Developing Training Priorities in Smaller Fire Departments
Robert Callahan looks at the most efficient ways smaller fire departments can train to maximize their fireground success.
Robert Callahan
The Latest
Robert Callahan, Fire Instructor and Longtime Fire Engineering Contributor, Passes Away
Robert Callahan, an FDIC International instructor and a longtime Fire Engineering author, has passed away.
‘My ‘She-Shed’ Is on Fire!’: Response to Fires in Residential Workshops and Outbuildings
Fire department command staff must identify residential outbuildings in their district and develop response plans for them. Read more from Robert Callahan.
Three Options for Training Rookie Volunteers
One of the most daunting challenges for fire departments is how to effectively train new volunteer members. Read more from Bob Callahan.
More Robert Callahan
Podcast: In Their Own Words: Robert Callahan on Small Box Stores
Robert Callahan, captain and fire prevention officer with Bossier Parish (LA) Fire District 1, talks to host Joe Pronesti about his recent article, "10 Commandments for Operations in Small Box Stores with Limited Staffing."
Preparing for Low-Frequency/High-Risk Events in Small Departments
Think that incident could never happen here? Robert Callahan on how smaller departments can plan and prepare for catastrophic responses.
10 Commandments for Operations in Small Box Stores with Limited Staffing
Robert Callahan describes the risks that firefighters face in fires in small- and medium-sized box stores, now present in almost every community.
Three Options for Training Rookie Volunteer Members
Robert Callahan draws on his expansive experience as a firefighter and instructor to present and evaluate three options departments can use to train their rookie volunteer members.
Tools: What’s in Your Pockets, and Why?
The article focuses on why firefighters should carry at least four essential tools in their pockets, and additional ones according to the emergency response needs of one’s department. Senior firefighters are important in encouraging and reinforcing this practice.
The Officer’s Guide to Preparing for and Commanding Large Vehicle Fires
Robert Callahan explains how increased size and modern construction materials have escalated the hazards associated with these vehicle incidents and have necessitated a change not only in firefighting tactics but also in the way that the chief and company officers prepare for and manage these incidents.. He notes also that today’s commercial conditions have made it probable that responders even in the smallest of communities may have to respond to these calls and that, therefore, officers and their crews should be fully trained to answer the call.
Fighting Small and Medium-Sized Box Store Fires with Limited Personnel
Just about every community has these stores. But what do you do when you are operating with limited staffing, apparatus, and experience at working incidents in these structures? ROBERT CALLAHAN
Why I Teach: Bob Callahan
Bob Callahn developed this class once he realized that the tactics we were using for years on legacy large vehicles were no longer effective.