| Prior to taking command of the Rock Hill Fire Department in Missouri, I realized that in the departments that I served with over the years, both as a Firefighter and Company Officer, all operated in a manner that I'm sure you have all heard of: "That's The Way We Have Always Done It". Well, what is this method of firefighting? We would perform only a "windshield size up", no exterior building size up, no interior size up and no timely ventilation. We charged inside with only one thought on our minds, getting water on the fire. We were in "Mission Vision". What is "Mission Vision"? Once inside, we are oblivious to what was going on around us, we didn't recognize changing conditions. We advanced through the building in zero visibility using our hands as our eyes, taking out windows hoping to get some visibility. Sometimes we didn't use proper advancing techniques. We were being exposed to potential flashover conditions due to the having super heated flammable gases flowing over our heads towards the door that we just entered. We did not dare spray water into this smoke layer. Why? We were taught not to apply water to smoke. Vertical ventilation operations was the primary method of ventilating a fire building which was not very timely because of the time it took to perform that operation. In most cases, effective ventilation occurred too late in the game to benefit Firefighters or any trapped victims. We have been taught to use the 30 degree fog pattern which results in copious amounts of steam being created. Timely and effective ventilation of the fire area was not provided, therefore, the steam, not having an outlet to exit the building, blew back on top of us causing painful steam burns. Does any of this sound familiar? During my discussions with Firefighters around the Country, I came to the conclusion that this method of operation was the "norm". It is a mindset, that in my view, needed to be changed. In my opinion, "That's The Way We Have Always Done It" is a dangerous way of interior firefighting, and it is no wonder that we keep injuring and killing Firefighters. After becoming Fire Chief of the City of Rock Hill, Missouri, I discovered that "The Way We Have Always Done It" was the Department's mindset. I set out to make some changes. I was somewhat familiar with the concept of Positive Pressure Ventilation and believed that just maybe this idea could be a tool that could be used to reduce the risks of interior firefighting. After much research, experimenting, testing and training, we began using the idea after fire control. We progressed to the point of developing a SOG that provided for a three person engine company to perform both engine work and some basic truck work upon arrival at a building fire by using Positive Pressure Ventilation as an offensive attack tool, thus, Positive Pressure Attack. Our three person company was able to very effectively provide themselves with "timely" ventilation using this tactic. This new method of operation improved conditions for both my Firefighters and also allowed for any trapped victims to be located quickly and removing them from the hostile area. The length of time of their exposure to toxic gases and heat could be reduced using this tactic. Training and education were the keys to changing this mindset. This class was developed based on what we learned over the years using Positive Pressure Attack. |
Instructors Journey to Positive Pressure Attack
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