AGGRESSIVE COMMAND

Chief Mo Davis, District Chief 68, City of Houston Texas Fire Department.

The rapidly changing environment on a fire scene requires strong, proactive, and aggressive decision makers. This is true for the Incident Commander as well. The incident commander sets the pace and leads to successful outcomes. Aggressive firefighters deserve to have an equally aggressive incident commander.

The incident commander needs to be well trained, actively involved in the incident and a strong since of situational awareness. Good incident commanders know their crews, trains their crews to a specific level, and supports their assignments by not micromanaging them. Aggressive commanders read the current situation, rapidly develops an incident action plan, and makes critical assignments to fix whatever problem persists.

This class discusses situation awareness, letting crews complete necessary assignments without being micromanaged and having the training and nerves to give dangerous assignments with built in back up procedures. The class is good for all levels of training from firefighter, company officer, and the incident commander.

MANAGING THE MAYDAY

Chief Mo Davis, District Chief 68, City of Houston Texas Fire Department.

The lost, trapped, or injured firefighter situation is very difficult and very stressful to manage.    Like anything else on the fireground, the mayday requires strong leadership, immediate decision making and the ability to adapt to the changing events.  The “naturalist leader” is a must.

How does one become a naturalist leader during a mayday?  Constant preparation, and training.  This class discusses the importance of proper training, strong leadership, and the ability to adapt.

PREVENTING THE MAYDAY ON THE AGGRESSIVE FIREGROUND: STAYING OUT OF TROUBLE WHEN WE’RE DOING IT RIGHT.

Chief Clyde Gordon, District Chief 8, City of Houston Texas Fire Department.

This class is an in-depth look at tactics and mindset that allow firefighters to work aggressively on the fire ground without getting into trouble. It teaches the clues that allow the firefighter to make good decisions and recognize conditions and warning signs that could lead to a mayday situation and provides tactics that work in the urban and suburban areas to maximize the manpower available and place the fire victim first.

Today’s fireground requires tactics that take modern fire behavior, building construction, and response models into consideration. We must use the UL studies, Firefighter Rescue Survey results, and civilian fire fatalities data to better deploy our local fire resources to meet life safety and property loss priorities. When smoke detectors fail, the fire service cannot fail, because we are the last line of defense. This class will provide approaches to getting the annual civilian fire fatality numbers consistently below 2,000 a year by showing you how to use data to assist us in adjusting our fireground assignments in the first five to seven minutes to remove trapped occupants sooner while still using decades of proven fireground tactics that work.

Chief Curt Isakson will open up at 8:00a on Tuesday August 22nd with The Foundation of Success, How Failure Brings the Ultimate Success that Lasts.

Nozzlemanship: Interior Nozzle Operations

This class will pass on some of the most critical skills and lessons needed to be an effective nozzle firefighter. Topics include:

• The nozzle mindset.
• Flowing and moving.
• Base fire extinguishment.
• Proper nozzle grip.
• Dealing with fire behind you.
• Large area nozzle movement.
• Moving in.
• Stream reach vs. nozzle reach.
• Sweeping the floor.
• Multiroom attack.
• Void control.

After taking this class, you will have a 360-degree view of what a well-developed nozzle firefighter needs to know and do on today’s fireground.

DOWN & DIRTY DECISION MAKING Chief Corley Moore, Battalion Chief, City of Moore Oklahoma Fire Department. This class is designed to turn people into “awe-inspiring, command-presence-having, cool-as-a cucumber, fireground decision makers.” Of course, no class can turn someone into the ultimate fireground commander. Provided are the tools and a framework to begin the journey to be that kind of commander. It starts on the premise that making decisions is simple when you understand your priorities. Just remember that simple does not mean easy!

In this class, you will learn all about stretching hose and drilling techniques essential to Engine Companies’ success in urban and suburban environments. The program covers topics such as the line choice of the first due engine, leader lines, hose bundles, flat load deployment off the transverse, and 2 1/2 deployment for blitzing. After completing the class, you will have a better and more detailed understanding of these crucial concepts.

THE RESIDENTIAL PLAYBOOK

Keith Stakes, Research Engineer, UL Fire Safety Research Institute & Battalion Chief, Bethesda-Chevy Chase Rescue Squad.

As questions continue to arise into how fire department interventions affect fire dynamics, firefighter safety and victim survivability in structure fires, UL’s Fire Safety Research Institute (FSRI) is working to address these knowledge gaps through firefighting tactics research. FSRI has now completed a suite of projects covering suppression, ventilation and search & rescue operations on the residential fireground. This presentation will be a summary of the ideal execution of suppression methods and how to coordinate these efforts with both ventilation and search tactics to maximize firefighter safety and victim survivability.
This culmination of research studies into the residential fireground has led to the gold standard of how these fire department interventions should be implemented on your fireground. The results from these studies will be shared in the form of tactical considerations for you to take back to your department and adapt and adopt as you see fit based on your response model, your staffing, and specifics of your local area.

The GRAB ANALYSIS program highlights four civilian rescues captured on video, including the tactics and strategies used in each rescue. “MAKING THE GRAB” success depends on the firehouse culture, purpose, preparation, and execution. This class further dives into first-hand accounts of civilian rescues for you to apply lessons learned in urban, suburban, and rural environments. The instructor, Battalion Chief DJ Stone was directly involved in two of the rescues featured in the program.

CAN CONFIDENCE

A look into gaining can confidence for fire ground success. The 2 ½ gallon water extinguisher, the can, allows the search team to quickly place water between the fire and potential victims. 

The water can is arguably the most underutilized tool in the fire service found on nearly every fire apparatus. Let’s start the lifesaving extinguishment process by applying what could be; the fire’s first interaction with water.

This class is designed to build confidence on one of the most often neglected tools found on nearly every fire apparatus: the 2 1/2-gallon water extinguisher. The “Can” can be an extremely effective life saving tool by allowing a well-trained firefighter to quickly apply water between fire and victims. Attendees will learn proper filling and pressurization steps, how to build homemade carrying straps and other useful “Can” modifications. The class will also cover valuable skills on carrying and searching with the “Can,” and confining fire with it. Students will cycle through a “force an interior door off its hinges” prop and use this door to simulate holding back fire and smoke.

The target audience for this class is firefighters and fire officers at any level with a desire to increase their confidence and learn how to properly utilize the water can.

Objectives:

• Tactics utilized when searching with the water can
• Cover various types of water can modifications and carrying straps
• Proper filling and pressurization steps
• Force the interior door off the hinges prop
• Proper search techniques with a water can and other tools
• Understanding the importance of quickly placing water between the fire and victims ahead of the hose line
• Understanding fire behavior to yield better outcomes with 2.5 gallons of water
• When and how to split interior search crews to increase victim survival
• Communicating with and coordinating the first due Engine Company
• Confining fire with the water can and an interior hollow core door