Should Fire Company Officers Ensure a Backup Hoseline is in place before Fire Attack?

Fireground decision-making is rarely binary. It is dynamic, risk-weighted, and dependent on conditions observed in real time. One recurring operational question for company officers is whether a backup hoseline must be in position—or at minimum advancing—before initiating interior fire attack. This issue intersects doctrine from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), International Fire Service Training …