Category

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...

Just What Should They Be Doing? We often hear of the truck officer as a “supervisor” of the truck team. I have come to learn that this position requires far more than an ability to supervise or direct firefighters. They are a link in the chain, an integral part of the team, and...

In my previous article we touched on the importance of positioning the ladder truck. In this article we will explore more of the foundation for optimizing your position. One important key to any truck company is knowing your district. I cannot overstate the importance of this...

In previous articles we talked about the truck company as a team and the role and responsibility of the truck  driver/operator. In this segment I want to touch on the subject of just where we put that large toolbox on wheels when we arrive. The Truck Driver Many, many people have...

In order to have the best chance to save someone’s life firefighters must be prepared to conduct aggressive search and rescue at the scene of a fire. In order for a search to have any real value it must be performed early in the incident. Any delay will reduce the chances...

The role and responsibly associated with the job of ladder truck driver/operator or engineer or chauffeur or whatever you call it, is one of the most important in the fire service. Without being redundant, if the driver doesn’t get us there, we don’t help anyone. That is also...

Opening the Roof We have discussed in depth the physics associated with ventilation; Flow path, heat transfer, air exchange, uniflow and bidirectional flows. All the stuff we need to know but has very little to do with actually “opening” a structure up! So, in this segment we are...

Over the last 20 years we have seen the use of Positive Pressure Ventilation (PPV) in offensive structural firefighting evolve. This concept got it’s start in the United States back in the early 1980’s on the west coast. It was originally utilized to assist the attack crew with a...

How does it affect what we do on the Fire Ground? In the previous article regarding understanding of Flow Path and how it works (Tactical Ventilation – Understanding the Flow Path Part 1) I talked about the need to understand what actually happens with the flow of air (good...

Task/Position Assignments In the first part of this article we discussed the qualities that are necessary for a truck crew to become a well oiled machine. Those qualities and practices build the foundation for your team to arrive well educated, assess the needs of the incident,...