Coronado (CA) Division Chief/Fire Marshal Edward Hadfield’s “Mission-Focused Command” course covered such topics as “The Craft of Fire,” “Mission-Focused Fireground Operations,” and “Development of Critical Decision Making Processes,” based on the presenting fireground’s facts and realities. This lecture/participative course walked students through the priorities of fireground support functions and the methodology of quickly and safely accomplishing these critical task evolutions. The course highlighted the seven-step approach to fire attack while reducing the chances of hazards such as backdraft, flashover, and rollover.
Speaking on modern homes, Hadfield noted their increased size, the combustibility of their construction materials, and their backdraft-friendly designs as new dangers in contemporary firefighting. He also showed several videos of fireground crews besieged by phenomena such as smoke explosions and the aforementioned rollovers and backdrafts while attacking dwelling and house fires.
Hadfield has taught this course for the last 20 years; it has since been adopted as part of the California State Fire Service’s Command Series. “‘Mission-Focused Command’ provides fire service personnel with the skills and knowledge to be effective on the fireground in the seat of command; or when they are assigned to task, tactical, and strategic functions within the workings of today’s fireground operations.”
Hadfield continued, “The target audience for this course is a wide array of personnel, from company officers to the chief officer. It is vital that all fireground personnel have a strong understanding of the importance of today’s fireground, recognizing that it is vastly more dangerous, explosive, and susceptible to collapse than ever before.”
