Fire Chief Dewey G. Whetsell
Fire and Ice Tales from an Alaska Volunteer Fire Chief SECOND EDITION ISBN: 978-0-9789766-8-2 348pages, soft cover, $19.95 |
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This is a SECOND EDITION with photos and newly revised text
Chief Whetsell spent thirty-four years as volunteer fire chief in Cordova, Alaska. He also served as president of the Alaska Fire Chiefs Association.
FROM THE PREFACE...
WHAT OTHERS SAY "Whetsell recounts his adventures in an especially amusing voice.....bubbles with punchy remininiscence..." Anchorage Daily News "In writing Fire and Ice, Chief Whetsell has done an incredible job of combining experience, wisdom and wit. It doesn't matter if you are a firefighter or Fire Chief, ditch digger or Executive VP of a major corporation, the insights in this book will help you to be better at whatever you do, especially if you already know everything..." David L. Tyler, Alaska State Fire Marshal "Chief Whetsell's Fire and Ice not only exudes his ever present wit and wisdom but it showcases what takes place in communities all across Alaska. The Alaskan fire service using their ingenuity and adaptability to respond in extraordinary ways to serve their fellow citizens ..." Carol Reed, president, Alaska State Firefighters Association "Just a few weeks after the Exxon Valdez accident I was sent up to Alaska by BP (British Petroleum) to work on a new oil spill response plan for the Prince William Sound. One of the places I visited to discuss these plans was Cordova. Everyone there was complaining about Alyeska and the oil companies and they were not very interested in plans for the future. Except Dewey; he was different. Instead of complaining he lectured me on the merits of the Incident Command System. I had never heard of ICS and thought he was crazy, but the next morning it dawned on me what he was saying and with his help we introduced ICS to the oil industry. It is now the standard organizational concept for most oil spill response plans as well as other disasters. Thanks, Dewey..." Mike Williams, Master Mariner, Fellow of the Nautical Institute, Retired Vice President of Alyeska Pipeline Service Company, Alaska "Whetsell spent half his lifetime responding to shipboard fires, blazing houses, car wrecks, medical emergencies, underwater incidents, and other disasters...he was the heart of the fire department." Jill Fredston, author of "SnowStruck" and "Jouneys Along the Arctic Edge" and winner of the 2002 National Outdoor Book Award "Whetsell's contribution to the safety of mankind is legendary in Alaska." The Muncie Star (article excerpt 3/83) "Fire Chief Dewey Whetsell is one of the finest small-town chiefs in the country." American Fire Journal (article excerpt 3/97) "I love what he wrote about FEMA!" Chief (ret.) Bud Rotroff, senior member of Alaska-DNR's Overhead Team
The people in your city have placed a trust in you. You defend them by whatever means you have, whether it's in the streets, the back country, the chambers of your city council, or the legislative halls of your capital. This country's volunteer fire/rescue service has been doing its thing for 275 years. Our toys have improved, but nothing can improve who we are.
If people cannot depend fully on their fire service, then nothing is sacred. Remember, if a tragic event puts your neighbor up against a wallgo get him. That's who you are.
Chief Dewey G. Whetsell
Katalla Dive
Cordova and PWS
Salvage Operation at Mile 13
Rescue on Mt. St. Elias
Costello and the Dekabrist
Fire Aboard the Alaska Swede
The Sea Lark
Bristol Monarch
Marine Firefighting Symposium
Chugach Cannery Fire
North Pacific Processors Cannery Fire
Concealed Space Fires #1
Concealed Space Fires #2
Concealed Space Fires #3
NIOSH Concealed Space Fire Fatality
Concealed Space Backdrafts
Unique Approaches to Fire Attacks
Straight Streams on Rollovers
Wheeled Extinguishers on Structural Fires
Drowning in the Omnipotent Word
The Ice Auger Amputation
Drowning and the Small Town Curse
The Shootout at the Episcopal Church
Working with Cops and Miscellaneous Gun Calls
Air Medevacs
Dive/Rescue Operations
The Alganik River Recovery
Collapse of the Copper River Bridge
R.I.P. to "What's-His-Name"
Trapped Under a Capsized Boat
The Death of a Rescuer
The Frank Hansen Operation
The Florian RescueHasty Team/Support Team Concept
Blown Off the Bridge
Fall From Mount Eyak
Avalanche at the Tunnel Project
Avalanche: A Residential Neighborhood
SAR Anecdotes
The Secrets of "SAR Central"
DISASTERS
Disasters and the Ryan Air Crash
The Crash of Coast Guard Helo #1471
Crash of SwissAir 111 and Convergence on Nova Scotia
The Exxon-Valdez Oil Spill and Convergence
A Word About FEMA
MANAGEMENT
Scabs Galore
Ammo for the Union
Fire Service Safety: Fact versus Hype
Well-Meaning Outside Agencies
Emergency Medical Services: Foster Parenting to Adoption
"Firemark" and Management Fun
LEADERSHIP
Cultural Basis for Group Conflicts
Tribal Affiliations
Negativity and Nit-Pickers
Process Fixation
Mean-World Syndrome
The Rosenberg Experiment
Setting the Groundwork to Minimize Personnel Problems
Sources of Group Conflict
Old Guard vs. Young Turks
Management vs. Union
Central Office vs. Field
My Territory vs. Your Territory
Your Rules vs. My Needs
Planning the Confrontation
Conducting the Confrontation
Leadership Summary
TRAINING
Not Enough Hours Available
Maximizing Training Time
Training in Stations
Tactics Scenarios
Single Large Scenario
EXPANDING POLITICAL POWER
Fighting the Political Battles at the State Level
Fire Service Associations
Management Principles
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