Tough Fires: Keeping the Fight

By: Alex Degnan

Captain Alex Degnan’s new book Tough Fires: Keeping the Fight examines the danger of fighting fires in difficult conditions and what firefighters can do to triage and stay on the offensive side of the fight. 

Degnan’s crew encouraged him to record his knowledge, experience, and observations in this book to encourage and educate firefighters about how to deal with difficult circumstances practically. The difference between success and failure is understanding that, under strain, we can fail if we see difficulty as a hindrance to possibility. 

What are some of the tough or unique situations at fires, and how did you get yourself out of them? 

Table of Contents

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