10-Minute Training: High winds & multiple renovations complicate fire in a commercial building. What would you do?

Firefighters watching incident videos frequently think about what they would do if facing the same situation. Ten-Minute Training drills leverage this inclination using incident video, photographs or a simulation based on incident conditions in tactical decision-game (TDG) format. TDGs help us develop and exercise the cognitive skills incident commanders require. Every month, the B Shifter Buckslip will feature a 10-Minute Training scenario designed to provide a bit of synthetic experience while enhancing your ability to recognize patterns, identify relevant cues, expectancies, and anomalies, set plausible goals, and develop a workable incident action plan. EachTen-Minute Training will focus on either a company officer serving as IC No. 1, a command officer serving as IC No. 2, or a tactical supervisor.

This month, we’re heading to Hyannis, Mass., to tackle a fire in an older, renovated, multi-occupancy commercial building. High winds and a downwind residential-over-commercial exposure further complicate the situation, adding to the challenges faced by IC No. 1.

SCROLL DOWN to see this month’s 10-Minute Training, or click here to download the file. If you’d like additional 10-Minute Training drills, contact me at ed.hartin@cfbt-us.com.

Ed Hartin serves as fire chief for East County Fire and Rescue in Camas, Wash., and he is a Blue Card instructor. He holds the Chief Fire Officer designation from the Commission on Professional Credentialing and is a Fellow of the Institution of Fire Engineers. Ed has undergraduate degrees in fire protection technology and fire service administration and a master’s degree in education. A second-generation firefighter, he began his career in 1974. Since 2017, Ed has developed over 450 10-Minute Trainings to provide ICs with deliberate practice to build competence.