Matt McDowell's Blog (26)

“[A] FIREFIGHTER  who is uncertain whether he can SAVE someone, or [a] FIREFIGHTER who for religious or moral reasons knows he will not ENTER A BURNING…

I suppose I am fortunate that one of the only ongoing debates between my wife and I are the nuances of loading the dishwasher.  You see, I load the dishwasher the way it was designed to be loaded.  My wife, she believes randomly loading the dishwasher.  We both think that our respective methods work best for fitting the most dishes and getting the job done the best.  Much like the fireground, and numerous other “hot topics” right now, there are many different opinions and theories on the…

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!…

THE SCENARIO:  HEAVY FIRE from the attic w/ extension to TWO other houses!  If this one doesn't test the strength and discipline of your crews and alarm assignments, congratulations!   Give us the report and your RECEO VS considerations.  Enjoy!

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE VIDEO!

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!

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Be Safe

Check out this video.  Heavy fire from the top floor.  Pre-arrival and post arrival footage.  What would you do?  What do you of their tactics?  Give us the report and your RECEO VS considerations.  Surf's up!

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Thanks and 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!

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This week we've got a rippin' 2-story single family dwelling.  Share your strategies, tactics and experience! 

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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…

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…

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…

VSP is one of the hottest topics of conversation in the fire service today.  Captain Marsar’s research has taken the fire service by storm and has created an interesting “new” flavor of the month for those who feed on “firefighter safety through spectatorship”.  Maybe it was because of my animosity for the “let it burn” folks within our profession that I was initially against the concept of deciding if a building is searchable from the front yard and was unfairly biased.  However, the more I…

• 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…

www.safefirefighter.com

I recently updated the through-the-lock setup that I carry in my gear (see pics below).  For years I had used a modified set of locking pliers (ViseGrip style) with separate key tools and shove knife. This setup has proven extremely effective at both alarm runs and working fires.

I've decided to change my setup to a modified "Channelok" setup.  It's going to allow me merge 2 tools into 1 and…

This article is being posted, with permission from the author Jake Rixner

In everyone's career, things are said or done that make the "light bulb turn on".  This article was one of the things that I read early in my career that had a tremendous impact on me.  Immediately after reading it, I knew I had to be a member of the 30% Club, that a 30 percenter was the type of fireman I wanted to be.  Though I 've…

As reported in our nations news, five DC Fire Department members were injured yesterday in an early morning house fire.  They became trapped by a ceiling collapse shortly after making entry. The speed with which the RIC deployed and made rescues, coupled with the the IC immediately requesting a 2nd Alarm resulted in not only rapid rescue of multiple trapped firefighters, but also quick knock down of a serious fire.  

Unlike urban/metro FD's, the suburban FD may not have quite…

Forcible entry is always an interesting discussion around the service. On one side, you've got the forcible entry purists (myself included). These guys can force a door with a safety pin, a rock and a piece of duct tape. Despite their McGyver-esk skills, they prefer the irons.

On the other side of the discussion are the mule kickers. Often mistaken for SWAT Officers, these guys prefer the old size 10 for forcible entry. Kick... grimace... repeat. Sometimes it works, sometimes…