"Truck 12 is on the scene, side Charlie, three stories, with fire showing from Division 3."

For some of you operating with truck companies and structured alarm assignments, having a company specifically assigned to the rear and roof is a blessing. For others this is an area of the fire building that needs just as much attention as the front and the fire room.

The video below shows the importance of having companies specifically assigned to the rear and roof, especially at an apartment fire. This Maryland apartment fire involved an occupied structure as well as a pitched roof built over top an existing flat roof. Take a look and don't focus on critiquing the actions, but consider what information you should share, as a firefighter or company officer, if you were in the rear and what information you would want to know if you were the incident commander.

The functions of the second due truck company, and other items, can be discussed further with these articles:

Second-Due Truck Ops
Prioritizing second-due truck company operations
McCormack, FRM/FFN June 2010

How Roof Materials Affect Ventilation Ops
Truckies must be able to identify roofing materials & the correct ways to open them
Kertzie, FRM/FFN March 2008

Know Your Role on the Roof
A step-by-step cut sequence for sawyers & sounders
Frassetto, FRM/FFN August 2010