Tough Fires

Alex Degnan has been a Jersey City (NJ) firefighter since 2005. He worked his time as a firefighter at Squad Company 4. He was promoted to captain in 2015, and soon returned to his home company. SQ4 is a rescue engine in the city responsible for both engine company response in the immediate battalion and engine or truck task on all working fires throughout the city. The company is also outfitted with technical compliment and fills out a full technical response when called upon with Rescue 1. The primacy of the suppressive effort, efficiency in abating a life hazard, and pragmatism under adversity remain hallmarks of Degnan’s focus when training or executing assignment. Degnan grew up in Jersey City where his grandfather, big brother, and cousin were and are Jersey City firefighters. His grandfather retired a Deputy Chief. His brother is the group B Officer of Greenville’s Ladder Tower 4, and his cousin is an officer assigned to group C. (Like many in the family, they are all named Nick.) Degnan earned a BS in Criminal Justice in 2004 and a BS in Fire Science in 2010 from New Jersey City University. Many of his articles have been published in Fire Engineering magazine, including:•“Profiling Windows” and “The Water Can” •“Overcoming Short Hose Stretches” (October 2019) •“Pressure and Flow without Numbers” (February 2020) •“Using Guide Ropes When Attacking Fires in Suboptimal Conditions” (Water on the Fire Supplement, February 2020) •“Hydraulic Ventilation in Increasingly Poor Atmospheres” (March 2020) •“Moving Victims Alone Using a 2:1 Mechanical Advantage System” (September 2020) •“A Tough Call: Deploying the Second Line at Arduous Conditions” (Water on the Fire Supplement, February 2021)

Foreword
Acknowledgments
Introduction: Why We Fight
Part I. Before Assuming Task
1. Profiling Windows
2. Quickly Reading Modern and Legacy Smoke
3. Crawling to Task
4. Understanding and Maximizing Your Air
Part II. The Assignments and Conditions
5. The Seat
6. Help to the Pump Chauffeur from the Inside
7. The Black Door 1
8. The Black Door II
9. Engine Co. Primary Search at the Seat
10. Guidelines for Attack Teams to Uncover the Seat
11. Charging the Second Line in Variable Conditions
12. Easing the Strain of the 2½" Hose
13. Hydraulic Venting in Poor Conditions
14. Overcoming Short Hose Stretches
15. Mitigating the Fire Escape Advance
16. Interior Line Ascension
17. The Inverted Cellar Stair
18. The Broken Path
19. The Water Can at Tough Assignments
20. The Breach Advance
21. Your Last Resort: Pulling a Door
22. The Linchpin: A Bad Hydrant
23. Making the Cut in Tough Conditions
24. The Only Way Up
25. The Fastest 500: Sending Your Tank
26. Tagging and Extending a Blind VES
27. Tagging On and Off a Tough Roof
28. Pinning a Handline in Extreme Circumstances
Index
About the Author