I once had a tee shirt with quote from the FDNY's Andy Fredericks that stated if you put the fire out, you will not have to jump out of the window. This was on the heels of the incident in New York, where five members were trapped and needed to bailout of a fifth floor apartment. This tragedy brought to light many things including the need for escape rope systems, and training.
The escape systems became the subject of a hyper focused blitz in all the trade journals and fire training conferences. It is not uncommon for a high profile event to take up space in the world of firefighting, often to the detriment of the basic tenets of our profession. As Andy was pointing out we need to not lose focus on the basics of firefighting. A well placed hose line on the seat of the fire solves all the fire ground problems. The need for rescue is less, the exposures are no longer at risk, and the IDLH is no longer a factor in fire ground operations.
The basic principle of breaking a leg of the fire triangle is still a valid plan, and the most effective means to make the unsafe, safe again. Remember our first priority is LIFE, and it has been shown time again the best method to preserve life is to put the fire out.
No comments:
Post a Comment