Fireground Strategies 4th

Chief Anthony Avillo’s Fireground Strategies remains an invaluable resource for fire officers striving to master the art and science of firefighting strategy. Building on its legacy, this fourth edition incorporates the ever-evolving information ecosystem that every firefighter and department needs. It remains a cornerstone text for senior-level undergraduate firefighting strategy courses, as well as essential reading for promotional exams across the United States. 

This comprehensive guide leverages case studies, real-world examples, and actionable insights to equip fire officers with the tools to identify strategies, develop action plans, and implement effective tactics to achieve fireground objectives. 

What’s New in the Fourth Edition? 

• Expanded scene arrival protocols to better control an escalating fireground 
• The concept of the RIT assist team (RAT) 
• The concept of the RIT, after softening the structure, as an accountability team 
• Mutual aid considerations for an escalating incident 
• An analysis of the differences between exterior and interior size-up 
• Expanded concepts on heat transfer and the modern fire environment 
• Expanded and updated building construction chapter, including combustible cladding, mass timber, pedestal construction, engineered wood frame, OSB, and T-stud framing 
• Use of exterior and interior control, the key indicators, and examples of their use 
• Exterior strategic opportunity cues and options 
• Updated cues for strategic modification
• A guide to strategic transition from offensive to defensive operations 
• Recognizing and managing the structural carcass 
• Expanded private dwelling chapter to include attic and knee wall dangers and strategies, the recognition and dangers when confronted with dead man rooms, as well as porch fires, triple decker fires, and elevated structure challenges 
• Updated engineered multiple dwelling sections 
• Strategic considerations and the need to correctly implement and coordinate “The Big 6” tactical operations in high-rise firefighting 
• Strategic considerations involving combustible roof fires in non-combustible structures such as strip malls 
• Utilization of the “outside the aisle” strategy when fighting fires in rack storage 
• Large footprint commercial structures and the requirement of an interior area of organization to support the area of operation 
• New sections containing command considerations of active shooter, civil unrest, lithium-ion incidents, and highway operations 
• More than 150 new photographs and captions highlighting critical subject matter