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Firetactics.com
Global Visitors!
Firetactics.com has provided in excess of 14,000 pages of structural
firefighting SOGs FREE to over 2.5 million visitors from more than 70 countries
since July 1999 (source Webstat.com). Published in six languages, the website
has also raised thousands of dollars for burns charities in UK, USA and
Australia, whilst introducing the concepts of 3D Firefighting to firefighters
globally in an effort to reduce LODD and make firefighters safer.
Air-Track
Management
One of the most critical objectives at any structure or
compartment fire is incident stabilization. The very basic
principles of 3D Firefighting concepts are rooted in the
overriding objectives of 'Air Track Management'. HERE
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INTERNATIONAL STRUCTURAL FIREFIGHTING INSTRUCTORS
CONFERENCE SWEDEN 2008 
Compartment
Fire Behavior Training
During the late 1970s, I had had not long returned to London Fire Brigade
following a two year detachment into the US where I worked areas of the South
Bronx during time spent with the FDNY 7th Division, under the watchful eye of
then Deputy Chief Bill Bohner. Assignments throughout the South Bronx, between
1975-77, during the busiest period for fires the FDNY had ever seen, taught me a
great deal about the strategy & tactics used by US firefighters. It was
common to have 3-5 large structures burning in the same street at the same time
during this period and every night seemed to bring us new challenges. One
thing I did learn - flow-rate is the key to putting fires out. You can do a lot
with a little but you can do nothing if there is not enough!- 'Smoke Burns'
article HERE
Firefighter's
Knot CHALLENGE - HERE
Smoke Explosion
- 'Smoke Burns'
"A
smoke explosion happens when a large buildup of smoke becomes very hot inside a
room, and the whole cloud ignites all at one time," said the County Fire
Marshal. "A flashover is pretty much the same thing without smoke."
The above statement was given to the media by a county fire marshal (August
2007) investigating the LODD of two firefighters .... but is it
technically correct? What do you know about Flashover? Did you know that 'smoke
burns'? Take a look at our online
Rapid Fire Progress class HERE
Fairfax VA 2007
Fairfax
VA 2007 .... 'Initial ventilation operations were uncoordinated. A firefighter
broke out the first floor windows without orders before the attack line and crew
were prepared to make entry. Ventilation must be coordinated and serve
a purpose. At this event, upper windows could have been vented earlier to
possibly provide relief for occupants remaining inside ....' Fairfax VA
report into fire where a trapped occupant died through smoke inhalation 2007...
Link to report HERE
PROMESIS
RESEARCH
'This is an exciting opportunity for us to gain some useful scientific data in
comparing the performance of various firefighting agents, systems and techniques,
including CAFS and CFS, against some fairly intense compartment fires', says
Paul Grimwood. 'The concept of 3D Firefighting will be central to this research.
We have utilized training structures in the past to simulate the effects of both
CAFS and CFS systems on the hot gas layers and this is well documented from p390
on in our book 3D
Firefighting'. These exciting new applications have demonstrated great
potential in controlling and preventing rapid fire development in small 2.8MW
training fires and now the PROMESIS research is looking to test various systems
and methods against more intense fires HERE
Boston
'Flashover'?
A digital photo taken on a bystander's cell phone showing the terrible power of
a fireball that killed two Boston firefighters is helping investigators
understand more about what happened at the Tai Ho Restaurant in West Roxbury.
"I've never seen such a violent sudden flashover, if that is what we're
looking at," said Boston Firefighters Union President Edward Kelly. The
picture has been circulated throughout the entire firefighting community and
scrutinized by investigators. "What I think we're seeing is possibly a
backdraft condition or a violent, sudden flashover," Kelly said. Kelly said
those are the two possible scenarios investigators are now looking at. HERE
COMPARTMENT FIRE
BEHAVIOUR TRAINING
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'Flow-rate
is the key to putting fires out. You can do a lot with a little but you can do
little if there is not enough!'
UK Firefighter's at Great Risk
by Paul Grimwood
April 2008
'Our peacetime firefighters have never been at greater risk when fighting structure
fires than they are today! In fact the life loss statistics amongst UK
firefighters currently stand at a 30-year high ...
Statistically, prior to 2004, the UK Fire Service incurred traumatic operational
fatalities at a fairly consistent average of about one firefighter per year per
100,000 structure fires. However, during the period 2004-2007 the life losses
have dramatically increased to 2.7 firefighters per 100,000 structure fires.
That is one firefighter fatality for every 37,000-structure fires. The death
rate has almost trebled. We used to be proud of our 'safety' record but our
average annual firefighter life loss rate is now higher than that in the USA!
Various tactical and command failings have directly evolved from a triangle of
complacency that is rife amongst the British Fire Service.
1. Lack of firefighting experience
2. Inadequate firefighter and command training
3. Complacency (Lack of discipline)
There are also a dozen clear tactical failings that can be seen over and again
that lead to problems on the fire-ground.
1. Failure to confine the fire until a charged hose-line is in place
2. Failure to deploy resources effectively
3. Failure to provide adequate flow-rate at the primary attack nozzle
4. Failure to effectively brief crews prior to deployment
5. Deviation from documented operating procedure without good reason
6. Failure to implement tactical venting actions in the right place at the right
time
7. Failure to provide a back-up support hose-line
8. Failure to communicate effectively
9. Failure to apply safe BA working practices
10. Failure to undertake effective search patterns
11. Failure to establish a tactical mode (offensive/defensive) at the outset
12. Failure to establish effective command & control from the outset
We now see the national fire cover being assessed by computer models based on
life risk - wonderful! Only that is NOT firefighter life risk!
They play with the model and take all the fire engines out of the equation,
noting how civilian life losses increase slightly in an area. Then they put half
the fire engines back into an area and note that civilian life losses return to
'normal' (almost the same as if we had the current complement of staffing and
resources/engines). 'Why do we need so many fire engines'? These learned people
ask! 'Why do we need so many fire stations'?! 'What about firefighters ... we
can cut staffing by thousands and still maintain civilian life losses around the
rate that would normally be expected!!
Nobody has considered the effect this will have on those firefighters who
remain!
Halve the resources and firefighters are placed under great stress. Their job is
dangerous enough now. Firefighters are already attending fires in tall buildings
and other situations understaffed and this planned depletion in resources will
drain any ability to work within safe systems of work.
The firefighter life losses will continue to increase over the next decade.
Unless .... we stand outside .... and go defensive from the outset .... and
'squirt' water through windows. Well the civilian life loss statistics might go
up slightly but look how much money we have saved!
Whatever happened to the co-responder programs where other civilian life losses
will be reduced by getting fire engines out to heart attack victims within that
critical five minute period! Why haven't they built that into their 'models'!
Then there is the deceit being used to produce life loss statistics in the first
place! Are we seeing the REAL situation?
The British Fire Service, along with the society it protects, is facing a
worrying future.
Full article HERE
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