Breaking Down the 'W' for Extreme Weather Tactics
About this episode
The episode discusses practical tactics for handling extreme weather conditions in firefighting based on John Norman's size-up acronym.
On this episode of Fireground Strategies, hosts Anthony Avillo and Jim Duffy break down the 'W' from John Norman’s "COAL WAS WEALTH" size‑up acronym and translate it into practical tactics for extreme heat, storms, and flash flooding. They cover preincident planning and hot weather policies; front‑loading alarms and one‑bottle/short‑shift strategies; crew rotations; on‑scene rehab; recognition of heat illness; generator and solar power hazards; live wire risks in windstorms; water supply; and mutual‑aid challenges during storms. They also explain FDIC instructor selection and encourage submitting road‑tested classes.
People in this episode
Hosts: Anthony Avillo, Jim Duffy
Topics covered
- extreme weather tactics
- preincident planning
- heat illness recognition
- storm response
- crew rotations
- rehabilitation on scene
Keywords
- extreme heat
- flash flooding
- storm tactics
- water supply
- mutual-aid challenges
- generator hazards
- solar power risks
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: COAL WAS WEALTH
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