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JULY 2002 Q&A 1: Manning High-rise Fires Question: I am an engineer (chauffeur) for the Eugene Fire Department in Eugene, Oregon. Our department has ten engine companies and two truck companies, with staffing of three personnel on both. Our city has a population of about 180,000, which increases in the fall when the University of Oregon starts classes. We have a small high-rise area, with our tallest building being an 18-story retirement center. The majority of our fires are single-story, wood-frame, residential fires and an occasional industrial fire. Our response assignment consists of three engines, one truck, one two-person medic unit, and one chief. Large buildings or escalating events receive the second truck and chief, and high-rises (four stories or greater) get a fourth engine and second medic unit. My question is that, with only three guys on the truck, is it prudent to leave the engineer on the controls at the base, once the truck gets set up? Our truck at our station is a new Pierce 100-foot platform. I know that it is tough to answer a question like this without knowing more about our SOPs and department, but I thought you should be able to shed some light and help solve some discussion that we have had around the old kitchen table. My thought is that once the truck gets set and there is work that needs to be done, it does not make sense to leave a person standing at the turntable, until the ladder is going to be moved or repositioned. Thank you, I always enjoy reading your material. Answer: You ask lots of questions in each of your sentences. I hope to get to all of them. First, your indiscriminate use of the word "high-rise" is a local term and not to be used in communication with the outside world away from Eugene. (Laugh.) High-rise is a construction term as well as a height term. It is generally used to describe buildings constructed at least 75 feet in height (it used to be 100 feet). The point is that construction changes, and each floor is basically isolated from the others except by openings left by poor or unsupervised or not-outlined construction techniques. "High-rise" is further split into two different problems. One is simple, and the other so complex that no one wants to have to handle it on their shift. It is the intended use of the structure. You have high-rise office buildings and high-rise residence buildings. A high-rise residence is generally a piece of cake, and a fire there requires not more than two handlines and three- or four-truck support functions. High-rise office buildings will use most of the logistics from the north end of your state! You also equate buildings less than seven or eight stories as also "high-rise," but that is not true; and they are just combustible residence structures as far as most building codes and fire department operational guides are concerned. I guess you (your department) have not had much experience with these high-rise fires or you would change your response to four and two trucks all the time — not so much for the trucks, but for the personnel to perform the labor-intensive tactics necessary for success. At tall high-rise residence buildings, the engine function is to connect a standpipe hose (fire above the fifth floor) at the outlet below the fire floor with at least three lengths of hose of the size necessary to win — and to also supply water to the proper standpipe Siamese connection! The truck tactic that is crucial here is to get horizontal ventilation as soon as possible and then vertical ventilation as necessary. If the fire is within reach of a properly positioned aerial device or portable ladders, great — that is the outside-team's job. Vent the fire apartment windows, enter if you can; but the main priority here is to open for the fire to exit to the outside ahead of the handline and relieve the killing heat in the hallway. The second main function of the truck is to force entry to the apartment, if that is necessary, and then to search. The elevator location, interior stair conditions and occupancy are secondary considerations at these occupancy structures. Therefore, as to your question on the three-man truck, if the fire is above the reach of the aerial, the truck will never be used; and the chauffeur becomes part of the three-man inside team — search, force entry and vent from above. If the fire is within reach of the aerial, then there will be no team inside except if the officer leaves the two firefighters outside. (That becomes a cluster....) You can now see where labor is needed — in overly sophisticated fire departments that are "bulletin happy," that means manning/personnel/staffing response increase. Now let's talk about fires that are not in high-rises. If the truck is to be used, the chauffeur and his (her) partner will use the aerial. Again, the officer is alone and useless. If the aerial is not to be used, then the three become an interior team to perform as the fire dictates and the size-up is noted. Again remember you can only do one-and-one-half truck tasks with three people when you really need at least three all at once and then three more soon after. If the policy you outline is not able to be changed or at least discussed, then a partial temporary solution (to more effective leadership) is to train everyone to use all the turntable controls so that the aerial may be moved and/or raised after initially deciding that it is not needed. I would not run a department that ties the chauffeur of an aerial device to the truck if the unit is not being used or planned to be used. I need him, and the building needs him, and the team needs him, and the people trapped need him. It is like the stupidity of the two-in, two-out interpretation: "If I arrive with four people, do I leave two outside to maintain the safety of the two inside?" NO! Send four inside! Two inside are guaranteed to get into trouble at a structure fire of any consequence more than a dryer fire. I don't know if I hit all your subjects, if not write again. If you don't agree with what I said, keep asking people until someone agrees with you. This job is funny like that. Be safe, brother. Question: I am from a department where companies assigned to the roof often cut numerous small holes without any real thought as to how large a hole should be and where it should go. Can you give me a guideline as to how large a hole should be and where it should go? And what are your thoughts about multiple holes placed in the roof? Answer: Sure! But let's talk a little more first. If you are assigned vertical ventilation, when do you plan to cut a hole; and (more importantly) when do you not plan to cut a hole and leave the saw and related equipment on the truck? You cut a hole if the fire is under the roof! That includes:
Other than that, get there; open the roof sites and check the other three sides and report and expect to get into the firebuilding somehow and become a part of the team below. Now for the top-floor fire: more than one hole in the roof is poor tactics! It means (it is hoped) that you got "moved" away from your original choice of location by the now extending fire condition, and it means that you didn't plan or size up the fire condition continually. If there is a second hole being cut in "your" roof by some late-comer at another location other than the one as close as safely possible to thepoint over the fire, then your department and that company and that guy needs additional training and will cause chaos on the roof and below. Okay, okay, so now for your hole. After you divide the roof into fourths and begin to cut a hole in the fourth that is the most serverly exposed, plan a three-foot by four-foot opening or a little bigger. The guideline for location of the hole is to make an educated size-up guess. You should have been looking at the building as you were planning your route and getting your equipment. Is the fire "mostly" in the front of the structure or not. The building is now cut in half for hole location. Once on the roof, you can determine if it is closer to the right or left of the structure area and ergo(!) you have divided the roof into four quadrants — and now cut. The second guideline is to not cut closer than five feet to the edge of the roof perimeter. Why? (You answer that and write me.) Now you have started a hole of 12 or 14 square feet, but put additional three-foot legs into all cuts (at least) or longer in the direction you will wish to extend your hole if the size you finish is not sufficient for the escaping "stuff" before you let anyone pull the sheathing out of the space! This will assure you that you are able to make a hole larger and more effective instead of being forced to create another and costly hole. One large hole is worth 10 times more than a "lotta little holes." Oh, don't forget to push the ceiling membrane out of the way! * * * * * Write if you agree or don’t agree or on anything. Tbrennan@firenuggets.com BACK TO Q & A TABLE OF CONTENTS © Copyright Firenuggets.com 2002 • Click here for Terms and Conditions of Use |
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