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An introduction is presented in which the guest editors discuss the theme of the issue, modern fire science has been providing clarification and new information to the fire service on fire dynamics and proven tactical options.

The article discusses the challenges in overcoming the small-town 605 Baltimore Street Fire in March 2018. Topics covered include the timeline of the fire that hit a two-story wood frame apartment with balloon construction, the weather conditions, the request for alarms and the situation on fire service arrival, the water supply, and the emergency medical service (EMS) component. Also noted are the lessons learned and reinforced from this fire incident.

The article discusses the evolution of the fire environment influenced by the significant use of synthetics in building contents as well as the use of lightweight and composite building components, and less compartmentation, and more energy efficiency. The failure of personnel to understand the changing fire dynamics and identify better tactics to effectively combat modern day fires is tackled. The basic fire attack modes and the most profound statements relating to fire attack are explored.

The article discusses the nature of three fire-ground phenomena including flashover, backdraft and smoke explosion. Topics covered include characteristics of flashover, which is considered as the most dangerous stage of fire development according to the National Institute of Standards and Technology, occurrence of backdraft within the decay stage of burning, and indicators of smoke explosion including ventilation-controlled fire and presence of void spaces with combustible structural elements.

The article focuses on the toolbox received by fire fighters upon recruited by their departments to be ready for every fire incident and rescue work. It emphasizes that intuition is one of the tools that should possess by a fire fighter. It discusses the fire departments' culture of operational procedures and training.

The article focuses on the study conducted by the Underwriters Laboratories (UL) and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) on the things that can endanger the life of the firefighters. The results of the study show that suggest that many of the fundamental strategies and tactics taught and used by the firefighters for decades may not be in the best interests of the firefighters.