Modern firefighting is continually changing, so is the information I upload to my iPod on a continuos basis.. New technologies are constantly being applied to the fire service. Some, like new chemical compounds or new locking devices can increase our operating problems. Others, such as lap top computers or hydraulic forcible entry tools, can help us to keep pace with these changes.

The strategies of firefighting, however, have not changed.
Putting water on the fire has always been the way to put the fire out and this will not change. It is gallons of water per minute that puts out fires. New Editions of the books we have been studying in New Jersey to prepare us for promotion are still based on John Norman’s “C.O.A.L.W.A.S.W.E.A.L.T.H”. Size up, Vincent Dunn’s “Collapse Hazard’s” and Brannigan’s “ Construction”. All study groups have their way of interpreting these author’s pages so that we all can understand them and apply them to their own way of remembering and organizing them.

The basics– protect life and property, confine the fire and extinguish the fire are constants that have remained the same since the inception of the Career Firefighter. What continues to change are the tactics that evolve with technology. The newer editions of the books are put out to stay current with modern times. New Chapter 20 ” Fire Department Roles in Terrorism & Homeland Security” in “ The Fire Chiefs Handbook of Tactics” is by far the longest chapter in the book. It is packed with information that will be used somewhere in this test.

Technology is one of the primary forces that shapes our tactics. New tools are making it easier to fight fires with less man power per task. Thus freeing them up for other tasks that replaced the older more cumbersome tactics. I have taken a few classes in my career and most of the information has been sifted thru my computer and saved for future use in one of my many projects. This is the best way I know how to use what I have learned with a little help from my friends. Fine tuning and reorganizing it so I could gain better understanding of it has lead to a great concept that can help anyone learn up-to-date strategies and tactics.

General Concepts According to John Norman…

1. When sufficient manpower is not available to execute both rescue and extinguishment… rescue must take precedence.

2. Remove those in greatest danger first.

3. When sufficient manpower is not available to preform all needed tasks, preform those that protect the greatest number of lives first.

4. When personnel is sufficient to do both, a coordinated fire attack is a must.

5. When there is no threat to occupants, the lives of firefighters must not be endangered.

The sequence of actions to be taken…
Locate, Confine, Extinguish

The circumstances must dictate procedure. When faced with a non standard procedure you must adapt and develop a proper solution and always err on the side of safety.

Collapse potential should always be on your mind and warning signs must be committed to memory.
The foundation of your size up is developed with the alarm message.

This means you must be able to communicate the status of the situation via a radio report thru dispatch so all members can start their size ups based on information you are able to communicate upon arrival.

First level supervisor…Captains Oral Exam Criteria 2008

There will be 2 oral fire scene scenarios. designed to measure ability to…

1. Conduct Search and Rescue . this will be a given at every incident.
2. Assess fire conditions and hazards.
3. Plan Strategies and Tactics.

Critical knowledge area related to…

1. Fire conditions and hazards that can affect evolving fire ground operations.
2. Safe rescue tactics.
3. Procedures for safe guarding citizens.
4. Based on building conditions.
5. Communicate clearly and concisely.