Strategy & Tactics Web Exclusives

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  • Warning Signs of Structural Collapse

    As budgets continue to decline and layoffs, attrition, "brown-outs" and other "solutions" prevail, one thing is for certain — fewer firefighters are available and this trend does not appear as if it will improve soon. While there may not be much...

    Article • December 3rd, 2010

  • The
    The "Everyday Routine Complex" Fire

    My previous column on buildings called "mixed multiple" occupancies, or "taxpayers," focused on basic engine and truck work (September 2010). This column addresses access and exposure concerns for firefighters responding to working fires in these...

    Article • December 3rd, 2010

  • Let Us Use the Knowledge Wisely

    Like many of you, I spent yesterday afternoon downloading and reviewing the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) report on the fatal fire in Charleston, SC, back in 2007. The two-part treatise on the fire and their investigation of it...

    Article • October 29th, 2010

  • Making the Most of the Three Person Company - Part 2: Engine Companies
    Making the Most of the Three Person Company - Part 2: Engine Companies

    In the first article of this series, we talked about the importance of using minimum standards to help us achieve our objectives. NFPA Standards 1710 and 1720 discuss the importance of staffing as it relates to safety. We then presented a serious...

    Article • October 27th, 2010

  • Emergency Egress for Fireground Survival: The Rope Slide
    Emergency Egress for Fireground Survival: The Rope Slide

    Your crew is performing a primary search of the floor above the fire when you hear the evacuation tones over your portable radio. Turning to exit down the stairway, you suddenly realize that your crew is cut off from the stairs by rapidly spreading...

    Article • October 22nd, 2010

  • What Street Firefighters Need to Know About Residential Sprinklers – Part 2

    In Part I of this three-part series we reviewed the basics of residential sprinkler systems with a focus on the standalone sprinkler system based on the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 13d standard. As residential sprinklers become the norm...

    Article • October 15th, 2010

  • Multi-tasking at Multiple Dwelling Occupancies: Engine Operations
    Multi-tasking at Multiple Dwelling Occupancies: Engine Operations

    This month, we will be discussing some strategic considerations for engine companies when they arrive at a working fire in a multiple occupancy dwelling. Previously, we had discussed some of the more common issues with multiple dwellings, no matter...

    Article • September 30th, 2010

  • Completing the 360-Degree Size-Up
    Completing the 360-Degree Size-Up

    One of the most critical tasks to be conducted at an early stage of a structure fire is the performance of a 360-degree walk around. For safety, a 360 assessment, which is part of a quick size-up obtained from all four sides of a structure, attempts...

    Article • September 13th, 2010

  • Firehouse.com Weekly Drill: No. 22

    This drill details an acronym to help firefighters and officers determine the best method for attack at a structure fire.  Drill # 22: The FIRE Formula The drill is designed to be a single page of information to conjure up discussions among your...

    Article • September 5th, 2010

  • Multi-tasking at Multiple Dwelling Occupancies: Ladder Companies
    Multi-tasking at Multiple Dwelling Occupancies: Ladder Companies

    This month, we will look at some strategic considerations for ladder companies when they arrive at a working fire in a multiple-occupancy dwelling. These types of structures pose many severe risks over and above the routine structural fire, and the...

    Article • July 2nd, 2010

  • After-Action Review: Fire in a Residential High-Rise

    Part two of this article takes up where we left off in April, when we discussed a fire in a residential high-rise and some of the lessons learned or reinforced. This post-incident analysis involves an apartment fire in Long Branch, NJ, on Sept. 27...

    Article • May 27th, 2010

  • Potential Disaster During An Electrical Power Outage

    21ST CENTURY HIGH-RISE TRAINING SERIES During the major Northeast blackout in 2003, numerous emergency generators in the New York City area failed within the first 30 minutes, mostly due to lack of regular maintenance, failure to test generators...

    Article • May 27th, 2010

  • On The Job: TEXAS

    On Monday, Feb. 2, 2009, a three-alarm fire in downtown Tyler, TX, destroyed one building and damaged three historic structures. The two-story building that was destroyed was of Type III ordinary construction and built in the early 1900s. The...

    Article • May 27th, 2010

  • The "Everyday Routine Complex" Fire

    It happens in every fire department — the routine structure fire that you're familiar with that turns into a complex incident because things didn't go as planned. Perhaps there were circumstances unknown or unseen. Maybe there were problems...

    Article • May 27th, 2010

  • Making the Most of the Three Person Company - Part 1
    Making the Most of the Three Person Company - Part 1

    Staffing in the fire service has dwindled because of numerous reasons over the past few decades. An engine or ladder company arriving with half a dozen personnel was once the norm; it is now a rarity. Both in the career fire service as well as the...

    Article • May 13th, 2010

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