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.