Brennan Q&A March 2003

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TOM BRENNAN has more than 35 years of fire service experience having responded to 33,000 fire alarms. His career spans more than 20 years with the Fire Department of New York as well as four years as chief of the Waterbury (Conn.) Fire Department. He has a bachelor of science degree, summa cum laude, John Jay College; Alumnus of the Year Award, John Jay College; chairman of the Connecticut Fire Chiefs Association and a charter member of the National Fire Protection Association, Fire Service Section. He has delivered courses and seminars throughout the United States and has instructed at the National Fire Academy. He was the editor of Fire Engineering Magazine for eight years, is currently a technical editor, and his column “Random Thoughts,” is a regular monthly feature. He is co-editor of The Fire Chief’s Handbook, Fifth Edition. He is the recipient of the 1998 Fire Engineering Lifetime Achievement Award.

MARCH 2003

Question: At one of our recent structure fires, my officer and I were ordered to the roof to vent. My officer made the decision that it would be easier and more "economical" to just punch out the ventilation pots and then open up the gable vents versus taking the saw and opening up the entire roof over the fire. I was just curious as to what your thoughts were on this. Does popping the roof vents compare to one big hole?

Answer: This could be a simple answer, but you don't give enough information. What I really mean is that your communication of the structure fire is your size-up. If assigned vertical ventilation, you must know a few things. First, what is the height, construction, and type of roof (flat or peak-configured). Next is the most important question for almost all tactical support operations, of which vertical ventilation is just one: WHERE IS THE FIRE?

That is a question that a great firefighter asks himself from the time of the alarm until taking up. It is an extremely important question for the roof team, because it indicates whether they will prepare for cutting a hole in the roof after primary opening or NOT! In short, the question is whether you take the saw to the roof or leave it in the compartment.

The answer is as follows: If the fire is under the roof, prepare to cut it. That includes ALL one-story buildings with flat roofs and all top-floor fires.

Now to the roof. The best advice anyone can give someone assigned to vertical ventilation at the flat roof area is to get there! Methodology can be aerial device, portable ladder, adjoining building (not on fire), or fire escape with gooseneck ladder.

Next (given that there is a structure fire raging below), open anything that the building gives you by way of construction — bulkhead door, then skylight, then scuttle cover (if present), then enclosed shafts, then ventilation devices and any flue pipes that seem to be "pushing smoke."

Now to your question about roof cutting. Remember, don't cut any roof that is not directly over the fire compartment! Otherwise, nothing will equate in effectiveness to a large AND expandable hole as close as safely possible over the seat of the fire.

Just a parting shot from me, brother. What is the officer doing on the roof? Company training should have that accomplished with a firefighter partner. The truck company officer has to make many, many split-second decisions based on his ongoing size-up of the fire and its progress, especially since they don't give us enough personnel.

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Write if you agree or don’t agree or on anything. Tbrennan@firenuggets.com

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