Strategic & Tactical Considerations on the Fireground

This book is written for firefighters, fire officers, and chief officers who hope to improve their firefighting skills. It can be utilized in college fire science courses, or at a fire training academy. It can be beneficial for a candidate preparing for promotion to company or chief officer.

Improve readers’ understanding with real-world insight and research
Blending research and over 40 years of personal experience in the field, Strategic and Tactical Considerations on the Fireground, Fourth Edition, draws on author Chief Smith’s career operating in one of the largest fire departments in the United States. This authoritative text covers strategic decisions as well as tactical operations, guiding readers through the process of problem identification and solution response. From planning to incident scene control, this text exposes readers to almost every possible tactical scenario and provides knowledge that can be applied to a variety of complex fire situations. The Fourth Edition is updated and expanded to include information that addresses evolving fire service operational approaches.

James P. Smith was appointed to the Philadelphia Fire Department on June 29, 1966. He was promoted to lieutenant on December 18, 1972; to captain on December 30, 1974; to battalion chief on August 3, 1981; and to deputy chief on June 27, 1987. Deputy chief is the highest fire department civil service position. Chief Smith reported to the deputy commissioner. He retired on July 7, 2007, and continues to lecture and write on firefighting.

Chief Smith has worked on both engine and ladder companies and in every section of the city. He has served as director of the Philadelphia Fire Academy. In this role, he was the departmental Safety Officer and responded on multiple alarm fires performing the Safety Officer’s function. Additional areas of responsibility included the research and planning unit. In his role as a field deputy chief, Chief Smith had responsibility for operations for one half of the city. Currently he is a member of the Atlantic County New Jersey All-Hazard Incident Management Team, serving as a Safety Officer.

Chief Smith has developed and taught many programs. He has been associated with the National Fire Academy in Emmitsburg, Maryland, since 1982. As an adjunct instructor since 1984, he has taught numerous operational courses. He is a graduate of the prestigious Executive Fire Officer’s Program. He also teaches courses for the Emergency Management Institute.

Chief Smith has authored the Fire Studies column in Firehouse magazine since 1987. He has served as a technical consultant for numerous textbooks, and has lectured throughout the United States on incident management, officer development, safety, church fires, building construction, building collapse, strategy and tactics, incident command systems, tank farm fires, and high-rise firefighting.

Chief Smith has also served as a subject matter expert and testified as a technical expert on firefighting strategy and tactics, operations in vacant buildings, dangers of vacant buildings, and the training needs of fire departments.

Chief Smith has also been involved in independent fire investigations involving fire fatalities and firefighter injuries, to determine whether the strategy and tactics that were employed at those fires met national standards.

Chief Smith can be contacted at  JPSMITHPFD@aol.com.

1. Preparation
2. Management Tools
3. Decision Making
4. Company Operations
5. Building Construction
6. Building Collapse and Scene Safety
7. Special Situations and Occupancies
8. Health Care and High-Risk Populations
9. Commercial and Industrial
10. Technical Operations
11. After the Incident