Careers & Education

The Firehouse Yak: Brian Gettemeier – Tactics for the Known and Unknowns at Warehouse Fires

Aug. 27, 2024

Peter Matthews talks with Brian Gettemeier, a captain with the Cottleville Fire Protection District about fires in warehouses, including sprawling ecommerce facilities that are being built in communities large and small.

Peter Matthews,

Brian Gettemeier

Peter Matthews talks with Brian Gettemeier, a captain with the Cottleville Fire Protection District in St. Charles County, MO, about fires in warehouses, including sprawling ecommerce facilities that are being built in communities large and small.

Gettemeier began instructing and writing on the topic of the dangers and challenges on warehouse fires after seeing several fires in such facilities that caused multi-million dollar loses and smaller fires that were contained by sprinklers as fires break out in rural and urban areas.

They talk about the dangers revolving around rack storage, the heavy fire loads and types of products that are being stored, worker and firefighter life safety and accountability and other tactical considerations, including initial and long-term resources, apparatus placement and the need for a strong water supply.

Gettemeier also looks at the role of the initial incident commander, the need for a 360-degree size-up and establishing an in-depth incident command post if the scope of the incident requires it. In order to prepare for such incidents, the departments need to begin preplanning and walk-throughs as soon as possible.

He also touches on the need understanding a department’s liability when these facilities come to you community, which often begins with the fire chief or fire marshal starting the discussions from the early stages related to building and life safety codes.

Resources

About the Author

Peter Matthews | Editor-in-Chief/Conference Director

Peter Matthews is the conference director and editor-in-chief of Firehouse. He has worked at Firehouse since 1999, serving in various roles on both Firehouse Magazine and Firehouse.com staffs. He completed an internship with the Rochester, NY, Fire Department and served with fire departments in Rush, NY, and Laurel, MD, and was a lieutenant with the Glenwood Fire Company in Glenwood, NY. Matthews served as photographer for the St. Paul, MN, Fire Department.

About the Author

Brian Gettemeier

Brian S. Gettemeier has been in the fire service for 31 years, the past 28 years as a career firefighter with the Cottleville Fire Protection District of St. Charles County, MO, where he serves as an engine company captain. He is a member of St. Louis Metro Urban Search and Rescue Task Force 1. Gettemeier is a second-generation firefighter. He has a bachelor’s degree in fire service management from Southern Illinois University and holds numerous state certifications. Gettemeier teaches all-hazard classes for numerous municipal and industrial organizations throughout the states of Missouri and Illinois. He presented at Firehouse Expo multiple times.