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April-May 2004 |
COVERING THE REAR
Single Family Dwellings
When working on a three-man truck, the driver plays a key role in the overall success of the fireground operations. The person who serves in this capacity needs to understand how important information plays into the overall strategy. Once the apparatus is in position, the officer should give a brief description of what he or she wants done first based on the smoke, fire, and life-hazard conditions encountered on arrival. The officer is ultimately responsible for where the apparatus is placed. There are two sound practices that the driver needs to practice daily:
First, prior to arrival, ask the officer, “Where do you want the vehicle?” Assuming you know where he or she wants the vehicle can lead to a snowball effect that can be difficult to stop. With so many people having video cameras, the last thing you want to see is your rig being pulled forward or backward two, three, or four times to get the right position. When in doubt, ASK! Never find yourself saying, “Well I thought you would want it….”
Second, once the vehicle is in position, place the vehicle in PTO. Even if the aerial is not put into operation or put into operation by another company, this is one less step and will minimize getting the aerial or basket into position.
Once on scene, the officer should briefly describe what he wants done. If the officer and the firefighter are forcing entry for the engine company, he may not get the opportunity to cover the rear of the building. This assignment will be given to the driver.
Once the driver finishes getting dressed, gathers up his or her tools, and reports to the rear of the building, a concise report should be given that included the following:
Conditions in the rear. — Is there someone leaning out of the window? Is there smoke? Is it pushing out? Where is it? Look at the building from the top down or the bottom up. Do you see the fire? Is it coming out of one or two windows? Has the fire extended from a lower floor window and exposing into a window on the floor above? Is it extending into the soffit and moving into the attic? Remember the acronym B.A.G. Where has the fire BEEN, where is the fire AT, and where is the fire GOING?
Construction/building features. — When looking at a building, consider whether or not the building has been renovated. If the structure is located in an older part of your town and has received any modifications, think the worse-case scenario. Poor fire stopping that may create unexpected fire travel into void spaces. And consider the use of lightweight truss construction during the remodeling. Another consideration is the change of elevation. Some buildings may appear to be a two-story in the front but have three stories in the rear. This will become very important, especially during search and rescue operations as well as if a firefighter or firefigthers become trapped or reported missing. The Pittsburgh Fire Department lost three firefighters when they became lost in a frame building. It was determined during the investigation of the incident that the members thought they were on the second floor, when in reality they were later found in the first floor (below grade) of the building.
Plan of attack. — What are you going to do? Transmitting your plan lets everyone know where you are and what you are going to do. If you need a hoseline, call for one. After you force the rear door, what are the conditions like on the inside (light, moderate, heavy)? Can you see the fire? Can you conduct a rapid primary search? How much area can you cover? How far should you go? What’s over your head?
All of these questions will have to be considered rather quickly. The late Bill Clark, in his book Firefighting Principles and Practices, stated that the key to all successful fireground operation is ANTICIPATION! This not only applies to the incident commander’s strategy, but to how the tactics are carried out as well.
In this first photo, we see a well-involved fire in the attached garage. The fire had extended into the attached garage in exposure 2-A (or B-1 depending upon you Incident Command System). Using a thermal imaging camera, the truck officer could see fire spreading up the exterior wall into the attic of the garage. He ordered his firefighter to advance a 2½-inch line into the garage for anticipated fire spread and a point-of-vantage line to cover the rear of the fire building, if necessary.
The officer of the engine ordered the pre-piped deck gun into operation immediately and stretched a pre-connected 2½-inch line for additional fire attack (quick water).
Due to the volume of fire and unknown life hazard (tentative report was everyone was out of the fire building), the officer of the truck ordered the driver to cover the rear of the original fire building and give a size-up report. The truck officer and one firefighter proceeded into the exposure for a rapid primary search for victims and fire extension.
Looking at the rear of the fire building, we see a large deck with a sliding glass door (see photo below). To the left of the door was a bay window, to the right, a second window.
As the driver of the truck (outside vent man), what information would you report to your officer? What needs would you anticipate based on the picture you see above (hose lines, ladders, etc.)?
At this incident smoke was seen coming from the mushroom caps along the peak of the roof and the eave line. Knowing this, would you call for roof ventilation? After the sliding door was forced, smoke conditions where down approximately five from the floor. Having this information, we can safely presume the fire has extended into the attic area? How long will it take to assign a company to roof ventilation? Are all your members versed in setting up the truck and positioning the aerial?
Many departments have all of their members equipped with portable radios. Receiving and transmitting good information increases our ability to safely and successfully operate on the fireground. Be clear, be concise, and paint a clear picture for everyone!
Using “Quick Water” for Initial Fire Attack
“Quick water” is a tactic that has been used successfully for years by members of the Chicago Fire Department. Quick water uses tank water to gain control of a fast-spreading fire via a 2½-inch handline with a smoothbore nozzle or, in this case, the pre-piped deck gun. Once the engine is in position, the pump operator places the transmission from road to pump. The firefighter positions the deck gun toward the body of fire. The pump operator opens the tank-to-pump valve and throttles the engine to approximately 1,500 rpm’s. Upon receiving the signal from the firefighter, the pump operator opens the deck gun valve for 5-7 seconds. The firefighter can move the gun in a sweeping motion to knock down a heavy body of fire in just a few seconds. While this is being done, the officer can begin stretching the hand line from the hose bed for entry into the building. The pump operator then throttles down the engine and closes the deck-gun valve while the firefighter climbs down from the vehicle to complete the hose stretch. The pump operator places the transmission back into the road position and proceeds to the nearest hydrant. This operation brings the fire condition down to a more workable level.
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