The company and command officer’s ability to accurately and effectively read the building establishes not only the direction of an incident but also its potential outcome. What can you access from this street view of this building, its occupancy risks and structural and collapse profile? What type of strategies and tactics would you employ upon […]

A fire in a three story multiple family apartment building injured four City of Chicago (IL) firefighters when an interior stairway collapsed during firefighting operations. The building was constructed in 1927 and consisted of 5456 square feet of space with 3-5 apartment units. Built of masonry wall construction with a wood floor joist system, the […]

Before Making Entry, while in the street; Has someone completed or assigned reconned a 360 of the building? Have you looked at the Building and its Profile? Made a Rapid Risk Assessment? Assessed the Building’s Anatomy? Considered the Compartment? Considered the Fire Dynamics? Assessed the Predictability of Performance? Scanned for Situational Awareness? Considered the MELT? […]

On March 14, 2001 the Phoenix (AZ) Fire Department lost firefighter Brett Tarver at the Southwest Supermarket fire. Remembering Brett Tarver and the Lessons Learned In that event, it was 5:00 in the afternoon, the grocery store was full of people and fire was extending through the building. Phoenix E14 was assigned to the interior […]

Victim #1 was acting as the Incident Safety Officer and Victim #2 was performing overhaul, when the bell tower collapsed on them and numerous other fire fighters.

The Strand Theater Fire turned from a routine fire into one of the worst tragedies in Brockton and Massachusetts history,

Rapid changing conditions and smoke explosion result in close call to operating companies in New Jersey

Residential Fire Injures Seven Firefighters: Wind Driven Conditions Suspected. Apparent wind driven condition contributed to rapidly escalating fire conditions resulting in extreme fire behavior during initial fire suppression operations being coordinated at a single family residential dwelling (SFD) fire Friday night February 24th in Riverdale, MD

This incident appeared from the onset to be a routine “room and contents” fire that the SFFD encounters on a regular basis. As the Companies were performing standard fireground operations, the incident rapidly deteriorated due to a hostile fire event. The failure of a window in the fire room allowed fresh oxygen to enter the room, providing a fire that was deprived of one of the key elements of combustion to rapidly intensify.

FDNY Brooklyn Box 4080: 17 Vandalia Avenue 12.18.1998