Is a residential myth holding back your department?

For years, there have been stories shared around the firehouse kitchen table about firefighters being hurt by exterior streams. But the reality is—that’s simply not true.

The crew was in metro Atlanta to learn from national instructor Captain Sean Gray about a controversial topic: Exterior Attack.

“We need to flood the building with people, and flood the building with water.”

This episode tackles six burning questions:

Why should you consider exterior attack?

What’s Captain Gray’s preferred initial attack package?

Should you pull a ground monitor or a handline?

How can you master exterior attack on a second-story fire?

What’s different about a first-story fire?

And finally—what does Captain Gray say to critics of exterior attack?

The crews were in Cobb County, Georgia, just outside Atlanta—a region with nearly 800,000 residents, 29 stations, and about 60,000 calls per year. Cobb County has developed deep expertise in residential firefighting, especially Captain Sean Gray. He’s the coauthor of The Evolving Fireground.

In the simulation, fire is blowing out of an Alpha side window. The firefighter deploying the line recognizes the thermal threat that’s exposing out the front.

Question one: Why should you consider exterior attack?

“For us, decision-making starts with fast water on tank water,” Sean explains. “That’s our goal—get the fastest water we can onto the body of fire. That removes the thermal threat for any victims nearby and helps any firefighters operating on the interior.”

Question two: What initial attack package does Captain Gray prefer?

Whether from a deck gun or ground monitor, their target flow is 500 GPM. Then they go to the 300 GPM nozzle on a 2.5” line with a 1 3/16” tip. Finally, their 1¾” line flows 160 GPM at 50 PSI using a fog nozzle or a 7/8” smooth bore tip.

“So we’re 500, 300, 160,” Gray summarizes.

Question three: How do you know what to pull—and when?

“We know you can do a lot of damage to a fire with a relatively small line. Maneuverability matters. It’s about getting water to the base of the fire,” Sean says. “Most of the time, we’re going with our 1¾” package with a 7/8” smooth bore tip, flowing 160 GPM. It’s maneuverable, effective, and it extinguishes fast.”

Question four: What steps help you master exterior attack on a second-story fire?

“They’re going to punch the fire in the mouth—knock it down quick—then transition to the interior. For exterior attack, the perfect position is one where the nozzle doesn’t move much.”

Here’s the sequence:

Firefighter approaches the window.

Sweeps the eaves first (since the fire is venting and threatening the attic).

Drops the stream at a steep angle into the window.

Steep angle allows the water to map across the ceiling and surfaces—stopping flashover.

As they back the nozzle out, they finish the window hit by striking the top (the lintel), banking water downward to the middle of the room (e.g., if a bed or contents are burning).

Then, they transition inside.

Before diving into first-floor tactics, here’s a bonus tip from a 46-year veteran:

“Every now and again, you can’t get enough water out of the handline—smooth bore or combination nozzle. Sometimes you just need more punch on arrival.”

Paul Neely from Task Force Tips shares:

“If you’re limited to just 50 degrees of stream angle, you may not reach that second- or third-story window depending on your distance and position. That angle limitation could be the difference between completing a rescue or making a body recovery.”

Back in Cobb County—Question five: What’s different about a first-floor fire?

“On the first floor, you don’t have to worry about stream reach,” Gray explains. “The firefighter gets down on one knee, floats water off the ceiling at a steep angle to ensure full room coverage.”

Since it’s the first floor, there’s no need to hit the top of the window. The firefighter can insert the nozzle directly, keep it low, and sweep side to side, targeting burning fuel loads.

Finally—Question six: What does Captain Gray say to critics of exterior attack?

“The biggest concern people raise is pushing fire or steaming other firefighters with exterior streams. But if the stream is properly applied, we know the water isn’t going to hurt us—and we’re not afraid of it.”

He continues: “There are still some challenges with the idea of pushing fire because you can push smoke and hot gases. But that’s caused by the air movement from your nozzle—not the water itself.”

“Water droplets don’t actually push fire. It’s the air entrainment from the nozzle that moves heat and gases. That’s why today, we’re focusing on using straight streams or smooth bore nozzles for exterior attack.”