This is a firefighter or victim rescue company drill that intimidates some, but once you break it down and train, it can be done quickly with just a few firefighters.  The scenario simulates a heavy victim inside the window where rescuers cannot lift the victim out the window.  The high-anchor point with a modified 2:1 provides extra lifting…

At a firefighter survival and rescue training this past Saturday (Ehove Fire Academy), we covered a bunch of the skills every firefighter should have in their memory bank.  This class could no doubt last a week or more.…

Most of you probably read the title of this post and are thinking to yourselves. "What is this lunatic talking about?  We train all the time!" and some of the volunteer firefighters are thinking that the training requirements of your fire department are already harsh enough and are extremely difficult to manage with your family and work.



I agree with you.  The current "training epidemic" that is sweeping the fire service nationwide is not a lack of training, but a lack of relevant,…

I think I finally put it all together….I understand it now.  Call it an epiphany or a moment of clarity, but suddenly it all made sense.  During a recent class the instructor made several references to the standard EGH ethos, “We come first” and “Risk a lot to save a lot”.  As I listened though, I understood that while he spoke of these things, his perspective was different. …

If you have a high rise or respond on mutual aid to a high rise district, do you know if they are marked for floor identification? If so, do you know how they corresspond with the interior labels? High rise buildings are marked differently, if at all. In our area the windows are typically marked with a reflective sticker, one on every fifth floor. Where this gets tricky is when the interior floors are labeled differently.

This high rise has red circle on the corner on the fifth floor…

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

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE VIDEO!

Check out the new interactive tour we are creating at the Fire Museum of Maryland. Children learn about how the paid Baltimore City Fire Department was created and why.

Then the students fight the Clay Street Fire of 1873 on a 77 inch, Smartboard as they role-play as actual firemen from that time period, see the flyer attachment.…

Many of you have taken Firefighter Survival Training.  While it varies from place to place, depending on the instructors, the core information and intent is the same, to prepare firefighters to save themselves when things go wrong.  From bailouts to low profile maneuvers to breathing control, all these things are taught to teach firefighters what to do when things gone wrong and they get…

By Dave Walsh, Chair, DCC Fire Science program

With winter upon us, it’s a good time to review one of the hazards this season brings; the “white ghost.” As we all know, basically only vapors burn; solids must undergo chemical decomposition…

This training idea was sent from David Walsh, Chair of the Fire Science Program at Dutchess Community College in NY.

In this video about an aircraft carrier, note the many parallels between their operation and an FD incident scene operation. The entire video is only about 10 minutes but the stuff that can be related to the FD starts around the 3 min mark (really shows the expansive power of steam).  …

On our return trip from facilitating a converstation at the South Dakota Fire Instructors Conference, Tiger Schmittendorf and I were given a tour of the Pierre Regional Airport FD.  Special thanks to …

This drill is from Lt. Bronner (PTFD). 

Objective:  Water rescue does not stop because of ice.  Lets face it ice is often a thin layer of “hard water” on top of your “regular” body of water.  Water rescue is a year round activity.  Don’t get caught in the trap of we don’t live on Lake _____.  Drive around your jurisdiction and take a…

New contributor reminds you that "the can" is not a door chock.

PWE, PWC, piss can, water can, the can…whatever you want to call it, its’ an essential tool in a firefighters toolbox. Many take the can for granted. Often times, you will see it in the foyer, holding open a door.…

Graphic photo begins to be cool to share. Why?

There's a fine line between using images for news and self-promotion, between documenting an event or making an event into an advertisement. Recently a Associated Press photo is making it's way slowly across Facebook as one of those motivational…

Here is a list of knots to practice during a company drill.

Read on. 

Pass it on!

This drill idea is from Phil Burden in SC.

If your out or on your way back from a run and see a gasoline tanker making a delivery at a filling station, stop and ask the driver if he has any time to review some of the parts of the tanker.…

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!!!

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…

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…

This incident actually happened and it involved my daughter. The incident is as follows while me and my family was on vacation just a few days ago.

The incident was for a 6 y/o female with stomach pain, headache, sore throat, pain in the chest, and severe difficulty breathing with accessary muscle use. I took initial vitals before EMS arrived onscene. The initial vitals were pulse of 130 and resp rate of 22. The next set of vitals were a pulse of 110 and resp rate of 20. My…