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What were some or at least one of the first lesson you learned in your emergency services career ? Mabe we can learn to not make the same mistakes or learn valuable lessons from you experiences.

VelvetRose says ...

First: Pissing off some important people in the fire service before I am even part of it......huge mistake.

 

 

How'd ya do that??

An elderly man once told me this...

"Never allow yourself to look back and call the things that you have done mistakes. Always try to learn from everything you experience. If you do that, those things you would change are lessons....not mistakes."

Agreed. Call them learning experiences.

The one that comes to mind for me was at TX A&M fire school in 1987.  We were on the LP gas station, where you have four 2.5" lines, with 4 people on each line, and the insane water pressure they have there is still killing you after some time being on the nozzle. After some genius got out of sync and almost burned us, we had to re-advance the wall of water, so it took longer than it should. I was on the nozzle. Once we finally got it out and completed the station, my arms were exhausted and I dropped the nozzle where I stood. It happened to be in the mud. The instructor got in my face and quietly chewed my ass for dropping the nozzle in the mud. Clarifying that it put my lifeline at risk by making it slippery. I was pissed and embarrassed, but also understood why he did it. I have NEVER put my nozzle, or any other tool at risk again since then. Those hard memories stay with you forever. So when somebody worthy jumps your ass over something, you may get pissed, but if they are right, you should overcome the pride and learn from it. After all, it is far better to learn something by hurt pride, rather than injury or death.

again, not related to fire rescue BUT ... my mind was clearly on a relationship i was involved.  the guy and i were fighting and i had just hung up with him before my detail.  i was responding to a confined animal.  turned out to be a hugea55 malamuteXshep!!  normally, i don't have trouble lifting dogs onto my truck or there's usually someone around to help out.   well, not paying attention to my training and clearly NOT paying attention to the dog on my 4th attempt at getting him into the dog compartment he managed to get my whole left hand up to the wrist and knaw on me!!!  owch.  my hand was swollen twice the normal size.

my lesson:  PAY ATTENTION!!  since then, i do my best to NOT focus ton he negativity in my personal life while on duty.  it could cost me a limb!!  (or, worse, especially with a pissy dogowner!!!)

jc_murphy_firedog says ...

My first mistake/lesson.       I had been attending drills at a department for awhile.  They were waiting for my approval from the commissioners. Well one evening the training officer said for me to take the little crash truck to a training event.  I thought , cool that must be there way of saying I'm in and this wasn't my first time driving a truck.  So I jumped in and we left.   That evening after the drill the Chief calls and says , ''What are you doing driving our trucks ?''   Turns out I wasn't on yet and therefore not covered By insurance.  They were so used to seeing me there they forgot I was not offical yet.  My mistake was I should have made sure I was approved. I felt bad for the officer that told me to take the truck.  He stepped up right away and said he told me to take it. I have so much respect for that officer and the Chief too because although being pissed , he remained calm and got all the details first.   It was a big mistake on my part and from now on  I double check everything first before I act.                    One more thing related to this event was I forgot to release emergency breaks and drove awhile with them on which I'm sure didn,t help .  Can anyone say Duh ,duh, duh better than me ?  I would put a dunce cap smiley here if they had one.

  First recent mistake.

umm mine was not wearing socks to a field fire.

My resent lesson was not being near the end of hose when doing pressure testing.  I understand that someone was killed during one of these test. Is anyone else familier with this experience ?

my first mistake tore up a air pack in training

the first mistake i made was telling a firefighter that had been on a long time he wasnt doing something right and it pissed him off and we got in to it. even tho i was right and he knew it he blew it way out and started this big old thing about young punks telling older ones what to do and stuff. Safety is first all the time so be safe!!!

chase1 says ...

Agreed. Call them learning experiences.

The one that comes to mind for me was at TX A&M fire school in 1987.  We were on the LP gas station, where you have four 2.5" lines, with 4 people on each line, and the insane water pressure they have there is still killing you after some time being on the nozzle. After some genius got out of sync and almost burned us, we had to re-advance the wall of water, so it took longer than it should. I was on the nozzle. Once we finally got it out and completed the station, my arms were exhausted and I dropped the nozzle where I stood. It happened to be in the mud. The instructor got in my face and quietly chewed my ass for dropping the nozzle in the mud. Clarifying that it put my lifeline at risk by making it slippery. I was pissed and embarrassed, but also understood why he did it. I have NEVER put my nozzle, or any other tool at risk again since then. Those hard memories stay with you forever. So when somebody worthy jumps your ass over something, you may get pissed, but if they are right, you should overcome the pride and learn from it. After all, it is far better to learn something by hurt pride, rather than injury or death.

Very well said by both you and T-Smith, Excellent Points!  Every thing in the fire service and EMS field should be a Learning experience and never considered a mistake.  We learn from our mistakes, and if we go by that I should be a "Expert Master Firefighter" by now!!!! LOL  Everyone shouldnt be embarrssed to discuss their mistakes either, we can all learn from them and pass them on to others as well.  Keep it going and keep learning.

So you were spraying water on a house that was already a goner, and the power was still on???    

Ummmmm,    _ _ _ ?    That's just scary.  Not picking on you, but I hope that was a huge lesson learned, and not only by you but whoever was supposed to be IC, or was there one? 

That should be one of the first things done during an initial 360 sizeup is to have the meter pulled, and any gas/propane turned off before any actions are taken, unless a rescue is needed. We usually call the electric provider and get them in route right away just in case, and they can kill the whole block if need be.

Never stand between the drop tank and apparatus until you are certain the driver knows you are there.  

The prior Chief pin'd me between the tank and truck. I backed him into position and he set the parking brake, as I approched the dump valve he released the parking brake and backed up before I could clear out. Thankful for me there was a member from the neighbor dept. screaming for him to pull up. Frigg'n idiot

I remember this life lesson because it was dejavu. It happened after the movie "Ladder 49" came out. We were dispatched to a commercial dumpster fire, when we arrived on scene I jumped out of the engine & was heading towards the house when I hear my cpt. say, "Helmet" and I had to turn right back around & grab it off of the engine. LOL  I know one thing now.........I don't ever forget my helmet anymore.  

rstovall44 says ...

Last year we were doing hose testing and I saw one of my junior firefighters marking couplings on some 1 3/4"lines directly next to a charged to test pressure 2 1/2" line. I yelled for her to move and within 15 seconds the coupling on the 2 1/2" line seperated and sent the line flailing out of control directly where my junior was kneeling. Luckily nobody was hurt, but it was definitely a close call.

Last year during hose test, I saw a 5" supply line coupling fail, and the line, I swear, jumped 6 feet in the air, it would have seriously injured someone if it hit them.