This is a very good video put together by Peoria Fire Training. The video details a strip mall fire on 99th Avenue just north of Peoria in Arizona. Take a look at the video, share it with others, and take a look at some of the information below.
Situational Awareness and Decision Making
As firefighters we often face a multitude of decisions that need to be made at a moments notice. This situations are very hard to prepare for on the spot, they must be churning in your mind before they happen. Fundamentally what we do at a structure fire hardly ever changes. However, the situation we are faced with is never the same. We must rely on those fundamental play calls that every department should have down to a science. Then when we encounter extraordinary situations we have the ability to audible to a solution.
So, if we have the plays mastered and we have rolled scenarios through our minds prior to the incident then our primary focus should be to recognize the blind side that can come at any moment. All other functions on the fireground should be fluid and understood so that we remain open to audibles and call them when we need to.
Hats off to the Peoria Fire Department for sharing this information. With training videos like these thousands of firefighters can learn from their experiences and recognize those red flags that are present on many of our day to day incidents.