Preface to the English edition
Although there are differences between countries and cultures,
we strongly believe there are more similarities than differences
within the international fire and rescue service community. We
do more or less the same things, we have similar technology, we
use water for fire suppression, accidents are based on the same
physics and chemistry, we have the same kind of protective equip-
ment and we are all humans with similar behaviour and mental/
physical capacity. And we are all in the need of knowledge and
understanding, through training supported by experience and sci-
ence in sweet harmony. We are all on the same side, no matter
what side of the globe we live.
This book is of course based on Swedish conditions, cultures and
regulations. It was first published in Sweden in 2005 and it has
been used in the training of Swedish fire officers ever since, from
crew commanders to incident commanders and fire chiefs. We
don’t believe it should be read from the first page to the last page.
Pick out any chapter you’ll find interesting, read a couple of sen-
tences or a page at the time, give it some thought, put it in the
context of some incident you have responded to and then read
some more.
We hope the reader will find the book useful, as a source of inspi-
ration for further development. Share your knowledge and expe-
rience with others and continue to develop the international fire
and rescue community.
Keep up the good work!
The Authors