Sun Tzu and the Art of Fireground Leadership

The Art of War by Sun Tzu is the oldest military work in existence.  Written in 500 BC, this ancient text on military tactics is still studied by today’s warriors.  The principles for victorious warfare laid out by Sun Tzu can also be applied to fire service leadership and fireground tactics.  Sun Tzu and the Art of Fireground Leadership breaks down the content of Art of War into four key principles required for fire service success - preparation, responsibility, tactics, leadership.

Fireground Leadership presents the ancient principles that must be applied for victory in any battle, demonstrates how these relate to today’s modern fire service, and provides practical guidance on the applying these principles to achieve fireground success.

Sun Tzu and the Art of Fireground Leadership enables the reader to understand the principles of ancient victorious warriors and teaches how to apply them to practical fire service leadership and fireground strategies!

The book is available in Kindle and print versions from Amazon, http://amzn.to/2ioRGXE.

Join the social media conversation with, #suntzufireground.

About the Author

Aaron Johnson has more than a decade of fire service experience and holds multiple fire service certifications.  Aaron began his career as an aircraft rescue firefighter moved to driver/operator, then transitioned into fire prevention. He currently serves as Fire Marshal for Rural/Metro Fire in south Florida. Aaron regularly speaks at industry conferences and has authored more than 400 articles, blog posts, and books.

Contact the Author

E-mail: thecodecoach@gmail.com

Website: www.thecodecoach.com

COAL WAS WEALTH

In his book, Fireground Strategies, 2nd Edition, by Anthony Avillo, is outlined an acronym for remembering all the pertinent information on a scene-size up.  The acronym is, “COAL WAS WEALTH”.  

"Coal" by Jeffrey Beall

Construction

Occupancy

Area

Life Hazard

Water

Auxiliary Systems

Street Conditions

Weather

Exposures

Apparatus & Personnel

Location

Time

Hazards

Though intended primarily for scene size- up this can be a valuable tool for pre-planning and understanding the hazards and needs on a facility or within a community.

Construction - what is the construction type?

Occupancy - what is the occupancy type?

Area - how big is the structure (square footage/stories/area)?

Life hazard - what danger to occupants and responders is posed by the structure?

Water - is there a dedicated water supply? where are the hydrants located?

Auxiliary systems - are fire sprinklers or fire alarm systems present and operational?

Street conditions - is the structure accessible or obstructed?

Weather - what impact potential does weather have on the structure or operations?

Exposures - what buildings or structures are nearby?

Apparatus & personnel - what is the required apparatus and number of personnel?

Location - what is the builidng address? how is located on the property?

Time - is time of day a factor for emergency response operations?

Hazards - what hazardous materials or processes are located in the building?

By asking these questions one can start to prepare for various emergencies that may occur, and become familiar with what types of operations actually occur within our areas of operation.

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