The focus is on how to prepare for and respond to fires in box stores up to about 25,000 square feet with an emphasis on volunteer, combination, and smaller all-career departments. This type of a response is a low-frequency/high-risk event for most smaller departments and, as such, represents significant operational and member risk. Preincident topics include Recognition Primed Decision-Making and the need for an effective training program, creating effective prefire surveys, effective mutual-aid response, apparatus and hoseload setup, and training for commercial building fire operations. Operational topics include fire behavior in an open-floor plan structure, initial apparatus positioning considerations, size-up, flow requirements and initial line selection, forcible entry challenges, water supply, managing concealed spaces, rapid intervention, and ventilation. Fire attack focuses on delivering maximum water with minimum personnel.
