Thursday Conference

Check back often for updated information.

Conference sessions are 90 minutes in length, unless otherwise noted. Program subject to change.

Continuing education credits, from East LA College, are available to all conference attendees. Attendees are encouraged to apply. Your participation benefits you and the fire service. Online registration for these college CE’s is now closed. However, you can still apply for them when you arrive at the convention center. Registration sheets will be available in each class as well as the CSFA booth and select conference locations. (CE’s are free to all California residents; out-of-state residents are required to pay an out-of-state fee.) Attendees that apply for credit will receive .5 units.

March 4, 2010
8:30 AM	Building Construction Barry Franchi, Captain (ret.), San Jose FD 4-Hour Class Category: Building Construction This four-hour course is designed to help firefighters recognize and understand building construction as it pertains to the critical time factors and decisions being made on today's fireground. The intention of this program is to have firefighters look at a structure differently than they did at the start of the class so that they can make good decisions based on the characteristics of the known building construction and how they will help them and/or hurt them.
8:30 AM	Common Fireground Mistakes Bob Pressler, Lieutenant (ret.), FDNY Category: Strategy & Tactics This class, through the use of both PowerPoint and videos, examines our everyday fires and some of the recurring mistakes that lead to unsafe and inefficient operations. The class will identify the problems and will offer possible solutions to help address your everyday operational problems.
8:30 AM	Effective Fire Training Methods for Company and Chief Officers John Culbertson, Ph.D., Captain, Central Valley Fire District, MT; Brian Crandell, EdD., Assistant Chief, Central Valley Fire District, MT Category: Training This interactive program will focus on developing and delivering training programs that actually result in improved firefighter performance in the street. The program will focus on training methods that have proven effective with all levels of fire service training, from basic firefighter training through advanced command training. Lessons learned, application of command functions, and firefighter safety will be stressed. The use of local command systems in support of training programs will also be addressed with the use of successful systems and participant experiences. Safety and communications components of training programs will also be presented.
8:30 AM	Eliminating the Human Error Chain Ed Hadfield, Deputy Chief, Coronado, CA FD Category: Safety The fire service has seen a dramatic rise in injuries and deaths to fire personnel in the last ten years. Statistically, we are injuring and killing more firefighters on the fireground than ever before. Findings show how a fatal chain of errors made by personnel from the incident commander to the rookie firefighter promulgate the problem in the American fire service. This course is designed to identify those specific factors associated with the error chain and establish corrective action models to reverse this dangerous trend.
8:30 AM	IAFC’s - Rules of Engagement for Structural Firefighting John Sullivan, District Chief, Worcester, MA FD Category: Rules of Engagement In 2001, the Safety and Health committee of the International Association of Fire Chief's published the landmark document 10 Rules of Engagement for Structural Firefighting. Recently, the IAFC's Safety, Health and Survival section undertook a dramatic revision of this initiative. This provocative guide establishes the fundamental "rules" upon which fireground decisions should be made at all levels when dealing with structure fires. This interactive lecture will utilize real fireground scenarios to illustrate and discuss how the rules of engagement can be utilized by all firefighters on scene to promote rational decision-making and enhance firefighter safety. Building on the concepts of crew resource management and situational awareness, the "rules" can be put to practical use in the dynamic and dangerous environment of structural fire fighting. The objectives of this session are to gain a practical understanding of how to legitimately utilize the "10 rules" in both policy and practice. These concepts will save firefighters lives, and you owe it to yourself and your fellow firefighters to take advantage of this valuable opportunity.
8:30 AM	Improving Response and Roadway Safety in the Police and Fire Services Mike Wieder, Assistant Director, IFSTA/Fire Protection Publications, Oklahoma State University Category: Safety This presentation will highlight a project that was jointly funded by the United State Fire Administration and the U.S. Department of Justice and was performed by the International Association of Firefighters whose main goal was to bring together information on these important issues from the fire and police disciplines into one place. Information that will be addressed in this presentation includes response procedures, vehicle conspicuity, incident management procedures, and avoiding police and fire service conflicts at the incident scene.
8:30 AM	Leadership & Command - the Good, the Bad & the Ugly! John R. Hawkins, Unit Chief, CAL FIRE and , Fire Chief, Riverside County FD, Perris, CA Every firefighter and fire officer is challenged at one time or another with leadership and command and control questions. Probably the most critical personal development subject areas are leadership and command abilities. The presentation will provide common sense ideas and suggestions on improving or bettering leadership and command abilities. The instructor will provide real examples of successes and failures many of his own through his 46 years of fire service experience.
8:30 AM	Pump Operations for High-Rise Building Fire Protection Systems Paul Shapiro, Engineer (ret.), City of Las Vegas FD, NV, and Fire Instructor II Category: High Rise Delivering the required fire stream in a standard attack line hose evolution from the engine to the fire is quite easy to develop. There are four basic things the pump operator needs to know, flow rate, diameter of the line, nozzle pressure, and length of the line. When it comes to buildings with fire protection systems, especially multi-story, it gets to be a bit more complicated. Now there are specific flow and pressure limitations to deal with which are usually unique to each building. These limitations can require specific equipment and tactics to deal with the fire problem to have a successful outcome. This class is going to cover all phases of fire department pump operations for building fire protection systems, which include sprinkler systems, sprinkler/standpipe systems with no building fire pump, and sprinkler/standpipe systems with a building fire pump.
8:30 AM	Response to a Nuclear Detonation Al Mozingo, Fire Service Training Officer, National Fire Academy (MD) Category: Radiation Emergencies This program brings to the first responder information from the Planning Guidance for Response to a Nuclear Detonation published by the Homeland Security Council on January 16, 2009. The presentation will review: the factors involved in a nuclear detonation, assumptions, damage zones, the 7-10 rule, response actions, fallout information, and survivability factors.
8:30 AM	Success with Less Michael Taylor, Captain, E41, West Sacramento, CA FD Category: Strategy & Tactics This lecture is designed to give you the nuggets needed for successful fireground operation, when you feel limited by staffing or response. Choosing the proper nozzles, forcible entry tools, and apparatus set up to achieve your goals. Honing your skills so one firefighter can do more with less and empowering the fireground to collect information on the structure. This course is ideal for all ranks to be successful. Structure fires do not care about staffing, but firefighters care about structure fires.
8:30 AM	Why Fires in Residential Homes Have Become the Most Dangerous Firefight You Will Face James Dalton, Coordinator of Research and Development; Peter VanDorpe, Battalion Chief; Both with Chicago, IL FD; Partnered with Underwriters Laboratories (UL) Category: Strategy & Tactics This nationally recognized research program depicts through live fire research how dangerous the modern fire environment has truly become. Firefighter fatalities and injuries have occurred in residential buildings because of rapid fire spread through areas of unprotected wood construction or the collapse of unprotected dimensional lumber and/or lightweight wood structural components. In response, the Department of Homeland Security Assistance to Firefighter Safety Program awarded funding to the Chicago Fire Department, Underwriters Laboratories, the International Association of Fire Chiefs, and Michigan State University to further study this disturbing trend. This workshop will review the significant findings of this research project entitled, "The Structural Stability of Engineered Lumber in Fire Conditions". This research conducted live fire testing to compare the failure times of conventional dimensional lumber construction to modern lightweight wood construction. This presentation will present video and photos highlighting the failure times of the tested assemblies, limitations of thermal imaging devices, digital thermal and structural modeling techniques. This workshop will also present case studies of fireground incidents, risk management and tactical recommendations for firefighting operations in residential lightweight constructed buildings and current building code developments relating to this topic. Participants will be introduced to an interactive web based outreach program to train the members of their own departments.
10:15 AM	Case Studies on Urban Wildland Fatalities and Close Calls Bret Davidson, Battalion Chief, Rancho Santa Fe, CA FD Category: Wildland Tactics This class is designed to respectfully look at structural interface case studies of the Calabasas, Cedar and the Esperanza turnovers. Through these incidents bring out strategies to help prevent future situations. This class is designed to equip the officers with the knowledge to apply good fireground principles and maintain good situational awareness.
10:15 AM	Chatsworth Metrolink vs. Freight Train Disaster Thomas Somers, Captain, Los Angeles, CA FD Category: Major Incidents The Chatsworth Metrolink vs. Freight train disaster turned into a massive rescue and recovery effort. Learn what happened on Sept. 12, 2008, as a Los Angeles Fire Department communications center representative describes command and control efforts to coordinate response to one of the deadliest train accidents in the state's history.
10:15 AM	Company Level Training: Designing a Program to Fit Your Specific Needs Larry Manasco, Captain, Fort Worth, TX FD, Kelby Childers, Firefighter, South Metro, CO FD Category: Training Following his monthly Firehouse.com series, Larry Manasco, together with Kelby Childers, will walk you through a step-by-step process to establish a training calendar for your shift, based on the needs of your response area. Firefighters should train during every tour, but choosing the topics and the means to carry them out can often times be difficult. This class will cover the practical applications of training props and offer ideas for both quick and extensive training sessions.
10:15 AM	Cultural Combat Tactics David Daniels, Fire Chief/Emergency Services Administrator, Renton Fire & Emergency Services, WA Category: Safety This presentation describes culture from a social perspective and suggests a model that can help those interested in changing organizational culture. Though the tactics are focused on the issue of occupational safety and health, they are useful in any "culture shift? effort.
10:15 AM	Field Expedient Bleeding Simulation System™ Lynn King, Sgt., Medical Products Specialist, Skedco, INC. Category: EMS Field Expedient Bleeding Simulation System?? is a revolutionary bleeding simulation system that brings absolute realism to tactical trauma patient care training. The FEBSS?? keeps patient simulation simple. One button turns the system ON and one button turns the system OFF. A total of 8 bleeding injuries can be controlled remotely up to 50 feet away!
10:15 AM	First Due...No Clue! Engine Company Operations, Are You Safe On The Line? Robert Cobb, Deputy Chief (ret.), Jersey City, NJ FD, Director, Community Hazard Mitigation, ISO, Inc. Category: Engine Operations Engine company operations on the fireground sound simple enough: stretch some lines and aim a stream of water at the fire. This seminar examines the important tactical objectives of the engine company. Are light-weight truss construction, energy efficient windows and older buildings "yellow flags" in your size-up? Find out why they should be. Correct size-up will determine initial tactics and strategy and will set in motion the "incident game plan". The engine company's rescue plan will also be discussed.
10:15 AM	Holding Court: Truck 101 Kevin Trost, Captain (ret.), Sacramento, CA FD Category: Truck Operations This course provides an opportunity to dispel some of the misconceptions regarding truck company operations. Whether you are a firefighter, company officer, or battalion chief, you need to have a clear understanding of the truck functions on the fireground. In addition, you need to understand the priority of these functions. This class will take you from an introduction as to the role of the truck company on the fireground, to identify the functions of a truck company, and to prioritize those functions. The course will breakdown the roles and responsibilities of the truck company members, and how to apply them on the fireground. Whether you are a volunteer department, paid department, combination department, or even staff a truck company, it is imperative that you understand the importance of truck work on the fireground. The safety of all fireground operations is directly related to truck company operations, and this class will provide a clear understanding of that relationship.
10:15 AM	How to Get the Best Score on a Fire Simulator Paul Lepore, Battalion Chief, Long Beach, CA FD, Alan Patalano, Deputy Chief, Long Beach, CA FD Category: Career Advancement Performing in a fire simulator can be a very intimidating process for a candidate who is unfamiliar with the process. This course will take the mystery out of the process and will give the candidate a strong foundation of what it takes to be successful. Additionally, students will learn how to avoid how to develop strategies to effectively manage incident. We will use a PowerPoint presentation along with the Digital Combustion software. This program allows us to take a photo of the building and incorporate fire and smoke to make the scenarios very realistic.
10:15 AM	Radiation Emergencies for Responders Tom Clawson, Transportation Emergency Preparedness Program, Coordinator; Chris Alverson, TEPP Instructor Category: Radiation Emergencies Responding to emergencies where radioactive materials are present can be a frightening experience. This session includes basic information on radiation, materials you might encounter, the hazards they pose, signs alerting you to the presence of radioactive materials. Session also includes demonstrations on how to package, treat, and transport contaminated patients.
10:15 AM	Technical Rescue First Due, Now What Do I Do? Kent Freeman, Captain, Roseville, CA, FD The initial decisions made by the first arriving officers at technical rescue incidents many times determine the final outcome's success. One good decision routinely breeds another good decision; conversely one bad decision will breed more confusion, producing confusion snowballs that result in an avalanche of disaster. This program is designed to provide insight to first arriving personnel at a technical rescue, trench rescue, tower rescue and building collapses, providing time proven, common sense tactical priorities.