Will to Fight
Jeff Rothmeier’s excellent article “Will to Fight: A Critical Factor on the Fireground” (March 2024) highlighted the “will to fight” as a critical factor in fireground success in our mission of life safety. He describes similarities between wartime battlefield and fireground conditions/risks and ultimately mission success, victim rescue, and fire suppression. He is 100% correct that as firefighters (sworn to protect lives and property) we must be driven by a deep desire to fight aggressively under dangerous and severe conditions.
Tactically, on the fireground, he argues (in summary) five key points as our fire department “will to fight foundation/culture”: victim-focused tactics, six-minute survival rule for victims, forgoing water supply before interior attack line, search before fire extinguishment, and search and rescue before RIT is available.
Part of the will to fight means thinking and planning your operation to be as effective as possible. Forgoing (a reliable/adequate) water supply needs some further scrutiny. A lot has been researched and written about the engine company tactic of forgoing establishing a reliable water supply before advancing an attack line as aggressive application of the will to fight. As our fireground experience and UL research have proven, for a residential fire, less than 300 gallons of water are required to knock down and extinguish a couple of rooms. Speed vs. volume results in this being a valuable and effective tactic at select residential fires that often supports our mission of life safety. The question worth discussing is this: Are we leaning too heavily (gambling) on the aggressive fight side and not enough on the circumstantial nature of rescue and fire suppression? Additionally, does it violate the first rule of firefighting: to THINK? In my first minute of my first day of probie class, in 1974, my instructor, William Herman, did not even introduce himself before he wrote THINK on the board, underlining it twice. He said it was our best weapon.
We must think about the variables that must be correctly sized up to make depending on limited water supply a tactical success. Often, we take these “tactical truths” and apply them blinded by an overaggressive will to fight. Recall that firefighting is “circumstantial,” as Cleveland (OH) Fire Department Firefighter (Ret.) Jeff Shupe said in 2010, and we all know there are lots of circumstances at fires. Some we know; some we can see; some we can’t see; some we don’t know until the fire is extinguished; and some come back to bite us at fires.
Assuming a 500-gallon tank on your engine and your size-up is correct, UL live fire tests prove you have plenty of water to spare for a couple of rooms in a residential occupancy. The assumptions here are that your size-up is 100% correct and there is no extension beyond the two rooms. Without the delay of getting a water supply, “go in and get it, kill the fire (and the threats to occupants) at the source” is often an excellent risk/gain management choice.
Remember, the excellent UL research was specific to two rooms in a 1,500-square-foot ranch house—with no other variables, such as wind-driven fire, accelerants, noncode-compliant construction, hording conditions, or ventilation-induced flashover. It was world-class work but at some level we must think about a plan B when plan A (tank water) fails in the real world.
The will to fight must not overrun our will to think. The will to take manageable risk (to members) and forgo water supply for significant gain (rescues) is part of our decision-making equation, as Rothmeier correctly argues.
Think about resource variables: rigs, water supply, and staffing. Is there another engine coming behind you that can establish your water supply? If there is, sure, take a tactical chance in the name of an aggressive will to fight. If your second engine is a long time out, maybe in the big picture (overall operational success) it was worth the time to drop a supply line.
To be clear, I am not talking about taking an hour to establish a remote draft site, a 3,000-foot relay pumping operation, or a tanker shuttle operation. A few seconds to stop at the hydrant or the end of a long driveway, wrap it, and lay water to fire may be a good investment. In an urban situation, it can be expedient to lay fire to water or connect directly to a nearby hydrant on the block.
In a rural situation, you need to think about the tank capacity of your first-due engine tanker. If it is a 3,000-gallon tanker, an attack line flowing 150 gallons per minute will last a full 20 minutes or two lines for 10 minutes. This is enough time and water to do the aggressive search and fire attack with time and water to spare if things get complicated, assuming you have enough staffing.
Strategically, if your size-up was not correct (nighttime, no access to the C side, for example) because critical factors were hidden from you, depending on tank water during your aggressive operation, you may get in trouble. More importantly, your aggressive interior members may be in serious jeopardy. If your initial attack team gets in trouble, the search team is delayed by conditions, fire develops behind them, or a member falls through the floor or is caught in a collapse of lightweight construction, your 300 to 500 gallons will not be enough. Weigh tactical decisions based on the overall view of your battlefield.
We must also think about exposure protection as well as a life and property saving tactic and not focus solely on fighting aggressively. We pulled up to a 100% involved 21⁄2-story wood-frame single-family dwelling with fire out every door and window and in full possession of every floor. Occupants verified everyone was out. I applied every drop of our quint’s tank water to the B exposure, saving it just as we ran out of water. Other firefighters back-stretched to the hydrant that they bypassed on the way in. Luckily, we had just enough water to save the exposure except for a few sagging pieces of vinyl siding. The engine arrived second due, dropping a supply line on the way in. Without a bit of luck, we would have lost two or more private dwellings because we did not have a reliable water supply.
In 1999, Captain Richard Green, of my suburban department, taught us (first-due engine) to always “drop a supply line” if there was any indication of a working fire. Tactically, we worked off tank water with an aggressive push with the first line until the supply line was charged. We knew our first-due area had regularly spaced hydrants, so this tactic made sense. Think about your circumstances and your resources and combine those with the will to fight. It is an excellent combination.
It is important to note that dropping our four-inch supply line took little time (seconds) and only one firefighter left at the hydrant and gave us confidence to be aggressive knowing that at a residential, commercial, or industrial fire we could deliver decisive and continuous amounts of water quickly. Faced with heavy fire, we could operate multiple handlines or master streams quickly. Most importantly, this tactic was successful because it was specific to our response area and resources and fully supported our will to fight aggressively. In a rural area, this tactic may make little to no sense. In an urban area with a second engine inbound soon, not hitting the hydrant may make sense.
Another critical point: Your members need to be trained and regularly practice on whatever system you choose. Pick one and make it work as your basic play. Everyone can adjust off your primary plan if you have a place to start.
Firefighters who have the will to fight as the foundation for their career are always looking for the silver bullet, the best tactic that provides the most effective result: winning the battle. The most effective tactic is one that you have thoroughly thought through, planned, and trained on and that matches your resources to your circumstances on your fireground.
Armed with the will to fight as your foundation, combined with the will to plan and train to your most critical operation (fire attack) and to think on the scene, you will be an undefeatable force on the modern fireground.
Thanks to Jeff Rothmeier and Fire Engineering for keeping this important conversation going!
Jerry Knapp
Chief
Rockland County (NY) Hazmat Team
