FE Volume 151 Issue 2

Pellerin Milnor Corporation: Dries 165 to 190 pounds an hour. Produces 310,000 Btus per hour of heat input and 2,000 cfm airflow. Microprocessor controls offer six preset reprogrammable cycles. Features direct-spark ignition, roller drive, and built-in troubleshooting and is serviceable from the front. (800) 469-8780.

How do small volunteer and combination departments prepare for the inevitable big fire? Many things must be considered. In addition to strong tactical capabilities, at the top of the list are preplanning, mutual aid, and incident command. Any of these standing alone could not get the job done. It takes a well-balanced combination of the three to effect an acceptable end result.

I have conducted the following limited-use operation successfully many times when as the first officer on the scene I found a fully involved structure and realized that the volume of fire exceeded that which would respond to the normal fast attack (using a preconnected 134-inch line supplied by the pumper`s booster tank). This method does not take any longer to get water on the fire than it would if we had to remove two 212-inch hoselines from the pumper.

The mark of a well-trained fire department is the ability to perform well under adverse fireground conditions. The simple tasks of stretching a handline, forcing entry into a sealed building, conducting searches, performing ventilation, and extinguishing the fire still are not consistently performed on the fireground. When these tasks are properly executed, most often it is because of well-trained, highly motivated company officers.