All Blog Posts (3,147)

The working length of hose is critical when it comes to an engine companies ability to rapidly extinguish a fire. The working length is that first 50 feet of hose from the nozzle to the first coupling. It is the money length of hose! If you can get that length to the fire room rapidly then your chances of putting the fire out multiply exponentially. However I feel that even though it is emphasized in training, students still miss the mark on its importance or even recognizing it.…

Last week we discussed NFPA 14 and the design standards and required static and residual pressure parameters for installation.  It is important to remember that standpipe systems designed prior to 1993 have a required operating pressure between 65 psi and 100 psi.  Standpipe systems designed Post 1993 have a required residual pressure between 100 psi and 175 psi. Outlets are required to produce 250 GPM.  REMEMBER, if the standpipe valve is a Pressure Reducing Valve, it does not matter how…

When it comes to rank there are those who think that respect comes with it. This thinking is so far from the truth it is almost laughable. We know that respect is earned and not given. I do agree that you need to respect the rank, but not always the person.  The question is, how does one earn respect? Respect is earned over a long period of time. The day you walk into the fire house be it career of volunteer you are being watched and evaluated by your actions. There are many thing you will…

Are You A “Truck Driver” Or Do You Just Drive the Truck?

By: Ricky Riley

From: Art Of Firemanship Winter 2017

It’s shift change at your firehouse, or maybe you’ve come in to drive for a couple hours at the volunteer house. You grab your gear and head to the rig you’ve been assigned to drive and throw your gear in the compartment.…

This week we will be discussing NFPA 14 “Standard the Installation of Standpipe and Hose Systems”.  Over the next two weeks we will discuss nozzle tip size and hose sizes for standpipe operations.  This information from today will help set a background on the numbers that will be used over next few weeks.

Warning: This post may be lengthy and somewhat boring but the information is crucial to understanding weapon selection.  This is a small talk about a big…

               Abandoned structures are a part of almost every community in this country. But abandoned and vacant are two very different things. If you work in any urban, and most metro areas, you have more than likely heard something similar to this statement on your radio. “Fire reported in a vacant house.” To some firefighters, like me, this statement means absolutely nothing. I step off the truck with the mindset that every tenable space within that…

Many of you may have heard the saying that there are drivers and there are operators. A senior captain once said to me that we didn’t have very many operators left and we needed to get back on track. A good operator is critical and we all need to ensure that’s what we are putting on our rigs. So, let’s take a look at a few differences. For this entry, I will focus on the Engine Operator.

What is a driver?

Being a driver…

Possibly the best-known standard in the fire service regarding standpipes is NFPA 14.  The reason we are most familiar with this standard is probably because this standard gives the fire service power. NFPA 14 is the Standard for the Installation of Standpipes and Hose Systems. This standard is the authority we use that holds contractors and manufactures accountable…

It wasn’t until recently; with the passing of Chief Alan “Bruno” Brunacini, that I realized just how very fortunate in the later portion of the first decade of my career I have been. I have had the opportunity to train and learn from some of what I consider the greatest leaders in the modern American fire service. All of these men and women stepping up to guide me made me realize just how critical the role of the mentor is in our business.…

A lot of discussion was generated by my last post (Worth Dying For?! at http://community.fireengineering.com/profiles/blog/show?xg_source=activity&id=1219672%3ABlogPost%3A641725]), both pro and con, and much of it quite strongly-worded.  (To me, the most amusing comments are from those who claimed to stop reading my post when they reached a point with which they…

The age old debate in the fire service among nozzle men is certainly smoothbore vs the combination fog nozzle.  Both have their place in the fire service. Both have advantages and disadvantages.  However, when it comes to standpipe operations their is only room for one, and that is the Smoothbore nozzle.

Here are a couple of reasons why:

1) Pressure - Smoothbore nozzles are low pressure, they operate their rated flow at 50 psi. Why is this important in…

Engine Company Riding Assignments

In the following blog post I’m going to be discussing riding assignments for members of engine companies, but riding assignments overall are a good choice to aid in eliminating confusion and help streamline task completion early on in an incident. You can use riding assignments for any apparatus but the task or tool assignments would be different for each, for example,…

 By: Jordan Ponder

How does fire travel? Path of least resistance! Why? Because it does have the ability to think! How do firefighters move when we are focused on tasks at hand? Path of least resistance or in whatever way is easiest. Firefighters continue to experience…

-        Knee…

In the sports world there is an increasing awareness of collision induced concussions between football players, soccer players, kids on the playground and others engaged in contact sports other than dancing. There are many other ways to get a concussion. Some common ways include fights, falls, car crashes, and bike accidents. Concussions can also happen while participating in any sport or activity such as football, boxing, hockey, soccer, skiing, or…

My very first encounter with Chief Alan Brunacini was not what I would have hoped for. I was attending my first FDIC and was sitting through a presentation on how to submit articles to become a Fire Engineering author. Being the introvert that I am, I naturally sat in the back row while taking notes. Chief Lasky had already set the fire under my tuchas two days earlier to…

Today we will discuss the Denver Fold and the New York Fold.

These two are my favorite folds.  They meet all of the criteria laid out in last weeks article.  They are broken down into 50’ sections, they fold easy, and they flake easy.  The deployment of both is practically the same.  If you want to see how to deploy them, and I recommend that, go to YouTube and search for the Denver Fold.  There are plenty of videos from different departments including Chief McGrail of Denver…

Truck Company Operations- Keyboard Drill

By: Thomas D. Kuglin Jr.

            As much time that is involved in creating a musical masterpiece it is critical to have the knowledge and skill set to operate your equipment effectively.  Learning a new instrument takes time and practice.  Mistakes will be made and the end result is an unfinished, raw product.  However, over time and with more practice, you’ll be well on…

Do Your Job

Those three little words. It's what citizens expect of you and your department. The citizens, that we took an oath for and swore to protect THEIR life and THEIR…