Introduction to Fire Science

Now We’re Talking…

This course is about the heroes of firefighting. For sixteen years, I worked with giants. Some of the craziest, most brilliant, hilarious intellectuals masquerade as firefighters, performing incredible feats, saving countless lives, looking good doing it. In Fire 110, I bring the greatest people I’ve known and met throughout my life to inspire the next generation of firefighters.

As a third-generation firefighter, I have an arsenal of guest speakers to pull from. With each successive year, I plan to fill out the curriculum with experts from each category of Fire Science. This course is not regulated by any state or federal agency, there are no certificates attached to it, and it is meant to educate students on basic fire science and fire department life. What else is there to do with the course other than bring in big hitters to lecture on their individual passions?

Cancer Awareness in Firefighting YouTube Link: Speaker Ken Allen

Let the Experts Dazzle

Fire Science covers the very basics in firefighting, like Emergency Communication Systems, Building Construction, and Fire Behavior. But, when it comes to topics like Firefighting History, Incident Command, Cancer Awareness, PTSD, Water Engines, Wildland Firefighting, HAZMAT, or Highrise Fire Attack, I want the captains and chiefs who dedicated years of study to those subjects because they were passionate about them to teach my students. I want the people who originally sparked my interest to inspire my students.

Beyond lecturing on the very basic topics, I would like to make Fire 110 an orientation to a firefighting course, star-studded with great minds and talented orators who will motivate students to work hard and go to extremes for what they love.

Firefighting is more than a profession, it’s a passion; it’s a way of life. You look for exits in supermarkets, practice walking with your eyes closed to see if you can navigate the space in blacked-out conditions, geek out on things like how to cut apart an electric car without electrocuting yourself, or early fire hydrants were just large wooden plugs driven into pipes (hence the name, “fire plug”).

For every aspect of firefighting, there is a department expert on the subject. I want their fascination to feed the fires in the minds of the students.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Beyond the fanfare, fire, and brimstone, Fire 110 allows us to discuss issues that have been adversely overlooked. Physical and mental health issues are an endemic concern for firefighters, police officers, and service veterans. Traditionally, physical and mental illness has long been ignored, denied, or underestimated regarding firefighters, police officers, and armed forces veterans, leading to lifelong trauma disorders, unhealthy household situations, drug and alcohol addiction, perpetual familial trauma, early death, and suicide. If we discuss the majesty of firefighting in this course, Fire 110 must also tackle firefighting’s malevolent aspects.

There’s a permeating notion of guts and glory, which I allow is not only true and admirable but necessary in order to dedicate oneself to the profession fully. Unfortunately, you must pay for glory with your own guts; the sacrifice is full. Inevitably, a career in firefighting will cause some amount of physical and emotional trauma, poor health habits, and a negative mindset. Saddest of all is the abundance of cancer, cardiovascular disease, chemical abuse, an unstable home life, and suicide among emergency responders.

It’s incumbent that we teach the future generation that firefighting is not only mentally and physically demanding but it’s also one of the last professions in the world that can kill you in myriad ways; you can die quickly in a fire or on a freeway, and if you don’t care for yourself, you will die early through continually unhealthy life choices. These topics must be approached sympathetically and tactfully and at the very onset of fire training. Up front, students need to know the buy-in for being a firefighter. Before pursuing this career, they need to check their mental and physical health, address any issues, and prioritize staying healthy during their career.

The Future of Firefighting

This is the modern mindset of the fire department: make it through your career healthy, with enough left over to enjoy your achievements. Toward the last years of my service, my Battalion Chief would say: “It’s no longer enough that I make sure you all go home at the end of shift. Now, I want to make sure everyone retires healthy and happy and lives well into their pensions.” Intro to Fire should introduce students to practices and habits that will maintain long-term physical and mental health beyond their careers into many years of retirement. This is the message I am pushing to the recruits.

Fire 110 is a place to workshop topics like Cancer Awareness, Decontamination Procedures, PTSD, and career mental and physical well-being; I’m currently recruiting individuals who can expertly speak on these issues with sincerity and personal experience.

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