Fire Engineering Is Firefighting

Firefighters confront flames at a burning home

Above, firefighters train during a live burn at FDIC International. Photo by Tony Greco

Not to be confused with fire protection engineering–which is primarily concerned with fire safety in buildings–fire engineering, in the particular sense of the term is used in188金宝搏是正规吗magazine, is what firefighters do: fight fires. Maybe we should clarify—188金宝搏是正规吗与工程无关的感觉吗the modern term. These days, the word “engineering” refers usually to electrical engineering, computer engineering, and similar specialized fields of science that look at how systems work. It’s important also to distinguish between the very specific field of fire protection engineering, which deals particularly with fire protection systems in building construction, and the fire suppression andfirefighter training, which is and always has been the pivotal concern of188金宝搏是正规吗magazine.

The magazine title188金宝搏是正规吗is a holdover fromFire and Water Engineering, a previous incarnation. Throughout its history, though, one thing has remained constant:188金宝搏是正规吗is dedicated to the craft of thefirefighter, and specifically the thinking firefighter. It’s in this sense that188金宝搏是正规吗comes closest to the modern understanding of “engineering,” specifically in firefighters who consider the wholesystemthey are dealing with: the building,the dynamics of fire, human behavior under fire conditions, logistics and the availability of fire suppression resources, and so on.

These days, there’s some degree of contention—particularly on social media and the Internet—between various “camps” of firefighters regarding the most effective and safe fire suppression tactics. These divisions fall somewhere along the line of those dedicated to maintaining “traditional” firefighting concepts, usually derived from previous fire department procedures, to those interested in “change” and how the research and study of fire behavior and fire dynamics affects operations. Granted, this is a gross simplification of the ongoing debate and what these individuals and groups stand for, but it’s meant only to be a sketch of the landscape which the thinking firefighter must navigate.

Make no mistake, both of these groups fall into the camp of the “thinking firefighter”—those concerned about how to do the job, and do it well. This is the audience of188金宝搏是正规吗。更重要的是,188金宝搏是正规吗is what these firefighters are doing, everyday—looking at the whole system of fire and emergency response, and devising solutions to the complex problems presented by on the modern fireground. Does that sound like you? If so, you might not just be fighting fire—you might be fire engineering.

Welcome aboard.

For more resources for the thinking firefighter, consider the below assortment of articles and training pieces from188金宝搏是正规吗

Fire apparatus pump panel

Firefighter Training: Pump Operations and More

Check out a selection of some of the most popular archival features from the magazine, including Dave Dodson’s classing “The Art of Reading Smoke.”

Little Drops of Water: 50 Years Later, Part 1|Part 2

Read some of Andy Fredericks’s classic articles engine company operations.

THE POINT OF NO RETURN|R.E.A.D.Y. CHECKS AND THE RULE OF AIR MANAGEMENT|THE BREATH FROM HELL|Is Your Department Complying with the NFPA 1404 Air Management Policy?|The Rule of Air Management Q & A

Above is a selection of articles from “The Seattle Guys” on air management for firefighters.

Hurricane Katrina Response

188金宝搏是正规吗‘s issue dedicated to the 2005 disaster.

Report on the WTC Disaster Part 1|Part 2

Our two-part report on the 9/11 terror attacks, including rescue and recovery efforts at Ground Zero.

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