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If you travel around the country you will find the role of the engine company chauffeur is called many things; driver/operator, motor pump operator, and. engineer.  I am sure there are more. In this series we will discuss some of the key points to ensuring you support and...

In Part 1 of our series we discussed some of the duties and roles to consider as the second due engine. The included establishing a  water supply if one has not set up and stretching an initial hoseline. Of course there are many more duties we can talk about. Today we will focus...

If you can read this you must be second due. That phrase was painted on the back of an engine I saw one day and have to admit it made me laugh but at the same time got me thinking. We spend the majority if not all our time training as the first to arrive engine company. As we all...

In Part 1 of our series we discussed that the engine company’s main duty is to establish a water supply, stretch the hose line and extinguish the fire but sometimes things don’t always go as planned, even if you train and plan repeatedly. Today we will...

Welcome back to the final part of our discussion on the quint.  In Part 1 we discussed the background of the quint and some of the thoughts a department must examine when purchasing this piece of equipment. In Part 2 we will wrap everything up by discussing the compartments and...

Modern fire apparatus comes in all shapes and sizes. From mini-pumpers that fit into parking garages to rescue’s that seem to stretch for a city block, one can let their imagination run wild when its time to spec out a new piece of apparatus. Often overlooked as an optio...

The engine company’s main duty is to establish a water supply, stretch the hose line and extinguish the fire. Members train so this process goes like a well choreographed dance. Watching a well-trained company stretch in and go to work is a thing of beauty. More often than...

The primary mission of the fire service is to protect life. One of the ways we do this is through the primary search at a building fire. By definition, the primary search is the aggressive systematic search of a structure performed either before or during fire suppression...

Most of us have been there, and if you have not you will be before your career is done. The moment I am talking about is when you arrive on scene and everywhere you look there is fire. Most of us dream of rolling up on something like that, but in reality when it happens you...

One of the most important positions on the fire ground belongs to the firefighter assigned to the nozzle. Being responsible for directly putting water on the fire is a big responsibility, in essence they are solving our main problem…the fire itself. Although the job can...