OCFA Strategy And Tactics – Truck Operations Practice Test

In Garden Style defensive tactics, the main goal is to keep the fire contained to the involved unit and protect exposures by using built-in barriers and coordinated exterior actions. Two common moves are stripping combustible materials from the exterior on both sides of the involved unit to remove fuel and prevent extension, and leveraging fire/ division walls to partition the fire and slow or stop its spread. Coordinating with the engine company ensures a rapid attack and water application to curb the fire. Ventilating directly over the unit involved isn’t aligned with this approach because vertical ventilation in garden-style buildings can push heat and flames into concealed spaces or the cockloft shared by multiple units, increasing the risk of rapid, hidden fire spread to other apartments and compromising safety. The defensive tactic here emphasizes containment and using barriers, not creating vertical flow paths over the fire.