Skip to content

Archives for

See all posts in the network tagged with

Pro-Active Rapid Intervention Teams

View Comments

No one used to like being the RIT team.  I used to hate it and I would do everything possible to get out of it.  Then one day I realized how stupid I was being – being assigned rapid intervention could be viewed as a compliment.  Essentially, the IC is saying – I trust you so much that if the WORST POSSIBLE THING that could happen, happens – I trust you to handle it.

  5thstnw5505v_07 firehousephotos003

So why did/do people “hate” being RIT?  Usually because they’re go-getter firemen who want to be working and they see RIT as standing around.  And in many places, that’s what RIT used to do, or still does.  But somewhere along the line, we got smarter…  Companies assigned to RIT can also accomplish tasks that prevent the RIT team from being deployed.  

(more…)

Posted by Nick Martin on January 31, 2009 • Filed under: RIT / Survival, Tips & Skills • Tagged: ,

Hook Up Humor…

View Comments

Ode to the Hydrant:  

huge_fire_hydrantFor those of you who feel the job of an Engine Company Chauffeur is nothing more than the person tasked to just drive you to the next job… Here is a look at some water supply issues  ok, just interesting/strange hydrants that I stumbled upon.  Some give new meaning to the phrase, “hooking up.”  You just never know!

(more…)

Posted by Doug Mitchell on January 28, 2009 • Filed under: Engine Company, Tips & Skills

New Class for 2009: Fire Officer Development

View Comments

The staff of Traditions Training is excited to announce the roll-out of our new “Fire Officer Development” curriculum.  The Officer Development Course will focus on the fundamental skills that are necessary to be an effective company/command-level officer. 

fdny_patchfairfax_vadcfd-new-logo_250_322kentland-patchpatch

This special course is taught with four instructors of diverse backgrounds and experience and is intended for career or volunteer firefighters currently in a leadership role, or with the potential to “act” or advance to such a role.

(more…)

Posted by Nick Martin on January 27, 2009 • Filed under: Company News • Tagged: , , , ,

Outside vent: Hook on the Ladder Tip

View Comments

A 6' Hook mounted to the fly of 24' extension ladder

A 6' Hook mounted to the fly of 24' extension ladder

I know this idea has been thrown around on the web, but we frequently get questions about the idea of securing a hook to the tip of an extension ladder:  how? why?  Lets see…

(more…)

Posted by Nick Martin on January 21, 2009 • Filed under: Tips & Skills, Truck Company • Tagged: , , , ,

Over 170 Students attend Downingtown, PA Class

View Comments

On Saturday, January 17, we conducted another “Fighting Fires in Residential Buildings” class – this time hosted by the Downingtown Fire Department in suburban Philadelphia, PA.  Over 170 attendees representing 39 different fire departments from Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, and New Jersey were in attendance.

Chief Ricky Riley spoke about “combat-ready” firefighting and incident command issues.  Nick Martin spoke about “strategy & tactics” for some of the most common types of residential fires.  Dan Shaw & Doug Mitchell  used a “tag-team” approach to discuss issues specific to engine & truck company operations at residential fires.

To learn more about our “Fighting Fires in Residential Buildings” class, click here.  If you’d be interested in hosting us in your town, please contact us.

Posted by Nick Martin on January 19, 2009 • Filed under: Company News

Speed & the Aggressive Engine Company

View Comments

If you haven’t figured out by now, I’ve been ate up with the fire service for quite some time.  I recall being around 5-8 years old and heading up to the local VFD for fire prevention night in October.  Among other things, a video like this was on display:

This, or a similar video, continues to be shown BY US, THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, at almost every fire prevention event in the country.  The point of the video is that uninhibited fire grows exponentially every second.  Watching this video as a firefighter, the point seems clear to me: GET WATER ON THE FIRE FAST.  That’s the whole job of the engine company.  If they put the fire out then no one is trapped, we won’t need to deploy the RIT, we won’t need to expand our NIMS -- because there is no more fire!  The public gets it, but sometimes it seems like OUR people are losing touch with this idea.

(more…)

Posted by Nick Martin on January 13, 2009 • Filed under: Combat Ready, Engine Company • Tagged: ,

Welcome to the "new" TraditionsTraining.com!

View Comments

We’ve been very pleased with the idea of the TT Blog lately – both from the perspective of sharing our thoughts and being able to hear yours.  A website revision was in the works anyway, so we decided we’d combine the “company” web-site with the blog, and here we are.

So take a look around – this site contains all the information about our company, mission, staff and classes.  Of course all the blog stuff is here as well.  I did my nerd-best to import all the previous posts, comments, and multimedia.  I’ve tried to review everything to make sure its “all good”, but please excuse me if some older items are missing or aren’t formatted perfectly.

Please take a look around the site and let us know what you think and any suggestions or ideas you may have.  As always, it’s our goal to facilitate the sharing of good firefighting information…

Posted by Nick Martin on January 11, 2009 • Filed under: Company News

New Bldg. Hazards: Structural Insulated Panels

View Comments

New Building Construction Elements:

Structural Insulated Panels 

B.C. Al Mullins

wall-example

Setting the Scene:  

Several months ago, as I was in my office working on staffing issues, I received a call from firefighters at Fire Station 19 in Lorton. Station 19 is in the south east corner of Fairfax County; it has seen a great deal of growth in recent years and has become a veritable boom town.   We had discussed doing a walk thru of the new homes under construction, but the firefighters had been out on district familiarization and had come upon something very unique.  I was able to work my way out of our staffing program and drove down to the Laurel Hill subdivision, which is located directly off of I95.  These are new homes that are in 4000 square feet range and incorporate many of the current trends in building construction seen throughout the country.  Until the recent housing market down-turn these homes were going for close to one million dollars. (more…)

Posted by Doug Mitchell on January 11, 2009 • Filed under: Uncategorized

My Favorite Inspirational Fire Books

View Comments

So this is a little separate from our normal topics, and you may ask – why the hell do I care what you read?  

  1. If you’re reading blogs like this, you’re a “fire nerd” – or at least care a good deal about the job.
  2. Everyone needs a little inspiration or pick-me-up, especially in these times when the “modern” fire service can get you down.

As such, here are a few of my all-time favorite texts (did you know I can read?)….

(more…)

Posted by admin on January 5, 2009 • Filed under: Training Resources

Firehouse.Com – Fire Below! The Importance of the 'Basement Check'

View Comments

Be sure to stop by Firehouse.com on Monday, January 5th, to check out TT instructor Nick Martin’s article on size-up issues related to basement fires.  

The article can be found here:

Posted by Nick Martin on January 5, 2009 • Filed under: Uncategorized