The Operational Problem of Fire Control

Abstract: The operational core of firefighting operations was examined. The effects of various firefighting procedures on the fire ground, their impact upon conditions on the fire ground in which decisions by commanding officers are made and the effects of allocating resources in time and space on the fire ground were explored. In addition, various approaches for modelling firefighting operations were discussed. The purpose of the underlying work includes gaining knowledge on how firefighting operations are built-up and how the initiation, execution and coordination of procedures affect the course of events at the scene of a fire. The work was mainly based on experiments with fires in small apartments and with fires in large halls where fire spread is restricted. The firefighting procedures used in the experimental work were restricted to fire suppression and fire ventilation. The main contributions to the development of theory on fire and rescue operations were to bring about a better understanding of the inherent dynamics of firefighting operations, and an approach to modelling of firefighting operations based on the analysis of data from experiments on tactical patterns, was suggested. Suggestions for continued work included investigations of the effects of procedures used by the fire and rescue service, and investigating effects of various tactical patterns. In addition, emphasis should be put on modelling of firefighting operations.