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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...

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...

As I ride to work, I often take note of the buildings under construction. It seems that all the old construction is either being torn down or renovated to bring them up to today’s fire protection standards. As a firefighter, I believe that this breeds a false sense of security...

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...

In my last installment on the subject of fire flow we will be discussing the physical challenges created by the need for  increased fire flow rates. In order for an engine company to achieve its primary mission on the fire ground the firefighters  who ride the engine will be...

As stated in Part 1 of this series the application rate (Flow Rate) and the type of stream used are the two critical factors that determine the speed of extinguishment. So far we have focused solely on the application rate but if we are to have a clear and thorough understanding...

It has become very obvious to me from seeing the changes take place on the fire ground and from reading all of the research available that fires are hotter and more unpredictable than any time in the history of the fire service. The main reason for this problem is the heat...

    In a previous article I wrote titled  The Engine Company’s Primary Mission I stated that the engine company officer will have to make rapid and accurate decisions to quickly identify and initiate the appropriate course of action at the scene of a fire. After...

When we first joined the fire department one of the first things we learned about was the apparatus we would be staffing. One of the most important items was learning the equipment locations on each of the apparatus. Once initial recruit/probationary training is completed it is...