42 FDIC INTERNATIONAL 2017 | FDIC.COM | #FDIC2017
PRE-CONFERENCE WORKSHOPS
MOUNTING AND SUSTAINING AN (INTELLIGENTLY) AGGRESSIVE
INTERIOR ATTACK
Chief Peter Van Dorpe, Algonquin-Lake in the Hills (IL) Fire District
Although changes are being made, most of the print literature available
to frefghters and fre service instructors on the topics of fre behavior
and lightweight construction practices is woefully inadequate. Most
building construction texts and curriculum are based on legacy
construction practices and use the model building code’s traditional
division of construction into “types.” Modern construction practices and
fre dynamics do not get the attention they deserve. Research and testing
by Underwriters Laboratories (UL) and the National Institute of Standards
and Technology (NIST) and others has revealed valuable information on
how modern fre dynamics and building construction practices combine
to produce hostile fre events that are more challenging, dangerous, and
different from those of even the recent past. This workshop combines
the research and outreach initiatives and presents curriculum relevant
to strategic and tactical decision making and will assist participants in
developing best practices for mounting an intelligent fre attack within
these structures. There is much “real estate” between the so-called
“aggressive” interior attack and “surround and drown.” Identifying this
real estate and learning how to occupy it are key to mounting an interior
attack that accomplishes our mission without sacrifcing frefghters.
ALL LEVELS
MUST-HAVE POLICIES FOR EVERY FIRE DEPARTMENT
Chief Bradley Pinsky, Attorney, Pinsky Law Group, PLLC
A review of the top policies every fre department must have to prevent
liability, frefghter injuries, and public embarrassment. The suggested
policies are derived from Occupational Safety and Health Administration
(OSHA) requirements, National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)
recommendations, and case studies on poor outcomes in fre departments
that lacked suffcient policies. Attendees learn how to create vital policies
to protect their personnel and the department and how to conduct a risk
analysis of their operations to determine if there are policies they must
implement immediately. Among the topics addressed are the OSHA
Operational Statement, physical ftness, carrying frearms, photography,
training requirements and skill testing, health and safety, and drug testing.
BASIC
SIZE-UP AND COMMAND FOR THE SMALL DEPARTMENT: HOW
TO AVOID BEING LOST IN THE FOG OF THE FIREGROUND
Assistant Chief Joseph Pronesti, Elyria (OH) Fire Department
The focus is on helping command offcers to avoid getting “sidetracked”
on arrival on the freground. The instructor borrows a term from a book
written by a Marine who fought in World War II—“lost in the fog of
war”—which describes the literal fog created by the dust, smoke, and
debris of the battlefeld and, more importantly, the fguratively mental fog
of confusion and uncertainty created by lack of knowledge of the enemy
to show students “how not to get lost.” Attendees review the critical points
of size-up and past events where the “fog” was thick and gain a better
understanding and a better “vision” that enables them to see through the
fog of the freground, creating a more effective and safer environment
for those under their command.
INTERMEDIATE/ADVANCED
THE ART OF READING SMOKE
Battalion Chief (Ret.) David Dodson, Response Solutions, LLC; and
Deputy Chief Phil Jose, Seattle (WA) Fire Department
Often, smoke issuing from a building is the only clue available to predict
fre behavior and the likelihood of a fashover or rapid fre spread. First-arriving offcers, incident commanders, and safety offcers must know
how to rapidly read smoke. The reading-smoke process is explained;
participants practice using actual freground video.
INTERMEDIATE
TRAINING WITH INCIDENT SIMULATIONS
Deputy Chief (Ret.) Ted Nee, Albuquerque (NM) Fire Department
This interactive workshop focuses on designing, developing, and
training with incident simulations. Lecture, demonstration, and group
activities are used to illustrate best practices for incorporating incident
simulation training in your department, including size-up exercises,
synchronous multiunit simulations, certifcation, and promotional exam
simulations. Attendees will participate in simulation exercises. The pros
and cons of various ways of implementing and deploying a simulation
training program are also discussed.
ALL LEVELS
VIEW FROM THE STREET:
OPERATIONS IN COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS
Battalion Chief Richard Blatus, Fire Department of New York
An in-depth look at operational tactics and procedures at commercial
building incidents. Discussions include types of commercial structures
(factories, strip malls, industrial, and mixed commercial occupancies).
Participants gain enhanced knowledge of construction features,
operational strategies, and potential hazards present in a wide range
of commercial occupancies. They observe how decisions made by the
incident commander (IC) are based on the information the IC receives
from the offcers and frefghters inside the structure and why commercial
buildings—with their complex foor plans, unreported renovations, and
large open areas—present some of the most diffcult operations for the IC.
Emphasis is also on the type of information that is paramount in the IC’s
decision and the signs or cues frefghters should be looking for in these
scenarios.
ALL LEVELS
4-HOUR PRE-CONFERENCE WORKSHOPS
TUESDAY, APRIL 25 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM
