SENTIALS OF FIRE FIGHTING® AND RESCUE CTURAL FIRE FIGHTING: INITIAL RESPONSE STRATEGY AND TACTICS
PUMPING AND AERIAL APPARATUS DRIVER/OPERATOR HANDBOOK
CHIEF OFFICER OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY, HEALTH, AND WELLNESS FIRE INSPECTION AND CODE ENFORCEMENT
VE FIRE INSTRUCTOR
Motorized apparatus had replaced the horse-drawn pumper. Heavier population densities in congested urban areas demanded quicker response times. New materials and chemicals used in building construction and industry, particularly the petroleum industry, required new techniques for fire prevention and suppression. The age of technology had come, and the firefighter had to become a part of it. The Prelude Training schools and short courses began to appear in most states in the 1920s and 1930s, but written descriptions of how to fight fires were still rare. The Oklahoma Fireman’s Association (OFA; known today as the Oklahoma State Firefighters Association [OSFA]) actually began conducting firefighter training classes as part of their annual state firefighter’s convention as early as 1917. By 1926, these sessions grew into a 4-day fire school. As the fire school continued to prosper and grow, it became increasingly difficult for the leadership of the OFA to manage it. In 1931, the OFA leadership approached the administration of Oklahoma A&M College (now known as Oklahoma State University) and asked them to assume the full-time role of running the annual fire school and providing year-round training for Oklahoma’s firefighters. The college accepted this duty and initially assigned the program to the Oklahoma State Department of Vocational Education, which was part of the college at that time.
In that same year of 1931, the first training manual emerged from the annual state convention fire school. John E. Taplin, a former school teacher and fire chief from Blackwell, Oklahoma, had written a small manual called The Essentials of Firemanship (Figure 1). This manual was published with support from the OFA, the University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma A&M College, the Oklahoma Municipal League, and the State Board of Vocational Education, and it was endorsed by the National Board of Fire Underwriters. The manual was not a true training manual in today’s sense. It was more of a compilation of various fire equipment manufacturer’s product descriptions and use instructions. However, the manual quickly gained national recognition and orders for the little book flowed in. Another significant event in the history of the OSU fire programs occurred in 1931. Chief John Raymond “Ray” Pence had moved to Stillwater from Healdton, Oklahoma, and had set about making the Stillwater Fire Department a model in the nation (Figure 2) . A devout believer in firefighter training and education, Pence was an officer in several state and regional firefighters’ organizations and had supported fire training schools and their move to Oklahoma A&M. Pence quickly integrated himself into the Stillwater and college communities and his influence on the development of the fire programs would be a major factor in years to come. In 1932 and 1933, the fire schools operated successfully in Stillwater. In 1933, Oklahoma A&M College moved the fire training program from the Department of Vocational Education to the College of Engineering, Architecture, and Technology (CEAT). It remains attached there to this day. The Department of Vocational Education would soon be removed from the control of Oklahoma A&M College and become an independent agency within the State of Oklahoma government structure. Its offices remain in Stillwater to this day and it is the only state agency in Oklahoma whose headquarters is not located in Oklahoma City. Meetings took place at the Stillwater fire station at Ninth and Lewis, with Pence acting as host. Knowledgeable persons from outside the fire service were
Figure 1
Figure 2
6 IFSTA /FPP: THE FIRST 90 YEARS
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