Are you certain this is the job for you?

Depending on who you are speaking with, there seems to a gap when it comes to how to accomplish our goals and not get killed or injured in the process. Words like “cowboy”, “aggressive” and “sally” are all used when someone takes issue with how someone else is getting the job done.

Safety, true safety, does not come from tentativeness in operating on the fireground. “He who hesitates is lost” is an accurate statement. Preparing yourself mentally and physically for the job you have chosen, yes chosen, to do is essential if you plan on responding and acting in a manner consistent with saving lives and extinguishing fires.

Look, Think, Act. Sure it isn’t as fancy as the Boyd loop and it certainly isn’t meant to replace much deeper discussions into how we prepare and evaluate our surrounding. But for most of us it is a good place to start when we think about our actions on the fireground. You have to be ready to act, and you do not have the luxury of taking hours to figure out what you are going to do.

Look – This is your size up. You should already know the things you need to know as far as resources, structure, water supply, weather, what you had for lunch, etc, etc. That stuff should be in your brain and plugged in as you evaluate this fire, your fire, and prepare for the next step. Where is the fire? Where is it going? Confirmed victims? Construction type?

Follow the link below to read the rest and join the discussion:

http://backstepfirefighter.com/2011/11/04/the-path-you-chose/