Command NOT Control — The 4th Generation of Firefighting

4th gen. firefighting bends the policies to the incident, not the incident to the policies.

The fire service problem space always changes. Today it is changing faster than ever before. Construction is optimized, creating fragile buildings; Contents burn hotter and quicker; Homes are built closer together. The operation tempo must speed up, pushing us into the 4th generation of firefighting; command NOT control.

The 4th generation of firefighting is a natural progression, building on and learning from prior generations.

The Prior Generations

1st Generation: Coordinate

1st generation produces aggressive interior firefighting and small team coordination. We quickly learn that a growing fire is so powerful we only survive as teams. However, large scale coordination was not possible due to a limitation in communication technology, so most coordination is face to face or intuitive. Focus is outward. Decision making is local. Initiative is prized over everything. OODA loops* are fast but limited to the crew. Communication is face to face. Crews are held responsible for how well they coordinate.

*Note — OODA stands for Observe, Orient, Decide, Act. OODA is decision process developed by Air Force Colonel John Boyd…