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The firefighter assigned to the outside vent position (commonly referred to as the OV) is an important asset to have on the fireground. Typically assigned to one of the two outside team positions of a ladder company (the other being the roof position) they are tasked with some...

Maintaining our equipment so it performs safely and effectively as well as reliably is one our most important jobs. There is simply no excuse for taking a saw off the rig when needed and discovering that you cannot get it started or that the blade needed to be replaced from...

The Partner Saw is one of the more popular saws used in today’s fire service. Coming in a variety of models, it is truly a versatile piece of equipment. Capable of cutting just about anything from concrete to roof material, a padlock to a roll down gate, it will certainly...

In the previous two parts of this article we discussed using adjoining buildings and ladders to get to the roof. Now we will concentrate on the last way to get to the roof — the fire escape. #3 – Fire Escapes Fire escapes are the third way to the roof of a Type 3...

In my previous article of this series, we discussed using adjoining buildings to get to the roof. Now we will concentrate on the next best way to get to the roof — ladders. #2 – Ladders Ladders, either ground or aerial, are the second best way to access the roof. The...

How many options do we have to get to the roof of a Type 3 (ordinary construction) building? For most of us the answer is to the take the ladder or aerial device. The true answer is ALF. Adjoining Buildings / Ladders / Fire Escapes We will discuss 3 ways to access the roof,...

Recently, we have taken a rather in depth look at the water extinguisher. The comments have been amazing; thank you all so much for taking the time to not only read but to comment as well. One of the most common comments on the site as well as on social media was the use of...

When operating at a structure fire, there are several tasks that must be accomplished to make the building behave. The truck company is responsible for the following priority tasks: forcible entry, search, ventilation, and fire containment. Some of these tasks are typically...

The truck company driver or chauffeur needs to accomplish, in short order, a number of tasks upon arrival on the scene. Positioning the rig itself is only the first task. Here are 4 tools which will help make a good truck driver into a great truck driver. We’ll spend a...

Carrying The Can Modifications to the 2-1/2 gallon water extinguisher can make it easier to carry and increase its versatility and usefulness. There is no doubt about it: this tool is cumbersome. But, there are some things we can do to make it more manageable. There are...