Not just what and how, but why!
Tucson AZ Overpressure Event Earlier this month, Chief Billy Goldfeder examined an incident involving an overpressure event that occurred in May 2025 in Tucson, Arizona. The initial response was a single company dispatched to an unknown type fire near East 22nd Street and South County Club Road. Arriving at the reported location, they observed light … Read more
It has been a busy six weeks since my last post with several trips to Chile and around the United States delivering seminars on Practical Fire Dynamics and Reading the Fire along with finalizing the fire district’s budget for 2014. Spending a full-day on B-SAHF and reading the fire at the Springfield Professional Firefighters IAFF … Read more
There has been an increasing awareness that smoke is fuel and that hot smoke overhead results in thermal insult (due to radiant heat transfer) and potential for ignition. However, the hazard presented by smoke as gas phase fuel can extend a considerable distance from the current area of fire involvement. Reading the Fire Print a … Read more
Video of several incidents involving explosions during structural firefighting operations have been posted to YouTube in the last several weeks. Two of these videos, one from New Chicago, IN and the other from Olathe, KS involve residential fires. The other is of a commercial fire in Wichita, KS. When a video shows some sort of … Read more
Residential Fire This post examines fire development during a residential fire in Lyons, New York. Download and the B-SAHF Worksheet. Watch the first minute and thirty seconds (1:30) of the video. First, describe what you observe in terms of the Building, Smoke, Air Track, Heat, and Flame Indicators; then answer the following five standard questions? … Read more
Developing and maintaining proficiency in reading the Fire using the B-SAHF (Building, Smoke, Air Track, Heat, and Flame) organizing scheme for fire behavior indicators, requires practice. This post provides an opportunity to exercise your skills using a video segment shot during a commercial fire. Residential Fire This post examines fire development during a residential fire … Read more
Greetings from Peru! I am writing this post in the kitchen of Station #100 in San Isidro, which is one of the districts in Lima. I am in Lima to speak on the concepts of practical fire dynamics and 3D Firefighting at a fire and rescue conference later in the week. I would like to … Read more
Reading the Fire Before returning to discussion of the science underlying gas cooling as a fire control technique, I wanted to share a video of an industrial fire in Maidencreek Township, Pennsylvania that provides an excellent illustration of smoke and air track indicators. Watch the first minute (1:00) of the video and answer the following … Read more
Developing and maintaining proficiency in reading the Fire using the B-SAHF (Building, Smoke, Air Track, Heat, and Flame) organizing scheme for fire behavior indicators, requires practice. This post provides an opportunity to exercise your skills using a video segment shot during a commercial fire. Commercial Fire This post examines fire development during a fire in … Read more
It has been a number of months since the last Reading the Fire post. It is essential to continue the process of deliberate practice in order to continue to improve and refine skill in Reading the Fire. As we start the New Year it is a good time to reaffirm our commitment to mastering our … Read more