Matt.
Stopping the plonkers is the least of your worries. And if they turn crispy by wandering in the back then OOPS.
Getting the right gear on as you leave the truck to start work is the paramount thing.
The WHOLE crew MUST be done up with Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) this is gloves, helmet, jacket done up with neck flap closed, and putting BA (Breathing Apparatus) on with the mask strap around your neck ready to don it if needed quickly.
Anything less is someone I would never ride with again, trusting as I do the Brothers I ride with now.
Going inside that fire is a matter of team work.
Each truck has 4 people, 2 enter, 2 work outside. the 2 inside stay together, the 2 outside are the officer and the pump operator.
The officer is co-ordinating the scene and setting up for any other arriving units. The pump operator has one job. Pump water to the hose we are using inside.
That structure had the garage fully involved with obvious extension into the roof space and living area beyond.
Partial collapse had occured at the garage, but the rest of the house may have been salvagable with an aggresive attack.
There were no cars inside the garage, and enough locals around to ask if anyone was likely to be home, did you see anyone (hint Officer) asking or talking to the Joe Public??????
There is a shed load of stuff that needs to happen in a short time frame fronting up to a fire, and a good crew will co-ordinate their actions in a focused fashion to make these happen.
No 1 is sticking by the RULES OF SURVIVAL, there are 3.
1. My Crew.
2. Other People.
3. Property.
Only by adhering to these can you raise your odds each and every time you go on a call.
By not wearing their BA, the outside crew minimise 2 Firefighters chances of survival if something goes belly up, a BBQ gas tank blows in the garage, or on the patio from radiant heat etc.
15 seconds to mask up, helmet on and go at the run, as opposed to 50 seconds to don the whole kit (after you grab it from the truck) IS the difference to living in the heat / smoke you see in that video.
This is not a game, and seconds count where lives are concerned in that environment.
Time has an interesting way of telescoping or shrinking, depending on how you are managing the situation.
Getting off to a bad start means you are behind the curve every step of the way from here on in, and someone WILL get hurt.
I have burns and scars to prove it.
I learnt.
PS.
Check the damn batteries in your smoke detectors. If you don't have them get the them TODAY.
Burning is NOT fun.