The “Above and Beyond” Engine Company
Monday April 8, 2019 1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
This class is taught by two seasoned San Francisco Fire Department (SFFD) veterans who believe that the best way to fight a fire is to kick its butt. They will demonstrate how to do this. The class theme is, “The crux of the problem on the fireground should never be that the engine company cannot get water on the fire.” Students will walk away with enough ammunition they can use to become “the above and beyond engine company.” Case studies of fires the instructors have responded to and the do’s and don’ts for ensuring engine company success on the fireground are discussed. The instructors cover those conditions that can affect efficiency and expediency on the fireground: the need for unique hoseline leads, apparatus placement, tight streets, steep hills, housing and population density, going big with the 2½-inch, deploying a high-rise pack off a standpipe, obtaining a patent uninterrupted water supply source, trouble-shooting the standpipe inlet, setback stretches with a wye, and securing the front door. This instructor team’s teaching style incorporates humor and humility. Moreover, the special bond between them shows not only that men and women can work together effectively but also that when they do, the possibilities are endless for making this job the greatest job in the world.
Nicol Juratovac
Assistant Chief
San Francisco (CA) Fire Department
Nicol Juratovac is an assistant chief assigned to Division 3 in the San Francisco Fire Department, where she has served since1997. She oversees Battalions 2, 3, 6, 9, and 10. Previously, she worked in some of the department’s busiest engine and truck companies; surf/cliff rescue stations; administration; as a training officer at the Recruit Academy; and as a field training officer to recruit probationary firefighter/EMTs and firefighter/paramedics. She has a bachelor’s degree in English with a minor in Asian American Studies from U.C. Berkeley. She earned her Juris Doctorate from San Francisco Law School and has an A.S. in fire science technology and is a graduate of the U.S. Fire Administration’s National Fire Academy (NFA) Executive Fire Officer Program. She is certified in fire protection by the City College of San Francisco’s (CCFF) Fire Science Technology Program and as a California State Fire Training Fire Officer and Chief Officer and has a Master Instructor certificate through State Fire Training. She is a certified hazardous materials specialist and is certified in rescue systems I and II, trench rescue, confined space rescue, auto extrication, wildland, SCUBA, and numerous other areas. She is a state subject matter expert on high-rise firefighting and is a member of its curriculum cadre. She is an adjunct faculty member at the NFA and
