The good news first. Fires in the United States are fewer in number and this number declines with welcome regularity. The moderating news on this front is that fewer fires means fewer opportunities for firefighters to gain experience under actual conditions.
The only answer to this situation, as Capt. David Harris correctly notes, is a strategic focus on training that imparts real-world experiences for firefighters who, in the future, will encounter similar scenarios.
In a time where real firefighting opportunities decrease, excellence in training, as well as alternative sources of live firefighting training, must increase.
