A fire grows with each passing moment, threatening lives and destroying property.  Extinguishing a fire requires protective clothing, specialized equipment, and a multitude of trained personnel, each with a different job.  Here are some of the tasks firefighters do after arrival at a fire:

• Search & Rescue - firefighters search a building for victims and perform rescues.
• Suppression - armed with a limited supply of air, protection clothing, and hose lines, crews enter a burning building to locate and extinguish a fire.  Based on the severity and size, and potential for unsafe structural conditions, crews may be forced to battle the fire from the exterior.
• Command & Safety - a commander oversees the operation and ensures firefighter safety.
• Ventilation - firefighters cut holes in roofs and remove windows to remove hot gases and smoke so firefighters inside the building can locate and extinguish the fire. Ventilating a building can also provide "good" air for trapped occupants.
• Rapid Intervention Team - firefighters must stand by to rescue injured or trapped firefighters inside a building.
• Salvage & Overhaul - firefighters minimize damage to personal items by covering or removing them from the building. They also open walls and ceilings to extinguish fires that could later rekindle.
• Investigation investigators determine the cause of the fire.
• Rehabilitation - a crew helps firefighters get re-hydrated and cooled down after being inside a building.