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Thank you for checking out the video. The guys work hard to be ready for these moments and get after it, which of course makes my job much easier to navigate.

Well since it was a helmet came it would make sense that the camera moved with where I was looking. Not making a movie for cinema release, rather taking video to document what happened in real time.

There were two a ladder truck and an engine.

Thanks for your feedback. We work hard to be ready for these moments and work in a smooth coordinated manner. Our utility company partners are top notch. They always make it easy to work with them.

Though it may be hard to see in this video, lighting was not an issue. The street was well it and we could see just fine, combined with the fact that it was dawn and the light continued to increase.

Thank you for your feedback. We try and engage with the fire and each other in the same way. We are all working toward the same goal and the more coordinated we are the more efficiently that occurs. While the face to face is not always an option we like to use it when we can. People don't realize how much body language is a part of what we do. It also allows for observation of how the officers and firefighters are holding up and what their mental state is. You can't fully get that information over the radio.

The deck gun worked nicely here. It should never be overlooked as an offensive weapon!

It depends on if they are in their original state or if they have been split up into apartments. In their original state they typically have 3 bedrooms on the second floor of the home. The 1/2 story or third floor is large enough to have one or two rooms, but they typically were designed as attic spaces. If the home has been divided into apartments, it really depends on how the landlord breaks them up and remodels the house.

Thanks! Will do!

This is the air cascade unit and its only purpose is to refill the air cylinders that the firefighters wear on their backs. We carry extra cylinders, however during these types of incidents this unit comes to the scene and refills them as we use them.

Thank you. This is our most typical type of fire. Our city is largely composed of attached housing. So we train hard to understand the complexity they create and how we can locate and cut off the fire in them.

Thank you! We typically have 3 on an engine and 3 or 4 on a truck. We have a minimum and 15 and one command officer on duty at any time. Depending on scheduling that could increase to about 24 and a command officer. But that is rare.

Thank you. We all work hard to be as coordinated as possible. The guys know their jobs and their roles and work hard to be good at them. That translates into a smoother operating fire ground. But it's a process that needs constant attention. Always working on the basics.

Thank you!

Thank you!

Thank you!

Thank you!

These are the helmets that are available to us and work best with the air packs and face pieces that our departments utilize. We don't see a lot of injuries to the face/head statistically so I believe they are doing what they are designed to do. I know there are different types of helmets out there and that they work well also, but I would say that unless there would be some reason that injuries started to increase you won't likely see any major change to this helmet / face piece set up in the near future.

Thank you. We appreciate that. Our firefighters are committed to their jobs and to the city and its residents. They take their jobs and more importantly their oaths very seriously.

One of only many times I forcefully interacted with the ground that day.

Thank you!

Thank you for noticing that. We work hard to make sure we all know our roles at these incidents and how to apply our operating guidelines. The guys do a great job with that.

Thank you!

Thank you! The guys work really hard to be effective in their jobs!

We do have deck guns and we use them in our department routinely as an offensive weapon when the circumstances dictate their use. We also know when not to use them. When the deck gun is not in a position to get water into the building due to the angle, you waste more water than you use. Due to this being a row house, the engine positioned for the trucks to have better roof access than for them to have deck gun access. This is an extremely tight street, and the wide angle view of the GoPro camera makes it look much wider than it is. The deck gun was not a viable option on this fire.

They were not assigned to drop a line. Their driver was assigned to make the connection. So being serrated and doing different jobs, they wouldn't know what their river was doing.

Thank you. The guys worked hard to get after this one.

There was no reason to do a trench on this fire. Most of the fire was not in the cockloft. The crews on the roof vented in several spots on several houses for the release of gasses, heat and smoke. However, fire was not running the cockloft, so if they would have trenched this roof it would have actually aided in the spread of fire. Trenching is a great offensive tool is row house firefighting and we use it. But we only use it when it is appropriate. This fire did not require that tactic.

I appreciate your feedback on the incident. But I hate to see people just keep lumping the American Fire Service into one big lump. Most people who look at us this way only see very few videos of what goes on in our country and make all of their assumptions from that. There are far more dialed in and effective fire departments operating than what that assumption allows for.

The fire developed rapidly. Building construction, air and fuel load (contents, building materials, etc) all play a role in how quickly a fire gets going. This type of construction really lends its self to rapid fire development and spread, which is what we see here.

I can not speak to that directly, having not been involved in any cases where that became an issue. I am sure it is admissible, and there for up for critical examination in the case.

Thanks! We appreciate the feedback. The guys work hard to be effective in their jobs and coordinated in or overall effort. It's an ongoing process.

Thank you, the guys busted their buts and got after it.

Thank you. Sure. At this point you need to do good in school and stay out of trouble. Keep your nose clean and don’t pick up any of the bad habits that you’ll be tempted with, all they do is waste your money, damage your health and make you a less desirable candidate. Do good in algebra, geometry, chemistry, and physics, they all apply to this job. Don’t forget your humanities classes either as this job is more about people than anything else. Start to understand how your mind works for you and against you and then do the work to use it to your advantage. There is a great book called Deep Survival by Lawrence Gonzales, you should read it again and again. Get and stay physically fit. Run and be strong. You need cardio and strength. Don’t let anyone fool you here, you need them both. Fuel your body correctly. Start now and this will serve you your whole life. Good nutrition and hydration is key and a hard thing to correct when you get off track. Understand the benefit of sleep and get 7-8 hours of sleep a night. This seems crazy now but believe me, you need it. As a junior FF right now, and as a rookie firefighter later and as a senior firefighter and officer later, remember to be HUMBLE. You don’t and will never know everything you need to know. NEVER STOP LEARNING. The day you think you know it all is the day you become a danger to yourself and everyone around you. As a junior your ONLY job is to show up ready to work and learn and to LISTEN to those around you. Show up first, work the hardest. Be a sponge and take in all the stories good and bad, watch the people around you, emulate the good ones, steer clear of the bad ones. Not everyone has your best interests at heart. Many people will try to bring you down, back to their level, when you start to succeed and surpass them. We are a brotherhood and should work to build each other up. If they don’t share your values, move away and on from them. Never compromise your core values. This job is about trust. In yourself, in each other and that which the public has in us. That can never be broken. It takes Vulnerability, honesty, humility, integrity, grace, gratitude, and generosity. Get comfortable with those things now and they will serve you well your whole life. We’re here to serve the public, respect them and their stuff. They are THE ONLY reason we exist. They may live, believe, and look differently than you. You might not agree with everything they say or do. You may question their judgments and decisions. They may be good or bad. They may not have much, but it’s all they have. It’s what they have worked for. They are just trying to get to tomorrow just like you. Our job is to help make what is their current worst day better. Take every opportunity to learn that you can. There are books, videos, podcasts, conferences, training classes and senior members and mentors that you can learn from every day. READ, there is so much out there on the history of the fire service, people’s careers, departments, and more technical books. Read as many as you can. Also, read about our country’s history, learn from those who have gone into battle on our behalf, it all applies to the fire service. Like I said before, learn about humans and human behavior, it drives a lot of what we do, ourselves, those we serve with and those we serve. Learn the basics of mechanics, the various trades and building construction. You will use this stuff every day. While gaming, develops hand eye coordination, it doesn’t teach you anything about how an engine works, or how to fix a kid’s bike, or shut off a home’s water system, or how the furnace works, or where voids are in a house or how a house is built or wired and what it’s built of. Know what basic tools are and how to use them. Don’t be afraid of manual labor and getting dirty. These are perishable skills and less and less of those coming into the fire service have them. Understand how teams work. The fire service is not an individual effort. Each member has strong points and weaker ones. We need to learn to leverage the right people at the right times to be the most efficient and effective in reaching our goal as we can. When we come together as a team is when we can really shine. Your induvial performance matters though. If you aren’t where you are supposed to be doing what you’re supposed to be doing when and how your supposed to be doing it, then your adding drag and friction to the operation. It makes everyone else’s job harder. Don’t be that guy. Start now, document everything. Start a journal. Write about your experiences. Document what you did, how you did it, how it worked out and what you could do differently next time. This job has many strategies and tactics that are very important, but they are all made up of the tiny details of your personal performance on the task level skills that make them up. Be good at all the little details and the greater overall performance will improve. Understand why and how you do each thing, and it will all come together. Don’t be afraid to look critically at your performance. That is how you get better. You can always be better. Take photos and videos. You are part of something that will cause you to laugh uncontrollably, cry uncontrollably, and build relationships like you’ve never had. Take the time to not only build those memories, but document them so you can look back on them later in your life. This job can injure you or take your life. You have to be all in. Educated, trained, fit, fueled, prepared and able to execute. You need to do the work required to get there, every day of your entire career. With that being said, you CAN NOT let this job consume you. It can’t be your only thing. You need BALANCE. There is a dark side and a toll that it takes. You need to do your best to minimize its effects. Have friends and interests that have nothing to do with the fire service, remember you have a family and spend time with them. Not only the one you have now, but the one you’ll have in your future. They want you to be safe and enjoy it. They will be there for you. But they might not understand all aspects of it. Don’t assume they do. Remember they are in this thing with you like it or not and it has an effect on them too. They know it’s dangerous no matter how much you minimize that. Be open with them, don’t be dramatic about it, but be open and hear them out. Develop some other hobbies and things you like to do and take time to do them. Don’t let the fire service define every aspect of your life. Down the road, when it comes time to walk away from all of this, you don’t want to be left with nothing else to do. It’s a real problem. Don’t let it creep upon you. Most of all enjoy the journey you are taking. Take the time to take it in and to do your part. If you do it all correctly its something you can be immensely proud of and will help you to provide a good life for you and your family. Good luck on youyr journey. Hopefully I’ll see you on a Harrisburg fire ground soon! BB

@@brianbastinelli I appreciate you responding to this and giving me this advice, Means a lot I'll defiantly cherish the messages you gave me today and put them into play.