Light / Air Shaft Issues – Operations: What To Do

Last month, we spoke about the need to identify the presence and location of shafts. In this installment, we will address how to handle the shaft incident. Fires can both start in shafts or can spread to shafts from interior fires. The first key is to identify the location (and origin) of the fire early by sharp reconnaissance and proper communications. We really can’t do much until we find the location and extent of the fire, so get on that right away. If you don’t assign someone to check all the areas you cannot see from the Command Post, you will always be at a disadvantage and will never be able to get ahead of the fire. Tell-tale signs of a fire involving a shaft include a rocket-like fire plume at the roof level (Roman-candle condition). Another is a fire that is apparent on a lower floor where the majority of the smoke is showing from the roof level. If the fire is not venting from an exterior opening, assume it has found a shaft. A heavy smoke condition from a lower floor or cellar fire may also spread via an open shaft at the rear. You need to get this checked out without delay. 

Photo 1 – by Ron Jeffers The telltale “Roman Candle” condition is one of the indicators of a shaft fire. Be careful not to mistake this as “fire through the roof” on arrival and then stick a ladder pipe stream into the hole (shaft) from which the fire is erupting. This will push fire all over both buildings.

The second key is to secure enough resources to handle the fire. These fires require resources beyond which most departments can muster on the first alarm. You will need to ensure you have enough personnel to address the fire building, any exposures, the roof, and also have a tactical reserve for when your people get tired. You have to be prepared to outlast the fire. You can only do that with enough people, so be prepared to request help immediately. Don’t wait.

A fire that originates in an apartment and spreads into a shaft should be attacked primarily via the apartment and then fought toward the shaft with accompanying measures being taken to limit spread via the shaft into adjacent areas. A fire originating in the shaft, usually from the accumulation of combustible debris, will require a pinch-off operation to be utilized in an attempt to keep the fire out of the building interior and cockloft. That is the third key of the shaft fire: cutting off the lateral spread of the fire. Shaft fires can involve at least two buildings almost immediately and could spread further if it gets into the cockloft. Recognition is one thing – taking swift and proper action is another. Let’s examine these tactics.

Command

From a Command standpoint, you need people to address all the issues being thrown at you when you arrive. Additional alarms must be requested immediately as you will need to assign task forces to the interior of each building and to the roof of each building. A task force will consist of at least two engine companies and a ladder company. If you know me and/or have read any of my material, you know what is coming next – decentralization. Wherever you have a major area of concern and/or multiple companies working in different areas, you need to place someone in charge of it and them. You will need a fire building (or Interior Division supervisor), a Division supervisor in the most threatened exposure (Bravo or Delta – and maybe Charlie if the fire is blowing out of an open rear shaft with close exposures), and a Roof Division. If you don’t have enough chief officers early on, assign a trusted company officer to the area initially. Get a chief there as soon as possible – don’t let them stand in the street – break up the opinion brigade and get them into the buildings where their opinions can be of more help in the form of timely reports. Above all, you need reports so you can begin to address the fire with power in the form of people and equipment in the right places and at the right times. Once the division supervisors are in place, the most important task at hand for you is to be nosy – get reports and support and reinforce those areas as needed.

Rescue

Rapid search and evacuation is required both in the fire building and in the attached exposure(s).  Most of the time, firefighters assigned to this task will be in the buildings before hoselines are in place. It is imperative that their activities not make things worse. This can be inadvertently done when apartment doors are left open either during or after the search. This can cause fire to be pulled from the shaft to the stairwells, especially when the bulkhead door and front door are open. It doesn’t always work that way as the predominant movement of heated air (and fire) is up and out of the shaft, but things like wind conditions and the venturi effect of opening the stairwell door and bulkhead can pull fire to areas it wouldn’t normally go. When entering without a hoseline, which is often done at an early juncture, the apartment door should be closed immediately to keep the fire out of the stairwell. The door to the room bordering on the shaft should be closed also to further curb the effects mentioned above. Searching firefighters who find fire in any area bordering on the shaft must report it immediately, calling for a hoseline, and then, after searching as conditions allow, retreat to the hallway. Incident commanders must ensure that additional means of egress are in place (and announced over the air) so searching firefighters have multiple means of egress. Firefighters assigned to the rear and roof should also check fire escapes as sometimes, in large buildings, fire escapes can be found in shafts.

Photo 2 by John Clark Firefighters make their way to the roof of the two-story B exposure to assist in control operations in areas bordering on the shaft. Note that there are personnel already on the roof of the three-story fire building. Check out the glow just above the two-story roof from the fire in the shaft. A good deal of the overhaul on the fire building’s third floor combustible exterior wall was conducted from the B exposure roof as well as from the third floor interior of the fire building.

Attack

Plan for multiple water supplies. At the fire depicted in photos 2 and 3, the fire started in the shaft and spread upwards. Upon arrival, this fire also exhibited the tell-tale “Roman Candle” condition, with the plume some 30 feet above the roof as we turned the corner. We secured four water supplies. At these type fires, lines have to be stretched to all floors exposed on the shaft, beginning with the top floors. Remember too, that if the fire is inside an apartment and threatening to extend to the shaft, we must hit the parent body of fire hard (this will then be the first action in this situation) — knock down the fire and your shaft problems will diminish. In the fire depicted above and below, the first line went to the top floor of the three-story fire building. The second line also went there as there was evidence that fire had entered the building at that level and was in the cockloft. Additional lines were stretched to the both floors of the B exposure, the roof of the B exposure (hoisted), and to the first and second floors of the fire building. A line was also stretched as a precaution to the top floor of the three-story D exposure. An exposure line was also placed in the narrow alley between exposure B and B1, just in case the fire got into the cockloft of the exposure. That is nine lines stretched. This fire went to a fourth alarm. We needed it. The fire was confined to the shaft with minor extension to the top floor and cockloft of the three-story and to the first floor bathroom wall and ceiling of the B exposure where fire entered via a fan vent in the exposed wall.

Photo 3 by John Clark This is the view from the rear of the two-story B exposure.  Exposure B1 is at the extreme right.  To the extreme left is the three-story fire building.  Extensive exterior overhaul is being conducted from the roof of the exposure.

Ventilation

We spoke about cutting off lateral fire spread as one of the primary concerns. Sometimes this can best be done by allowing vertical fire spread. The best thing for a shaft fire that is already venting upward, is to let it vent to the open air above the roof line. Do not put a hose stream in it and force it back down. To do so will likely push it into the cockloft and into lower apartments. If the shaft wall is combustible, you might be tempted to flow its sides and knock down a combustible wall fire, but this is dangerous as it may also push fire into the building. It is best for companies on lower floors to attack the fire from windows bordering on the shaft if it can be done safely – namely from below the fire.

Additional vertical ventilation must be conducted as well to check for the presence of fire travel in the cockloft and to alleviate any smoke conditions inside the stairwell. These actions could pull fire into unwanted areas, especially if we are dealing with a shaft fire only, so be especially aware of the actions that might pull fire from the shaft to the interior. These were mentioned in the search portion of this piece.  If fire is found to be traveling in the cockloft, it is imperative to open the roof, not only the natural openings, but to cut as close to the seat as is safe to stall the lateral direction of travel.

Horizontal ventilation will be required for any area that active control operations are being conducted from. This ventilation should not be executed until a hoseline is in place and hopefully operating on the fire. If the fire has not yet extended to the interior of exposed floors where operations are limited to monitoring, firefighters should close the windows and remove any curtains to keep fire out. Also be aware that many shafts are covered over. Covered shafts have been the cause of smoke explosions in both the shaft and the cockloft. This cover must be opened.

Extension Prevention

If you have two buildings of unequal height and the shaft is narrow, much overhaul can be done from the roof of the smaller building, especially when combustible exterior wall coverings are present. Otherwise, all involved and potentially involved areas on the shaft, especially on the top floor, must be opened and examined.  In addition, the cockloft must be checked in all directions. Often in exposures of the same height, the cocklofts are common and fire might have already entered both. Examination holes at the very least should be cut into all suspected roof areas and ceilings pulled completely to ensure no extension to the interior. If you are in the apartment as a searching firefighter while the line is being stretched, if conditions allow, you can use a water can to knock down extending fire so you can execute the search. Don’t ever let the extending fire get between you and your exit. Make sure you call for a hoseline.

Next month, we will leave the roof and address other fireground issues.

If anyone out there has any issues to discuss, let me know or leave a comment below.

Be safe.