Frank Leeb
Battalion Chief
Fire Department City of New York
Tuesday, April 24, 2018: 1:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
There are approximately 1,570 fires in places of worship annually in the United States. Many times, these fires are extensive and result in structural collapse of part or all of the structure. Civilians and firefighters have been injured and killed during these fires. Yet, the fire service has few standard operating procedures for managing fires in places of worship. This workshop analyzes the many types of places of worship firefighters might encounter, which can range from the centuries-old Gothic style church to the new modern-day place of worship constructed using lightweight materials. Covered in the workshop are the 10 commandments, or important considerations for fires in a place of worship, with which every firefighter and fire officer should be familiar before responding to a fire in a place of worship. Construction features, tactics, apparatus positioning, and command considerations are among the topics covered in discussion and through case study analysis.
The workshop will use case studies of prior incidents to teach the critical learning points of the presentation., This will be followed by an interactive segment where the student will be called upon to choose the tactics to employ based on photos of different structures.
