From my blog at FireGroundWorks.

In a National Fire Academy Alumni blog, John Bierling asks, “Is command failure an acceptable incident outcome?” He continues with this:

Nearly every NIOSH Firefighter LOOD…

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Watch the video of this heavily involved 2-story balloon frame house. Note the wind and the exposures. Give us your RECEO breakdown, initial actions and initial rig placement. Have fun!

WATCH THE VIDEO HERE!!!

Get a front row seat next to the Battalion Chief for this working Multiple Dwelling fire in Brooklyn.  Listen to the BC give great radio reports, great size-up information and even take time to talk to the neighbors.  Nice video with links to the popular conversation on Facebook.

Other things you'll see:

• The Command presence
• Notice the professionalism of the operating crews
• Notice the window A/C unit falling to the street (around :40)
• Notice the…

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As reported in our nations news, five DC Fire Department members were injured yesterday in an early morning house fire.  They became trapped by a ceiling collapse shortly after making entry. The speed with which the RIC deployed and made rescues, coupled with the the IC immediately requesting a 2nd Alarm resulted in not only rapid rescue of multiple trapped firefighters, but also quick knock down of a serious fire. Continue

First-Due Arriving Companies; Are You Prepared?

Christopher Naum,SFPE

Thecompanyofficer.com

As the First-Due Fire Company; Officer and crew, Are you prepared to address the fireground variables and occupancy risks upon your arrival and during the initial stages of your deployment and operations? Are you combat ready or passively engaged?…

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Part 1 of this series from All Hazards Contemplations was an introduction to Bathtub Collapse problem identification, exterior size-up, strategy considerations and development, and safety considerations. Part 2 discusses tactical considerations, interior size-up, victim recovery, investigations, and incident termination. This article was co-authored by my friend and colleague, Jason…

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This article is co-authored by my friend and colleague Jason Walters. Jason is the Team Leader for USAR SC-Regional Response Team 4. We're discussing this topic at All Hazards Contemplations.



Introduction



FEMA’s USAR system, basic firefighting texts, and other fire-rescue references describe how to recognize and respond to a variety…

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Some things never change. 32 years of service and I still see some things that should change, but never do.



Command is one of these things that never seem to quite work the way we're taught.



Company "A" has a fire and calls for help from neighboring departments (mutual aid) who have pledged to respond. Sounds good, so far... but that is when the trouble starts.



The control and command of the fire is the responsibility of Company "A", but upon arrival of the… Continue