What goes in must also be able to come out...in the right location. That how I think of your question. You are applying water indirectly on the fire unless the seat of the fire is attainable from the Alpha side of the building. That water expands exponetially creating more matter that is filling that space. Eventually it runs out of space to fill and find the easiest place to escape from, which is not always the best way. That is why fire attack and ventilation must be coordinated and deployed effectively in order to minimize property loss due to fire spread. Just as Jason said there is a place for the blitz attack when it is appropriate. Remember folks we have the tools to do our job it is up to us to use the appropriate tool at the right time in the most effective manner. I will quote Gordon Graham, from his risk management seminar,"SSSSSSSSLLLLLLLLLLLLOOOOOWWWWW DDDDDDDDOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWNNNNNNNNN". "Firefighters should quite doing Meth and switch to Heroin, then maybe they will SSSSLLLLOOOOWWWW DDDDOOOWWWNNN"

Hi Dave,

Good to hear from you.

Simple answer, Yes, fire can be pushed.

Not so simple answer, it all depends.

Based on you scenario question, first due engine with operator and an officer, heavy fire showing side A, the best thing the officer can do is size up, including assessing life hazards, a good 360 of the fire building (often overlooked when fire is showing), and assess if you have adequate resources coming to safely handle this fire.

We often feel compelled to do something right away. So in this case, one might think, a blitz with a deluge off tank water, or a quick exterior attack via handline would be better than nothing? Best stated earlier, slow down. We did not create the problem, we are only here to solve it, and as your title page says in Latin, everyone goes home.

Here’s what you do first! A good 360 and size up. This will show the fuel load, building layout & construction, best access, fire involvement, potential victims, and from there you develop your strategy and resource allocation. Is this doing nothing? Hell no, it is laying a good foundation for the whole job!

What if you decided to blitz this fire and in doing so forced heat, steam, smoke and fire up stairs onto the victim that is waiting to be rescued at the second story window on the C side? You never saw them because you chose the moth to flame attack.

Obviously we need additional info to best come up with the strategy for this fire. But in most cases, I would prefer to attack from the C side with an adequately sized line to extinguish the fire and ensure adequate ventilation on the A side to…push the fire, smoke, heat, and steam out of the building. Our first line would be a 1 ¾” with a 15/16” tip for most room and content fires.

Anyway, there’s my 2 cents for what it is worth. Keep up the good work and stay safe!

Well I just have to ask. How many of these posts really have proof they pushed fire. If I place a 1-3/4" tip into the middle of a propane tree what does it do? If I use a fog nozzle what does it do? If I use two nozzles what does the propane tree do? The answer to these questions can help you a lot to determine when you are really pushing fire. Do I think that a hose line covering the only vent h*** can cause additional damage? Yes. Do I think that using an indirect attack on a fully involved garage with half of the large garage door gone or a direct attack, if possible (always best to try and get the base of the fire) with a tip is going to push fire? No. Some one in the above posts reminded us of using a nozzle to vent a building. Hmmmm great thought! So what does it take to do that? How do we set up a fan for ventilation? These are considerations when fighting fire also as the width of the stream and the h*** we are pushing out of is a big factor. Let me ask this question. Many garages have drywall and a 20 minute door between the garage and the living portion of the house. Why would I open the one thing designed to keep the fire from the rest of the house. If someone knocked the drywall off and the fire kept going I would suggest there was not enough water used properly to overcome the BTUs or the fire had already entered the house.
I prefer to attack from the unburned side BUT never say "never" and never say "always." If I can knock that fire quickly and confidently with the right amount of water and the right tip, my problem goes down very exponentially. The victim suddenly does not have fire beating at their cheap bedroom door or rolling above their head. I've seen fire vent out many a window and I don't think I suddenly saw the fire shoot out farther when the hoseline was used inside. In fact, the first I knew they had hit the fire was a sudden knockdown by enough water in the right place and that clue was water coming out the window.
While I am not fond of heroin or other drugs I think the post above got it right. Slow down, it may save your life and the victims. Using enough water in the right place is probably the problem not pushing the fire.