Firemanship: The Basics of Winning

Firemanship is not just about knowing how, it’s about knowing why and when. It’s about treating our job as a craft. It’s about taking pride in “doing it right.” In some cases, the fire service has become over-reliant on technology and working “smarter not harder.” While there is nothing wrong with technology or working smarter, firefighting is still a hard, dirty, demanding job that requires hard work and mastery of the basics. Shortcuts have proven deadly to firefighters and the people we are sworn to serve. Firemanship is about mastery of the basics and doing the “little things” right. It’s about never passing a kink, properly using and understanding the tools of our trade, doing efficient and effective searches, weapon selection, getting water on the fire, forcing doors, deploying ground ladders, and coordinated ventilation. On the surface, every firefighter will say “we can do that.” The question is, “are we doing it right?” Are we doing the “little things” that lead to winning or are we just getting by. The vast majority of firefighters want to do a great job, but unfortunately some haven’t had the opportunity to learn what that entails. In this presentation we will discuss the mindset, mechanics, knowledge, and preparation required to achieve mastery of the basics, firemanship, and ultimately winning on the fireground.