Chapter 113. Small vs Large Departments. — What really is Position Based Firefighting?

About this episode

This episode discusses the importance of position based firefighting and how understanding one's role impacts effectiveness on the fireground.

Volunteer or career, small staffed or big job it doesn’t matter. What does matter is how much you’re forced to understand. Position based firefighting is the IQ of the job. It’s knowing where you fit, what needs to get done, and being able to pivot when it doesn’t go the way it should. Search, communication dialect, the 360, fire attack, Mayday…none of it stands alone. It all ties back to position and awareness. With more people, the work is divided. With less people, it stacks. Either way, the expectation stays the same. This episode breaks down how understanding your position drives everything you do on the fireground and why not knowing it gets exposed fast when things start to move.

Topics covered

• firefighting
• position based firefighting
• department size
• fireground awareness
• communication
• team dynamics

Keywords

• position based firefighting
• fireground
• communication
• search
• fire attack
• Mayday
• department size

More episodes of National Fire Radio Podcast Platform

• Ch. 119 Cut The F*ckin Roof · June 8, 2026 · 12 min
• Ch 118. Zero Visibility · June 1, 2026 · 9 min
• 469. Building a Young Fire Department the Right Way - AC Brad Coy · May 28, 2026 · 21 min
• Re-Run Chapter 42. Green Beret Jay Collins · May 25, 2026 · 1h 12m
• 468. Balancing Tradition with Innovation - Greenwood Fire Department, Chief Jayme Washel · May 22, 2026 · 35 min
• 467. False Wisdom - DJ Stone · May 20, 2026 · 1h 27m