Half Day Courses
Full Day Courses
Two-Day Course Offerings


The Chief's Role at Structural Fires

The Command Role

Strategy

  • Decision Making
  • Size-Up, The 13 point Approach
  • Firefighter Survival Survey
  • "Hidden" Dangers
  • "Red Flags"
  • "The Four R's"
  • Assuming Command
  • Location
  • Establishing Accountability- Protecting the Troops

Tactics

Private Dwelling Fires

This section focuses on the most common fire in America- fires in 1 and 2- family homes, or private dwellings (PD's).The segment includes:

  • Introduction to the Scope of the Problem, Death and Injury Rates in P.D.s
  • Firefighter Survival Survey
  • Fire Attack, Hoseline Selection, Placement and Water Supply
  • Search and Rescue- Vent, Enter and Search (VES)

 

Basements and Cellars, Attics and Cocklofts 
This class describes some of the most common problems encountered in these most difficult of fires. Lack of access and ventilation, potentially high life hazards, and limited hose stream application points are a few of the difficulties to be dealt with. Early recognition of the problems and having a set of procedures developed in advance are the keys to dealing with these fires. Topics covered include:

  • Definitions of Basements vs. Cellars
  • What To Expect From Each Type
  • Common Difficulties
  • Not So Common Difficulties
  • Fire Attack Options
  • Attics vs. Cockloft
  • Gaining Access
  • Peaked Roof Ventilation

 

Store (Taxpayer and Strip Mall) Fires
Fires in stores and other commercial occupancies are severe threats to our firefighters. More firefighters are killed per alarm in commercial fires than in any other commonly encountered blaze. The toll on a community is often staggering when a block of Main St. is gutted by fire or major local employer is burnt out. The reason many of the blazes end up so destructive is often traceable to the Fire Departments lack of preparedness. Fortunately major store fires are not "every day&334; occurrences, but as a consequence, many departments try to apply "House Fire Tactics" to commercial fires. This class is designed to highlight the differences between Residential and Commercial fires, and provide instruction in Tactics, which have proven effective in dealing with them. By design, this class is intended as an adjunct to the Standard Private Dwelling fires course, so that attendees will see the advantages and disadvantages of each tactic in differing Fireground situations. The "Strip Mall" segment includes: 

  • Introduction, Store Fires as Injury and Death Factories
  • Construction Deficiencies Common to Stores
  • Tactical Differences between Residential and Commercial Fires
  • Hoseline Selection, Stretching, and Placement
  • Gaining Entry / Exit
  • Cockloft Fires- Roof Operations
  • Trusses and Other Lightweight Roofs
  • Cellar Fires- The Firefighter Trap
  • Parapet Wall Collapse
  • "Hidden" Dangers

 

This segment focuses heavily on some of the more common causes of firefighter deaths and injuries in these dangerous structures, and offers useful tips on how to keep your firefighters from falling prey to these common dangers. 

Garden Apartment and Townhouse Fires
This section focuses on one of the newly emerging fire problems, fires in Garden Apartments and Townhouses. The segment includes:
 

  • Introduction to the Scope of the Problem: Death and Injury Rates in Dwellings
  • Fire Attack: Hoseline Selection, Placement and Water Supply
  • Search and Rescue
  • Construction Deficiencies- Trusses
  • Trench Cuts and Defensive Measures
  • Roof Hazards 

 

Apartment House Fires
This segment focuses on the most deadly fire in America- Fires in Apartment Houses, or Multiple Dwellings (MD's). The segment includes:

  • Introduction to the Scope of the Problem, Death and Injury Rates in M.D.s
  • Construction Deficiencies Related to Fire Spread
  • Fire Attack, Hoseline Selection, Placement and Water Supply
  • Search and Rescue- Vent, Enter and Search (VES)
  • Fires in Voids: Shafts and Cocklofts
  • Flat Roof Ventilation including Trench Cuts 

Emphasis is placed on developing chief officers decision-making abilities that can be implemented quickly and naturally on the Fireground and developing workable tactics that your organization can implement under a variety of common, and not so common, conditions

 


 

High Rise Firefighting Operations

This two-day class covers strategic and tactical considerations involved in fighting fires in high rise buildings. Topics covered include:

Overview of High Rise Fires 

  • Types of High Rises- Residential vs. Commercial
  • High Rise Construction- Fire Spread and Collapse Deficiencies

 

High Rise Strategies

  • Incident Command
  • Control Of Building Systems-Communications
  • Elevators
  • HVAC
  • Fire Control Systems- Including revisions to NFPA 14 Standpipe Systems

 

Commercial High Rise Tactics

  • Use of Elevators
  • Engine Company Operations
  • Standpipe System Use
  • Hoseline Selection and Placement
  • Alternative Attacks
  • Ladder Company Operations
  • Search and Rescue Operations
  • Ventilation

 

Residential High Rise Tactics

  • Extreme Fire Conditions
  • Alternate Approaches
  • Ventilation Control

 


 

Foam Operations for Municipal Fire Departments

Large-scale flammable and combustible liquids fires in urban settings pose a serious challenge for most fire departments. This class is designed to teach fire officers what they can expect to encounter when arriving at such an event, from the product, from its container, and from their equipment. The class utilizes a number of case studies, both successful and unsuccessful to illustrate proper tactics when confronting these incidents. Given the nightmare scenarios involving these everyday materials in the hands of someone intent on doing harm, all officers should have a firm understanding of the topics covered in this two day class, which include:
  • Introduction to Foam, Terms, Concentrates and Equipment
  • Application Techniques
  • Alternate Fuels / Alternate Agents
  • High Expansion Foam
  • Aircraft Crash in Urban and Suburban Settings
  • Tank Truck Construction / Features
  • Handling Roll-over Incidents
  • Tank Farm Fire Protection Systems
  • Tank Farm Firefighting/Case Studies
  • Building a Foam Response System