Wayne Township Fire Department makes a quick knock down

Video below, courtesy of Wayne Township Fire Department, is of the initial engine and truck work at a October 16, 2014 apartment fire. The footage shows VEIS as well as the knockdown of exterior fire by the first hoseline.

Does your department train and use the Vent-Enter-(Isolate)-Search technique?

If yes, share how often new and current members are trained on this.

If no, explain why.

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Yes we train on VES. Is it incorporated often? NO. Why? Because it is a situational specific tactic, size up, conditions, reports, accountability, and so forth all play a factor. Props to the Wayne Township FD and a good vide to review and discuss, but the topic becomes too non-specific.

 

IMO, VES should be learned and trained on and should be used when necessary. However, the situation itself, as well as what the first arriving crews encounter, will dictate if VES is warranted.

I'm not sure what circumstances would dictate VES  is NOT warranted at a residential fire. Possible exceptions being reliable information that everyone is out of the building, a fully involved structure, a staffing shortage or a very small single family dwelling.

Pretty much.

Not really following you here. I don't think we're saying the same thing. You indicated that VES is not commonly called for. I believe it is very commonly called for.

My full time dept we do and we train on VES often.  However like John said we don't use it often. Our polices and training are that VES will be used when there is a strong reason to believe there is someone in a room that we can make access to and get them out before the fire gets worse. 

My paid on call dept I don't think half the people in the department know what VES stands for.  We have never trained on it and I don't think our commanding officers would even call for it. Were more of a go in and do a primary search and find what you can find while searching a large area... Its strange I know... 



Brennan said:

My full time dept we do and we train on VES often.  However like John said we don't use it often. Our polices and training are that VES will be used when there is a strong reason to believe there is someone in a room that we can make access to and get them out before the fire gets worse. 

My paid on call dept I don't think half the people in the department know what VES stands for.  We have never trained on it and I don't think our commanding officers would even call for it. Were more of a go in and do a primary search and find what you can find while searching a large area... Its strange I know... 

I'm curious as to why the full time dept. doesn't VES often. Is it a staffing issue? Do you need a "strong reason" to search from interior?

It very well may be commonly called for, it just isn't commonly called for here, as in my dept. I was answering the question the webteam posed, and many of the issues you listed play factors in the decision making for VES.



captnjak said:

Not really following you here. I don't think we're saying the same thing. You indicated that VES is not commonly called for. I believe it is very commonly called for.

Yes it is due to staffing and tactics. We don't have a lot of people arriving so normally our goal is put the fire out and the rest of the problems go away. When we VES its a single room search, go in the window, search the room. Check the hallway by looking around with eyes or your TIC and leaving. 

Not sure why we would go do a single room search inless we have strong belief that there is someone in there. I.e. Cars in the garage at night, neighbors saying they thought someone was home earlier... you know the usual red flags. 

captnjak said:



Brennan said:

My full time dept we do and we train on VES often.  However like John said we don't use it often. Our polices and training are that VES will be used when there is a strong reason to believe there is someone in a room that we can make access to and get them out before the fire gets worse. 

My paid on call dept I don't think half the people in the department know what VES stands for.  We have never trained on it and I don't think our commanding officers would even call for it. Were more of a go in and do a primary search and find what you can find while searching a large area... Its strange I know... 

I'm curious as to why the full time dept. doesn't VES often. Is it a staffing issue? Do you need a "strong reason" to search from interior?

I figured it would be a staffing issue. We are fortunate enough to be able to have multiple interior teams and multiple teams for VES. Not always needed but it's nice to have. 

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