AboutCaptain Mike Grove Expertise Questions relating to but not limited to:
**Firefighter Entry Exams **Education Requirements **Physical Agility Testing **Interview Process **Scenario Testing
**Todays Emergency Medical Services **Incident Response
**Apparatus Function
**Station Life
**Scene Management
**National Incident Management System.
I possess the ability and willingness to assist those who may be or have family members seeking a future in the fire service or anyone seeking general information relating to promotional opportunities, general fire safety or any other similiar topics.
I have 30 years of full time experience with the city of Overland Park, KS fire department.
Experience 30 year veteran with the City of Overland Park Kansas Fire Department.
Overland Park,a large suburb of Kansas City, Missouri, is the second most populous city in Kansas with a population of 166,000
Overland Park ranks as one of the most progressive departments, as well as cities, in the United States. In 2006 CNN/Money Magazine ranked it 6th on it's "100 Best Cities to live in the United States". A recent 2007 article by National Geographic Magazine lists Overland Park as one of the top 50 US destinations.
Our department seems to grow daily and currently staffs approximately 160 paid fire and EMS personnel covering 69 square miles of territory with five stations. Our training facility is nothing less than state of the art with live computer controlled burn props on several floors of it's five story tower. A recently added Command and Control Center has added a new dimension to our regional wide response to large incidents.
I currently carry the rank of Captain/EMT. To this day I totally love my job and department as well as those individuals I work with. My family members include three brothers in the fire service as well as three in law enforcement. My father was a fire chief with a midwest fire department before he retired after 32 years of service. I am willing and able to answer questions on any fire/EMS related subject you may have. I can help with questions related to entry level testing as well as the physical agility and the interview process. I will do my best to answer any and all questions to your satisfaction in a timely manner.
Education/Credentials Associates of Applied Science in Fire Science Firefighter I/II/III Certification / Kansas University Fire Instructor I / Kansas University Emergency Medical Techician Certification Fire Officer I Certification / Kansas University HazardousMaterials Recognition and Identification Scene Safety Officer Certification / National Fire Academy Incident Command System / National Fire Academy Incident Management System / University of Missouri, Columbia National Incident Management System Certification / National Fire Academy Command and Control of Target Hazards / National Fire Academy
Question QUESTION: I recently read about the tragic LODD of a 24 year old firefighter in Prince William County, VA. He was on the second floor in the master bedroom looking for victims when the fire suddenly escalated and he became disoriented and trapped. My overwhelming reaction was why the family that lived in this home did not inform the first responders that they were all safely out of the house and there was no need to enter the burning structure. There was no mention of this in the followup investigation. Why is there no nation wide public education to always inform first responders when there are no victims inside a burning structure?
ANSWER: Jane:
First of all thanks for choosing me in efforts to help.
This LODD death sounds like many others that occur much too frequently. I have not seen the details of this particular incident but I would have several questions if I were investigating. A few of those would include:
(1) Was the FF working in a company? Where were the others?
(2) Did his PASS device activate and if so why wasn't it heard?
(3) What were the fire conditions upon entry?
(4) What was the condition of the FFs SCBA?
When I/we respond to a fire and assume a Command role it is my responsibility to find out whether the structure is occupied or not. I personally do not bank on anyone coming to me personally to advise me of anyone inside the structure. There is way too much confusion for an occupant as it is. There are experiencing possibly the most tragic event of their lifetime and may not be thinking rationally enough to locate me to give needed information.
One of the very first tasks I/we have is to contact the occupant/s to see if everyone is out. This information is broadcast over the radio for all incoming companies to hear. If I am told that someone is still inside I then want to know his or her last known exact location (bedroom on the second floor etc;). I also will ask if the person knows where the fire started and what the conditions were upon their exit of the structure. I will also order additional resources. All this information is immediately passed to attack/search crews with hose lines and Thermal Imaging cameras. It is also my responsibility to make a 360-degree walk around of the structure to assess conditions. If I were to deem the structure untenable due to a heavy fire condition then we go into a defensive mode and anyone inside is deemed to be a recovery rather than a rescue. That’s the hard part but at times it’s necessary to protect crews from possible death. Crews are never separated!! That’s the cardinal rule of firefighting. Too many things can happen when you're by yourself. If crew integrity were a priority tragic event like this could possibly be avoided.
Please let me know if there is any thing else you may need.
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QUESTION: Thank you for your rapid response! You did help me better understand the confusion at the scene aspect that I did not consider before. I guess the first responders can't trust the occupants information while under extremely chaotic conditions. As the mother of a 24 year old in training for firefighting and emergency rescue I am naturally more concerned about this subject. I hope you might have time to read the reports of the LODD in Prince William. It was their first LODD in 40+ years so it's not hard to find. The young firefighter's name was Kyle Wilson.
Answer Jane:
I just read the fact sheet on the County of Prince William incident. It really sounds like the weather (high winds)building size and construction had an adverse effect on this incident. It also sounds as if this fire had a huge head start possibly in the attic or some other void area. Smoke conditions should have given some indication to the extent and size of the fire upon arrival. Thermal Imaging cameras directed at the structure from the street should indicate the "hottest" part of the structure thus dictating a method of attack/rescue.
The report also mentions the need for getting more resources on the scene quickly for such an incident. It also mentions Rapid Intervention crews. Typically a Rapid Interview crew is not required when a rescue is necessary. You need all hands to do the rescue. It all sounds good to have all these resources up front but in the real world most of the time the timing is always against us. Unless you have a fire next to the headquarters station you will probably have to wait a bit to get ample crews on scene. Units can't just get to the scene at the snap of a finger and most problems surface in the first tens minutes or so of a fire. I like to upgrade alarms quickly when the conditions warrant it. I am not afraid to do this enroute once I consider weather conditions, reports from dispatch, or type of occupancy concerns. It's easier canceling units once you've called for them but it's an eternity waiting for them when you call them at the time their needed. Everyone in the fire service is a great "arm chair" quarterback, myself included. It's easy for us to criticize the things we see or hear. But the fact is that we all do stupid things at one time or another. Especially during situations such as a fire. The term I like to use for the fire scene is "Organized Chaos". We try to remain organized in a very chaotic atmosphere.
