T r a i n i n g T a b l e t

Transcription

1 V o l u m e 3, I s s u e 3 M a r c h, QRS calls: When do I make a QRS report? Recently we were asked to clarify how to decide if a QRS report should be entered into the Firehouse Software. In a previous issue of the Tablet we provided the following guideline: Documentation of any patient care should be made by MTFR members even if not responding on a QRS but providing care at incidents such as MVA or Fire. This documentation can be made without private patient information in the FH Fire report narrative section. This has been recommended to help alleviate legal issues. T r a i n i n g T a b l e t If you respond to a QRS call and you do not have patient contact, you do not need to fill out the Firehouse EMS report. You must still complete a Firehouse Fire report for the call as if it was a medical assist only. Examples: 1) Dispatched for a chest pain call and take vitals - do a QRS report 2) Dispatched for a chest pain call and arrive behind EMS and assist with moving patient down the stairs or move to cot - do a NFIRS report only, no QRS. 3) Dispatched for a car crash and on arrival and place a member inside to hold c-spine - complete a NFIRS report and write in narrative "Crew member from unit provided cervical immobilization of the driver of vehicle #1 until the arrival of EMS. 4) Dispatched for a car crash and find the driver laying on the ground with a tree branch sticking out of abdominal area and the crew stabilizes the injury until EMS gets there - do a QRS report. Also, QRS crews should no longer use the No Patient Found code in FH when patient care is not provided. Providers should use the appropriate code in FH system when patient contact is made.

2 Residential Sprinklers Some information behind their success Residential sprinkler systems are not required in Manheim Township but that does not mean that they wont be found at homes throughout the township. Many forward thinking residents and builders have included home sprinklers in new construction homes. In most cases these systems are supplied through the municipal domestic waster service, and operate similarly to a commercial sprinkler system. Because of the low pressure that a residential system operates at, municipal water service is adequate. A residential sprinkler system will work with water pressures of approximately 85 psi. In most residential systems there is not an FDC. An FDC supplied at the normal FD pressure of 120 psi or more could damage the plumbing. In some systems a fire pump might be installed to help supply the system. In rural areas a system might use water storage tanks to supply the system when municipal water is unavailable. Most Residential sprinkler heads respond to fire at 135 degrees F. The heads will usually provide 11 gpm of water spray. Reliability and effectiveness of sprinkler systems were recently studied in the report, U.S. Experience with Sprinklers and Other Automatic Fire Extinguishing Equipment, (NFPA -January 2009). Some core findings are outlined below. Sprinklers operated effectively in 91 percent of all reported structure fires when the sprinkler system was present in the area where the fire was burning, and when the fire was large enough to activate the sprinkler system. The primary reason sprinklers were ineffective was insufficient water supply to the area affected by the fire. The most common reason for sprinkler system failure was that the system had been shut off prior to fire ignition. The average amount of direct property damage from fire was reduced by 63 percent in residential properties when fire sprinklers were present. [NOTE: only one percent of the properties studied had fire sprinkler systems present.] A report by the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) examined the impact of automatic sprinkler systems on lives lost and property damage as the result of house fires. NIST researchers compared fires in homes with residential sprinkler systems to fires in homes equipped only with smoke alarms. Over the 2002 to 2005 study period, houses equipped with smoke alarms and a fire sprinkler system experienced 100 percent fewer civilian fatalities, 57 percent fewer civilian injuries and 32 percent less direct property losses and indirect costs resulting from fire than houses equipped only with smoke alarms. In 1986, the city of Scottsdale, Arizona, enacted a code requirement for installation of sprinkler systems in all new single-family houses. The city now has more than 45,000 single-family homes equipped with fire sprinklers. Ten years later, in 1997, a study was conducted by the City of Scottsdale and its Rural/Metro Fire Department in cooperation with the Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition. A brief update also was issued in Below are some of the findings of the 1997 Scottsdale study (examining 44 house fires that occurred between 1985 and 1996): the average fire loss in a house with a sprinkler system was $1,544, compared to $11,624 for houses without automatic fire sprinklers. one or two activated sprinkler heads controlled or extinguished the blaze in 92 percent of fires. The Scottsdale study also examined 38 fires to determine water usage. This study found that: the average sprinkler used 357 gallons of water per incident to extinguish a fire; manual fire suppression operations under similar conditions would have equaled an average of 4,884 gallons of water per incident to extinguish these same 38 fires; and, smaller amounts of water distributed earlier in the fire incident by automatic sprinklers had a positive effect on the extent of fire and water damage experienced in the buildings studied

3 Residential Sprinklers A new system enters the township Recently a new type of residential sprinkler system was installed in a new home built at 1743 New Holland Pike, just down the road from Station 204. The owners allowed MTFR to visit and learn about the system. The house is a new construction, wood frame house. Approximately 4000 sq. ft. Along with the residential sprinkler system, the home has a fire alarm system that includes heat and smoke heads. The house is serviced by a 1 diameter municipal water line. Flow calculations determined the 1 line would not supply enough water to support the activated sprinkler system. No FDC located at this house. To overcome the lack of proper water volume, a tank system was installed. Two (2) 300 gallon tanks were placed in the basement. The tanks are filled by the municipal water line and kept full by using a float arrangement that adjusts the water level. An electric fire pump, that runs on a dedicated circuit, propels the water through the system. Currently there is no back up power to the sprinkler Fire Pump with motor Gong Sprinkler heads are located on walls and ceilings throughout the basement, first floor and second floor. The attic and garage do not require them. Sprinkler heads will activate at 135 degrees F. Sprinkler heads will produce a water spray of 11gpm. There are some closet areas that meet square footage requirements and have sprinkler heads inside. There are spare heads and a wrench located near the tanks to re place heads that h

4 Apparatus Ramblings Some answers to recent questions Recently, some of the blue MTFR engines have required a regen. This must now be done by driving the unit and performing an active regeneration or by performing a parked regeneration. Regeneration will not occur when an engine is in pump mode. Active regeneration can occur in two manners, in automatic mode or in parked mode. An automatic regeneration occurs when the engine load, exhaust temperature, and engine speed are within an acceptable range. When the conditions are met, the engine will begin dosing fuel into the exhaust stream to clean the DPF in a regeneration mode. The automatic regeneration cycle does not require an operator to initiate. No change of engine control or engine speed is experienced during the automatic regeneration event. Active regeneration can also occur when the truck is parked. Parked regeneration allows the cleaning of the DPF in stationary truck operations and requires operator involvement to initiate. The operator will be notified of the need for a parked regeneration by illumination of the DPF Lamp located in the cab. Parked regeneration cannot be initiated during pumping operations. A parked regeneration requires a few specific things to occur. They might be hard to remember so we have list them here. To start a parked regeneration, follow these steps: 1. Parked regeneration will not be allowed if the DPF lamp is not lit. 2.. Move the truck to a safe location that will prevent high exhaust heat from causing damage to the road surface, ground or nearby objects, including vehicles. A minimum clearance of 10 feet is recommended. 3. The driver must stay with the vehicle during the entire regeneration process. The entire process should take minutes. Keep unnecessary personnel away from the exhaust pipe to prevent burns. 4. Locate the DPF regen switch in the cab DPF Regen Switch 5. Start the ignition cycle. While starting the pumper, switch the parking brake off and on. 6. Keep engine speed at idle. 7. The transmission must be in Neutral. 8. The vehicle speed must be at 0 mph. 9. Hold the DPF regen switch in the on position for 5 seconds and release it. When the DPF regen request is accepted the DPF lamp will turn on for 1 second and then go off for rest of the regen process. Engine speed will increase to 1100 rpm. The HEST lamp will not illuminate until exhaust temperatures exceed the temperature threshold. Breaking any of the required conditions will stop the regen process and engine speed will return to idle. Note: in regen mode the motor will fire 3 cylinders in regular mode and 3 cylinders in brake mode. This increases the load on the motor to raise exhaust temperatures. Some vibrations might be noticed.

5 Apparatus Ramblings Some answers to recent questions When the regen process ends: 1. The HEST lamp will stay lit until the exhaust temperature cools or the vehicle speed increases above 5 mph. 2. The DPF lamp will turn off, with the other warning lamps. If Check Engine, Stop Engine or the MIL lamp remain lit a fault condition exists. To cancel the regen process at anytime, hold the regen switch in the ON position for 5 seconds. The DPF lamp will flash 1 time to show the cancellation was accepted. The DPF lamp will remain lit until a regen is completed. With the occurrence of a few working fires throughout the township recently, there have been some questions raised concerning some equipment carried on the MTFR Engines. 1. The color coded storz adapters don't work well on older storz or pumper connections. What can be done? The answer here is work it! In talking with technical service reps at Kochek, they assured us that the new storz adapters are made to the same specification as older storz adapters. All storz adapters will fit with other storz adapters of the same size, that is why storz coupling are so popular. New storz adapters have nice thick gaskets inside them. These gaskets might require a bit more force to compress against gaskets of older storz adapters. Using a spanner wrench will help overcome this problem and after several uses the adapters should become easier to use. 2. Stowing extension ladders. Which way do the ladders go on the MTFR engines? The answer to this question is look for the arrows. Each of the blue engines has a 24 ft. extension ladder and 14 ft. roof ladder mounted on the side. The brackets installed on the engines are designed to hold the ladders on the engine with extension ladder on the inside and the roof ladder on the outside. The extension ladder and roof ladder should not extend past the rear of the engine when carried in the correct position. Carrying the ladders in other ways may lead to accidents involving the overhang of the ladders from the rear or difficulty in engaging the handle that holds the ladders to the bracket on the engine.

6 Apparatus Laptop Are You Ready to use it Iron Compass OnScene Xplorer When riding the front seat can you? 1840 Municipal Dr. Lancaster, PA Fire Chief Rick Kane x 134 Enter and find the correct address, mile marker or common place name Locate the 3 closest fire hydrants Deputy Chief Adrian Borry x 140 Pull up installed building Pre Plan information to find lock box and utility locations Training Committee Measure distances on screen *Are you aware that the ERG is on the laptop Lancaster County WebCAD When riding the front seat can you? Asst. Chief McCardell Pull up WebCAD for additional info on the call by reading the comments Find the call location on the map Use traffic cameras and weather information Measure distances on screen Capt. Bender It is important that you can work with each of these programs quickly and efficiently. When riding the right front seat you need to help the driver choose a response route and spot things like hydrants and FDCs. As the unit officer you must gather as much information about the incident as possible to assure crew safety and proper action planning. Cookie quote of the month: Success is never final and failure never fatal. It s courage that counts. Deputy Chief Slaymaker 16 Tips that help the Volunteer Fire Service succeed Tip #12: Give more to the organization than the minimum required.