Tactical Safety : Defensive Fire

Defense Fire

By Ray McCormack

Defensive fire operations may start upon arrival or sometime afterward. Defensive fire operations, by their very nature, use a fall-back mode strategy of containment, withdrawal, and extended operational time just to name a few. Fires that do not respond to or thwart interior operations graduate into defensive fires - and utilize exterior hose streams.

Shooting water through windows and doorways during an exterior fire operation are the primary delivery points available to us. Operating through doors and windows limits our attack scrub area, but it is usually all that remains. Determining when to go defensive through exterior stream placement is a decision not taken lightly; however the choice of less efficient extinguishment always trumps potentially catastrophic results if not undertaken.

A defensive fire posture is not always handled from outside the fire building: Engine companies can switch from aggressive to defensive within the frame work of interior attack. When additional areas or larger fire rooms are come upon, it is not unusual to be in a battle that does not show instant promise. This slug fest often happens at the onset of a good job when the engine is temporally hunkered down due to amount of fire, limited access, and along with below and above grade fire attack.

Not all engine attacks are without pain; some of the pain is relegated to growing; if you believe that things always go like the training tower, that is not the case. Fire areas have a tendency to create surprises in layout, increased hoseline drag, and fire intensity. You must cross the threshold with determination supported by a plan, skill, and teamwork. Aggressive interior attack is the most efficient method of direct extinguishment and egress protection that is provided by limited staffing - the nozzle team.

The need for us to be defensive in our attack also correlates with a thorough fire attack. In other words - really work the room. Moving the nozzle to provide total coverage of the fire room with your initial pass is something the nozzle team needs to work on. We defend ourselves as we march through the fire area by not missing rooms or by an inadequate fire knockdown.

There are special teams in the fire service such as RIT, but there is no special ‘defense team.’ We all must be aware that elements from fire-attack-slowdown, through operational withdrawal, are all part of our game. Upon arrival, we must provide containment and extinguishment; if we switch to defensive, make sure you bring it on just as you should when you go inside. The plan for the game should not be fought within a restrictive framework that dismisses alternative strategies without regard; however, there also needs to be a firm understanding of base extinguishment techniques so that we can provide tactical safety no matter what mode we’re in.

Many have touted that the back-up line should be larger than the one it is backing up. For exterior hose streams, that guideline makes sense. When our attack is rebuffed initially due to a large body of fire or other ingredient that overwhelms us, we need to get a larger line. This next size up larger line may have won our initial battle, but because it was not first choice, we have inherited a defensive posture. The larger line will assist us with extended reach and penetration power and increased efficiency by delivering a substantial increase in extinguishment capability albeit from a limited access vantage point.

Next Tactical Safety – On Guard

Tactical Safety: Stream Shaper

By Ray McCormack

Some nozzles come with stream shapers built within the nozzle while other stream shapers are add-on attachments. Smooth bore nozzles - noted for their solid stream pattern - hold their shape much better when a stream shaper is added to the nozzle package. There is another type of stream shaper in the fire service: that is the people behind the movement of nozzles to exterior positions for initial fire attack.

We are starting to see stream placement through windows in occupied buildings by fully-protected firefighters at what appear to be single-room fires as ‘act one’ upon arrival. This is a very curious “moth- to -the -flame” approach to firefighting which leaves out the most important consideration of line placement: Egress protection!

When we spot window flame and move directly to exterior knockdown, without any interior size-up, we’re operating in deference to interior life safety conditions. The reasoning behind this exterior “shoot to kill” is that it will make it safer for firefighters who eventually will be allowed to go inside the structure. Knowing the true purpose of the interior hoseline is fundamental to firefighter as well as civilian safety.

Nozzle placement, in regard to fire attack, is not just about fire extinguishment. If it were that simple, municipalities could save a lot of money on equipment and personnel by just letting the civilians shoot water through a window. This new modern ‘take’ on the ‘bucket brigade’ could be further regulated and standardized so that every home would come equipped with a set amount of hose and attached nozzle. Any time a fire was spotted, the safety stream could be utilized through any available opening; and the need for timely resources, incident command, situational awareness, crew resource management, azure cards, tags and a balanced attack strategy that the local fire department provides would be greatly diminished.

Not all fires that show themselves are contained just to the show window; what we often see is fire extension from another location. How many lines will be used when you employ thru the window extinguishment? Will it be a single line that initially shoots water through a window, and is then repositioned to the doorway? Will it be a single line, and after the shoot – to – kill, the line enters through the target window? Should there be a second line? Will it be the one inside? Should the second line be at the window?

Do you know where your hoseline belongs? Does your placement convert to improved safety? Make sure your stream is in the right place to provide tactical safety for all.

Next Tactical Safety – Fire Defense

Tactical Safety: Benchmarks

By Ray McCormack

We use benchmarks on the fireground for determining levels of accomplishment through determining levels of deterioration. Benchmarking progress during fires - and timely accountability of your people - is part of fire extinguishment, and should be easier with today’s technology. There are other benchmarks that tell us a different story: a story of time, and firefighters who went before. Some of the sagest advice you will ever receive will be passed on to you from a senior firefighter and or officer. What time elapsed benchmarks have you collected for your future use?

We had a bench at my firehouse, made from hardwood and cultured over decades of use. It was not particularly comfortable, but it was set near the corner of the kitchen and provided a great vantage point as to what was taking place within the hub of the firehouse. I can remember that one of our senior firefighters loved sitting there, legs crossed, smoking a pipe, and commenting with total clarity on the multiple conversations and things happening in that busy space. Not only was he a very astute observer, he often orchestrated the events of that room through gentle pokes and prodding, and always with an escape clause, “I’m just a blue shirt what do I know”?

We had a hierarchy of seating in that room; that may have seemed crude to some outsiders, but it worked for us, much like the differences in the fire service that unite us - or separate us, now. What works for one place does not always translate into broad acceptance: Bench time was not for the junior members, and it never seemed a problem as some goals in the fire service must be earned - and waited for. Different ideas for different times wear a beach well. We do not want carbon copies of generations as much as some want you to believe. There is no way that all the benchmarks from decades ago will stand the test of time, and that’s fine; what needs to remain will, and these benchmarks are at our core.

Some benchmarks are deeply grooved straight lines while others tend to bend a bit in one direction or another; still others go full circle, proving that everything old is new again, even in the fire service. The arms of that bench seemed to have the deepest wear from where the elbow rested to the forward end, where a hand was placed into the ‘starting blocks’ of a new response. This fixture of the firehouse tells its story in a silent narrative that all can understand and hopefully appreciate. For it is the not only the stories that are important, it is the story tellers’ comfort that bring about the best tales.

Sometimes a cushion would be added to the bench for comfort and sometimes it was taken away to restore its originality. We often hear versions of stories that contain their own cushion for the storyteller; and some that believe that ‘story cushions’ are unnecessary, and only deflect from the true experience. It is up to each of us to find our place on the bench and our comfort level for storytelling. Sit for a bit and share a story that was told to you and has kept you tactically safe.

Next Tactical Safety – Stream Shaper

Justice for my Brothers' Killer

Justice for My Brothers' Killer

By Ray McCormack

The news that Osoma bin Laden was killed was great news - and will remain great news forever. The death of this famed coward who killed 343 members of my department along with thousands of other innocent victims is justice served. This news is the culmination of a pledge made to America and the FDNY that we would not rest until the murders responsible were caught and brought to justice. The news made me especially proud of our military and security forces, happy that justice was finally served, and peaceful that now this monster that has over shadowed our lives does so no more.

America needs to remember the inspiration 343 firefighters provided us on that terrible day. Today is the day America’s promise to itself was fulfilled; and while we all felt sad and confused on 9/11 we can all feel good about this news. One death can have much healing power; those directly affected by loss have one less concern today.

My brothers do not physically walk among us any more, however, what they did and what they stood for on 9/11 inspired the world. Their sacrifice can never be diminished through forgetfulness, neglect or cultural shift. They are heroes who will live on forever in every firefighter that hears their story. God Bless America and the FDNY.

The Fire Department Polio Vaccine

by Ray McCormack

This week marks the anniversary of the distribution of the polio vaccine to American children. The significance of this endeavor was that Polio was virtually eliminated as a debilitating disease: A disease that struck children, the effects of which stayed with them forever. The fire service needs a vaccine as well when it comes to educational intervention and firefighter safety and effectiveness. This “shot-in-the-arm” needs to be bottled and dispensed at every fire academy - and some providers of which need to wrap their heads around some basic principles of firefighting that some have not passed on. Incomplete foundational firefighting principles are being dispensed to a large portion of the fire service and this ‘placebo’ can hurt us.

The other day, I read a statement by a firefighter who stated we should never attack a fire ‘head-on.’ There were further comments that went on to inform this apparently young firefighter that he was mistaken; and other comments stating that he was at least partially mistaken. None of his detractors spoke to the root cause of his confusion. Can we all have an opinion? Of course! Don’t we all come with one already? That is not the issue; the issue is the fact that many do not understand the role of the hoseline. See, once you understand its primary function, it’s positioning follows suit. Unfortunately, this firefighter’s dilemma was that he was taught wrong. Some fire academy instructors apparently do not understand the role of the hoseline either. If they did, operational discord would be quieted, and the voice of confusion would be lessened.

For a firefighter to say that we never attack a fire head on is just plain, well…unbelievable. This firefighter owes his ignorance to some academy staff somewhere. I’m sorry if you disagree or are offended. If you are, then maybe you believe as he did in a strategy that is not only inefficient, but dangerous. If our new firefighters coming into the fire service are not being taught properly - and this has nothing to do with new techniques or scientific studies; this has everything to do with basic fire extinguishment - then we really do have an epidemic of lost, base knowledge. We are still the fire department - and if we poison our recruits with bad information, then not only will our results be shameful to watch, our people will be in danger as they operate under a cloak of confusion.

You see, the primary function of the hoseline is to protect egress. When hoselines are mistakenly placed in areas that do not protect civilian egress, you’re in the wrong spot. Protect life then property. Yes it’s a simple theory, but it’s more than a theory, it’s a fact. Does it vary at times? It can, but that is not the point. The point remains that you need to understand the initial consideration. If you do not know where your hoseline should be placed initially - or your initial placement is backwards - then of course you don’t get it - and you have been taught without foundation. Remember, civilian egress is the first part of egress protection; firefighter egress is also accomplished once the line is where it needs to be; Think direct access and protection of hallways and stairways.

The biggest problem is in the educational delivery: The fire service which differs on just about everything needs some consensus on this front because it is so (basic). Protecting egress affords us the proper use of our greatest life saving tool: a properly positioned hoseline - Fire extinguishment is the bonus.

So if you have the pleasure to instruct new recruits and old veterans alike, get one thing right: the hierarchy of hoseline placement. Let’s eradicate this illness from the fire service once and for all and put our students on the right track. Proper line placement is the key to fireground success for everyone. Now that didn’t hurt did it?

The Aggressees

The Aggressees

by Ray McCormack

Many do not understand the Agressees at all

Prefering to think them a bit outta sync

Some call it old school, with a snicker and scowl

Old school or new, the Agressees adapt

for a 360 is simply a lap

easily done in a snap

for the Agressees, its simple, flat out is the speed

Which is always best tempered by need

Many do not understand the Agressees at all

Who love to kill the enemy, spring, summer, winter and fall

They break things; and move forward to battle the beast

Hit em’ with water to melt em’ away

Some still do not understand the need for a good spray

They look for the hidden, who are hidden indeed

To find them fills our core need

The Agressees are chided for being so bold

But you have to remember, their just doing as told

For them, its simple, kill the beast and go home

And when you save a life, is a treat all its own