Vent-enter-search, commonly called VES or VEIS when isolation is emphasized, is a focused search tactic used to reach potentially trapped occupants through an exterior window or other approved opening. At a residential fire, VES can place firefighters directly into bedrooms and other high-priority areas that may be difficult to reach through the structure’s interior. VES …
Continue reading “Leading a Vent-Enter-Search Assignment: Best Practices for Company Officers”
Firefighters are entrusted with extraordinary responsibilities. They enter people’s homes, care for vulnerable patients, protect private property, make decisions under pressure, and represent their department in public. Because of that trust, learning to be a firefighter involves more than mastering ladders, hose lines, search techniques, and emergency medicine. Young firefighters must also develop the moral …
Continue reading “Teaching the Moral and Ethical Foundations of the Fire Service”
When the first-arriving company officer assumes command of a working fire before the arrival of a chief officer, the entire trajectory of the incident is often shaped within the first several minutes. Those early decisions influence firefighter safety, survivability for occupants, fire spread, accountability, communications, and ultimately the outcome of the incident. The company officer …
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The Third Bugle