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Christopher Naum
Christopher Naum's avatar

Christopher J. Naum, SFPE is a 35-year fire service veteran and a former Fire Chief/ Fire & Safety Coordinator at a U.S nuclear power plant and previously served as a commanding company officer for over twenty years in field operations with a volunteer fire department in Central New York. He is presently the Chief of Training for the Command Institute; a Washington, DC based emergency management & training organization with a focus on research, development & policy insights . A nationally recognized authority on building construction, structural collapse and command management, he has traveled throughout the United States, and internationally delivering training programs on building construction, command risk management and firefighter safety.


An Adjunct Instructor with the National Fire Academy, he specializes in training courses for Structural Collapse, Building Construction and Firefighter Safety & Health. A Contributing Editor with Firehouse Magazine since 1988 and Firehouse.com since 2002, he has authored numerous articles on building construction, firefighting operations, command, leadership and special technical rescue operations. He authors the periodic column at Firehouse.com entitled- Structural Anatomy and also authors the Firehoues.com blog, Structural Anatomy of Buildingsonfire that focuses on building construction, command risk management and firefighter safety. He also advocates and writes extensively within various fire service internet training forums and groups including Firehouse.com, Fire Engineering, FireRescue1 and Firefighter Nation where he authors the Building Construction & Firefighter Safety Groups and Command Safety forum. The recipient of numerous awards and commendations, he was the 1987 ISFSI George D. Post National Fire Instructor of the Year as presented by the International Society of Fire Service Instructors.


In addition, Mr. Naum has over fourteen years of experience within the areas of architectural design and planning & having served as a project architect for an architecture & engineering firm. He has served on numerous FEMA, USFA, NFPA, IAFC and ISFSI task forces, committees and panels over the past twenty nine years and holds full professional member grade Fire Protection Engineer-SFPE, status from the Society of Fire Protection Engineers.


The Second Vice President with the International Society of Fire Service Instructors, he is an active supporter and participant of the NFFF, The Everyone Goes Home Initiatives, a New York State Firefighter Safety Advocate and a resource contributor to National Near-Miss Reporting Systems and is a. A member of the IAFC since 1987, he served over ten years as a charter member of the IAFC Urban Rescue Structural Collapse Committee and is a member of the Safety, Health & Survival Section and the Volunteer Chief Officers Section. He serves on the Board of Directors with the International Association of Fire Chiefs, Safety, Health & Survival Section (IAFC SH&S) and the Board of Directors of the Open Fire Academy International (OFA). He continues to present his popular structural anatomy building construction training series throughout the United States and internationally and is the developer of the informational portal http://www.buildingsonfire.com/ dedicated to building construction, command risk management and firefighter safety, launching in January 2010. Buildingsonfire informational insights are also now being posted on Facebook. He is presently authoring a new text book integrating building construction, risk management and firefighter safety and provides insightful firefighter safety commentary on his CommandSafety.com Blog at http://commandsafety.com/ and thru two twitter accounts at http://twitter.com/Commandsafety and http://twitter.com/Bldgsonfire. Chief Naum has developed and delivered training to over 176,000 personnel nationally and internationally throughout his career. He can be reached at Christopher.naum@gmail.com

Recent Blog Posts

  • In Search of Tactical Patience
    Strategy and Tactics
    06/18/2010 - 11:22

    Today commemorates the anniversary of the Sofa Superstore fire in Charleston, South Carolina, in which nine firefighters lost their lives while engaged in aggressive interior operations at a commercial building occupied and operating as a furniture store and warehouse.

  • From Waldbaum’s to Hackensack- Worcester to Charleston; Legacies for Operational Safety
    Strategy and Tactics
    05/21/2010 - 10:00

    From Waldbaum's to Hackensack- Worcester to Charleston; Legacies for Operational Safety

    I started this article with the title "From Waldbaum's to Hackensack- Worcester to Charleston; Legacies for Operational Safety"; I still find it surprising during my travels around the country lecturing and presenting programs on building construction, that when the audience was asked, "What do the Walbaum's Fire and Hackensack fire share in common?", the response typically were blank stares.

  • The Predictability of Performance In Structures during Suppression Operations
    Strategy and Tactics
    03/17/2010 - 08:38

    The essence of fire service suppression operations is predicated upon the deployment and application of water as an extinguishing agent, in sufficient quantities, location and duration to extinguish a fire within an enclosed structural compartment. The universal engine company correlation of: "putting the wet stuff on the red stuff" is fundamental to structural fire suppression operations but is ambiguous at best in the context of today's modern building construction, occupancies, structural systems and building features. 
     

  • Risk versus Gain: Operations in Vacant or Abandoned Structures
    Strategy and Tactics
    03/14/2010 - 10:52

    Risk versus Gain: Operations in Vacant or Abandoned Structures


    Fire Fighter LODD after Being Trapped in a Roof Collapse During Overhaul of a Vacant/Abandoned Building. NIOSH recently published a report on a 2008 LODD that occurred in a vacant/ abandoned building. NIOSH Report F2008-0037. The full report is available HERE. Let's look at some insights and overviews of that report.


    Report Summary

  • What do you know about Building Construction?
    Strategy and Tactics
    03/14/2010 - 10:34

    What do you know about Building Construction?Regardless of your rank or time in your organization or company; what do YOU know about building construction? It's a loaded question to say the least, since the characteristic replies run the gamete of what one thinks they know versus what they actually know. I had the opportunity to lecture in different regions around the country over the past four weeks doing a series of programs on building construction, command risk management and firefighter safety. I say this to frame into context the following.

  • RACE: Responsibility, Accountability, Complacency, Expectations
    Strategy and Tactics
    02/01/2010 - 22:33

    By now many of you may have seen the reports making their way around the internet circuit relating to the regrettable circumstances in DeKalb County, Georgia.

  • Doctrine of Combat Fire Engagement
    Strategy and Tactics
    01/29/2010 - 11:10

    Considerations for changing fire flow rates, the sizing of hose line and the adequacies for fire flow demand and application rates, staffing needs for safe operations, considerations for defensive positioning and defensive operating postures must be considered, and it warrants repeating again;


    Reckless-Aggressive firefighting must be redefined in the built environment and associated with goal oriented tactical operations that are defined by risk assessed and analyzed tasks that are executed under battle plans that promote the best in safety

  • The Routiness of Success?
    Strategy and Tactics
    01/15/2010 - 15:28

    "It's no longer just brute force and sheer physical determination that define structural fire suppression operations. Aggressive firefighting must be redefined and aligned to the built environment and associated with goal oriented tactical operations that are defined by risk assessed and analyzed tasks that are executed under battle plans that promote the best in safety practices and survivability within known hostile structural fire environments, while maintaining the values and traditions that defines the fire service."- Christopher Naum

  • Twenty Ten
    Strategy and Tactics
    12/31/2009 - 12:11

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    As we transition into a new year, and as plans begin to take place that frame and outline the year's activities, foremost in this planning, preparation, scheduling and outlook should be those activities and commitments that training, education and skill development can be implemented and enhanced. Take the initiative to recognize and identify training and operational gaps and distinguish the risk and options available to lessen or eliminate the risk and reduce the gap deficiencies.

  • Predicated Building Behavior
    Strategy and Tactics
    12/18/2009 - 10:30

    When we look at various buildings and occupancies, past operational experiences; those that were successful, and those that were not, give us experiences that define and determine how we access, react and expect similar structures and occupancies to perform at a given alarm in the future. Naturalistic (or recognition-primed) decision-making forms much of this basis.

  • The New Lexicon and Challenges
    Strategy and Tactics
    12/08/2009 - 12:39

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    Of the many issues affecting the Fire Service, the prevailing challenge that has a pronounced impact on operational safety is the assimilation of engineered structural systems (ESS) into mainstream building design and construction. The presence of engineered structural systems (ESS) are no longer considered to be an innocuous feature in a given building or occupancy; it is the predominate feature in nearly all current construction, renovation and adaptive reuse or infill applications.

  • That’s all Folks-It’s Not about Entertainment
    Strategy and Tactics
    12/04/2009 - 10:49

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    When we focus our attention on Building Construction, Command Risk Management and Firefighter Safety and the essence of combat structural fires; Structural firefighting is what it's all about, is it not?

  • The Worcester Six + Ten: Remembrance 1999-2009
    Strategy and Tactics
    12/03/2009 - 09:24

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    Today, December 3, 2009 marks the 10th anniversary of the Worcester Cold Storage Warehouse fire that resulted in the line of duty death of six courages brother firefighters.


    The Worcester Six;



    • Firefighter Paul Brotherton Rescue 1

  • The Art of the Size-Up and Risk Assessment
    Strategy and Tactics
    12/01/2009 - 22:51

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    Since the early 1950's and the advent and subsequent development of the incident size-up function, the performance of size-up at an incident scene played an important role and has traditionally been considered to be a crucial element in the overall step-phased approach towards fire suppression operations and methodologies.


    More recently there's been a constant hum in the background with dialog and discussion on the evolving process of size-up and what it means in terms of current day firefighting op

  • The Wrong Dragon.....Hey, just look over your shoulder!
    Strategy and Tactics
    11/28/2009 - 11:59

    I've commented and posted on some various blog sites on the issues related to engineer building construction components and assemblies. I posed some questions related to Engineered Structural Assemblies & Systems (ESS) and asked if you knew what they represent and how these components, assemblies and systems may affect or influence incident operations?

  • It's Occupancy Risk-Not Occupancy Type
    Strategy and Tactics
    11/22/2009 - 22:56

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    It's Occupancy Risk NOT Occupancy Type


    The traditional attitudes and beliefs of equating aggressive firefighting operations in all occupancy types coupled with correlating, established and pragmatic operational strategies and tactics MUST not only be questioned, they need to be adjusted and modified.
     
  • Firefighting in the Built Environment
    Strategy and Tactics
    11/16/2009 - 21:58

    If you don't fully understand how a building truly performs or reacts under fire conditions and the variables that can influence its stability and degradation, movement of fire and products of combustion and the resource requirements for fire suppression in terms of staffing, apparatus and required fire flows, then you will be functioning and operating in a reactionary manner. This places higher risk to your personnel and lessens the likelihood for effective, efficient and safe operations.

  • Predictability of Performance & Effective Battle Plans
    Strategy and Tactics
    11/06/2009 - 14:56

    The following are quotes from Fire Chief Anthony Aiellos (ret) Hackensack (NJ) Fire Department, Fire Chief during the Hackensack Ford Fire, July, 1988...

  • The Consciences Observer or Activist
    Strategy and Tactics
    10/15/2009 - 14:38

    The Consciences Observer or Activist. So… the operative question today is this: What did you do on your last alarm response related to operational safety and enhanced situational awareness? Do you: participate in, contribute, join in, share, lead, promote, instruct, present, facilitate, help, assist, aid, or neglect, disregard, undermine, abuse, challenge, demoralize, undercut, damage, torpedo, circumvent, or avoid?

  • Firefighting, Firefighter Safety and the Structural Anatomy of Buildingsonfire
    Firefighter Safety, Strategy and Tactics
    10/15/2009 - 13:49

    If you don't fully understand how a building truly performs or reacts under fire conditions and the variables that can influence its stability and degradation, movement of fire and products of combustion and the resource requirements for fire suppression in terms of staffing, apparatus and required fire flows, then you will be functioning and operating in a reactionary manner. This places higher risk to your personnel and lessens the likelihood for effective, efficient and safe operations.

 

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