In addition to keeping themselves in good physical shape, one of the most important things firefighters can do between runs is make certain that the tools they use to fight fires are in good condition, too.
Tool Check
When it comes to tool and rig inspections, the usual routine is to set specific times for crews to pull out their equipment and go through it for operability, condition, fuel and other issues. These sessions are critical to maintaining organized and long-term records for servicing, wear and tear, and other administrative needs, and they help support firefighters’ familiarity with how the tools work.
There are many opportunities, though, to get the benefits of the periodic tool and rig check that can assure maximum effectiveness and familiarization without having a formal detail or scheduled activity. By taking more strategic advantage of the many other times when a piece of equipment is handled, or when a rig is being tested or operated, the benefits of a strong equipment inspection program that includes the concept of “you touch it, you test it” really come through, both in day-to-day operations and long-term operating effectiveness.
In a nutshell, “you touch it, you test it” means that every opportunity for interaction with a piece of equipment or a rig should be seen as an opportunity to look at it in some way for its operability, condition and appearance. How many times do we mindlessly handle tools–power or otherwise–including nozzles, radios and meters, without engaging them by opening a valve, turning them on or checking their fluid level as just one instant check of a critical operating characteristic? The most likely answer is “most of the time,” and that is too bad.
The Components of “You Touch It, You Test It”
Instill Mental Discipline:The first component of “you touch it, you test it” is instilling mental discipline in the interaction of firefighter and equipment. So many personnel view their contact with a piece of equipment as a passive activity that involves the moving of equipment from one compartment to another, or the cleaning of an engine or truck as part of a routine practice. Thinking about what is in your hand or what is being done and what it means to the job, to you and to your effectiveness or safety converts the passive to the active. The fact that cleaning, inspecting or repairing is not on the schedule does not have to mean that the firefighter’s interaction with equipment is nothing more than a mundane chore.
Identify Opportunities:The second component of “you touch it, you test it” is identifying opportunities. If you’re handling a piece of equipment for cleaning, take a minute to check a fluid level, the condition of a blade, the smoothness of the turn of a knob or something else that really adds no more time to your activity but makes it a far more productive session. Another opportunity is the seemingly endless pursuit of reorganizing of truck and engine compartments. Opening up a compartment, putting tools and equipment out on the floor, reconfiguring the space in your head or on paper, and then returning the gear to the compartment in the new locations is an ideal time to also test every piece of equipment you touch. This added dimension of a reorganization detail doesn’t become any more time consuming than opening up the fuel cap, checking the tension on a chain, peering into the end of a nozzle or some other simple inspection when you invoke the “you touch it, you test it” philosophy. Here, the opportunity to exercise the mantra has helped turn a single-purpose activity into one with multiple worthwhile objectives.
For many departments, routine maintenance and familiarization inspections are either loathed and approached with that kind of attitude or not done at all. Imagine, then, the response of members when the equipment check becomes a drill, where officers and members critically evaluate the workings of equipment and devices as they do their inspections. Depending upon how much time you devote to the task, drill credit, OSHA credit or other benefits can be earned from something that is usually looked upon as non-instructional and tedious in nature.
Make It a Habit: The third component of “you touch it, you test it” is making it part of your everyday practice at the firehouse. The first buy-in has to be with the officers. In learning how to be teachers, they need to be willing to understand and accept the extra effort they will have to put forth in order to make “you touch it, you test it” a regular and constructive part of the firehouse routine. They might think that there is always something else to do, so prolonging an inspection, equipment relocation or other apparently ministerial action is not really necessary or desirable. Having officers understand the importance of this practice will help them understand that most of what we learn and retain in the firehouse is from the routine, the repetitive and the familiar.
Get Firefighter Buy-in:The next focus should be the firefighters themselves. There may be no better way to impress upon them the importance of working order equipment and apparatus than with some stories of 1) the positive–how good equipment spelled the difference in outcomes in saving a civilian, a building or a fellow firefighter, 2) the negative–how a poorly working piece of equipment turned a good operation bad, or put firefighters into dangerous situations or, more precisely, made dangerous situations worse and 3) the difference–how the time between a routine inspection and a fire provided the opportunity to exercise “you touch it, you test it” and discover a problem that could have led to calamity.
Putting It into Practice
There was a recent opportunity to put “you touch it, you test it” into practice during a scheduled engine detail at a fire station. To have left the objective of that exercise as merely cleaning shelves and washing a truck would have been to waste the real investment of time that the members contributed to the detail. When the power tools were removed, each one was checked for fluid, for chain or blade condition, and started up. When examining the nozzles, they made sure that the ball moved freely, the head adjusted correctly and there was no dirt or debris in the nozzle head. This investment cost little in the way of additional time and provided immeasurable benefits. In this particular instance, they found that one saw was lower on fuel than it should have been while another was found to be running rough, and a third needed a simple screw tightening, which can happen even in departments with the best regular inspection and repair regimens. A routine cleaning job just became a critical inspection and re-familiarization exercise.
Final Thoughts
“You touch it, you test it” will bring greater accountability for the equipment we all use and rely upon. This will make firefighters more familiar not just with the location or appearance of equipment, but also with the use and maintenance of it, and will make us all the more ready for the next run.
