Category

The Flat Earth As a boy Christopher Columbus was holding an orange on which a butterfly had landed. He noticed that when he turned the orange around he could see the tips of its wings coming up from the backside of the piece of fruit. As he turned the orange toward him the entire...

How many clowns can you fit into a car? The answer is as many that will fit. This is a growing trend when it comes to residential housing.   Today we are seeing more single and two family houses containing up 5 or 6 families. What is the cause? Tough economic times have forced...

Ever roll up to a vehicle fire and see crews fumbling around with trying to open the hood by cutting the inverted “V” at the hood latch?  Try this tip at the next engine compartment fire you’re working. Before breaking out the saw try the hood release in the interior of the car...

In previous articles written by Andy Starnes we learned about the fundamentals behind standpipe and sprinkler operations. Today I would like to continue in the same direction and examine what we should consider carrying in our standpipe bag. The standpipe bag, aka the high rise...

In the previous two parts we discussed how a chauffeur/driver can train and become an effective operator, in and out of the cab. Today is the last part of our series. We will give you a few more ideas on the best drills to conduct for the driver. Loss of Water Drill The loss of...

Based on comments I have been receiving on previous articles, I decided we should address some drills that can be practiced on the department and or company level. These drills are simple enough, but will build the skills needed to be a competent chauffeur if they are training or...

In Parts 1 and 2 we have explained the importance of understanding these systems and have discussed Class I and II systems. Let’s explore the Class III system and begin applying what we have learned from a tactical perspective. A Class III system is a combination system of a...

In Part 2 we expanded on the roles and responsibilities the driver has as part of the engine crew. Today we will discuss additional duties and why they are important to a successful operation. These duties can be reinforced via drills and training. The engine driver must know his...

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...