Your thought on the latest block on Search

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Permalink Reply by Dave Stacy on March 3, 2009 at 3:33pm

I think this latest block on search is really good. It's a simple concept that is easily forgotten at fires. Not only does simply keeping a part of ure body at the door increase your safety, but it also prevents overly aggressive firefighters from entering such a small room, creating a crowding hazard. It's not uncommon in my area to have 6 to 8 firefighters in a relatively small room; if something goes wrong, how do we expect all those guys to get out fast enough and in some type of order. In a small bathroom like the posted picture one will still be able to vent a window if need be with several types of handtools while still maintaining their position at the door and control who goes into that room. When we train on search tactics one thing we practice is doing just this, limiting how much of a person (as little as needed) and how many people commit to a room (enough to get the task done). If this means dedicating one member of your crew to stand at the doorway of a room to prevent other companies from unnessarily entering and possibly hindering the safety of your guys, then that's what we do.