Outgunned and First Due: Arriving with the 'A' team"

Brian Butler is a Captain with the City of Trenton (NJ) Fire Department. He has 27 years of fire service experience (14 engine, 13 ladder). Currently he is  assigned to L-2 in south Trenton. He is the owner UrbanFireTraining LLC.

Outgunned and First Due: Arriving With The "A" Team

The first arriving company and their initial actions during the first several minutes can make or

break a fire. Often, we arrive without having the additional needed resources on scene to

complete all of the required tasks. How can we assure most of those initial tasks are prioritized

and completed within the first several minutes with limited personnel? Simultaneous actions

and multi-tasking must often be performed to increase the chances of a successful outcome, especially during a confirmed entrapment. Whether arriving on the first due engine without a ladder to reach the 4th floor windows or arriving on a truck company with no tank water, we have to adapt and overcome until additional help arrives. This is not always difficult if you are arriving with the ‘A’ team. Crew capability and preparedness are major factors. The fire service needs more independent critical thinkers who are reliable and CAPABLE of performing tasks solo, and less fireground robots. This presentation will focus on doing more with less on the engine and truck company, prioritizing our tasks during residential and commercial building fires, rapid rescue situations, top floor fires, and the sizeup indicators that factor into our decision making.x