Training Scenarios

Wolf Lake, Minnesota Scenarios
Co-op fire
Boat on fire

Store fire
Apartments on fire
PowerPoint slides

Step #2

Use the right button on your mouse to perform a RIGHT CLICK, and go to SAVE TARGET AS.

Step #3

Select the folder you created in Step #1 and click  on SAVE (file folder "Scenarios" in my example)

Step #4

Ensure all five files are in the same folder. You can now play all the scenarios using the PowerPoint file Wolf_Lake

Local Knowledge Trumps an “Expert”
by Tim Farmer

The past few years I have been developing and presenting many customized training scenarios in fire departments across the state. I use aerial views and photos of local buildings that I am able to obtain from the internet by using Google Maps or Bing Maps. The aerial view can establish the layout  of the building site, location of water supplies, exposures, and in the case of  larger buildings fire wall locations can sometimes be seen extending through the roof.

I normally start with an internet search of real estate sites looking for properties with two to three exterior views of the building which I can use to build a fire scenario. Once I find the pictures, I will use Google or Bing Maps to locate the property, and then use their aerial view feature to create a photo of the area or site. I then try to figure out which direction the department will most likely approach the building from, and will use the photo which best depicts that side of the building first. If I am lucky, the mapping website will allow me to use a feature which they call “street view” which allows you to move down the street and view the building from different angles which allow you to see three sides of the building (four sides if it is located on a corner with street view available on both streets).

I was very surprised when I was searching the internet for some buildings to use for a size-up and tactics class in Wolf Lake to find that Google Maps provided a street level view for the business district in this town. Wolf Lake is a town of about 60 people and is located about 25 miles east of Detroit Lakes, and as you can imagine, the business district is pretty small. I was able to use this feature to make four fire scenarios which were specific to the City of Wolf Lake. One of the scenarios involved an attic fire at the local Co-op and seemed pretty straight forward to me with a medium smoke condition showing from the roof soffits and vents. Firefighters should pull the ceiling and put water on the fire (or use a piercing nozzle if the department had one), and establish positive pressure ventilation to limit smoke in the building (vertical ventilation was not recommended on the lightweight metal deck roof).

When developing the actual computer generated smoke condition, I had assumed that a light colored square area, just down from the roof peak on the “A” side of the building, was a vent or access door to the attic space. On the morning of the class I arrived in Wolf Lake early and drove by the buildings I used in the scenarios at which time I discovered this was actually a sign on the front of the building. I had time before the students arrived to correct the computer generated slide and recreate the video.  Fire Chief Dale Hillukka saw what I was doing and said something like – “that is going to be a problem, and you don’t even know half of the issues with that building.”

When the actual scenario came up during the class, I asked the firefighters three questions: what are the life hazards; what strategy will you use; and what tactics will be required? All of the firefighters quickly agreed that they would set up for defensive operations and noted that, assuming nobody was in the building,  the greatest life hazard was the overhead electrical power service on the “A” side of the building. I was amazed and attempted to get them to consider opening a quick attic inspection hole just inside the front door to assess the extent of fire involvement prior to making a decision to go defensive. They would have nothing to do with my suggestion.

The firefighters were very familiar with the Co-op having shopped there for years, and one firefighter who worked there in the past. They explained to me that the building had undergone many renovations over the years, and had multiple roofs and ceilings. They recognized that it would be nearly impossible to open up the ceilings to the seat of the fire, and would not be safe to work on the metal deck roof, especially for the length of time it would take to open a hole in it. I was surprised by the knowledge of the department with regard to this building, and the other two which I used in the various scenarios. They knew the buildings, the owners and/or residents, and much about their methods of construction.

When you think about, it might be easier for small town firefighters to have a strong understanding of the buildings in their towns. They shop, work, worship, and live in these structures, and it is probably much more obvious when a building is being remodeled or under construction. I have found this to be true in other small towns I have taught in across the state. The reason I think that this is so important is that sometime an outside fire service “expert” is brought in to facilitate a class, and we must realize that although these instructors have a lot of knowledge, you - the local firefighters - are the real experts in your fire districts. It is very important that you base your strategies and tactics on your local resources and building knowledge.

During a course I was attending at the National Fire Academy the instructor asked; “Given enough time is there anyone in the class who could not obtain 100 fire engines through their mutual aid system?” My classmate from Molokai, Hawaii raised his hand and stated: “We only have six engines on our island, but given enough time….” My point is that the Wolf Lake Fire Department does not have the resources available that many of the “experts” that write the textbooks have. Their department has accepted this fact, and used their local knowledge of this business to develop a realistic and safe incident operations plan for a fire involving this buildings’ attic space.

I have posted the Wolf Lake Co-op fire scenario, as well as some other fire simulations for their town on the MSFCA website http://www.msfca.org/ConferenceTraining/TrainingScenarios.html. There are instructions on the webpage regarding how to download the simulations and use the PowerPoint presentation for training in your own department if you wish.  You can make up the construction type and interior layouts to serve your training purposes, but if you need to know specific facts about any of the building you would need to contact the real experts - the Wolf Lake firefighters.