New course elective in fire curriculum

By Fire and EMS Program Director Keith Padgett

When it comes to tackling an emergency event and establishing command of an incident, firefighters must implement certain standard operating procedures to resolve the emergency safely and efficiently.

The area in which firefighting operations occur, or fire ground, is often a whirlwind of activity organized by guidelines, processes, regulations and more. With the goal of mitigating the emergency safely and quickly, knowledge of certain scenarios, best practices and decisions can truly help an incident commander or firefighter minimize damage and prevent loss of life.

To help CSU fire student prepare for such incidents, the FIR 3312 – Fire Ground Tactics I course has been added to the curriculum.

Overall, this new course examines strategies and tactics from the incident commander’s viewpoint. Students are challenged with decision-making through a variety of occupancies while utilizing basic firefighting procedures and considerations from today’s fire service. The course contains real-world scenarios, utilizing SimsUshare simulation software, allowing students to connect everyday emergency response scenarios to their own community and fire department.

The course textbook, “Fireground Strategies,” examines several issues involved in fire ground management such as:

• Identifying and analyzing all components of dwelling and structure fires for safe entry and control;
• Describing how fire behavior and building construction affects situational, strategic decision-making;
• Applying strategic considerations to the operations and elements of a fire incident;
• Summarizing strategic considerations of first-responders to the scene of a fire.

To learn more about the FIR 3312-Fire Ground Tactics I course, tune into the CSU Talk Radio Show at 6 p.m. CDT, Tuesday.