On Tuesday, April 21, 2020, at FDIC International 2020 in Indianapolis, Indiana, from 1:30 p.m.-5:30 p.m., Tom Sitz will show students “Size-Up Videos and Tactics for the First-Due Engine” to best prepare for their next first-due assignment.
This highly dynamic and interactive workshop uses audience participation as a key component. Raw fire scene videos that start prior to the fire department’s arrival or just as operations are beginning are viewed and then broken down at the strategic and tactical levels with emphasis on the first-due engine.
Special attention is placed on points of entry and their pros and cons, identifying flow paths, and predicting how flow paths may influence the first line. Building construction is discussed from the perspective of extension routes and how tactics can be affected. Direct, transitional, and blitz attacks are discussed based on what is seen in the videos, and gallons per minute are broken down based on fire volume. Case studies of similar fires in similar styles of construction, with the lessons learned, are reviewed.
Sitz is a lieutenant and a 35-year veteran of the Painesville Township (OH) Fire Department. He is also an instructor in the fire science program for Lakeland Community College and the Auburn Career Center firefighter certification program. He has authored numerous articles for Fire Engineering and has worked as a book reviewer for Brady and Delmar Publishing.
Choosing a Fireground Video for Use in Size-Up Drills: Tom Sitz
Tom Sitz: Off-the-Beaten-Path Engine Company Tips
Improvised 2-to-1 Hauling System for a Down Firefighter Removal
