Training Program Offered on Managing a Down Firefighter

Billy Greenwood

The Firefighters Support Foundation’s (FSF) newest training program is now available. “Our Managing a Firefighter Down program addresses the fireground management of a Mayday, and is targeted at all command-level positions,” says FSF President David Kenik. The program consists of a 45-minute video presentation and an accompanying PowerPoint presentation.

The presenter is Assistant Chief William Greenwood of FETC Services, who teaches this program all over the country and at major conferences. The program’s theme is that commanders who have run “great fires” for years may have little experience in controlling and implementing Mayday operations. Greenwood walks his audience through his 12-step checklist (which can be taped up on the command post wall) for the effective management of the Mayday. He addresses the selection of a command post and they importance of establishing a separate RIT Command Branch. He shows commanders how to avoid being overwhelmed by the Mayday-induced increased span of control and increased comms traffic. He provides the principles to operate a Mayday by, and gives detailed reasons and specific examples. This program is a valuable addition to any fire officer’s library.

The program is free to all members of public safety and  emergency management agencies. The program is free to all members of public safety and  emergency management agencies. Simply watch in the player below or download a copy of the video as either an MPG or M4V file HERE. Download the supplemental PowerPoint HERE.

Send comments and feedback about these training programs to staff@ffsupport.org.

About the Firefighters Support Foundation

The Firefighters Support Foundation is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt non-profit organization dedicated to assisting firefighters, emergency management, EMS, and Search & Rescue personnel perform their jobs effectively and safely. They also set aside a portion of their funds to aid underfunded agencies and assist families of fallen firefighters. More at www.ffsupport.org.

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