In our two previous articles, we discussed receiving the call and arriving on the scene. In each I tried to have you think more like an investigator while you did your job of extinguishment. This article will continue with that thought process.
Not all departments have a chief officer arriving on the scene first, and issuing commands and direction. In many cases the officer on the first engine or truck takes command and sets the foundation for the rest of the operation.
In some departments the first officer can arrive in his personal vehicle. Placement of the first piece of equipment is vital to how we attack the fire and how the investigator begins to read the fire spread.
Some of you might wonder what does it matter about the first vehicle