Size-Up for Safety and Effectiveness

This class will examine why the strategy chosen by first-arriving companies and the tactics they perform can be entirely appropriate in the initial stages of a firefighting operation but may become ineffective and unreasonably dangerous later in an incident. Learn why size-up isn’t just performed on arrival but must continue throughout the duration of an incident; why size-up must be performed from two perspectives–inside and outside a fire building; why a red flag should go up when an inside size-up and outside size-up are not in agreement; and why experienced firefighters do not operate at every phase of a firefighting operation with the same strategy, tactics, or level of risk. This class will also examine factors to consider in an ongoing size-up that continuously evaluates the risk to civilians and firefighters vs. the intended benefits.