BY NICHOLAS A. MARTIN
To successfully combat any structural fire, a coordinated symphony of operations must occur simultaneously. This is in conflict with the fact that many of the nation’s fire departments operate with limited staffing and resources. As a result, we must seek ways to use the resources we do have as efficiently as possible. Below I will discuss how using “two-team” operations maximizes your firefighting efficiency and ensures that essential fireground tasks are accomplished simultaneously.
First, remember that truck company operations are about tasks and not about the vehicle. Although many fire departments don’t have a dedicated truck company, they still perform ventilation, forcible entry, search, and other tasks that are traditionally categorized as “truck work.” These operations are often assigned to an available engine or rescue company; you can apply the “two-team” concepts discussed below to these situations, too.
STRUCTURAL FIRE TASKS
At a structural fire, an engine company’s operations typically focus on one goal—getting the hoseline in place and operating on the fire. This is an essential task; if we put the fire out, all our other problems will go away. It is also the point around which most other fireground tasks revolve. Depending on the complexity of the hose stretch, the entire engine company, whether it has two or six members, will be supporting that single task—as they should be. Unnecessarily taking firefighters away from assisting in the stretch will slow the speed at which we get water on the fire (photo 1).
 |
| (1) Photos by author. |
However, other operations must occur simultaneously with the hose stretch. If these operations are not coordinated with the engine company, the entire fireground may fall apart (photo 2). Someone must ensure that forcible entry is being performed if it is necessary. Members must perform ventilation, place ladders for egress, expose hidden fire, and control utilities. Many of these actions support the extinguishment operation and allow the engine company to make its push; others tasks, such as search and rescue, are critical to protecting civilian life and are highly urgent.
 |
| (2) |
As the engine company focuses on getting water on the fire, most of these other tasks are left to the truck company. At many fire scenes, you will see all the members of a truck crew performing the same task, but often this is a waste of precious staffing. I can recall responding to a fire as the officer of a tower ladder with a crew of six and being ordered to have my company “vent the roof.” We were one of the first units to arrive, and there were many other tasks that had to be completed. The roof operation was routine—two firefighters could easily accomplish it, leaving the four other crew members essentially standing around watching. Was that really the most efficient use of our crew? What if I had sent two firefighters to vent the roof and assigned the rest of the crew to accomplish the other tasks?
We must remember that the fire scene is not static—it is constantly changing, second by second. We try to “prioritize” these fireground tasks so they are performed in order of importance, but that order constantly changes as the fire progresses. If our entire crew focuses on one task, by the time it is completed, the fireground is suffering because another task has not yet been completed. This cycle repeats, and we end up chasing our tail around the fire scene trying to play catch-up. The truth is that the fire goes best when all these essential tasks are performed simultaneously.
THE TWO-TEAM APPROACH
Most truck “company” operations require only two firefighters—and some of the exterior tasks may be safely accomplished with one firefighter. Using the two-team approach, we can divide the fireground and conquer the essential tasks that we must accomplish during the structural fire’s initial attack phase. In photo 3, as two firefighters force entry, another places ladders, and another prepares to ventilate horizontally. All this occurs as the engine company stretches its line. Apply this concept to a small, three-person crew, and expand it as the crew size increases. The specific tasks that firefighters perform may vary among departments but in general are divided into two areas: inside tasks and outside tasks.
 |
| (3) |
Interior team. The interior team tool complement should include the following: appropriate forcible entry tools, a thermal imaging camera, hooks, and a pressurized water can.
The interior team should team up with the engine company and support the push into the fire area by performing tasks such as the following:
- Forcible entry for the engine company.
- Horizontal ventilation in coordination with the hose stretch, as the fire’s location and conditions dictate.
- Search for victims and fire location.
- Expose hidden fire.
Because of their location inside the fire, the interior team should consist of at least two firefighters. If you have a larger crew, the interior team may increase to three firefighters. Figure 1 shows some suggested crew distributions.
Exterior team.Don’t let its location outside the building fool you; this team will perform some of the most important tasks on the fireground, such as removal of security devices, placement of ladders, and coordinated ventilation. With these jobs done early, the inside teams can do their job with greater efficiency and safety (photo 4).
 |
| (4) |
The exterior tool complement should include the following: appropriate portable ladders; an aerial ladder, if available; and appropriate tools for forcible entry and ventilation.
Exterior team operations will include the following:
- Positioning the aerial apparatus and its ladder device, if applicable.
- Placing ground ladders for access and egress.
- Forcing additional points of entry.
- Removing window bars and security gates, if present.
- Coordinating horizontal ventilation with the advancement of the hoseline.
- Performing vertical ventilation when appropriate (should be performed by two-firefighter teams).
- Conducting vent-enter-search (VES) of upper floors when appropriate (should be performed by two-firefighter teams).
- Controlling exterior utilities, if applicable.
- Placing lights and fans.
Of course, these are general examples and could be easily customized to fit the operations of the specific department.
In Figure 1, the officer leads the interior team and the driver leads the outside team, since in most departments, a senior firefighter fills this position. The two-team concept works even better when coupled with riding assignments that assign appropriate tools to firefighters based on their tasks. Figure 1 shows how departments with variable staffing levels can expand or contract the two-team concept based on the personnel available.
With a crew of only three, the driver must work alone. But even in this situation, he can still operate safely as the “outside team” and perform tasks outside the immediately dangerous to life and health (IDLH) atmosphere, such as placement of ground ladders and the aerial device, horizontal ventilation, control of utilities, and so forth. Completing these tasks will still greatly benefit the fireground.
However, any tasks that require a firefighter to don his SCBA face mask should not be performed without a partner. If the driver is operating alone and sees the need to perform such a task (e.g., cutting a hole in the roof), he should relay that information to the incident commander and request assistance.
Multiple truck companies.You can use the two-team truck concept with a single or multiple truck companies, depending on what resources have been dispatched or are available. A fire in a smaller private dwelling, for example, might receive only one truck company. In this case, that truck company is responsible for performing the necessary tasks on the entire fireground. However, even with the two-team concept, you can expect a single crew to accomplish only so much in a timely manner; a comprehensive size-up will dictate operational priorities. Furthermore, fires in larger buildings (e.g., apartments, row houses, commercial occupancies) will often require assigning additional companies to truck work. In this case, the duties are often the same—they just need to be performed at more locations. At fires in larger buildings, you will need multiple truck companies early in the incident to allow essential truck company tasks to occur. Identify these buildings through preplanning, and dispatch procedures should provide the extra resources (photo 5).
 |
| (5) |
In the multiple truck company scenario, you can divide the duties by location. For example, the first truck might be assigned to sides A and B on the exterior and the fire floor on the interior. The second truck would then cover sides C and D and the floors above the fire. Coupling the two-team concept with standard operating guidelines (SOGs) can easily streamline this and take a lot of weight off of the incident commander’s (IC’s) shoulders, since he will know that certain tasks will be automatically taken care of. Instead of worrying about repeatedly assigning the same general tasks necessary to combat any structural fire offensively, the IC need only worry about relaying instructions specific to that particular incident.
SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES
The two-team truck concept is designed for initial operations at an offensive fire. Of course, there will be situations where it may not apply, such as defensive operations, or to companies arriving later in the fire (multiple alarm). In addition, there may be times when the IC assigns a task that will require the entire truck crew—such as a complicated ventilation operation or a large-area search operation. In these situations, the officer will have to direct the crew’s tasks as the situation dictates. However, for most departments, such scenarios occur significantly less often than “routine” fires and are more the exception than the rule.
COMMUNICATION AND ACCOUNTABILITY
This two-team system and the nature of truck work require that different tasks be performed in different places simultaneously. From an accountability standpoint, this might raise a few concerns: How do we know where our crew members are, and how do we know they are doing the right thing? SOGs that explain roles and expectations should address these issues. As long as firefighters play by the rules and follow the SOGs, we should know where they are and what they are doing. Should we need to locate them or change their tasks, we can accomplish this easily.
Additionally, there are some general guidelines we should try to follow:
- When possible, assign experienced firefighters to truck companies, or at least partner them with an experienced firefighter. Truck work requires situation-specific decision making that benefits from past fireground experience. For example, a probationary firefighter should not have to make decisions alone about when and where to horizontally ventilate—a decision that, if incorrect, could have serious consequences.
- Firefighters should notify their officer that they have completed their assigned tasks so that they may receive the next task. Do this face-to-face when possible or by radio if necessary.
- If members deviate from their assigned task or location, they must communicate this to the company officer or, if he can’t be contacted, to the IC.
The two-team concept is not a license to freelance. Firefighters must understand that they are being entrusted to work in small teams and sometimes away from the officer. They must make responsible decisions and communicate with their officer before making any deviation from their assignment.
Depending on your department operations and the district in which you respond, it may be advantageous to require firefighters to communicate with the officer prior to initiating certain actions. Some examples might include the following:
- Initial horizontal ventilation. If ventilation is performed in the wrong location before a charged hoseline is in place, disastrous consequences could result, such as unintended fire growth or extension. For this reason, some departments require that the outside vent firefighter first receive an order or permission before “taking the windows.”
- Vertical ventilation. Policy might dictate that members may only open natural openings and that permission is required to cut a ventilation hole. Or it may dictate that members automatically cut a top hole at certain types of fires, such as at a top-floor fire.
- VES. This is an excellent technique of entering above the fire to search, but the IC should be aware that firefighters are entering above the fire without the protection of a hoseline.
The goal of the “two-team” truck company is to maximize use of the fireground’s most precious resource, personnel. To ensure the attack phase of an offensive fire attack goes smoothly, many tasks must be completed simultaneously. By delegating interior and outside tasks to smaller coordinated teams, personnel can accomplish these tasks simultaneously as the engine company advances on the fire.
In implementing this concept, you must provide SOGs that explain expectations and roles along with training and practice. Specific implementation of the two-team truck company may need to vary among departments based on their districts, operations, and staffing. However, the overall concept is broadly applicable to all departments and will help ensure a safer, more efficient fireground.
Nicholas Martin will present the workshop “Single Truck Company Operations” at FDIC 2010 in Indianapolis, Indiana, on Monday, April 19, 2010, 8:00 a.m-12:00 p.m.
NICHOLAS A. MARTIN is a firefighter with the District of Columbia Fire Department, assigned to Truck Company 6 in Columbia Heights. He is also a firefighter with the Kentland (MD) Volunteer Fire Department. He has more than 15 years of firefighting experience and has a bachelor’s degree in fire science from the University of Maryland and a master’s degree in public safety management from Johns Hopkins University. He is a vice president of Traditions Training, LLC, and instructs nationally on operations.
