BY MICHAEL IGLESIAS
It is a widely accepted fact that initial engine company operations--defensive or offensive--help set the tone for the entire incident. Granted, every fire and every situation is different, but the first 10 minutes can make the difference in all of them. We are taught that our primary objectives for every fire are life safety, property conservation, and incident stabilization, not necessarily in that order. When fighting defensive operations, with the understanding that every situation is different, those objectives, in that order, seem to apply.
Prefire planning is paramount when making these decisions. Companies should be familiar with the buildings and special hazards in their district and how these buildings will react to fire. Everyone is responsible for ensuring that we know these buildings and which tactics we will use when working with them. We should have already determined prior to an incident's occurring into which buildings we will not put our firefighters.
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