Fire in a Box · Lesson 04
Fireground Decision Making
When fire conditions in the box change, does your plan keep up?
Experience gives you an anchor to hold to during times of decision, yet each incident gives you brand-new experiences. Whether you are a new officer at your first fire or a seasoned officer facing a quarter block on fire downtown, this class examines a repeatable process that you are encouraged to use and explore.
It allows you to build a plan based on the current problems, choosing the proper solutions and applying available resources. This is not just a process; it is a way of thinking.
Host-agency protocols and procedures are discussed before delivery so the class can reflect the local setting.
Inside the conversation
- Observation, Orientation, Decisions, and Assessment.
- Using the framework Time / Value / Size for defensive vs. offensive initial attack.
- Connecting problems, solutions, and resource assignments.
- Communicating a plan and recognizing when it needs to change.
Bring it to the kitchen table
- What fire conditions warrant an aggressive interior offensive attack, and what conditions don't?
- Is the risk worth the benefit of entering and searching every structure regardless of the fire behavior?
- Are we solving today's problem with yesterday's planning tools?
A closer look at SPOTS
The Scientific Probability of Tenable Space, or SPOTS, matrix introduces a condition-based tenability guide. Ultimately, it is the fire officer's call, but this is a guide for when the uncertainties loom large at 2 a.m. and the building is burning. SPOTS informs your decisions; it does not make them.
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