As an officer that will be making the initial decisions on this building you have a great responsibility to know as much about this structure as you can. It will certainly help you to make the best possible decision about your tactics.

When firefighters become lost or disoriented we are taught to find a window or door on an outside wall. The inside of this building may feel like windows to the gloved hand, but in reality it has been blocked up.

So, lesson 1 is big fire equals big water. If the fire is advanced enough that you will run out of water, it wont make any difference what size your line is. But, the larger line will put out more fire in that short amount of time.

Don’t miss these training opportunities. The Brotherhood Instructors provide all facets of fire service training. You really need to attend one of their trainings. Here is some training from Traditions Training.  Again, if your looking for some of the best training offered, these two groups of guys can get for you.

If you are the first arriving unit and officer, explain where your going and what your doing. I’ll give you a little information to help you along.

Firefighters are falling through floors immediately after entering. Roofs are collapsing much earlier than before. Contents are causing fires to burn faster and reach untenable temperatures much earlier in the fire. The larger area requires the firefighters to search longer and further into a building than in the past.