G L O B A L
FIRE
OPERATIONS
COURSE
RI SK
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PROJECT BACKGROUND
The Fire Operations Course (FOC) is a unique
Yet due to the scarcity of live-burn facilities this type
training program that introduces the fundamentals
of training has not been made widely available to the
of fire rescue into combat operations. Operating in
personnel who routinely encounter such scenarios.
deadly environments that involve fire and fire-related
hazards is a reality that military and law enforcement
personnel often face. Fire is an effective, inexpensive,
and universally available weapon increasingly used
by terrorists. Inadvertent vehicle and structural fires
started by civilians or friendly forces are also common
occurrences both on and off the battlefield.
The FOC is taught by America’s foremost experts on
fire rescue and overseen by former US Army Special
Operations team members. Our goal is to provide
military and law enforcement with realistic and
challenging training in order to prepare them to face
deadly fire-related environments in buildings and
vehicles, and survive.
TRAINING APPROACH
Through challenging and realistic exercises that
safely incorporate fire and smoke, the FOC gives each
student extensive hands-on experience inside live
burning structures. Students and teams are afforded
opportunities to establish tactics, techniques, and
procedures (TTPs) specific to their operational specialties.
All learning materials and training equipment will be
provided by GRA, however students are also encouraged
to bring their own issued equipment to incorporate
into training.
FOC instructors are experts in complex terrain and
technical rescue operations, including:
»» Casualty removal
»» Downed firefighter rescue
Upon successful completion, graduates
will receive a certification in accordance
with National Fire Protection Agency
(NFPA) publications NFPA 1670:
Technical Search and Rescue Incidents
as well as NFPA 1430: Live Fire Training.
»» High-angle ropes and lead climbing
»» Elevator infiltration and operation
»» Heavy equipment rigging
»» Confined space and trench collapse operations
»» Advanced swift water rescue and scuba operations
»» Advanced automotive extrication
Above: FOC student uses a thermal imaging camera to locate downed
personnel in smoke filled, no-visibility conditions.
»» HazMat II qualified
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FIRE RELATED TERRORIST ATTACKS
February 2008
December 1995
erbian attackers set a
S
fire in the lobby of the US
Embassy in Belgrade.
gunman entered a department store in New York
A
City armed with a handgun and a can of accelerant.
He barricaded himself and his hostages in a back room
and set fire to the building around him. Police and
firefighters worked together to fight back the blaze
while simultaneously attempting to eliminate the threat.
November 2008
September 2012
March 2014
US ambassador died of smoke inhalation during a
A
terrorist attack on the US Consulate in Benghazi. During
a subsequent attack on the US Embassy in Tunisia, a
militant mob lit a fire on the building’s first floor.
hree American hostages barricaded
T
themselves in the basement of the Uzbek
Embassy guesthouse in Kabul due to
secondary fires from a suicide bombing.
embers of the terrorist
M
organization Lashkar-eTaiba deliberately started
fires to impede the progress
of response teams during a
series of twelve coordinated
shooting and bombing
attacks across Mumbai.
CORE LEARNING OBJECTIVES
History of Security Operations in
Burning Structures
»» Lessons learned from case studies
in which fire was a primary
threat factor in military and law
enforcement operations
Familiarization with Structural Fires
»» Fundamentals of fire behavior
such as fire development, spread,
and factors that influence fire
movement throughout a structure
Equipment Familiarization
»» Rescue-specific equipment used
by elite U.S. firefighters for ingress,
egress, and operations within
burning structures
»» Students who bring their own
issued equipment will be able to
test its survivability
Exterior & Interior Structural
Assessment
»» Progressive exercises provide
an understanding of building
construction and its influence on
fire spread and intensity
Ingress & Egress Techniques
»» For accessing and escaping burning
structures during rescue scenarios
»» Ability to identify and confine fires
within structures
Interior Operations in Burning
Structures
»» Students gain confidence
moving and operating inside
live-burn buildings while making
well-informed decisions to
bypass, contain, or extinguish
fire conditions
Flashover Training
»» Live flashover simulator
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Left: FOC students exit flashover simulator.
demonstrates the violence and
intensity of rapid fire development
during this deadly phenomenon
Rapid Bailout & Unconventional
Bailout Procedures
»» Scenarios include emergency self-,
casualty-, and team-evacuation
from the upper floors of buildings
Burning and Smoke-Filled Linear
Targets
»» Students will train on assaulting
and conducting rescue operations
in compromised vehicles such as
buses, trains, and aircraft
CQB in Burning Structures
»» Tactical CQB integration to live
burn scenarios
Comprehensive Practical Exercises
and Culmination Exercise
»» Students will work as a team
to complete realistic training
scenarios across multiple buildings
with role players in live fire and
smoke environments
Above: FOC student prepares to conduct a hasty bailout. Right: FOC students conduct a hasty bailout.
COURSE SCHEDULE
Monday
»» History of Security Operations
in Burning Structures
»» Fire Safety Principles
»» Basic Fire Dynamics
»» Introduction to Fire Scenarios
Tuesday
»» Exterior Structural Assessment
»» Familiarization Inside a
Burning Structure
Friday
Wednesday
»» Advanced Fire Dynamics
»» Fire Dynamics in Buses, Trains,
»» Flashover Training Simulator
»» Procedures in Burning Structures II
Thursday
»» Urban Climbing and Rope Safety
»» Rapid Bailout From Burning
Structures
and Aircraft
»» Bus, Train, and Aircraft
Live-burn Scenarios
Saturday
»» CQB Scenarios in Burning Structures
»» Culmination Exercise
»» Linear Target Familiarization
»» Procedures in Burning Structures I
“This training should be mandatory
for all operators. I’ve encountered
a few building fires during combat
missions and would have certainly
made better decisions had I
attended the FOC beforehand.”
Daniel, U.S. Army Special Operations
The FOC is designed to be flexible, adaptive, and cater to our students’ quick learning curve. GRA welcomes the
opportunity to incorporate any of our students’ topics of interest of training objectives into the curriculum. The FOC
can be tailored to a specific mission profile or altered to meet time constraints or additional requirements. GRA looks
forward to supporting our clients’ mission in every way possible. Contact GRA and schedule your training today!
Pricing and availability on request
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GLOB A L
RI S K
A DV I S ORS
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www.globalriskadvisors.com/training // training@globalriskadvisors.com