“An unguarded strength is a double weakness!”
I have been involved with the Canadian Fire Services for over 30 years. I have served as a volunteer firefighter, training officer, deputy chief and fire Chaplin. I also served as a first responder as well as instructor / evaluator.
I made a mistake early in my career, in that I spent hours pouring over firefighter fatality reports. It started when I was asked to speak at several 911 Memorial Services. And then in 2003 we (the BC Wildfire Service) lost three firefighters (Ian, Eric and Ben) as we fought the fire dragon in an unprecedented urban interface wildfire year. I had the honor of speaking with their families and later took part in what I believe was the first LODD Ceremony held by BC Forestry.
And on March 29, 2004 Clearwater Volunteer Firefighter Chad Schapansky (23) lost his life in an abandoned building fire. I attended the funeral and as I stood there among hundreds of firefighters between the chapel where Chad’s grieving family gathered and the burned out restaurant, he lost his life in, I vowed to do all I could to be sure firefighters get to go home after a call.
I started using Firefighter Fatality Reports to base our training on. My sons and I developed a hands-on training program we called “SOO-HOT - Saving Our Own Hands On Training”. In 2001, I wrote my first column for Canada’s leading Fire Service Magazine. I still write “Trainer’s Corner” today. Trainer’s Corner archives contains dozens of articles on LODD (Line of Duty Death) fire incidents such as the 1987 Kitchener Horticultural Technologies fire, where 23 out of 69 firefighters who responded to that blaze developed cancer or Parkinson’s disease. I think of Captain Ed Stahley (54), and firefighter Dave Ferrede (32) often. They were the first to die.
I have been honored to speak at several Fire Chief’s Conferences as well as the FDIC Atlantic. One of my main themes was “Calling a Mayday”. Inevitably it has included the deadliest firefighter disaster in the US since the September 11 attacks, that being the 2007 Sofa Super Store fire in Charleston, South Carolina. I was affected more by my research into the nine LODDs than any other presentation I have brought forward.
My research brought me face to face with these firefighters who have become known as the Charleston 9 - Mulkey (34), Hutchinson (48), Kelsey (42), Thompson (27), Drayton (56), French (27), Baity (37), Benke (49) and Champaign (46).
I discovered that six of the nine firefighters never called for help and that one had no radio. Ladder 5 Captain Kelsey’s last transmission was three minutes after arriving on scene. He did not bring his portable radio with him when he entered the building. Eleven minutes after arriving Captain Hutchinson made his last radio transmission. Captain Benke’s last transmission (no audible) was 21 minutes into the fire, followed immediately by Thompson’s audible call for help: “This is Thompson….we need some help”.
Only one firefighter actually called a May-Day, however, French’s May-Day was not heard on the fireground. I get a cold chill thinking of him calling for help not once but three times and no one responding. Six minutes waiting, hoping and praying for a response to your call for help….to no avail.
I used the word praying and I will now share with you something that I have carried in the slide show of my mind for over a decade. Nineteen minutes into the call, the transcripts clearly show firefighter Champaign calling, “Which way out?” A few seconds later, “Which way out?”, then, “Everybody out!” One minute later, “We need some help out”. Several seconds later, “Firefighter needs some help out…lost connection with the hose”….“Can you hear me dispatch?” There is an unknown transmission of a firefighter saying, “I love you”. You hear a PASS (Personal Alert Safety System) going off in the background. Then Champaign says, “In Jesus Name…”. He is praying on the radio and no one is responding to him!
There are three more transmissions from Champaign, no audible - with one just breathing. Twenty-eight minutes and twenty-one seconds into the call marked the last transmission for Champaign.
· Eight minutes of calling out for help
· Ten calls for help
· Nine keyed mics
· One last breath
And no one came to his rescue. No one even acknowledged hearing him…..yet it is right there in the transcripts!
A PASS alarm is heard in the background of 52 transmissions.
The only individual who understood and reacted to the urgent radio messages was an off-duty Battalion Chief (Car 303) who heard the radio traffic on his portable radio. He attempted to contact the Fire Chief by radio to relay the information but was unable to reach him. He drove to the scene and relayed the information in person to the Fire Chief.
The recorded radio traffic included 16 distress messages that were transmitted by firefighters inside of the Sofa Super store. None of these messages were heard by a command officer on the scene. All of the “firefighter in distress” messages came from the radios assigned to the deceased members. The recording system did not capture any distress messages from the surviving members who were operating inside the building.
I became personally connected with close to 80 firefighter’s ghosts. No not in a sci-fi way but in that I allowed their story to work its way into my brain’s slide show. I studied them, listened to hundreds of hours of dispatch transmissions and read page after page of transcripts and reports. I studied their LODDs and built training mazes and props to teach survival skills. Our “Firefighter’s Ghost Maze” is designed to test whether a firefighter would call a “May-Day” or not and sadly we witnessed a pathetic 5% successful completion.
And if reading comments like one of the Charleston 9 saying, “In Jesus name…”; “I love you!” or “We need help”, try listening to the audio. Although my research started years ago, I still can hear Champaign calling out, “We need help!” “I can’t find the way out”. I hear him… actually hear him, give his last breath.
Yes, this did become a strength for me and made me a hard-ass for firefighter safety and survival.…but I didn’t guard it! Listening to hours of radio transmissions and reading hundreds of pages of the radio transcripts are all part of research, but I underestimated the burden it could place on my mind. It wasn’t until my eldest son (Aaron) brought up the possibility of PTSD that some of the pieces came together.
Like so many other firefighters, I have slides in my memory of horrific scenes I personally witnessed in my 30-year career, but now I realize the LODDs I have researched have added to the mix. I share all that so that you will understand me a bit better and that you will pray for me. I so value your prayers!
I went to the Word and asked God for wisdom. James 1:5: “If any of you lacks wisdom, ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”
This is what came into my thoughts. In my early days, I attended old fashion Camp Meetings where often the evangelist would shout, “Somebody give a testimony!” or “Can I get a witness!” This was usually followed by someone glorifying God with a testimony of something God recently did for that person. This is actually so important as we see in Revelation 12:11a “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.”
I have come to appreciate the hope that we can spread by sharing with one another the good
things that God has done for us.
Daniel 4:2 “I want you all to know about the miraculous signs and wonders the Most High God has performed for me.”
Our testimonies of God’s goodness build faith not only for those who hear it,
but for us who share it.
If Secondary Trauma can be incurred when an individual is exposed to people who have been traumatized themselves, or by disturbing descriptions of traumatic events by a survivor is it possible to have Secondary Hope?
I have been moved to tears and encouraged greatly by the testimony of others. I think it important to share what God has done for us.
Ephesians 4:29 (NLT) “Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.”
It is actually quite easy to encourage and build each other up. It really isn’t rocket science. The Bible lays out a simple plan.
To be encouraging you need to be quick to forgive, esteem others higher and be an active listener (not planning a reply when someone is speaking), ask intelligent questions to gain further insights. Answer without condemnation. Or don’t answer at all and decide to just be a listening ear. Be positive… build up your loved ones, allowing them to be open for better things to come.
And finally….. Wrap that all up in Love
I Corinthians 13 “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails … And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”
Hebrews 10:24-25 “Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of His return is drawing near.”
Another great verse is Colossians 3:16 “Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts.”
And look here at Romans 15:1-2&4 “We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. Such things were written in the Scriptures long ago to teach us. And the Scriptures give us hope and encouragement…”
Everybody has a story… a testimony, which defines and moves them. From a spiritual perspective, our stories might center on a salvation experience, a physical healing, an emotional breakthrough, a deliverance from addiction or any such encounter with the POWER OF GOD.
Could testifying cause “Secondary Glorification”?
“Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things he does for me. He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases.” Psalm 103 2-3
To God be the glory, great things He hath done
So loved He the world that He gave us His Son
Who yielded His life our redemption to win
And opened the life-gate that all may go in.
Oh, perfect redemption, the purchase of blood
To every believer the promise of God
The vilest offender who truly believes
That moment from Jesus a pardon receives.
Great things He has taught us,
great things He has done
And great our rejoicing through Jesus the Son
But purer, and higher, and greater will be
Our wonder, our transport when Jesus we see.
I read that the Old Testament word testimony comes from a word meaning “do again”.
Could it then mean that our testimonies reveal what we and others can EXPECT God to do again?
When you share your testimony, it encourages faith.
Let that be our prayer - “God Do It Again!”
Look no one can argue the power of your testimony and you don’t need to be a theologian to share it.
I really like the story in John 9 of the man born blind who was healed on the Sabbath. When called before the Pharisees to explain his healing, his response was both simple and profound, “One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see”.
As we close this message, just two more stopping points
Hebrews 10:24-25 “Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works.”
And one of my favorite verses:
Psalm 51:12-13 “Restore to me the joy of your salvation and make me willing to obey you. Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will turn back to you.”
Lots of food for thought - May the Lord bless you and give you opportunity to share your story! May you cause many people to suffer from Secondary Hope and Secondary Glorification!
I have been involved with the Canadian Fire Services for over 30 years. I have served as a volunteer firefighter, training officer, deputy chief and fire Chaplin. I also served as a first responder as well as instructor / evaluator.
I made a mistake early in my career, in that I spent hours pouring over firefighter fatality reports. It started when I was asked to speak at several 911 Memorial Services. And then in 2003 we (the BC Wildfire Service) lost three firefighters (Ian, Eric and Ben) as we fought the fire dragon in an unprecedented urban interface wildfire year. I had the honor of speaking with their families and later took part in what I believe was the first LODD Ceremony held by BC Forestry.
And on March 29, 2004 Clearwater Volunteer Firefighter Chad Schapansky (23) lost his life in an abandoned building fire. I attended the funeral and as I stood there among hundreds of firefighters between the chapel where Chad’s grieving family gathered and the burned out restaurant, he lost his life in, I vowed to do all I could to be sure firefighters get to go home after a call.
I started using Firefighter Fatality Reports to base our training on. My sons and I developed a hands-on training program we called “SOO-HOT - Saving Our Own Hands On Training”. In 2001, I wrote my first column for Canada’s leading Fire Service Magazine. I still write “Trainer’s Corner” today. Trainer’s Corner archives contains dozens of articles on LODD (Line of Duty Death) fire incidents such as the 1987 Kitchener Horticultural Technologies fire, where 23 out of 69 firefighters who responded to that blaze developed cancer or Parkinson’s disease. I think of Captain Ed Stahley (54), and firefighter Dave Ferrede (32) often. They were the first to die.
I have been honored to speak at several Fire Chief’s Conferences as well as the FDIC Atlantic. One of my main themes was “Calling a Mayday”. Inevitably it has included the deadliest firefighter disaster in the US since the September 11 attacks, that being the 2007 Sofa Super Store fire in Charleston, South Carolina. I was affected more by my research into the nine LODDs than any other presentation I have brought forward.
My research brought me face to face with these firefighters who have become known as the Charleston 9 - Mulkey (34), Hutchinson (48), Kelsey (42), Thompson (27), Drayton (56), French (27), Baity (37), Benke (49) and Champaign (46).
I discovered that six of the nine firefighters never called for help and that one had no radio. Ladder 5 Captain Kelsey’s last transmission was three minutes after arriving on scene. He did not bring his portable radio with him when he entered the building. Eleven minutes after arriving Captain Hutchinson made his last radio transmission. Captain Benke’s last transmission (no audible) was 21 minutes into the fire, followed immediately by Thompson’s audible call for help: “This is Thompson….we need some help”.
Only one firefighter actually called a May-Day, however, French’s May-Day was not heard on the fireground. I get a cold chill thinking of him calling for help not once but three times and no one responding. Six minutes waiting, hoping and praying for a response to your call for help….to no avail.
I used the word praying and I will now share with you something that I have carried in the slide show of my mind for over a decade. Nineteen minutes into the call, the transcripts clearly show firefighter Champaign calling, “Which way out?” A few seconds later, “Which way out?”, then, “Everybody out!” One minute later, “We need some help out”. Several seconds later, “Firefighter needs some help out…lost connection with the hose”….“Can you hear me dispatch?” There is an unknown transmission of a firefighter saying, “I love you”. You hear a PASS (Personal Alert Safety System) going off in the background. Then Champaign says, “In Jesus Name…”. He is praying on the radio and no one is responding to him!
There are three more transmissions from Champaign, no audible - with one just breathing. Twenty-eight minutes and twenty-one seconds into the call marked the last transmission for Champaign.
· Eight minutes of calling out for help
· Ten calls for help
· Nine keyed mics
· One last breath
And no one came to his rescue. No one even acknowledged hearing him…..yet it is right there in the transcripts!
A PASS alarm is heard in the background of 52 transmissions.
The only individual who understood and reacted to the urgent radio messages was an off-duty Battalion Chief (Car 303) who heard the radio traffic on his portable radio. He attempted to contact the Fire Chief by radio to relay the information but was unable to reach him. He drove to the scene and relayed the information in person to the Fire Chief.
The recorded radio traffic included 16 distress messages that were transmitted by firefighters inside of the Sofa Super store. None of these messages were heard by a command officer on the scene. All of the “firefighter in distress” messages came from the radios assigned to the deceased members. The recording system did not capture any distress messages from the surviving members who were operating inside the building.
I became personally connected with close to 80 firefighter’s ghosts. No not in a sci-fi way but in that I allowed their story to work its way into my brain’s slide show. I studied them, listened to hundreds of hours of dispatch transmissions and read page after page of transcripts and reports. I studied their LODDs and built training mazes and props to teach survival skills. Our “Firefighter’s Ghost Maze” is designed to test whether a firefighter would call a “May-Day” or not and sadly we witnessed a pathetic 5% successful completion.
And if reading comments like one of the Charleston 9 saying, “In Jesus name…”; “I love you!” or “We need help”, try listening to the audio. Although my research started years ago, I still can hear Champaign calling out, “We need help!” “I can’t find the way out”. I hear him… actually hear him, give his last breath.
Yes, this did become a strength for me and made me a hard-ass for firefighter safety and survival.…but I didn’t guard it! Listening to hours of radio transmissions and reading hundreds of pages of the radio transcripts are all part of research, but I underestimated the burden it could place on my mind. It wasn’t until my eldest son (Aaron) brought up the possibility of PTSD that some of the pieces came together.
Like so many other firefighters, I have slides in my memory of horrific scenes I personally witnessed in my 30-year career, but now I realize the LODDs I have researched have added to the mix. I share all that so that you will understand me a bit better and that you will pray for me. I so value your prayers!
I went to the Word and asked God for wisdom. James 1:5: “If any of you lacks wisdom, ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”
This is what came into my thoughts. In my early days, I attended old fashion Camp Meetings where often the evangelist would shout, “Somebody give a testimony!” or “Can I get a witness!” This was usually followed by someone glorifying God with a testimony of something God recently did for that person. This is actually so important as we see in Revelation 12:11a “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.”
I have come to appreciate the hope that we can spread by sharing with one another the good
things that God has done for us.
Daniel 4:2 “I want you all to know about the miraculous signs and wonders the Most High God has performed for me.”
Our testimonies of God’s goodness build faith not only for those who hear it,
but for us who share it.
If Secondary Trauma can be incurred when an individual is exposed to people who have been traumatized themselves, or by disturbing descriptions of traumatic events by a survivor is it possible to have Secondary Hope?
I have been moved to tears and encouraged greatly by the testimony of others. I think it important to share what God has done for us.
Ephesians 4:29 (NLT) “Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.”
It is actually quite easy to encourage and build each other up. It really isn’t rocket science. The Bible lays out a simple plan.
To be encouraging you need to be quick to forgive, esteem others higher and be an active listener (not planning a reply when someone is speaking), ask intelligent questions to gain further insights. Answer without condemnation. Or don’t answer at all and decide to just be a listening ear. Be positive… build up your loved ones, allowing them to be open for better things to come.
And finally….. Wrap that all up in Love
I Corinthians 13 “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails … And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”
Hebrews 10:24-25 “Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of His return is drawing near.”
Another great verse is Colossians 3:16 “Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts.”
And look here at Romans 15:1-2&4 “We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. Such things were written in the Scriptures long ago to teach us. And the Scriptures give us hope and encouragement…”
Everybody has a story… a testimony, which defines and moves them. From a spiritual perspective, our stories might center on a salvation experience, a physical healing, an emotional breakthrough, a deliverance from addiction or any such encounter with the POWER OF GOD.
Could testifying cause “Secondary Glorification”?
“Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things he does for me. He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases.” Psalm 103 2-3
To God be the glory, great things He hath done
So loved He the world that He gave us His Son
Who yielded His life our redemption to win
And opened the life-gate that all may go in.
Oh, perfect redemption, the purchase of blood
To every believer the promise of God
The vilest offender who truly believes
That moment from Jesus a pardon receives.
Great things He has taught us,
great things He has done
And great our rejoicing through Jesus the Son
But purer, and higher, and greater will be
Our wonder, our transport when Jesus we see.
I read that the Old Testament word testimony comes from a word meaning “do again”.
Could it then mean that our testimonies reveal what we and others can EXPECT God to do again?
When you share your testimony, it encourages faith.
Let that be our prayer - “God Do It Again!”
Look no one can argue the power of your testimony and you don’t need to be a theologian to share it.
I really like the story in John 9 of the man born blind who was healed on the Sabbath. When called before the Pharisees to explain his healing, his response was both simple and profound, “One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see”.
As we close this message, just two more stopping points
Hebrews 10:24-25 “Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works.”
And one of my favorite verses:
Psalm 51:12-13 “Restore to me the joy of your salvation and make me willing to obey you. Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will turn back to you.”
Lots of food for thought - May the Lord bless you and give you opportunity to share your story! May you cause many people to suffer from Secondary Hope and Secondary Glorification!