Closed Structures; those buildings with limited ready accessibility to the exterior or by virtue of size and volume related to square footage of area and interior configurations, design and impediments increases operational risk significantly. If companies and commanders are unprepared, complacent or do not engaged in the fluid size-up and risk profiling of the building […]
On Monday, January 19, 2015, a fire occurred at a residential dwelling located at 936 Childs Point Road, Annapolis, Anne Arundel County, Maryland 21401. The two-story occupied single family dwelling was approximately 16,386 square feet in size and sustained a complete loss to the structure and contents. The damage was estimated to be approximately […]
The Predictability of Building Performance must take into consideration that in the context of today’s fire ground, buildings and fire dynamics, small changes on initial compartment or structure conditions may often produce and result in large-scale or magnitude changes that affect the long term outcome of the incident. We have assumed that the routiness or […]
The company and command officer’s ability to accurately and effectively read the building establishes the not only the direction of an incident but also it’s potential outcome. What can you access from this street view of this building, it’s occupancy risks and structural and collapse profile? What type of strategies and tactics would you employ […]
Worcester Cold Storage Tragedy On December 3, 1999, a five-alarm fire at the Worcester Cold Storage & Warehouse Co. building claimed the lives of six brave firefighters who responded to the call. These six heros, The Worcester 6, sacrificed their lives to try and rescue two individuals who were believed to be trapped inside the […]
A 44-year fire service veteran and a highly regarded national and international instructor, author, lecturer and fire officer, he is a distinguished authority on building construction issues affecting the fire and emergency services and has traveled throughout the United States and internationally delivering training programs on building construction, command management and operational safety. A former Adjunct Instructor with the National Fire Academy, he is a past member of the Board of Directors, IAFC Safety, Health & Survival Section and a past Vice-President with the International Society of Fire Service Instructors. A former architect and fire protection engineer, he was the 1987 ISFSI George D. Post National Fire Instructor of the Year. He is the Chief of Training for the Command Institute (NY|DC) is a Consultant to NIOSH (USA) Firefighter Fatality Investigation & Prevention Program and a well-respected Tactical Theorist, researching and developing emerging and cutting edge strategic and tactical operational methodologies and is active in numerous national & international fire service agenda programs and committees. He is the Executive Producer of the Buildingsonfire.com, FiregroundLeadership.com and Co-produces TheFireOfficer.com. He lectures and instructs throughout North America and Internationally