Math Lab: Recording Transcripts

Fire Marshal Mark Yaden, City of Kennewick, Washington
February, 2007

#1 Why is math critical to modern firefighting?

Why is math critical to modern firefighting? In today’s world, firefighters need to be well equipped with solid math skills they can call upon in a moments notice. Whether during emergency firefighting operations calculating pressure and friction loss within fire hoses, or back at the station calculating the proper percentage of foam versus water to use on a gasoline spill fire, math is part of the essential skills a firefighter must possess.

As a fire marshal, I use math to determine fire safety routinely. A specific example is determining what a safe occupant load for a room is. First, I must calculate the square footage of the room then divide that figure by an occupant load factor based upon the activity. It’s not over yet, as then I must consider the amount of exit inches for doorways. We take the occupant load number and multiply that by a factor such as 0.15 for each person served. In the end, that number of inches will be divided into feet in order to determine the minimum number of exit feet required for emergency exit doorways from the room.

Did you ever think that math and fire prevention could be partners in life safety? I encourage you to think about math the next time you’re in a building and you see the emergency exit signs. Your safety doesn’t happen by chance, it’s truly a calculated matter!

#2 Anyone interested in firefighting or other emergency service professions needs to be aware that increasing levels of math, such as ..., are needed to perform many of the basic and advanced functions such as... Here's an example .


Anyone interested in firefighting or other emergency medical service professions needs to be aware that increasing levels of math is essential. A classic example is how a paramedic needs to utilize mathematical conversions and formulas for calculating a persons weight from pounds to kilograms. Once the conversion is made, the medic then has to multiply kilograms by the specific drug dosage to obtain the proper amount of medication. There is no room for error! Too much or too little dosage of medication can have as harmful effect on the patient’s health as the original emergency medical condition did! Simply put, math is a skill just as critical to know and utilize for a paramedic, as bandaging of wounds or treating for shock.