BY SEAN WILKINSON
As volunteer firefighters, we respond from home, work, and our private lives to perform our duties. As we shift gears from one mindset to another, many things go through our minds en route to the firehouse or scene. On the fireground and in practice training, we sometimes forgo the most important aspect of incidents. Although we consider tactics (who should be there? Will I make it inside?), one thing that often gets overlooked and short-changed is size-up.
The area in which you volunteer and the makeup of your district or fire protection area (urban, suburban, rural, commercial, industrial) dictate how much fire action you see (or don't see) throughout the course of a year or your career. These experiences with fire help us to develop a mental bank filled with images and tactics we can use to fight the next fire. Much like snowflakes and fingerprints, no two fires are alike. Given this statement, all of these mental pictures are enhanced or, for those with no experience in fighting a fire, created on the practice grounds.
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