Ben,
I just attended this class in Casper, WY. It was an outstanding lecture. Dave has over 33 years in the firefighting business and is the author of the book, “Fire Department Incident Safety Officer,” (Delmar, 2007). He has served as an Incident Safety Officer for over 10 years and is a Past President of the Fire Department Safety Officer’s Association. His “Art of Reading Smoke” class is a “standing room only” presentation at FDIC. Dave is the recipient of the 1997 ISFSI George D. Post Instructor of the Year. I would recommend the DVD.

Ben,

If you cannot attend the live Chief Dodson class anytime soon...buy this dvd. If you are not sure what people are talking about when they say "smoke reading"...buy this dvd. If you cannot get your whole department to see Dodson...buy this dvd. I think it will permanently and positivly affect your size-up abilities. It will not only keep your people safe, it will help you determine where the the fire is going and where you need to focus your rescue efforts...saving lives. Stay Safe Brother
Timothy

Ben,

 

A couple of guys and myself took a class at a winter fire school 5 years ago on The Art Of Smoke Reading. The class and vidoe shown was very informative on reading smoke and the signs of what the fire is doing. I would recommend anyone to attend a class on this  or buy the video.