July-August 2009 Issue

	July-August 2009

Points to Ponder: Not-So-Routine Fires

By Jamie Morelock

Throughout our careers we become intimately familiar with the building construction commonly found in our response district. Most of the fires in these structures are fairly routine, but there are a few that will challenge our skills and knowledge of tactics, fire behavior, and some not-so-ordinary construction features. We all have our own bread-and-butter fires, the fires that present with a similar and almost expected behavior where the same tactics work nearly every time.

Recently, I experienced one of those not-so-routine fires. In the last few hours of the tour, we were dispatched to assist at a working fire in an area on the opposite side of the city. We located the address in the map book and headed towards the expressway. An easy 10 minutes later, we arrived on-scene as the sixth-due engine company. We reported to command and were assigned to supply a tower ladder being set up. We located a working hydrant and hand-stretched a couple lengths of supply line to the truck’s waterway intake. Once the water was on its way, we grabbed our tools and staged near the command post to await another assignment. We positioned ourselves across the street from exposure B-1. Standing there with my company, I began surveying the scene to get a feel for the operation. The fire building was a two-story wood frame with heavy fire throughout. Exposure B-1 was a one-story frame, to the rear was a yard, and exposure D-1 was a one-and-a-half-story frame. There were two deck pipes operating into the original fire building; handlines were positioned to operate between the exposures; and the tower ladder was getting ready to open up into the large opening where a roof once was. Companies began stretching into the exposures to extinguish the advanced fire conditions present in both. I took mental notes of company locations, many of which would not normally been at this fire, but there were two other working fires going on in the inner city. This fact would explain the advanced fire conditions in the main fire building as well as the exposures.

Since we were positioned in front of the Bravo exposure, my attention was focused on that building. By all outward appearances, it looked to be just another private dwelling. As the fire progressed, several crews had gone into this exposure to extinguish the fire there. I watched as steam rolled out of the side windows multiple times with no change in the thick yellow smoke pushing out under pressure from the eves of the lean-to roof at the rear of this exposure. The peaked roof that ran from front to back showed no sign of fire involvement; not even a wisp of smoke was evident from the opening in the gable end where the vent was. Just then the tower ladder opened their nozzle. What caught my attention was not the massive amount of water slowly darkening down the heavy fire coming from the main building, but the steam evaporating off a distinct section of the Bravo exposure roof. As I stared at the building, I asked myself: “How hot does it need to be under the roof decking to generate steam from the shingles?” and if the attic space was on fire, “Why wasn’t it venting out of the gable vent?”

Taking a look at the bigger picture I noticed the foundation under the first 10 to 12 feet of the building was newer concrete block. It happened to blend into the old foundation in line with the area of the roof where the steam began. This is when it became apparent that there must not be an opening connecting the original attic with the addition attic. After informing the IC of our observation, the ceiling under this area was pulled and the fire quickly extinguished. However, the heavy smoke in the rear was intensifying even though the inside the structure was virtually clear. Low-air alarms began to sound, and a group of firefighters inside began to exit the exposure. We notified the IC that we were available and of our suspicions of possible multiple roofs in the rear. Quickly speaking with one of the firefighters who just exited, we learned that they had pulled all of the ceiling in the rear and it was clear all the way to the roof decking. Instead of heading inside, my company made a different approach: we took our tools and a power saw from the tower ladder and headed to the roof. We carefully traversed the peaked roof towards the rear of the building. After sounding the flat roof, coupled with the fact that an uncontrolled fire had been burning underneath for some time, we felt it was safest to deploy a roof ladder across the decking in an area supported by the outside walls. Moving carefully out onto the ladder, I dropped the saw into the roof. Heavy smoke pressed out of kerf with great speed. After making several cuts, I moved back to the peaked section and withdrew the roof ladder. Using the reach of our hooks, we began the strenuous task of pulling the decking. Flames rose into the morning sky as a handline was positioned to extinguish the fire. After the flames were gone, it became apparent that there was not one, but two “rain” roofs constructed over top of the original roof. We finished overhaul of the area and took up with a sense of pride and accomplishment that we saw what everyone else seemed to miss.

So what are you to do when those routine tactics are not working? Here are a few questions to ask yourself that may help you out the next time you’re faced with a less than routine fire.

Am I standing back and looking at the big picture?

Avoid tunnel vision and look at the entire scene. The problem may become completely obvious. Conditions on the inside may not be the conditions showing on the outside. Good communication coupled with accurate information between the outside and inside crews is key in these situations.

Am I following my gut instinct?

Your feelings based on real world experience and sound training seldom steer you wrong.

Are there obvious signs of building alterations or does the building appear seamless?

Some alterations are very apparent, but others may not be. This is why we need to have a solid grasp on building construction and the science of fire behavior integrated with the street smarts. Based on that knowledge you need to look at what the fire’s behavior is telling you and determine your next course of action.

Am I using all my available resources?

Technology such as thermal imagers are a great asset on the fireground for locating hidden pockets of fire quickly, but it is also just a tool and can never replace your senses. Never be afraid to make an inspection hole in a wall, ceiling, floor, or roof. The cost to repair a properly made inspection hole is minor compared to the damage the fire will continue to do to the structure left undiscovered.

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