This is a side by side view synched up of what a good patient attack looks like. Control is gained before he starts moving forward and once the nozzle is on the fire area it does not come back up and off unless there is a compelling reason. The more fire the slower and more methodical the advance.
This is a cool example of not being overly anxious to move forward before gaining the upper hand on what is ahead of you. The reach of the stream was maximized and the nozzle was able to effectively gain control of the overhead and move down to seal off the hallway ahead prior to starting to move forward. A lot of times there is a tendency to open the bale and immediately start moving ahead. Understand that you can and will outpace your ability to cool in certain situations if you move too fast. Just like using a maul to split wood or a hammer to drive nails, let the tool do the work for you.
He definitely could have moved the nozzle around more, but overall did a fine job.
Of all the gimmicks the fire service comes up with to let us attack fire more “safely”, the solid foundation of the basics that have been preached for many years are the ones that illuminate brightly as the way to simultaneously get the job done and remain safe at the same time. Get in, don’t wait too long to open up, use the stream reach, don’t outpace your nozzle, make everything cool.
