Keynote

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Michael M. Dugan is a 38-year veteran of the fire service and a 26-year veteran of the New York City Fire Department (FDNY), Michael is now a retired captain of Ladder Company 123 in Brooklyn. As a firefighter in Ladder Company 43, Dugan received the James Gordon Bennett medal in 1992 and the Harry M. Archer Medal in 1993, the FDNY’s highest award for bravery. He was an instructor at the inception of the FDNY’s Annual Education Day and has developed programs currently taught to all FDNY members during the annual event. Dugan is a member of the IAFC Safety, Health & Survival Section. He serves as a HOT instructor at Firehouse Expo and FDIC, and is a regular contributor to fire service magazines. He also lectures at various events around the country on topics dealing with truck company operations, building construction, scene size-up and today’s fire service.m a paragraph. I'm connected to your collection through a dataset. To update me, go to the Data Manager. Click Preview to see my content. The Data Manager is where you store data to use in your site pages, or collect data from site visitors when they submit a form. This collection in the Data Manager is already set up with some fields and content. To customize it with your own content, you can import a CSV file or simply edit the placeholder text. You can also add more fields which you can connect to other page elements so the content displays on your published site. Remember to sync the collection so your content is live! You can add as many new collections as you need to store or collect data.

This is MY Nozzle

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No matter the size of department, we all have hose, nozzles and appliances for which when the first line goes so does the fire. Over this 2 hour session we will realize that there is great detail that goes into the hose and nozzle set up along with supply options. We will talk through the use of flow meters, in-line pressure gauges, and pounds of force scales so you will be able to go back to your department and conduct flow testing as well. So let’s make this essential tool on the fireground the best it can be for the safety of our citizens we swore to protect and our brothers and sisters we are fighting the battle with. You are encouraged to attend this class if you are taking the Engine HOT class.

Situational Awareness Lost

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This program details two different incidents, one in which a firefighter was killed in the line of duty, the other being a near miss of an entire company resulting in one firefighter being trapped for nearly 15-minutes. In both studies, a lack of situational awareness and training played a major role in the events. The course will examine issues and deficiencies in training programs, decision making before and during fire ground operations, and best practices in gaining/maintaining situational awareness on the fire ground. Students will hear the radio traffic and learn how numerous cues were missed during the situational awareness process and how these cues played into the events. Another contributing factor in the situational awareness process involved a lack of understanding by not only the Incident Commander, but all Company Officers and how this can be changed in any organization.Students are provided the opportunity to ask questions concerning the incidents and learn how these situations can be avoided.

This House Rocks

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There is nothing quite like a firehouse. It can be the most incredible experience of your life or a miserable exile to purgatory. It can be place of learning where skills are honed and techniques refined or a stagnant cesspool where competence erodes into ineffective complacency. What is it that causes one place to be cohesive and brimming with camaraderie while just down the road there is dissension and drudgery? The instructors believe there are five key areas that can turn any firehouse into the type of place that enables firefighters to thrive and fulfill their calling. They are a compelling vision, individual responsibility and house pride, Teamwork, being prepared to get the job done whatever it may be and having fun. Enjoy it we have the best job in the world.

Attack of the 2 1/2": A Case for a Bigger Hand Line

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This course discusses the reality that many firefighters do not know when or how to utilize a 2½” attack line with confidence. As a result, there are many engine companies that will rarely attempt to deploy a 2 ½” attack line, despite the fact that it is the most versatile line on their apparatus. Some departments have even opted to remove this line from service completely; this obviously leaves them unable to capitalize on its numerous benefits. To combat this trend, we will take an in-depth look into exactly when the 2 ½" line should be deployed, how a medium-diameter fire attack package is selected, stretched and operated, and additionally provide practical solutions that will guide any department in developing competency within 2 ½" operations, regardless of department staffing or size.

Breaking Barriers

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Breaking Barriers - introduces first responders to individuals with an intellectual disability, and how they can better understand the reactions and perceptions that they might encounter during an emergency situation, and how first responders can break down potential barriers of service. The course covers understanding and awareness, communication, misconceptions, and stress points and actions of the individual with a disability, allowing for a better understanding of how to work with these behaviors, and what they mean. The training also offers important things to understand about disabilities, that will help keep the first responders safe. In some geographical areas, we will also introduce participants to an individual with Down syndrome, which will allow attendees to ask questions, and hear for themselves how to better understand communication with an individual with an intellectual disability. We also provide important materials to go back with the First Responder, and tangible items to help them when they serve individuals with an intellectual disability.

Respectful Entry: Through the Lock

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John Buttrick and company will be coming to the Lake of the Ozarks to run through some repetitions using respectful entry. You don't normally hear respectful and forcible entry in the same sentence, this type of class does not come around that often. This is rare class and there are also multiple props that you will have a chance to practice the following skills: Residential & Commercial deadbolts (cutting & pulling, mini-bolt cutter, dental picks) Commercial lever manipulation / lever pulls 1 piece and 2 piece key-in-knobs (residential & commercial) Mortise locks – anatomy, manipulation, cylinder removal, cylinder pulling, gap cutting, forcing bolt, cylinder insertion, K-Tool, Longshot Rim locks Padlocks/ supplemental locks Hotel hasp / residential security chain Shove knife / Swipe-Tool/ Unforcer Commercial slam matches Framing square & J-Tool Panic hardware Magnetic locks (REX PIR) JV Tool practical Specific skills / requests. Props and tools will be brought or created to fill special requests.

Ladders, Saws, and Roofs

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Learn quality and effective use of ground ladders, Saws, axes and roof work with real ventilation work at this full day truck company style training. Volunteer, paid, engine or truck, this class will meet your needs if you want be better at lifting somke and making rescues. This will be a labor intensive class. Full PPE will be needed.

From Overhaul to Fireball

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This class was developed, with the assistance of the City of St. Charles Missouri Fire Department, to share lessons learned from a residential fire that nearly cost the lives of four veteran firefighters. The significance of this class is that it involves four firefighters with an experience level from ten years to twenty-five years. Without this level of experience these firefighters may not have made it out alive. Because of this experience level, these firefighters were interviewed only days after the fire, and asked some tough questions about their escape and their thought processes during their escape. The results of those videotaped interviews were powerful. Portions of these tapes, with the addition of cell phone and helmet camera video taken from three separate cameras on the scene, combined with radio communications, provide students with an intimate sense of what these firefighters experienced. It also brings home the idea of how serious this job is, and how in a moment’s notice things can go bad. Lessons learned involve: size-up, radio communications, ventilation, “truck-work”, incident command structure, wind driven fire tactics and strategy, RIT or RIC, Mayday procedures, and post incident responsibility. This class provides an information, videos and great discussions about Flow Path, Wind Driven Fire tactics. It also shows the importance of being on top of your game, and how much situational awareness matters, especially when it comes to how fire conditions can change rapidly.

Real World Search

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Learn proven search techniques from guys who actually search burning buildings, regularly. Learn how to work efficiently and be effective while putting the victim first and your own comfort second. This will be a labor intensive class and will require full bunker gear and SCBA. Prepare to come to work!

Becoming A Dynamic Fire Chief

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Based on your feedback, Chief Haigh has developed an 8-hour course that will focus on the topic areas you requested in last year’s course evaluations: Financial Management and Alternate Funding Options Assessing Organizational Values Policy and SOG Development Conducting Internal Investigations Employee Discipline Labor/Management Relations How to build and administer “low cost” promotional assessment centers This training will be highly interactive with students working in small groups designed to facilitate discussion, networking and to learn from each other.

From the Mile High to the Dirty South: Engine Company Operations

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This engine company class will be unlike anything you have taken before. You will have several work stations, as well as, putting it all together. I 3/4", 2 1/2", Conventional Forcible Entry, Hose Line Advancement, 2 1/2 Hose Work, Flowing Water, and much, much, more from some of the best in the industry. You will not want to miss this class! Full bunker gear required and be prepared to be very wet!

The Art of Reading Smoke: The Next Generation

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Today's structure fires are more dangerous than ever before. Lightweight construction, low-mass synthetics, and open space floorplans have created a perfect storm for rapid, prolific fire growth and extreme behavior. It is imperative for firefighters of all ranks and experience levels to be prepared for this battle. The Art of Reading Smoke, developed by Dave Dodson and continued by Rob Backer, provides the knowledge necessary for first-arriving firefighters, officers, and chief officers to determine the fire's location and progression "from the seat" before seeing any flame. Through the extensive use of actual fireground videos, first-time students will develop, and return students will refine their knowledge to become INTELLECTUALLY aggressive firefighters. The next generation of Reading Smoke brings new research, a new library of videos, and discussion on cancer prevention and aggressive tactics and strategies to enable bold decision-making based on what is actually happening, not what we think is happening.

1st Due Chauffer

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This program will provide a comprehensive review of the “real” role of the apparatus operator. Regardless of what you call them, this role can make or break your entire operation. Our goal is to prepare the chauffeur for this position, by giving them an operational understanding of their responsibilities and of the apparatus. While some fire departments have very thorough and structured programs, others have none. In this course, the student will gain a working knowledge of the use and operations of their apparatus in both offensive and defensive roles. It’s more than just driving a fire engine and parking it out front. Using several interactive drills, we will review the “street smart” skills it takes to adequately perform at this assignment. We will provide the participants with a comprehensive understanding of equipment set-up and apparatus placement. We will discuss pump operations with and without municipal water supplies, pumping fire protection systems, and operations in offensive and defensive capacities. Lastly, we will discuss using the chauffeur to fill-in the gaps for “short staffed” fire departments. Laddering buildings, stretching a second line, and many other functions that still need to be done. Upon completion of this program, students will have a safe understanding of operational positioning, the set up of equipment, and the proper use a for successful operation.

Practices and Attitudes of the Effective Fire Officer

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Are you interested in being a leader vs a manager? Are you commited to being the best fire officer you can be? Then look no further than what Chief Jason Hoevelmann is bringing for this class. Chief Hoevelmann will be working closely with students to give them the success strategies for being a successful fire officer.

Searchable vs Survivable- Educated Decision Making on the Fireground

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In the lecture we will be covering statistics and sharing videos to drive home points of why and when we search. We will also be covering where our searches often fail and where they are successful. We will touch on ways to improve search methods as well as efficiency. Topics covered in this lecture will include: VES and Considerations, Oriented/Anchorman searches, Search considerations, Enhanced thermal imaging, Importance of sizing up your search, Survival spaces, How bias affects our actions It is important to understand that before we make any decisions we need to know where our successes have been. In today’s fire environment we simply do not have much time. We must have a system in place for quick decision making of our searches in relation to our fire environment. We must identify our searchable spaces immediately. There is no singular mode, rather multiple methods to enhance the survivability for the unprotected occupant. This course is about how we search, when to search and what’s the best way to affect our search increasing our odds not only to locate a victim but remove them in the most efficient manner. Let us not forget that life IS and ALWAYS will be our number one priority! It should not be the mindset of “what’s good for us” but rather we MUST concentrate our efforts on what is best for THEM! At the end of the class the participant should be able to go home with knowledge found from recent studies by the UL as well as statistics being compiled throughout the country and function in a capacity that is more efficient and practical for those assigned to search on a typical residential structure fire. Students should understand that they may need to customize what they learned to their staffing levels of where they work.

Rapid Response Auto Extrication for Modern Vehicles

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This action packed course includes the following: Scene Size-Up / Scene Saftey Team Tasks utilizing team leader concept Late Model Airbag Systems – hazards and demonstration of reach and effect as we set them off during course Modern Vehicle Construction Hybrid and Electric Vehicles if available to review or cut Understanding Advanced Steels (Boron & More) Rapid Techniques With Late Model Vehicles and how they are changing with new bonded construction methods and new materials Rapid Stabilization using Struts Hydraulic / Battery Power Tool Use When the patients condition is rapidly deteriorating, or when weather and exposure becomes a significant factor. We will be sharing with the firefighters my top techniques and extrication tactics to shave minutes off the overall rescue time.

Rescue Task Force

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TECC RTF is specifically designed for personnel who are working or preparing to work within a Rescue Task Force (RTF) deployment and is open to Firefighters, First Reponders, Police Officers, etc. This course utilizes the most current C-TECC (Committee for Tactical Emergency Casualty Care). The format includes a lecture, hand-on practical skill stations, and scenario-based training. Our Approach: At Valley TEMS we believe in an appropriate distribution of didactic classroom learning and hands-on practical experience, with a heavier focus being the latter. We offer the most up-to-date guidelines and protocols based on current CoTCCC recommendations and take pride in providing our students with quality, hands-on training opportunities. All of our instructors are certified and experienced providers who go to great lengths to tailor to the needs of our students. Basic Patient Assessment skills utilizing MARCH and setting up Casualty Collection Points, triage of patients, and trauma training are the main objectives.

Firefighter Rescue and Survival

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Students will learn the ins and outs of realistic firefighter rescue and survival. Using simulated situations, students will not only learn how to rescue themselves, but their fellow firefighters. Topics include: Search, air management, packaging, removal, and immediate medical care. Bring your bunker gear and be ready to work!

Build Your Culture

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Culture in our profession is a word that is often used but do we truly understand what it means? Culture is defined as: the set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterizes an institution or organization. It can also be defined as the integrated pattern of human knowledge, belief, and behavior that depends upon the capacity for learning and transmitting knowledge to succeeding generations. So why is this so important to us? Culture is a big part of the fire service and plays a significant role in everything we do. Having dedicated individuals significantly impacts a departments culture. Many other things can also impact culture both positively and negatively. Advocating for a positive culture is not merely enough. We must be a strong example of this through our actions, understanding that what we do has a tremendous impact on everyone. Especially those who may be coming into the fire service for the first time. This lecture will discuss many topics related to how we can not only build and maintain a positive culture within our profession, but also puts emphasis on why we should respect and value previous culture and traditions. It is important that we learn from them but avoid placing limitations on our growth because of them. This will be an interactive lecture with participation from the attendees to help drive the topics of conversation forward in a professional manner by placing a value on the input and experiences shared. The objective is that we all help contribute to leaving things better than we found it, while continuing to build a culture for that those who come after us. It is up to us to pave the way and provide the tools and knowledge for them to build upon throughout their time in the fire service. Let us not lead them astray, but rather provide a pathway for success that will continue to resonate through future generations.