This video is a great training tool for size-up, radio comms & Command presence.  This FD sounds very professional despite difficult fire conditions.  This week we've got heavy fire & smoke on an upper floor w/ standpipe ops in progress and a Mayday called while transitioning to Defensive Ops.   Compare this FD's ops to your FD and  give us your RECEO VS considerations.  Enjoy!…

Large residential w/ HEAVY FIRE!  We'll call this one a rural firefighting operation.  Could your FD handle a water shuttle operation for this?  What resources would you use for it?  What may be some other issues to consider?  What does the RECEO VS profile look like for this one? Enjoy!

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Thanks and Be Safe!

THE SCENARIO:  HEAVY FIRE from the attic w/ extension to TWO other houses!  If this one doesn't test the strength and discipline of your crews and alarm assignments, congratulations!   Give us the report and your RECEO VS considerations.  Enjoy!

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What would your FD do for this attached garage fire?  What would you do to address the extension issues?   Give us the report and your RECEO VS considerations.  Enjoy!

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Be Safe

Check out this video.  Heavy fire from the top floor.  Pre-arrival and post arrival footage.  What would you do?  What do you of their tactics?  Give us the report and your RECEO VS considerations.  Surf's up!

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Thanks and Be Safe!

What would do you do for this heavily involved attached garage fire?  Does the split-level layout change your strategies/tactics?  Give us the report and your RECEO VS considerations.  Have fun!

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This week we've got a rippin' 2-story single family dwelling.  Share your strategies, tactics and experience! 

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As the title says, if your life is in the balance, you want to be sure that you are as prepared as possible right?

Then why is it that on fires in cities and towns big and small, you can find videos or pictures of firefighters getting off the rig without tools? Or worse... carrying a tool then not using it?

I work with some great firemen who you know will grab the same tool everytime they get off the rig because they are masters at using the tool efficiently and expertly. I…

Share your strategies, tactics and experience!  Every Friday we'll post a picture or video and want to get your take on the situation.

THE SCENARIO:  You're wearing all the hats today! You're dispatched to a reported "structure" fire.  It's the middle of the week during Christmas vacation and the neighbors don't know if the kids are there or not.

• What is your initial report?
• Where is the fire?
• Where is it going?
• How…

Share your strategies, tactics and experience!  Every Friday we'll post a picture or video and want to get your take on the situation.

THE SCENARIO:  You are the Officer on the 4 person TRUCK company who ARRIVES FIRST at this single-family house fire.  Due to other call volume, the FIRST DUE ENGINE is 5 minutes away.

• Where is the fire?
• Where is it going?
• As a TRUCK, what tactics can you perform ahead of, without, an Engine for 5…

VSP is one of the hottest topics of conversation in the fire service today.  Captain Marsar’s research has taken the fire service by storm and has created an interesting “new” flavor of the month for those who feed on “firefighter safety through spectatorship”.  Maybe it was because of my animosity for the “let it burn” folks within our profession that I was initially against the concept of deciding if a building is searchable from the front yard and was unfairly biased.  However, the more I…

Great training with Avon (OH) firefighters of all experience levels.  Thanks for the invite.  Pictures are worth more than words as usual, so the summary will be short.

• What tools are on your rig?  Different haligans, axes, sledgehammers?
• Gap, Set, Force the door!  Repetition is hard to come by, so take advantage of acquired structures and props.
• Know your saw; starting, stopping, changing the blade.  I encourage a little friendly competition.  Who on the crew…

I recently updated the through-the-lock setup that I carry in my gear (see pics below).  For years I had used a modified set of locking pliers (ViseGrip style) with separate key tools and shove knife. This setup has proven extremely effective at both alarm runs and working fires.

I've decided to change my setup to a modified "Channelok" setup.  It's going to allow me merge 2 tools into 1 and I'll be able to store it in a smaller pocket.  I am actually using an Irwin/ Vise…

Forcible entry is always an interesting discussion around the service.  On one side, you've got the forcible entry purists (myself included).  These guys can force a door with a safety pin, a rock and a piece of duct tape.  Despite their McGyver-esk skills, they prefer the irons.…

What Can Go Wrong in Confined Space Rescues?

Part two of a two part series

Scott Goodwin, COSS







Recently, we have all seen the media attention on some of the confined space rescues that have gone wrong. From May 2010 to September 2010 there were three high profile confined space rescues that resulted in three workers perishing, six injured rescuers and one fatality of a rescuer. So what went so horribly wrong that in these three…