(fireengineering.com)

By John F. “Skip” Coleman, Technical Editor

We are learning new concepts related to initial fire operations because of the Underwriters Laboratories and National Institute of Standards and Technology studies. Controlling the door and subsequent flow path identification are some of the new concerns. In light of the new findings, coupled with our more standard tactics and evolutions, look at the house on fire below to answer this month’s Roundtable.

Click to view video

Roundtable question: Assuming that this is no longer a “ventilation-limited” fire situation, which assignment would you consider safer—assigning the second-in unit to be the Rapid Intervention Group or the Backup Group? To post your comments, go to fireengineering.com/roundtable.html.

WEBCASTS

On June 12, Chief Kriss Garcia, American Fork (UT) Fire & Rescue, will present “PPA: Where Do We Go from Here?” On June 26, Training Instructor David Griffin, Charleston (SC) Fire Department, will present “Lessons Learned from the SC Fatal Sofa Store Fire.” Webcasts are free, but you must register. If you miss these or any other Webcasts, they are archived on emberly.fireengineering.com for six months.

FDIC COVERAGE

Full coverage of the Fire Department Instructors Conference, held in Indianapolis, Indiana, April 7-12, can be found at http://emberly.fireengineering.com/fdic.html. See hands-on training videos and photos, keynote addresses, and award presentations. Also see the 2015 Call for Presentations link. The deadline for submissions is June 30!

FIRE LIFE

In Off Duty with Kevin Shea, Fire Department of New York Lieutenant (Ret.) Kevin Shea begins a multipart series “Old Stomping Grounds” and returns to Long Island, New York, where he first learned to hunt. Visit www.firelife.com to view the videos.

PHOTO OF THE DAY: Members of the Indianapolis (IN) Fire Department battle a three-alarm fire in a large warehouse in April during FDIC. (Photo by Dave Dubowski.) See more photos at http://bit.ly/ 1lwwEGX. Send your Photo of the Day submissions to Peter Prochilo (peterp@pennwell.com).

FEATURED ARTICLES

John M. Buckman III writes in “Professional Development for the Firefighter in 2014 and Beyond”: “There is no cookie cutter for creating competent firefighters. Although Nartional Fire Protection Association 1001, Standard for Fire Fighter Professional Qualifications, provides a means for determining competency in written and practical skill examinations for certification purposes, there are limits placed on the training at the local level because of time constraints and funding.” (http://bit.ly/1fsgny0)

David DeStefano writes in “Ten Tips for the 10-Year Veteran”: “Some firefighters tend to feel they can fulfill familiar responsibilities with their eyes closed and engage them on autopilot, where they coast through each day.” (http://bit.ly/1fPcOyD)

Mike Donahue writes in “Improvising Anchor Points”: “In technical rope rescue, anchor points are the foundation of everything you do. Without them, you cannot accomplish anything.” (http://bit.ly/1hk792U)

Demetrius A. Kastros writes in “House Fire 101”: “To ensure the most important priority in any fire department—the safe return of all personnel—even a room-and-contents fire requires multiple companies on scene and the use of an effective management tool such as the incident command system.” (http://bit.ly/1pvNB0D)

Brian P. Kazmierzak and Drew R. Smith write in “Are You Listening to the Research?”: “It seems that most of the fire service is only hearing one side or the other and not the entire message behind the tactics and the studies off which they are based.” (http://bit.ly/1gvITKT)

Joe McClelland writes in “You’ve Received a Mayday—Now What?”: “My friends and acquaintances who have been in command of a rescue situation at an emergency scene or directly involved in the rescue/removal of a trapped or lost firefighter always have the same response: ‘That was the toughest thing I ever had to do!’ ” (http://bit.ly/1gtpMBu)

COMMUNITY MEMBER OF THE MONTH
Name: Marnie Price. Department: Valdese (NC) Fire Department. Rank: firefighter. Years of public service: 13. Agency structure: combination department.