Firefighting

Chicago Fire Department firefighters

Fire-fighting is the act of extinguishing a fire.

Firefighters or firemen are those whose job it is to extinguish fires in a given area. Firefighters can either be paid (professional), or volunteer. In many rural areas and smaller communities, fire departments are volunteer, while in many large cities they are professional. In most places, firefighters also perform other emergency service work, including search and rescue, and emergency medical services. Many firefighters are also certified as EMTs or paramedics.

For small fires, a fire extinguisher can be used. Remember P.A.S.S. (Pull - Aim - Squeeze - Sweep). Fire extinguishers are rated for the types of fires they are effective against. Class A: ordinary flammable solids, such as wood and paper. Class B: flammable liquids, such as grease, oil, and gasoline. Class C: electrical fires. Class D: flammable metals.

Types of firefighting

• Structural firefighting is fighting fires involving buildings and other structures. Most city firefighting is structural firefighting. Structural firefighting is what most people think of when they think of what their local "fire department" does.
• Wildland firefighting is fighting forest fires, brush fires, and fires in other undeveloped areas. The United States Forest Service and other government agencies which administer public lands hire a large number of wildland firefighters every summer, when fire conditions are at their peak.
• Proximity firefighting is fighting fires in situations where the fire produces a very high level of heat, such as aircraft and some chemical fires. Proximity firefighting is not the same thing as structural firefighting and in some (but not all) cases takes place outdoors.
• Entry firefighting is a highly specialized form of firefighting involving the actual direct entry of firefighters into a fire with a very high level of heat. It is not the same thing as proximity firefighting, although it is used in many of the same situations (such as flammable liquid fires).

Vehicles

The "fire truck" and "fire engine" are two different vehicles, and the terms should not be used interchangeably. In general, fire engines are outfitted to pump water at a fire. Trucks do not pump water and are outfitted with ladders and other equipment for use in ventilation of the building, rescue, and related activity. In many jurisdictions it is common to have a ladder (or truck) company and an engine company stationed together in the same firehouse, as was depicted in the movie Ladder 49.

Gear

• Bunker gear - refers to the set of protective clothing worn by firefighters. This is made of a modern fire-resistant material such as Nomex, and has replaced the old rubber coat which was traditionally worn.
• SCBA, or self-contained breathing apparatus, is worn in any IDLH (immediately dangerous to life or health) situation, which includes entry into burning buildings (where hot air and smoke inhalation present a danger) or any situation involving hazardous materials exposure. It consists of a breathing mask and a tank of air worn on the back.
• Helmet, boots, gloves
• Tools: traditional hand tools such as the pike, halligan, pulaski, axe, hydrant wrench; power tools such as saws.
• Hoses and nozzles
• Other equipment

Safety

• In the United States of America, building standards, firefighting equipment standards, and other standards are set by the National Fire Protection Association, or NFPA.
• "Two in, two out" refers to the rule that firefighters never enter a building or other IDLH situation alone but go in as a pair. Two go in and two come out; also, the two in can refer to the two who enter the building while a backup team of two remains outside the building ready to enter if needed.