>>> Well, let's think about this. The building could randomly implode
>> Buildings don't randomly implode, they follow the laws of physics.
> 
> Yep - the thing is that you learn to risk. I. e. your training includes 
> looking for certain signs, and comparing them with what the dispatcher told 
> you, along with simple common sense. The whole idea of surviving AND doing 
> the job on the fire ground is to risk from a position of knowledge. You need 
> to know how far you are LIKELY to be able to go and still survive and do 
> your job.
> 
> Remember also it is usually very military in the fire service - you act 
> pretty much like a soldier, doing what your lieutenant or battalion chief 
> tells you to do. And the same reaction is expected as well - instant 
> obedience to orders.
> 
> That's the thing - most firefighter fatalities are when some unknown factor 
> was present (like a homeowner storing propane in his garage, or an 
> unanticipated collapse of a trench wall, for example.)
> 
> I have seen thought, that in the fire service (at least here, in the past) 
> the military paradigm is largely adhered to, but a smart officer will always 
> listen (at least a bit) versus military officers who more commonly have the 
> "shut and do what I tell you" mentality.

...so "learning safety" means that if the building is about to explode, 
they just don't go in there? [As I originally asserted.]

-- 
http://blog.orphi.me.uk/
http://www.zazzle.com/MathematicalOrchid*

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