I have been going to Tim Olk’s website: olkee.smugmug.com for a long time; so do many others I know. Why? It’s not just that Tim takes great photos; it’s that Tim takes a ton of them. Many in my fire department –myself included- have used his photos to study for promotional exam assessment centers and it has paid off twice in my career, literally. I mean, you could run through an assessment center fire problem every day using a different fire he shot every time. Try it, and be sure to thank Tim later…

Prevalent throughout large cities in the Midwest and northeast, the two and a half story wood frame with a walk-up attic has been a fixture for over a century; and these structures present significant challenges for fire crews not commonly found in other types of structures.

Vertical dead bolt locks are the most common secondary locking device sold in North America; and they are be found on both commercial and residential doors. Vertical dead bolt locks maybe used to secure both inward and outward opening doors. Furthermore, these locks can be defeated using several techniques from conventional forcible-entry, to through the lock and modified-entry tactics. In this article, we will look at some proven techniques for forcing doors that utilize these types of additional security locks.

A ladder company’s inside team has the responsibility to force-entry for the engine and conduct a search for fire and life, respectively. This search should be done systematically, and choreographed to cover the most real estate in the shortest amount of time. When searches are conducted haphazardly due to firefighters using the “circus elephant” method and losing their orientation, trapped or incapacitated occupants’ survival chances diminish.

When deploying initial attack hoselines, many urban fire departments opt for a reverse-lay stretch and water supply operation. Performing a reverse-lay offers many tangible benefits on the fireground, including giving firefighters the ability to leave the front of the structure open for the truck and later arriving engine companies; placing the first arriving engine company on a serviceable hydrant; and limiting dependence on tank water. However, many fire departments have opted out of the reverse-lay option in lieu of forward-lays and preconnected hoselines. Using preconnected hoselines limits the engine company’s ability to overcome short-stretches and puts open space at a premium in front of the fire building.

With questions, serious concerns, humility, and deep respect, I set out on a journey while visiting friends in New York City and Boston, to several firehouses to get a small sample of what “time-on-the-job” looks like. In other words, what the face of seniority actually looks like.

The process of “size-up,” the gathering of information about the scene, has been taught for decades. Unfortunately, during most training classes, size-up is discussed as an individual endeavor. The need for shared fireground size-up information is not always stressed. The proof of this deficiency is no more evident than when reading National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) line of duty death (LODD) reports. Failure to perform sizeup -or inadequate size-up- and not sharing size–up information, are always a factor in these reports. The continuous sharing of size-up information is a key element for success on the fire round. In this article, we will discuss using two distinct locations to facilitate size-up that-if applied correctly- will greatly increase scene awareness and operational efficiency. The Incident Commander’s (IC) Exterior Size-Up

At roll call, you have been assigned the can position. Your tools for the tour will consist of a six-foot hook and the two and a half gallon pressurized water extinguisher, or “the can” for short. You are a vital part of the inside team along with the officer and the irons firefighter .

Fire Department City of New York (FDNY) engine and ladder companies always know where to go and what to cover during fires; their positions and assignments are predetermined by operational procedures. Furthermore, these procedures describe their operational positions and areas of responsibility at the majority of building types in the City of New York City proper. Utilizing these procedures promotes accountability for each company and their respective members. These assigned positions allow the incident commander (IC) the ability to determine what areas will require coverage by additional resources such as the FDNY’s versatile squad companies.

It is the beginning of another night tour as the officer in a truck company, and you just finished conducting roll call with your crew. The neighborhood has seen some fire duty over the past couple of tours, and the crew is eager to go to work. Suddenly, the station tone-alert sounds. The housewatchman acknowledges the run and begins to read off the alarm ticket: “Phone Alarm. Second Due Truck. Box 918. 1472 Bergen Street between Troy and Schenectady Avenues. Fire on the first floor.”

Every year the fire service laments the perpetual fireground injury and death statistics. Moreover, each injury and fatality is analyzed and investigated to find out the individual or cumulative actions that caused the event. Advancements in equipment notwithstanding, it often becomes a consequence of a fire department’s operations that contribute to fireground injuries and death, specifically, whether or not a department has gotten away from performing the fireground basics.

Today’s security-conscious citizens have propelled the simple slide-bolt or barrel-bolt locking mechanism to one of the most common secondary locking devices found on the fireground. They are most commonly found on residential doors, commercial buildings, and strip malls, roof bulkheads and scuttle hatches. Slide-bolts can be found securing either inward or outward opening doors and may be mounted on either side of those doors.

Detectives always look at a suspect’s means, motive and opportunity (MO) when building a criminal case against him. It’s the foundation of the why’s, when’s, and how’s of the perpetrator’s committed crime. Although law enforcement principles are often mutually exclusive to the fire service, it should consider adopting some of them during fireground search operations. Search is agreeably categorized in two ways: searching for life, and searching for fire. By utilizing the MO doctrine, we establish three viable reasons to validate our search decision. Although many fire departments consider their searches aggressive, they may in fact only be active or passive-style searches.

The outside ventilation (OV) position, is one of the most dynamic positions that a firefighter can be assigned. The OV firefighter is responsible for many tasks that can affect the decisions of the ladder company officer and incident commander (IC) on the fireground. The actions that the OV performs can save lives as well make or break the fire.

There is a scene in the movie Wall St. where the main character played by Michael Douglas walks up and down the center isle of the companies annual share holders meeting repeatedly proclaiming “greed is good.” Greed for him was about making money. Greed for firefighters is about getting the most you can out of a fire. For an engine company, it is all about getting the line. There is nothing wrong with wanting more out of the fires you go to. In fact it’s what you get out of a fire that counts.

The attack hose line has been stretched off the engine, and sufficient hose has been flaked-out at the fire area. All personal protective equipment (PPE) is in place, and firefighters are ready to make an aggressive interior attack on the fire. A fireground basic that is often overlooked is the chocking of doors; which if left undone can create disastrous conditions for firefighters.

Most firefighters would agree that there can never be enough photos taken of the fire service. The visual spectacle that is the urban fireground is full of actions that demonstrate the bravery and tragedy firefighters perpetually face. It is when these actions are discovered as captured images that they become iconic.

In Kansas City , we know rapid intervention teams can be fast; and search techniques using a thermal imager and rope in large areas can work.

The Milwaukee Fire Department (MFD) has a long history of aggressive interior attack combined with equally aggressive vertical ventilation. Truck companies are comprised of four or five person crews and are well versed in peaked-roof ventilation. Milwaukee’s typical peaked-roof scenario is a two and a half story wood frame private dwelling with some type of steeply- pitched, raftered gable roof; composed of roof boards, cedar shake, and shingles; add to this the possibility of ice, snow, and or sub-zero temperatures six months out of the year, and it is no wonder Milwaukee truck crews have developed their own system for venting peaked-roofs.