By Janelle Foskett, managing editor, FireRescue magazine

“We have put too little attention on basic engine company operations!” This was perhaps the message that most resonated from today’s keynote address at FDIC, delivered by Captain Bill Gustin of the Miami-Dade (Fla.) Fire Rescue Department.

During a passionate and animated address titled “The Challenges We Face: Issues Confronting Today’s Fire Service,” Gustin touched on a variety of topics, from the perils of modern lightweight construction to his concern that volunteer firefighters are becoming an “endangered species,” and he even dedicated a portion of his speech to other things that “irk” him about today’s fire service. One of those things: the fire service is not focusing enough attention on basic engine company operations.

Frustrated that firefighters are getting burned while operating charged hoselines, Gustin emphasized the need to “get water on the fire any way you can,” even if that means fighting the fire from outside. He argued that fire attacks that involve intermittently hitting the ceiling with water (aka, penciling or pulsing) only delay flashover. (According to FireRescue Editor-in-Chief Tim Sendelbach, these techniques are often taught during flashover evolutions as a method to cool the smoke, but they need to be immediately followed by getting water on the seat of the fire.) Gustin sees getting the water on the fire as the most important thing a fire department can do. “I don’t care if a department is accredited … it’s all fluff if they fail at the most basic firefighting task—stretching hoseline and operating it onto fire,” Gustin added.

This topic relates to another that Gustin finds irksome: the fire service’s focus on bailout harnesses, RIT training and other firefighter survival skills. “They are great and they save firefighter lives,” he emphasized, “but if we got water on the fire and spent as much time teaching firefighters how to not get into trouble, a lot of them wouldn’t have been in trouble in the first place.”

Another major issue in the fire service that Gustin wants to see change: the high number of apparatus accidents. “What’s up with all these accidents?!” he asked, swiftly following with a simple answer. “It can all be explained in two words: excessive speed!” He reminded firefighters of the consequences of bad driving decisions, which include criminal charges and civil lawsuits.

Modern lightweight construction has been a big topic in the fire service for many years now, and Gustin didn’t miss a beat when explaining why this is such a major challenge for today’s firefighters. “Trusses and I-joists are marvels of modern construction,” he said, “but they fail and collapse after a few minutes of involvement.” He explained that today’s firefighters will face fires in an increasing number of “green” structures, structures with vaulted ceilings, and those of prefab and modular construction. He then addressed the significant difference between the tactics modern firefighter must use as a result of this new construction and structures built 60 years ago: “The tactics to intelligently fight fire in lightweight construction will be viewed by older firefighters as not aggressive enough, but they will never have to face [the modern construction faced by today’s firefighters].”

Fortunately, despite all these challenges, Gustin explained, the fire service is better prepared than ever. “You can be every bit as great as the generations before you because you can educate yourself,” he explained. He argued that because fires are more difficult and dangerous than they used to be, experience is no longer sufficient to keep firefighters safe. In fact, “no one has enough experience; we all have to learn more,” he said. He emphasized that all personnel must be lifelong learners—students of the fire service, and that as soon as you think you’re done learning, that’s when it’s time to “hang it up.” He reminded attendees that they can learn much from the fires they did not go to; specifically, by reading valuable information like NIOSH reports and NIST research. “We’ve never been more protected,” he said. “And tomorrow’s firefighters will be even safer. Technology is on our side. Research is one our side. And information in on our side like never before.”

But it’s up to you to use it.