Will be replay's from our live Q&A's from our Facebook group. Join us to come talk shop!
Combat Ready Fire Training, LLC
Over the past 20 years, there have been significant lessons learned, studies, and changes in thought about how to manage a MAYDAY event.We'll be talking about these important changes, and how WE would manage a MAYDAY on one of our incidents.Joining Nick will be Deputy Chief Floyd Wise (Harrisburg Bureau of Fire) and Battalion Fire Chief Chris Mullendore (Frederick County Fire).
Full show on http://www.TheBayFloor.com
Watch the full 90-minute discussion on http://www.thebayfloor.comThis podcast is for our aggressive engine companies! Nick Martin, Sean Donovan and Spencer White discuss hotly debated, unknown, or uncommon engine company tactics such as…
On this month's podcast we'll be discussing several incident command hot-topics and our experiences and tips for the most practical and effective command of incidents. Frank Malta (BNC Frederick Fire and Rescue) and Floyd Wise (Deputy Chief, Harrisburg Fire Dept) will join Nick to discuss: ➡️ How our departments frequently break-down / divide an incident. ➡️ The command post location - in the car, out of the car, and our experiences with both. ➡️ Command post setup - what should have and who should be at the CP? ➡️ Who to assign as the tactical supervisor(s) and what the expectations should be in those areas of operations. ➡️ Making initial fireground assignments. ➡️ and more, including LIVE questions.
One of the most challenging tasks of the company officer can be just PLANNING YOUR DAY. What does each of my firefighters need to progress? What will we drill on? What is the workout? What projects do I need to do? WHAT DO I PRIORITIZE? HOW DO I FIT IT ALL IN? This is the first portion of a recent member's-only podcast on Planning the Ideal Day as the Company Officer, delivered exclusively on our training community, THE BAY FLOOR. The Bay Floor is an online training community where like-minded firefighters can connect, train, and access exclusive resources like these members-only podcasts where we deep dive into topics that give you tangible tips, techniques, and ideas you can take to your next shift. When it comes to planning your day, there is a fine line between over and under planning. And in many departments, there needs to be more preparation for this part of the job. That's why we're giving our tips and methods for planning a solid day for your company including: Our instructors' experiences, tips and methods for making the most of their shift. A new "tactical professional athlete approach" Captain Burges has been applying to help his crew stay disciplined and organized. How to make lots of small choices that result in progress. You're sure to come away with ideas you can implement, so head over to The Bay Floor and become a member to get access to the entire thing and lots more: http://thebayfloor.com
We've got seasoned truck company members Chris Ford (Columbia, SC), and Drew Evans (DCFD) who will be getting into their apparatus tips, set-up and specs, including recommendations and lessons learned from a recent tower ladder build. We'll compare and contrast the tiller truck, straight truck and tower ladder, and as always we'll get into some other fireground tips and tricks.
Fires may burn with the same physics in the “county" as they do in the “city", but often resources, manpower and other factors create challenges for applying traditional fire tactics to the rural or county environment. In this episode we discuss how we apply common fire tactics from the city environment to the county and rural environments. We'll get into the specifics of water supply, fire attack, search, ventilation, all in the rural environment! Nick is joined by Frank Malta (Frederick, MD) and Jake Richardson (SFD) - all who have experience as both firefighters in a well-staffed city environment, and also have to apply the same tactics in a lower staffed county environment. This is a great opportunity to learn from each other hear some new or interesting strategies you can take with you and adapt to your own environment.
Join Nick Martin, Blake Cartee (Columbia SC), and Kevin Burges (Salisbury, NC) for an important discussion and inside look into the post-incident review, tailboard critique, or hotwash. Whatever you choose to call it, this is a crucial step on any incident that should not be overlooked. On this show, each of us will reveal how we use these review systems on our most recent fires to improve ourselves, our companies and our departments, and ensure the best performance possible on our next fireground.
Join Nick Martin, Bill Cunningham (Flint Hill, SC), Drew Evans (DCFD), Kevin Burges, and Christian Lambis (SFD) for a powerful topic on searches for civilian victims. On this show we will be diving deep into search techniques, scenarios, and lessons learned from actual rescues we've been a part of.
Join Nick Martin, BC Frank Malta (Frederick County) and Capt. Sean Donovan (Frederick County) as talk about the technician, chauffeur, wagon or truck driver – whatever you call it – this position is one of the most important assignments on any company and is often not paid the attention it is due. On this show we will be talking about our experiences in these positions as well as workflows and tips for new and existing drivers for both in the firehouse and on the fireground.
What makes an engine company Combat Ready? Nick Martin, BC Frank Malta (Frederick County), Capt. Sean Donovan (Frederick County), FF Tim McCloskey (Horry County Fire and Rescue) and Capt. Spencer White (Salisbury, NC) answer this question as they talk about setting up the apparatus, crews, and plans, plus the mindset and habits that go into developing an aggressive engine company.
Nick Martin, Frank Malta, Kevin Burges, and Sean Donovan discuss the two primary fireground command models: Incident Command Driven vs. Predetermined Assignment (SOG Driven) fireground command. They get into challenges and tips for operating in both environments, and how each affects our ability to rapidly deploy firefighters to get water on the fire and hands on the victim as fast as possible.
Nick Martin, Floyd Wise, and Kevin Burges discuss common missteps and misunderstandings about organizing the fireground and accounting for our members. This is one you won't want to miss if your department has ever struggled to establish and maintain control of the location and function of members on scene.
We're talking with seasoned truck company officers, Bill Cunningham and Chris Ford out of Columbia, SC, and Drew Evans with DCFD. We'll get into search techniques and tactics, some victim rescue stories, and searching survivable spaces.
We'll be talking with Frederick County Fire & Rescue's Battalion Chief Frank Malta and Captain Sean Donovan about their top notch Recruit Training Academy. If you follow Chief Malta (@firefightnchief) on Instagram - you've no doubt seen this hardcore recruit school that builds motivated, disciplined firefighters. Join us as we talk about the mindsets, concepts, and practices behind this training academy and the high-quality firefighters that it produces.
When should you deploy a SEARCH ROPE? What is it used for? What are the best techniques for utilizing it?
How do you build a #CombatReady culture in your company/department?
On this podcast we'll dive into why good command matters on EVERY fire. The thing is, not everyone understands this. Some people tend to think that command doesn't matter - at all, and some think it only matters on "the big one". You won't be surprised to hear that our take is that BOTH ARE WRONG. Nick Martin (Deputy Chief, Salisbury NC), Floyd Wise (Deputy Chief, Harrisburg Bureau of Fire), and Kevin Burges (Captain, Salisbury Ladder 1) take questions and discuss command practices and the mindset of a "firefighter's chief".
We'll be diving into ventilation practices and cultures. Nick will be joined by Captains Bill Cunningham and Chris Ford from the Columbia, SC Fire Department, to talk about how departments tend to ventilate very differently based on the truck company culture. Some departments are quick to cut the roof. Others avoid the roof but take the windows. Many do both. Some just place fans at the door. Some are fans of hydraulic ventilation, others are not. After working in departments with significantly different ventilation cultures, it has been interesting to observe that the primary difference has been the truck company CULTURE more than the fires or buildings. So, on this show we'll be discussing the pro's and con's of these various ventilation tactics and how our departments operate. We'll talk about windows vs roofs vs fans - how our departments operate and why. Plus, we'll get into some of the often overlooked science behind ventilation and how it impacts the effectiveness of these techniques. ⭐️ Like what you've heard? ⬇️ Video version of this topic: https://youtu.be/nsoVk5HmIq0 Check out our online courses: https://www.combatreadyfire.com/individual Contact us about in-person seminars and hands-on training: https://www.combatreadyfire.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nmartin33/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NickMartinCombatReady
This month's dicsusion will center around fires in residential structures with reports of people trapped. We'll essential considerations and our thoughts on the inital operations of the first arriving engine, truck, and chief. We'll talk not only about what to do when you've got plenty of help, but what to do when it's JUST YOU... Join Nick, Bill Cunningham (Capt, Columbia Ladder 14) and Frank Malta (Batt. Chief, Frederick County MD) for another great night of firemanship.
This month's conversation focused on the outside truck company, particularly vertical ventilation. We talked about when and why we go to the roof, ventilation to improve conditions or to stop extension, roof tactics & considerations, and our preferences on setup of chainsaws and rotary saws. On this show:
The most frequent question we get surrounds - "how do I do that in my department", "what about this guy" or similar. We'll be talking about the factors that commonly make people resistant to change and resistant to being Combat Ready, the situations we've faced, how we've dealt with them, where we've met with success and where we haven't. On the show will be Nick Martin, BC Floyd Wise (Harrisburg Bureau of FIre), Capt. Bill Cunningham (Columbia Fire), and BC Frank Malta (Frederick County Fire).
Join Floyd Wise (battalion chief, Harrisburg Bureau of Fire) and I for a dynamic conversation on this challenging fire scenario. We'll be talking about fires in residential buildings 3+ stories in height. Fires at these buildings often come with one or more reports of "people trapped". These people may be in imminent peril, or in no danger and frightened. In this episode we'll discuss the search and victims at these buildings and tactical considerations for the command officers and truck companies, along with some engine work. We'll also discuss command operations at these fires. What can we do to best set ourselves up for success in the control and organization of these dynamic scenes? Grab your popcorn, beverage of choice, and/or throw it up on the firehouse TV. If you're not already a member of the group, be sure to join the "Combat Ready Firefighters" group on Facebook. "Standby to copy!" #CombatReady
This time we will have my friend and co-instrcutor, Floyd Wise. Floyd is a 20-year veteran of the Harrisburg Bureau of Fire in PA and is presently a battalion chief. We'll be talking about some commercial fire scenarios and tactics - but we'll also be doing live Q&A so we'll see where the conversation ends up!