Strategic and Tactical Considerations on the Fireground

by Smith, Jim

• ISBN13: 9780130614513
• ISBN10: 0130614513
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2002-01-01
• Publisher: Prentice Hall

Summary

The author's over 40 years of experience contributes to the real-life approach of this book, blending theory with personal experience. "Strategic" "and Tactical Considerations on the Fireground "uses a systems approach to guide you through the process of problem identification and solution response. From planning to incident scene control, this book provides knowledge that can be applied to a variety of complex fire situations. This updated and expanded second edition includes an additional 25% of new material on Health Care and High Risk Populations and Commercial, Technical Operations, and Industrial Occupancies as well as scenarios, case studies, and website references to further enhance student learning.

Table of Contents

Preparation	1	(27)
Training	2	(3)
Preincident Planning	5	(5)
Needed Fire Flow	10	(4)
The Fire Officer	14	(8)
Command Presence	22	(6)
Management Tools	28	(33)
Incident Scene Management	28	(22)
Incident Scene Control	50	(3)
Status Reports	53	(8)
Decision Making	61	(39)
Incident Scene Decision Making	62	(3)
Size-Up	65	(11)
Strategy, Tactics, and Tasks	76	(8)
Modes of Fire Attack	84	(16)
Company Operations	100	(46)
Engine Company Operations	101	(8)
Truck Company Operations	109	(37)
Building Construction	146	(49)
Fire-Resistive Construction	147	(2)
Noncombustible/Limited Combustible Construction	149	(4)
Ordinary Construction	153	(4)
Heavy Timber Construction	157	(3)
Frame Buildings	160	(5)
Timber Truss	165	(9)
Lightweight Building Components	174	(21)
Building Collapse and Scene Safety	195	(57)
Building Collapse	196	(1)
Wall Collapse	196	(27)
Collapse Search	223	(7)
Safety	230	(22)
Special Situations and Occupancies	252	(127)
Basement and Cellar Fires	253	(6)
Garden Apartments	259	(9)
Row Houses	268	(11)
Vacant Buildings	279	(8)
Renovated Buildings	287	(10)
Large Commercial Buildings and Warehouses	297	(5)
Strip Malls	302	(7)
Enclosed Shopping Malls	309	(9)
Houses of Worship	318	(15)
Lumberyards	333	(8)
Public Assembly Buildings	341	(6)
High-Rise Buildings	347	(32)
Technical Operations	379	(30)
Hazardous Materials and the Initial Responder	380	(13)
Terrorism Incidents	393	(16)
After the Incident	409	(11)
Incident Critiques	409	(5)
Critical Incident Stress	414	(4)
Epilogue	418	(2)
Appendix A Performance Standard: Stang Gun Operations	420	(2)
Appendix B Quick Access Preplan	422	(1)
Appendix C Vital Building Information Sheet	423	(3)
Appendix D Incident Command System Organizational Chart	426	(2)
Glossary	428	(5)
Acronyms	433	(1)
Index	434

Excerpts

In 1985, I started writing articles for various journals. I enjoyed writing and felt that it was a great way of sharing my experiences in the fire service. In 1988, I had the opportunity to write the bimonthly Fire Studies column forFirehousemagazine.In my many years of firefighting, I have made more than my share of mistakes. I have tried through my writing to share these mistakes, along with many positive experiences, that I have learned from over the years.I consider myself fortunate to have been in the fire service during the tumultuous 1960s and 1970s both as a firefighter and a company officer. The reason I say this is that I had the ability to respond to many fires. There were many nights when we went from fire to fire. Many times we would be restoring hose-line and equipment on our apparatus at a fireground and hear another fire being dispatched. We would make ourselves available for service and immediately respond to another working fire. The ability to respond to so many fires permitted us to reach a level of teamwork where companies functioned as well-oiled machines. Another plus was that if we made a mistake, we didn't have too long to dwell upon it before we would respond to another fire and rectify the previous mistake. After a 14-hour night tour we would be dog-tired, but we had enjoyed every minute of it. My friends who were not firefighters could never understand why I did not transfer from these busy inner city areas to a quieter station closer to home. If you have never been in the fire service, you too would have a difficult time understanding. There was the feeling of accomplishment, of being challenged, and yes, on a few occasions of being scared, but the final outcome of controlling a fire and hopefully being successful in making rescues made that feeling of tiredness go away.The hardest things to deal with were the seemingly endless number of children dying in sparse surroundings. Many of them never had a chance. Fires were started by portable heaters being used to keep them from freezing to death or by candles being used because the electricity had long ago been turned off. Along with careless smoking, many fires were started by children playing with matches or by the cowardice of Molotov cocktails being thrown into a structure, stealing the lives of those sleeping within. Seeing rugged firefighters crying as they carried these lifeless children's bodies from the burned out structures is embedded in my brain. FIREFIGHTERSThe other area that made just as indelible a mark is the loss of life of fellow firefighters. Some were close personal friends, such as Lieutenant Jim Pouliot of Engine 20. Jim was a Minnesota farm boy who, after serving in the U.S. Navy at the Philadelphia Navy Yard, married and settled in Philadelphia and joined the fire department. I had the privilege of working as a firefighter with Jim for close to 7 years at Engine 30. We studied hard together for the lieutenant's test and we both were successful. Jim gave his life rescuing a fellow firefighter from certain death at the deadly Gulf Oil Refinery fire on August 17,1975.That same deadly fire took a total of eight firefighters' lives, including firefighter John Andrews of Engine 49.1 was transferred as the captain of Engine 49 on that deadly date. What a first day it was! The fire started around 6:30 A.m. and went to 12 alarms, destroying tank after tank of flammable chemicals. It engulfed the firefighters in flames around 4:30 p.m. I arrived on the fire ground with E-49's "C" platoon around 6:15 p.m. to relieve the "D" platoon, I was stunned to learn that at that time over 30 firefighters were reported missing, including 3 members of Engine 49. In the ensuing hours, I received the sad news that John Andrews had made the supreme sacrifice. I had the responsibility of informing John's wife Gertrude, his daughter Patty, and his son John of his untimely death. There is no easy way of