Senior Project reflection

(1) Positive Statement

What are you most proud of in your 2-Hour Presentation and/or your senior project? Why?

I am most proud that i made time with only two answers. I have been worried about making time with only two answers since i found out i was only doing two answers. It was definitely a relief and a proud moment when i found out that i had actually made time and my 2 hour wasnt going to be a flop. 

(2) Questions to Consider

a.     What assessment would you give yourself on your 2-Hour Presentation (self-assessment)?

       P                       

b.     What assessment would you give yourself on your overall senior project (self-assessment)?

                AP-            

(3) What worked for you in your senior project?

My mentorship at the end really helped me with my senior project because it sowed me the proper steps i should have been taking all along to create a successful senior project.  

(4) (What didn't work) If you had a time machine, what would have you done differently to improve your senior project if you could go back in time?

I would join the explorer program back in the summer so that i would have been in it all along. 

(5) Finding Value

How has the senior project been helpful to you in your future endeavors?   Be specific and use examples. 

It has helped me realize what i wanted to do in the future.  i want to pursue the task of becoming a firefighter and because i went through this whole process, i fell that i am ready to take the challenge on. I have learned how to work n a team through my mentorship, how to study properly through my research, and in a way i have also learned how to stay organized through towers and three column charts. Overall it was a great experience and i couldn't have asked for a better senior topic idea. 

Del Valle

One of the best days of training was at Del Valle training facility. Here is where we had to practice all sorts of drills. We first got there at 5 in the morning for set up. We than had to get all of out turnout gear as well as food ready to go for the day. We were on call so we could get a call on a moments notice and we had to be ready to go. We ran through many events. The first event we went to the tractors and learned about how they are used in the forestry division. We after went to search and rescue where we had to work in a team in order to save someone underground in tunnels. After we had to go break structure while using heavy equipment. After we went to teh helicopters to learn about the pilots and helicopters in the los angeles county fire department. After we had car extraction here we had to use the jaws of life to save someone out of a car. After we had forestry division where we had to cut line on order for firefighters to fight a fire. Last we actually got the oppurtunity to take out a live structural fire. This was the best part of the day. This event is also where i really tested my answers and helped me realize what it was going to take to become a firefighter.

Deciding on my essential question

Deciding on my essential question would be a challenge for me at first. I was unsure on how i wanted to tackle my senior project. I jumped from essential question to essential question until we finally decided on doing something based off of structural fire. Structural fires are anything that ha to do with buildings, houses anything that is a manmade structure that an be burned. This striekd an interest in me as well as helped me understand the life of a firefighter because it showed me the necessary steps in order to fight a fire in the future and help beat prepare for the road ahead of me.

Explorer Training

One of the Sundays that i did my training and mentorship at we did some drills known as hose lays. During hose lays the firefighters prepare the hose in order to put out a fire. This is where i learned about the four different jobs in the fire department and i found help with my answer 1. The four different jobs in the fire department was captain, hydrant man, nozzle man, and engineer. We had to try and know every one of these jobs in order to successfully extinguish a structural fire. During this we were given a homework assignment and we had to research which job we thought was the most interesting. I researched the engineer. During this research i found that the engineer is the only one in the fire station that in a sense is allowed to drive the fire truck. They are also the men that specialize with everything on and inside of the fire truck. The engineer is usually the person who is all about the technology and is fully capable of driving a long truck even in tight situations. The other jobs are extremely important as well. The engineer job is to get water from the hydrant to the truck onto the fire. He stands by the truck and makes sure it is working properly in order to put out any type of fire.

Coming to my first answer

At first i didn't know what inititive command systems even meant. It wasn't until ms. Pittman actually sent me a link in order to fully understand the inititive command systems and why they would be so important to my senior topic. At first i had so many answers for my essential question and i couldn't narrow it down enough to talk for 30 minutes about well rounded research. But after researching inititiive command systems, i realized that it is everything that has to do with fighting a fire. It was the before, during, and after fighting a structural fire process. This was going to be my longest answer out of the two, and i had to make sure i would be able to speak about it for a good amount of time. This answer really helped me understand the exact steps in order to fight a structural fire and the proper ways to be safe. Safety was also a huge aspect that i learned about when studying initive command systems. Without this answer my essential question wouldn't have been as stong as it was, and my answers would have most likely fallen short.

Easter Sunday

My very first event as an explorer was the Saturday before Easter. We had to get to the station at 6 in the morning in order to load the utility truck for an event we did at Pantera park in Diamond bar. We had to sll breakfast to the community as well as prepare it. We sold breakfast all morning and my personal job was to serve food. This was the first time i had ever done something like this and at first i was nervous because i had to work with people i never have hung out with them. After the first day of the explorer program, i had realized that this was going to be a team based experience. After the next couple of weeks i really sat down and was thinking about my product and what i have gained from the explorer program. I realized that i had gained a sense of brotherhood as well as teamwork while working with these young men. It came to me that in the future if i do end up pursuing this career, i would have to be able to work with people to get the job done. I believe strongly that the explorer program helped me realize this the most.

First Day Of Training

My first day of training as an explorer has been one of the most physically demanding days of my life. I went into the first day of training thinking it was going to be easy. I am for the most part an active person so a few laps and push ups wasn't going to be a huge deal to me. I couldn't have been more wrong. We did so many push ups, sit-ups, planks that i was about ready to throw up. I put my all into that training session and after the physical training aspect i was extremely tired as well as winded. That was just the first part of training for the day and i was already drenched in sweat and extremely tired. For the next part of the training we actually got to run through the maze that we have at the station. This was a part of the training that ultimately helped me with my second answer. I learned that being blindfolded an dark helps you feel for the environment around you . It gets you close to the actual environment of a fire because a fire is dark and hard to see in.

Fire Museum Day

Fire Museum

On May 18^th from 6 in the morning to 2 in the afternoon the explorers did an event at the Los Angeles County Fire museum in Bellflower, California. We were going to be the only vendors at this event, so we had to show up early in order to set up and start selling food. We sold all types of food. My job was to man the cash register and take people’s money as well as their orders. After a few hours of running the cash register, I actually got the opportunity to go and check out the fire museum. They had trucks and wagons from when firefighting first started to get big. They had an original wagon from when the horses were the engine for the fire department. We also had the opportunity to learn about the old extinguishers in the department. I also purchased a sticker from this event. Overall it was a good learning experience for learning about where firefighting originated and how it has become so big now.  

City of Hope

City Of Hope

On Saturday June 1^st, some of the men from my explorer post went to city of hope in order to set up for an event that was hosted for pediatrics day. We had to arrive at the station at 6 in the morning in order to make it to Duarte where the event was, and set up. When we go there we had to set up tables and tablecloths for the people running the checkout booths. The event is a yearly event and is put by the hospital staff in order to give the patients at the hospital a special day. It is done yearly, and it is usually done at Griffith Park but was moved to City of Hope because of maintenance. There were patients from all ages that arrived on the scene in order to have a fun day. There were many volunteers that set up the event. As an explorer our main job was to direct traffic in and out of the event. It lasted all day so we had to make sure to let people know when to enter and when to leave. Overall it was a great event and is glad we did it in order to help out a great cause.

Mentorship

Title : Mentorship

Literal:

Log:

Fifty Hours:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AqlHw3zxdiyCdHFXUTdfVUpMZjJUdmhfVW5jV0ZGYkE#gid=0

Independent component#1:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AqlHw3zxdiyCdDhMZjJ2dEljeWR6YTVlTGRTOVJhenc#gid=0

Independent component #2:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AqlHw3zxdiyCdFZRSVlMQjhaMHFzWGZsVlowZ2xmRWc#gid=0

Contact Name and phone number:

1.)Firefighter Roland Dykes:  Station 137 Pomona California

1-951-836-8698

2.) Christopher Snowden:  U.S Navy

1-559-469-3660

Interpretive:

What is the most important thing you gained from this experience and why?

The most important thing I gained from this experience is in all honestly the experience itself. I have learned so much about the fire department from my mentorship. I have learned all about training and how to act as a team. My product from my senior project also came from my mentorship at Pomona station 137. I have learned how to work in a team in order to get what I needed to get done. I’m not only going to continue my mentorship after high school, but I am also going to pursue a higher form of my mentorship which is more ride-along and to become certified. So the most important thing I can take out of this was all of the knowledge I have learned and all of the friends that I have made.

Applied:

How has what you have done helped you answer your essential question? Please explain.

What I have done has been the solid foundation to help answer my essential question. I have learned about everything there has to do with training. We have done physical training which involves running, push ups, sit-ups, etc.. I have learned how to use heavy machinery. I have learned how to train with a group of men. My mentorship as a whole has been nothing but training and has been the foundation of my entire senior project. It has helped me answer my essential question. I have learned how to train on a regular basis as wels as properly follow incident command systems because we train with it. We have mock practice where we have to practice a before, during, and after situation of a fire.

Exit interview questions

11.)    What is your essential question? What is the best answer for your question and why?

My essential question is what is the best way for a firefighter to extinguish a structural fire? My best answer regarding my essential question is answer number 2 which is to Practice drills and training techniques on a regular basis at the station.

22.)    What process did you take to arrive at this answer?

The process I took in order to arrive at this answer was definitely an experience to remember. I have been to many stations and met many firefighters throughout this journey. Every firefighter and station that I have been too has demanded a well balance of training throughout the day. I have done ride-along and witnessed firefighting in live action. The number one thing that a firefighter refers back to when in the line of duty is the training that they have done. A personal experience that I had that really made me understand the importance of training as a firefighter was when I had live fire training. We had trained and learned the techniques necessary in order to be able to extinguish a fire. We also were in the right physical condition to fight the fire therefore referring back to what we learned in training to efficiently extinguish the fire. Training is all we do at the station and because of this we will be able to arrive and perform when there is a call.

33.)    What problems did you face? How did you resolve them?

Some problems I faced in regards to my senior project were finding a mentor. I had a tough time finding a mentor that would stick with me and help me throughout this senior project. My first mentor only wanted to help me once every few months because of legal aspects. My second mentor went away to Iraq to serve in the navy. So to resolve this problem I talked to the senior team and within a few hours, I was put into the fire explorer program and gained a great mentor. Another problem I had was solidifying my essential question. I couldn’t decide on an essential question so what I did was, I sat down and analyzed all of my research and what I was training for and realized that focusing my attention on structure fire would be my best bet.

44.)    What are the two most significant sources you used to answer your essential question and why?

My most important source that really helped me understands my essential question was my mentor and explorer post 19. Explorer post 19 puts everything into perspective and makes us think for ourselves while teaching us at the same time. My mentorship has not only made me realize that training is my most important answer, but has let me put my answers to the test. Without them my senior project would have greatly suffered. My second form of source was my research. Specifically and article about fire engineering. This article helped me understand my first answer which is to follow incident command systems.

55.)    What is your product and why?

My product in regard to my senior project is working in a team. Firefighting is strongly group based. You have to be able to work with other people and work with them well. Yes ploy has been trying to teach me this for four years, but I didn’t truly realize how important it is to be able to communicate and listen to you fellow coworkers until I joined the explorer program. Teamwork is important and thanks to my senior project, I know realize that in order to be successful in certain jobs, you have to be able to work well with others. 

2014 Interview

Blog 23: 2014 Interview

1.)    Who did you interview and what house are they in?

I interviewed Leo Larino and he is in south House.

2.)    What ideas do you have for your senior project and why?

I have an idea of doing my senior project on basketball or sneakers, but I may decide on something else in the future. I decided on this because it has been something I have always been interested in.

3.)    What do you plan on doing for your ten hour summer internship?

If I chose to do basketball I would probably try to play with a team or I may just find some type of community service in regards to the sport

4.)    What do you hope to see or expect to see in watching the 2013 2-hour presentations?

 I expect to see some ideas for my own presentation and maybe some ideas for my own senior project.

5.)    What questions do you have in regards to the senior project that I can help answer?

I don’t really have any questions because all of the questions I had were answered before.

Final Three Column Chart

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AqlHw3zxdiyCdE01OU5vT2cwaUYtdWFKRnJDUHdWc1E&hl=en

Independent Component 2

Literal:

A.)  I joseph Luna, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents thirty hours of work.

B.)  Firefighter Roland Dykes. My mentor was the overseer of the training exercise that I did in order to complete my independent component 2.

C.)  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AqlHw3zxdiyCdFZRSVlMQjhaMHFzWGZsVlowZ2xmRWc#gid=0

D.)  As an explorer, I have done thirty hours of additional training in the fire service. Some of the training included working with heavy machinery such as pick axes, sledgehammers, concrete bits, coring bits, and a jackhammer. We also had additional learning stations where we studied the helicopters, tractors, and fire trucks in the fire department. There was also search and rescue training that we did where we had to crawl in a small contained space underground and perform a rescue mission. We had to put out a live contained fire. We got the opportunity to view the Jaws of Life in action. We also got some experience in cutting line where we had to use shovels, pick axes, straight picks, and Pulaski’s.  We also received training in helping the community because as firefighters, helping the community is a must. We had the opportunity to set up a breakfast event for Easter where we fed the community of Diamond Bar. I also had to try and sell raffle tickets in order to help fundraise for the station. We also had to spend many hours preparing for these events as well as clean up these events as well as the engine and any materials we brought with us. I had to go to special training in order to learn about the dress code in the fire department as well as turnouts.

Interpretive:

Throughout my independent component two I was focusing mainly on the insides of the fire department and the training that is required to become a firefighter. We focus on mainly training in the fire department and that’s why one of my answers to my essential question is to become knowledgeable about training exercises and to train thoroughly to be prepared to fight fires. We did training exercises through my independent component to show the amount of time and training it takes to prepare for a fire. We train for five hours a week, while real firefighters train every day. We also had a full day of training from three in the morning to eight at night where I did the majority of my training for my independent component. It was at the Del Valle training facility. We get to step into the lives of real firefighters where we get to fight live fires, go through small tunnels for search and rescue, and use heavy machinery to learn about the department. We also had to of course wash the engine in order to keep a clean appearance to the community. We had to do a charity event. The reason why I added this into my independent component is because one aspect of the fire service is to keep a strong sense of pride for yourself and the community. You have to be able to interact with people and in a way the events we do is just more training to talk to people and let them know a little about the fire service and to get there compliments for what we do. I have pictures with captions to illustrate the training exercises we did and to back up my hours of experience.

Pictures: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1CKHH89k7G2oQtwAGLpzudQr8JlovVOcN_TKlspznw7I/edit

Applied:

My independent component helped me answer my essential question which is; what is the best way to fight an unexpected forest fire, by showing me the proper training techniques in order to fight a forest fire. One of my answers to my essential question is to train and be prepared at all times for a fire to happen. With the triaging that we did, every event we went to was a phone call from a central station and we had to get ready according to that activity as fast as possible because we had to act as if it was an actual call. This helped me understand how the training can help us get ready in no time and show up to the scene and be able to perform. The events also helped me understand the steps it take sin order to fight a forest fire. They really focused on safety and before every event checked our safety precautions, without training, we would not pass the safety tests therefore not being able to participate in the event. It also helped answer my essential question because of the assembly’s that I went to. I had to learn about the different types of tools in my training and engines that the firefighters use. Another one of my answers is to know your equipment toughly so you can get to the scene of the fire quickly and be able to not misuse your equipment. Learning all about the fire equipment helped me realize that knowing how to work a certain piece of machinery can really aid you when fighting a fire. We fought a fire and the majority of the training we do was implemented when fighting his fire. We had to work together and use communication in order to put the fire out. We had to know how to use the hose and take it off of the truck in order to put out the fire; this is an example of knowing how to use our equipment so the fire wouldn’t get out of control. Overall this independent component really helped me understand my essential question better and the answers that I chose because of the examples and pictures and time I put forth above.

Pictures For Independent Component

Working bibliography 3/12/13

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AqlHw3zxdiyCdEdnanJTT3oxbGYtdUhBQzVvUWc0WEE#gid=0

Interview 4

Interview 4

1.) What are your issues regarding the forest fire service?

2.) what do you believe is the best way to prepare to become a forest ranger?

3.) What do you know about search and rescue in the fire department?

4.) What are the steps that are needed in order to become a search and rescue operator?

5.) What in your opinion I the best job in the fire department?

6.) Do you recommend forest firefighting over city? Why?

7.) What’s your experience with fighting forest fires?

8.) Can a forest firefighter be in the search and rescue department as well?

9.) What are some of your experiences with search and rescue?

10.) How is fighting a fire in the forest different from a building fire?

11.) What are your views on military firefighting?

12.) As far as search and rescue goes, what are some training techniques that they go through?

13.) Is a forest firefighter one that investigates fires as well and if so what are the steps to become an investigator?

14.) What is the toughest fires that you have fought?

15.) What are some inside techniques that you have come across when fighting a fire?

16.) Are there different fire engines for forest fires?

17.) What is the difference in schooling with forest fire fighting vs. City or county?

18.) What is the toughest problem that has to be overcome when fighting a fire?

19.) What is the most important factor when fighting a fire?

20.) If you had to go through the whole process of becoming a firefighter again, what would you do differently?

Working Bibliography

Updated Working Bibliography:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AqlHw3zxdiyCdEdnanJTT3oxbGYtdUhBQzVvUWc0WEE#gid=0

Blog 19

Blog 19: Senior Project and ESLR’S

1.) What ESLR have you excelled most in during your senior project?
The ESLR that I believe I excelled the most in is an effective user of technology.

2.) Please explain why you think you have excelled in this ESLR.
Before the senior project, I never really used technology to my full benefit. I normally would do everything on paper because I didn’t know how to necessarily use a computer. But now that the senior team has made us use this technology, I have become much better at programs such as google docs or excel or even blog posts.

3.) Evidence:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AqlHw3zxdiyCdEdnanJTT3oxbGYtdUhBQzVvUWc0WEE#gid=0

https://docs.google.com/file/d/1KsRJ3U-iBz47CH2FNXzCd72sATEDTBlEToW2TUilOzcEX_qsTr7FKeaZ_NAK/edit

blog 5b science propsoal

1.) firefighting

2.) " the FDNY'S strong commitment to diversity was evident in our campaign for this exam where 46 perent of the test takers were people of color the ame overall percentage at the top of this list"
huffington post.co/firefighters_n_

3.) If a firefighter is of certain racial lineage , then they are more likely to to earn a job as a firefighter.

4.) for this experiment i plan on talking to fireifghters and getting there opinions based off of race and how they view it. I will then give them a simple survey and from there i ill do different graphs and display them.

5.) Social science

Blog 16 Two Hour Meeting Answer #2

1.)    What is the most important factor when maintaining that sense of brotherhood in the fire department?

2.)    An important factor when trying to maintain that sense of brotherhood in the fire department is loyalty, loyalty in the sense of being there for your peers even outside of the fire department.

3.)    Firefighters are there for there brothers in the hardest of times. If a firefighter is struggling financially usually another one will help them out as a brother. Another reason is as brothers you have to be able to rely upon your co worker, for instance there was a case where a firefighter might be in a hard spot whether it be close to death or any rough circumstance the job of his brothers is to remain loyal to him or her and try there best to support there brother. The last reason is that a firefighter should stay loyal to one another even through passing. I found this fact interesting because of a story I read. A man who was a firefighter died, so the local fireman in his area went to his house cut his grass and paid some of the bills in order to help his wife. This shows loyalty to the peer even after death to his family out of respect.

4.)    The most helpful source that helped justify this question was an article I read titled Fire service brotherhood. This source shows a great background of brotherhood and how brotherhood should be exploited.

5.)    I plan to continue my study of answer two by researching more about loyalty and simply talking to more and more firefighters about what loyalty means to them in order to get a better understanding of the term and what it means to certain fireman.

Independent Component 1

Literal

A.)   I Joey Luna , affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 30 hours of work.

B.)    I did work for the navy firefighters. My uncle  was a second mentor to me and taught me a lot about military firefighting. Another source that helped me through this was the complete guide to becoming a firefighter by Kory Pearn.

C.)    https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AqlHw3zxdiyCdDhMZjJ2dEljeWR6YTVlTGRTOVJhenc#gid=0

D.)   I completed 30 hours of work that ranged from talking to firefighters, cleaning, hands on experiences. I helped my uncle who is a firefighter in the navy and he is the head of his division. He tells the men what to do and how to do it. I mentored him and he helped me understand a little about the fire station. I learned about the boat, cleaned, interviewed him, I fought no fires while I was there as much as I wanted to.

Interpretive

Some of the work that I did actually turned me off of military firefighting. I thought they did many things but in reality they don’t do as much. I wish it would have been a better experience but cleaning and simple interviews did not give me as much of a inside look on the department as I would have liked. I just did 30 extra hours but for this was military, I much rather stick to a city fire department.

Applied

This helped me understand that I really don’t want to become a military firefighter . A military firefighter doesn’t do as much as I thought they would and I am more focused on the city job instead of the service. It did show me how much work goes into being a firefighter that doesn’t necessarily have to do with fighting actual fires. I also learned a bit about a ship. For example we cleaned a lot and there wasn’t much action because we were just stationed on a stationed boat. My uncle was getting ready to leave for a tour so thy were more or less getting ready for that instead. 

Blog 3: Interview 3 Questions

1.) What does the word brotherhood regarding the fire department mean to you?

2.) What are your views on joining the military and becoming a firefighter there?

3.) What classes do you recommend for college when becoming a firefighter and why?

4.) What are your views on women and racial issues regarding the fire department?

5.) Has there ever been any instances where you and your fellow firefighters strayed away from the brotherhood motives?

6.) Why is the sense of brotherhood in the fire department important? Can you join the department and learn that sense or does it have to come natural?

7.) What are some ways to successfully be ahead of the class and ultimately become a firefighter?

8.) What is the most important factor when maintaining that sense of brotherhood in the fire department?

9.) Why do you believe that the job of being a firefighter is noble?

10.) What is the most memorable memory of the fire department for you?

BLOG 13 rough draft for 30 minute

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B6lHw3zxdiyCYjlpZ2ZDcXJuY0E/edit