The military has gone to great lengths to know as much as possible about the enemy before engaging in combat. While there are jokesters who call “military intelligence” an oxymoron, the reality is that lives often are saved by collecting information on adversaries before going face to face with them. The intelligence function in the military often is referred to as the Battalion S2 or the Divisional G2.

There is a lesson to be learned in this approach to survival. A well-informed officer is a better decision-maker when confronted with a dangerous scenario. We tend to think that this is the purview of the operations people, don’t we? It’s the captain or the battalion chief who usually is calling the shots when the chips are down. When we use the term “well- informed,” we assume a body of knowledge that is broad in scope and deep in content. Unfortunately, modern fire-suppression operations often involve complexities that can be beyond the scope of normal information sources. The complexity of some problems requires a degree of specialization to achieve a high level of competency. As a result, additional resources are needed to keep officers well informed. Merely hoping that they will get it on their own isn’t good enough.

That resource needs to be better developed in most departments. What I suggest is making a fire-prevention bureau the eyes and ears of the operations division, i.e., an S2 or G2 for a fire agency.

This concept is based upon a very simple fact. A fire-prevention bureau gets to see what’s new in the world of construction before it’s covered up and hidden away from sight. Specifically, I am referring to one of the most dangerous areas of firefighting commitment: the interior of buildings. New buildings are being constructed with newly approved materials that have never been seen by your firefighters. When crews are exposed to such materials during an emergency operation, unknown scenarios may ensue that could endanger firefighters. They need to be told about such materials and then trained on how to safely and effectively deal with them.

It is vital then that information is shared between the fire-prevention bureau and the department’s operations staff. If officers from these entities were to attend a joint staff meeting, here’s what I would suggest that they discuss:

• What is it that you both know about the community’s fire problem(s)?
• What is it that each of you knows about the problem(s) that is different than what the other knows?
• What is it that neither of you know about the problem(s)?

Once these questions are answered, intelligence-gathering can begin. A place to start is to track approved materials and construction techniques in your jurisdiction. A tool for doing so is the ICC-Evaluation Services System, which can be found at http://icc-es.com. Click on the “for more information” link. This will take you to a screen that will provide you with more detail on the system. It explains how materials are considered and approved. It also will explain how the public-hearing process works.

If you look to the upper-left-hand side of the screen, under the banner there is a link entitled “Evaluation Reports.” Click on it. You will find a complete list of evaluation reports and will be able to search for a specific report. Or click on the “Most Recent Reports” link. In either case, you will see a list of PDFs of reports that you can print or save to a folder. Another section on the site explains how to read an evaluation report.

I hope that you will make the time to become familiar with this resource. While navigating this site and absorbing its contents may not be as much fun as playing a computer game, doing so could make a real difference someday. And it’s always nice to be the one who knows something that everybody else doesn’t.

Ronny J. Coleman has served as fire chief in Fullerton and San Clemente, Calif., and was the fire marshal of the state of California from 1992 to 1999. He is a certified fire chief and a master instructor in the California Fire Service Training and Education System.

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