Terre Haute Fire Department House Fire

I guess you could say I work a low income area, although I would not call it a ghetto. We made just over 2000 on my engine and right at 200 fires, worth pulling a second 1 3/4" for. It fact the station I am at was built in the 50's and is slated to be rebuilt in near the end of this year. The new station will increase our district and no doubt our runs.
I assisted with several SOPs and SOG over the passed 28 years and found that well written they enhance fire fighting not detract from it.

Interesting. I came in 1980 and had a similar experience. I found that leaving the liner in and buying a pair of bunker pants to go with my 45" trench coat I could handle more fire than my fellow fire fighters. I also found that when I put on my SCBA I could leave the other fire fighters at the door on the more intense fires. When I started we only used 2 1/2", although we have 1 1/2".
We quit specing boosters in the late '80s and at least for my dept it was a good move.

we couldnt spell sop until about 10 years ago. but we also cought sometimes 2 - 3 large fires a shift. now the guys may catch 2-3 fires in a career. times have changed and i hope any sop now says take your time and be safe.

i went in in the late 80 the first thing i did was take the liner out of my gear and was told that if the capt had to wait on me to put my air pak on i was in deep S**t boosters in an experianced persons hands is a very effective tool. you just have to know when to pull it. ie, experiance. things have changed over the past 22 years. the experiance is run off and the new guys just dont know how to make a play on a fire. ive seen many new guys eat boosters bad bad bad. but now the sops have change

nauticallychallenged is this your department SOP or it this a practice your engine adopted?

if no one is inside then dont go in go to a defensive attack this is not worth it the house is gone when
they walk up to it there is not alot of hope of saving the house

cool im glad you didnt call me the retard. the last 18 years of my life i worked in the bowels of charleston s.c. lot of delapidated old 100 plus year old fat lighter houses, 23 gpms did just fine. unless it was well involved. it sounds like you have a good level head. keep up the good work

I'm sorry but I won't risk attacking a fire with anything less than and 1 1/2 line with a nozzle flowing a minimum of 125 gpm. I want the fire to be out. With the old residences in my area they just aren't sealed enough to warrant using a fog attack. This isn't the Navy. By the way I didn't mean you in particular with the retard comment, and with respect this is 2008 not 1968.

ive been putting fires out with boosters before you were born. i mean that respectfully. try this, next decent room and content or maybe even two or more rooms burning, take your 1 1/2 and set the nozzle to 30 gpm. if it wont go that low try it at 60 gpm. the new booster hoses are 20,40,60 gpm. thats an ass of water. remember this also, the steam conversion is 1 cubic ft of water still makes 1700 cubic feet of steam. thats an ass of cooling. please dont call me a retard, just try what i say.

Nope, you pull that and you risk someone being retarded and taking that inside.