Firefighters have been attacking fires from the interior for at least 200 years. The reason? It puts you in the best position to apply water directly to the seat of the fire and it puts you in position to occupy the areas of the structure where victims are found. This class will focus on the second half of that reasoning. We will use experience, data (from actual documented rescues), fire behavior and building construction / layout knowledge to prepare ourselves to put THEM first. Performing searches should not be an afterthought, it should be regarded as our highest mission on the fire ground. Come participate in the tradition of sharing knowledge and experience, we will solidify the reason why we go inside.

Contrary to popular belief, Command and Control does not extinguish fires or bring emergencies under control; a very bold statement. However, Command and Control serves an important function at all fires and emergencies. This class will engage the participants in a discussion on just what the Incident Commander's role is and how experience plays a significant part in the process. The important aspect of mutual trust between Incident Commanders and their company officers and firefighters will be thoroughly discussed and how trust is a key ingredient to success. Outcome is not the most important part of the Command process but the process itself is what is important to understand. Chief Richardson will challenge you to engage in a spirited discussion and to bring your perspective to the class.

Firefighters are tactical athletes who need tools/skills to accomplish high-speed problem-solving under pressure. Enhancing human performance is used in professional sports and the United States Olympic teams to get an edge on the competition. This open and honest lecture provides the attendees with information on how their bodies and minds react when the fear response is activated and how to mindfully react to this response and reach optimal human performance. Attendees will walk away with a roadmap for training and developing skills and abilities to perform under pressure.

The Anatomy Of A Push is designed for any firefighter that may find themselves on the nozzle at a fire, as well as the company officers and training officers who are building curriculum and driving company level training. The class begins by confronting the topics of how we view “risk” and “safety” in the fire service, as well as the optimal mindset that provides a firm foundation for the skills covered later.
We discuss why it is important to simplify and give a clear mission to the nozzle person so that human factors that come from the dynamic fireground can be accounted for and so everyone from the most junior firefighter to the most senior can understand how to quickly and simply read the fire behavior and know intuitively what to do with their handline in order to positively effect searchable space. We will work to build basic fire attack decision algorithms that are based on experienced and proven methods in order to capitalize on and build a bias for action in ourselves and our crews. We will also focus on what an "optimistic and opportunistic mindset" look like and why it is important for us to have it in order to build and maintain operational momentum. After discussing the overall mission and mindset, we move to looking at “game film” or thermal imaging footage recorded in heavy fire conditions in multiple acquired structure burns to dissect line placement, fire behavior, water mapping, hit and move vs flowing while moving and how we can enhance and protect life space and search efforts just by how we use and move our line through the building. We discuss the various pieces of “anatomy” that make for a high quality fire attack on single or multiple rooms of fire in residential structures where we exist to protect and preserve life with our handline.