Fire-Rescue-EMS - Battle of the Building
The Building is Their Enemy
Firefighters often refer to fighting fare as "doing battle" against the flames. To paraphrase Sun Tzu in his book The Art of War, to be successful in battle it is important to know your enemy! Or, as noted building construction expert and Fire Protection Engineer, Frank Brannigan put it "the building is your enemy, know your buildings."
Student sin the Fire-Rescue-EMS program at KACC have been studying building construction in order for them to have a better knowledge base and understanding of the way buildings go up and better understand how they may come down during a fire.
In classroom sessions, they studied the five types of building classifications, from non-combustible to wood frame. They have learned about the advantages and disadvantages of each in regard to the containment and spread potential of a fire.Students have also learned how to identify the strengths and weaknesses and how to identify the building construction types so that upon arrival at a structure fire, they will be able to employ the appropriate tactics and strategies used to attack the fire.
To demonstrate their knowledge of the subject, they toured a building under construction and then took a field trip to Main Street, Manteno. Students were sent on a scavenger hunt or sorts where they were charged to locate and identify many of the terms, techniques and tactics they were presented with in class.Great learning opportunity both inside and out of the classroom.
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