Matt McDowell's Blog Posts Tagged 'engine' (9)

This video is a great training tool for size-up, radio comms & Command presence.  This FD sounds very professional despite difficult fire conditions.  This week we've got heavy fire & smoke on an upper floor w/ standpipe ops in progress and a Mayday called while transitioning to Defensive Ops.   Compare this FD's ops to your FD and  give us your RECEO VS considerations.  Enjoy!…

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What would your FD do for this attached garage fire?  What would you do to address the extension issues?   Give us the report and your RECEO VS considerations.  Enjoy!

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE VIDEO

Be Safe

What would do you do for this heavily involved attached garage fire?  Does the split-level layout change your strategies/tactics?  Give us the report and your RECEO VS considerations.  Have fun!

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE VIDEO!

Watch the video of this heavily involved 2-story balloon frame house. Note the wind and the exposures. Give us your RECEO breakdown, initial actions and initial rig placement. Have fun!

WATCH THE VIDEO HERE!!!

Get a front row seat next to the Battalion Chief for this working Multiple Dwelling fire in Brooklyn.  Listen to the BC give great radio reports, great size-up information and even take time to talk to the neighbors.  Nice video with links to the popular conversation on Facebook.

Other things you'll see:

• The Command presence
• Notice the professionalism of the operating crews
• Notice the window A/C unit falling to the street (around :40)
• Notice the…

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Share your strategies, tactics and experience!  Every Friday we'll post a picture or video and want to get your take on the situation.

THE SCENARIO:  You're wearing all the hats today! You're dispatched to a reported "structure" fire.  It's the middle of the week during Christmas vacation and the neighbors don't know if the kids are there or not.

• What is your initial report?
• Where is the fire?
• Where is it going?
• How…

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Share your strategies, tactics and experience!  Every Friday we'll post a picture or video and want to get your take on the situation.

THE SCENARIO:  You are the Officer on the 4 person TRUCK company who ARRIVES FIRST at this single-family house fire.  Due to other call volume, the FIRST DUE ENGINE is 5 minutes away.

• Where is the fire?
• Where is it going?
• As a TRUCK, what tactics can you perform ahead of, without, an Engine for 5…

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Found this 2-part video of a serious fire in Detroit.  This fire originated in the obvious dwelling, then spread to the neighboring duplex.



Some background of this incident and some of the things people will notice:

• According to the description, this was the 9th arson fire in THIS NEIGHBORHOOD in ONE HOUR.
• The minimal use of SCBA.  According to the comments, these crews had run FOUR fires continuously and their was no more air available when this fire was…

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Nothing does more to improve safety on the fireground than correctly stretching, positioning and using the first attack line (sorry Truckies). The question is, do we take our most effective life and property saving skill for granted? Do you know the WHAT, WHERE & WHY before and/or during the initial attack line stretch? This post asks these questions and offers some discussion to the most fundamental fireground tactic.



1. Does the first line always have to go through… Continue