Thank you to the crew at Firefighter Close Calls for sharing this great article from B-Shifter and commenting on it. “Some guy named Eddie…” Well we know him!
THE TRUTH OF SLICE-RS – NO AGENDAS OR FALSEHOODS HERE
Maybe if the fire service spent as much time actually STUDYING and UNDERSTANDING the research – instead of posting misinformation on Social Media and debating it – we all would be in a better place. Just think of this – do any of us spend this amount of time discussing the changes in EMS on Social Media – is the choice to not use backboards, using cold fluid therapy after a cardiac arrest, or the fact we no longer use MAST pants debated like this – nope – why – because there is science behind it – so lets accept the science behind FIREFIGHTING – if we want to be considered professionals – we must act like professionals!
Here is Eddie’s direct quote
“Hit it hard from the yard:
I’m not a fan of this phrase and I don’t know where it started. It is in no way associated with SLICE-RS, but somehow it seems to get stuck on it. We encourage officers to use size information to make an educated decision on the best method to control the fire. The decision is dependent on a variety of factors. I’m my view, this phrase is a social media phenomenon and has no real tactical value.”
Chief Buchanan goes on to say
“That said, there are many misconceptions out there about SLICE-RS. I tend to attribute this to the “sound bite training” common in social media. People take a sentence out of context and then run with it. So let me address a few of the common misconceptions.
SLICE-RS abandons the victims.
This is just simply inaccurate. Life safety remains our highest priority. SLICE-RS takes a realistic approach to managing the problem, particularly with limited staffing. We have proven this on paper, in training and on the fireground. To say anything else is simply misinformed. SLICE-RS addresses rescue in a logical and real world manner.
SLICE-RS chiefs never let anyone go inside.
False. In fact, I believe this is a great myth in the fire service. I hear the naysayers make this reference, but I have yet to find this chief in real life. I’ll continue to look for this chief, but I suspect he’s hanging out with Bigfoot and the Loch Ness Monster. I believe it’s a distraction used by those who are uncomfortable with change.
SLICE-RS won’t work on every fire.
Yes it will. We created it do exactly that. Which fire will you not use those steps? SLICE-RS was a method created to help us develop a mindset that incorporates the fire dynamic lessons from the research into the actions of the first due engine company. Just as its partner RECEO- VS worked consistently (our Incident Commanders still use RECEO-VS to guide their command priorities), so does SLICE-RS.
There is a lot more to this and all the other issues and discussions going on about tactics, training and the new and not so new science, the good news is we are all reading, learning and hopefully will apply something to how we operate, and hopefully it is an improvement to how we have thought, trained and or operated in the past.
THIS ARTICLE WAS FOUND IN A GREAT FREE FIRE SERVICE PUBLICATION – www.BShifter.com – its free, so go ahead and download it – we dare you – once you do – you will find yourself stuck reading it quarterly! Direct Magazine link is here or read the full article here.
*Article re-posted from modernirebehavior.com.