; and meet fire service leaders, members of Congress, and government officials who have influence in Washington and beyond.
Numerous members of Congress and federal officials have been invited, including Congressman Curt Weldon, DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff, Senator Dianne Feinstein, Senator John McCain, Representative Christopher Cox, Representative Jerry Lewis, Senator Pete Domenici, Representative Nanci Pelosi, Senator Patty Murray, DHS Undersecretary Michael Brown, and United States Fire Administrator David Paulison.
Wildfire Summit 2005
Wildfire Summit 2005, in conjunction with FDIC West, is a think tank that brings together local communities, members of the fire service and local government, legislators, members of federal agencies, and industry leaders to seek new approaches and solutions to the wildfire problem in the Western region and United States as a whole. It is organized by PennWell Corporation/FDIC West and the California Fire Chiefs Association.
Wildfire Summit 2005 is a continuation of the very successful Wildfire Summit programs conducted in San Diego, California, in 2003 and 2004, through which an important White Paper was delivered to the U.S. Congress, both as a standalone document and as evidence in formal Senate committee hearings. That was a good beginning.
The wildland-urban interface continues to be developed with little regard for lives and property at risk. This not only places an extraordinary life safety and economic burden on our communities and nation but also increases the risk to firefighting resources as the size and complexity of fighting wildland fires continue to grow. Our current efforts aren’t holistic and in far too many cases rely on manual suppression as the solution. Solutions must be developed through open dialogue with all the parties involved-and Wildfire Summit 2005 seeks to do this.
Wildfire Summit 2005 will bring together local Fire Safe Council members, Volunteer in Prevention participants, and the members of the California Fire Alliance, along with fire service professionals, government officials, lawmakers, and industry leaders, to address this problem from top to bottom. Working with the United States Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, and the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, along with Fire Safe Council members and members from such groups as the Wilderness Society and the Nature Conservancy, we will address the issues of planning, land use, tactics, equipment, strategy, communications, community expectations, and more. During the program, we will have presentations of successful programs; speakers from local communities, government, and industry; CWPP plans; and interactive sessions with questions and concerns about solutions and the future.
This is not a typical conference. This is a hands-on program with all stakeholders bringing the issues to the table to consider solutions and innovative ways to address this ever-growing problem. In addition to invited guests, all FDIC West participants are welcome.
