Rescue challenges those who cling to absolutes in fear and tradition.
Atlanta firefighters rescued a man from a house fire on 4 March 2013. The facts reported should remind us all that many of the supposed absolutes being shared and debated over on the internet are most always subject to an event that says otherwise.
Hitting the fire from the outside first means you are weak and are contributing to the downfall of the fire service’s aggressive interior attack.
Fox Street, “Things were so bad they had to go into a defensive effort to get the flames knocked down,”
You’ll steam them, hitting it from the outside, which is if they are alive in the first place. With those conditions on arrival, anyone inside is already dead.
Fox Street, “They got him out, took him to Grady Memorial Hospital, conscious and breathing,”
Assistant Chief Chris Wessels “For the amount of fire that was in this building upon the arrival of our first units, it’s a great thing that we were able to actually find someone alive inside,”
Vacant building fires should be fought with defensive operations only; surround and drown; risk little to save little.
Fox Street, “This structure was abandoned and there was a homeless person trying to stay warm because it has been extremely cold all night and this morning.”
Think it over, each time you preach an absolute in the name of safety or tradition.
Additional
“Atlanta firefighters rescue man from burning building” CBS Atlanta
“Man rescued from burning house” 11Alive.com
Bill Carey is the daily news and blog manager for PennWell Public Safety Group (FireRescue Magazine/Firefighter Nation, JEMS and LawOfficer sites.) Bill also manages the FireEMSBlogs.com network and is a former volunteer lieutenant with the Hyattsville Volunteer Fire Department in Prince George's County, Maryland.
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