Who orderes the intial attack line?

[BlitzfireSolo]

Engine officer.

That having been said, I expect my firefighters to know what line I would want in 90% of situations. If I think there might be a question, I'll make sure it's cleared up.

[CaptOldTimer]

When you do this job long enough and make fires enough, the instinct of pulling a attack line comes natural.


Engine lays from hydrant to the front of the house. House on fire, show and flames showing.


Members pull off an attack line to the front door. Driver breaks supply line connects to the intake valve. Hydrant member turns water on when driver tells the member too.


The Officer has a great crew who understands the job, proper line selection, placement and attack procedures, not saying that they had the forethought of what line to pull, as they have been in this business long enough to know.


Unless the officer wants a bigger line pulled, he crew knows what to do.


BTW - they now advance this line into the structure and find the fire and apply the water.

[AbduNur]

It should be the decision of the first arriving Eng Co Officer. As a Truck Officer, if and when we arrive frist due ahead of the Eng Co, we give a quick scene size up and pass command to the next arriving Officer. If the Eng Co is delayed and we are tasked with stretching in ourselves, then I make the decision as to which line to stretch, where, and when. As a Co officer, the safety and efficiency of my crew is paramount and totally my responsibility.

[len1582]

It should be the decision of the first arriving Eng Co Officer. As a Truck Officer, if and when we arrive frist due ahead of the Eng Co, we give a quick scene size up and pass command to the next arriving Officer. If the Eng Co is delayed and we are tasked with stretching in ourselves, then I make the decision as to which line to stretch, where, and when. As a Co officer, the safety and efficiency of my crew is paramount and totally my responsibility.

Where do you get the hose from? Do your trucks carry hose, and if so how much?

[jtucker1384]

Where do you get the hose from? Do your trucks carry hose, and if so how much?

Our ladder truck has two 200ft crosslay's. I agree my officer make the decision where to go but I usually decide which cross lay to pull. But we have worked together for enough time and I pretty much know what he is thinking.

[len1582]

Ok....thanks.

[kickphatdan]

With efficient engine company operations, the 1st in engine officer has enough to do upon arriving on scene. A competent backstep should be able to decide what line size and length to stretch according to their department's SOP's. Having a variety of lengths of lines to work allows you quickly decide what to pull. "50 to door, 50 per floor" is a simple saying we use to decide.

If you cannot size this up as a backstep fireman, then get off the backstep and train some more.

[len1582]

If you cannot size this up as a backstep fireman, then get off the backstep and train some more.

And many times the guy on the backstep could be a rookie. If they get off the backstep where do they learn....for real.

[10HouseMountaineerFF]

First Due Apparatus Officer

[10HouseMountaineerFF]

With efficient engine company operations, the 1st in engine officer has enough to do upon arriving on scene. A competent backstep should be able to decide what line size and length to stretch according to their department's SOP's. Having a variety of lengths of lines to work allows you quickly decide what to pull. "50 to door, 50 per floor" is a simple saying we use to decide.

If you cannot size this up as a backstep fireman, then get off the backstep and train some more.

The dept's I've had experiance with have ALL assigned their probies to the tailboard (backstep) position. I don't think it'd be a good idea to put that responsibility on the newest guy on the dept to pull the right line. New guy gets tunnel vision on a room and contents and yanks the blitz line (personal mistake lol).

[EngineCO38]

No matter what part of the country you go to, or who you talk to its gonna be different from dept to dept or state to state. Here, if the Chief or AC is on scene first then 9 times outa 10 its gonna be his call. If not, he leaves it up to the Engines officer to make the call.

Also here we have a system down that works pretty damn good for us. When I jump off the rig, riding tail with my partner. If we're not told otherwise, we go straight for one of the two 200' crosslays. Which side is grabbed depends on which side is closest to the fire. Other than that, if we're told to grab the 300' 1 3/4 off the back, thats what we do. If we're told to grab the 2 1/2, we do that. As firefighters our job is not to make command decisions, but be smart and compitent enough to make operational decisions based on the situation at hand. We're not mindless drones after all.