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Basic Tactical Considerations

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This post is just a simple challenge of tactical considerations.  The photos that are posted show a single-family house that had fire venting from the C/D corner when first units arrived.  The first in crews could not make the entire hallway on the first push do to intense heat and smoke.

The smoke was banked almost to the floor even with the fire venting from that corner bedroom.

What are some considerations that must be looked at with this fire?  What would be your next plan of action?  Why ist there so much heat and smoke with the fire venting the exterior?  What is your size up?

Share your thoughts and answers with everyone and use this as discussion with your crew.  

As always, train hard and stay safe,

Jason

Posted by on July 23, 2011 • Filed under: buildling construction, command-leadership, fire-rescue-topics, firefighting-operations, fires, search, situational awareness, size up, training-development, training-fire-rescue-topics, Uncategorized, vent, ventilation • Tagged: , , , , , , , , ,

Release the Ladder Rack!

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As with most departments, and mine is no different,  trying to get guys in the habit of throwing ground ladders takes a lot of work.  We know the benefits of doing this and there is a great article in the most current issue of Urban Firefighter Magazine that gives some great direction on how and when to use these valuable tools.

Typically, those throwing the ladders are the firefighters and officers  riding on the trucks and not those that are driving them. There are some exceptions to this rule depending on how your department operates.  In the area that I work, the apparatus driver is tasked with water supply and support.

Any time we have multiple stories we want ladders thrown. Any time we have people on the roof, we want ladders thrown.  It is an important task and one that must be trained on and made a permanent part of your operations.  However, this post is not about the actual act of throwing the ladder, but how we can make this job easier for those that do.

As apparatus drivers when we pull up to the scene of a working fire we are thinking about charging the appropriate line, getting the right gallons per minute to your interior crews and finding a water supply source before the tank water is exhausted.  That is a lot to do and you normally do it all on your own.  Well, there is one more thing I would like you to add to your list.

Depending on what type of configuration you have on your apparatus, the ladders on today’s engines and trucks are not convenient to get to.  We have them on the top of the truck so that they have to be lowered to get to them. They are placed “through the tank” with an access panel on the rear of the apparatus which if you lay line can make them impossible to remove because they are blocked by charged lines coming off of the truck from a rear discharge.  There aren’t many traditional stowed ladder configurations on apparatus anymore.

As operators we have to keep this mind. The photo I have posted shows the lowering arm that the ladders are stowed on.  This arm is lowered for firefighters to gain access. One of the downfalls to this is that the access to compartment space is limited, but not entirely blocked.

Once we get water to our crew and have established a water supply, take a second to check overhead and on the side for obstructions and lower the ladder arm.  If ladders are needed they are ready for deployment and easy to get to.  The RIT crew can use them for preventative measures by throwing ladders to create an egress point for firefighters and rescue teams can use them to make quick access to upper floors for search and rescue.

What about the compartments?  Before you lower the rack, take out the equipment that is most commonly used that must be deployed fast and have it ready to go.  On this particular truck, the PPV fan, the RIT bag and some spare SCBA bottles would be removed prior to lowering the rack.

Get familiar with your ladders and how they are removed. Know what obstacles you might face in placing the ladders in operation based on your apparatus configuration.  Be prepared and train on these facts.

As always, follow your local guidelines for operating on the fireground.  We must continue to train and do the simple things perfect. Master the basics and don’t forget to use your ground ladders.

Posted by on March 6, 2011 • Filed under: fire-rescue-topics, firefighter-safety-health, firefighting-operations, ladder truck/aerial devices, ladders, rescues, RIT, search, self rescue, situational awareness, size up, training-development, training-fire-rescue-topics, Uncategorized, vent, ventilation, VES • Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Fire Service Books

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This is a little off the beaten path for me and my blogs, but it is something that I have been paying more attention to lately.  I have been laid up from a hernia repair and have been reading and doing a little research for other projects and it occurred to me that I utilize the same three books on a regular basis.

No matter what level you are at in the fire service, you should be building a decent sized library of fire/emergency related books.  This is one more method to staying sharp and on top of your game.  Having quality information to turn to for those forgotten tricks of the trade or to remember a characteristic of a certain type of construction is paramount and makes you a better firefighter.

Here are the three books that I use on a regular basis and why.

1. “Building Construction for the Fire Service,” 3rd Edition, by Francis L. Brannigan.

This book was one I got during the mid 90′s for a college course and I have it highlighted, marked and it is never too far from my grasp. The great thing about this book is that it has never gotten outdated.  The information is still relevant and insightful.  This is definitely one book that should be on your shelf.

Make sure you look at the “Tactical Considerations” in the chapters that give some ideas on how to apply the lessons to firefighting tactics.

2.  ”Collapse of Burning Buildings: A Guide to Fireground Safety,”  by Vincent Dunn

This book has a great deal of content that is covered in Brannigan’s book but more directly applied to the collapse of these buildings.  Chief Dunn goes into great detail how these buildings collapse and the problems that different types of collapses cause.

The illustrations are great examples for those that need some visual help and you can apply this information immediately as a firefighter and fire officer.  This book is a great tool to have company discussions with. Sit down with your crew and pick a chapter or topic and start playing out scenarios in your jurisdiction where these dangers exist.

3. “Safety and Survival on the Fireground,” by Vincent Dunn.

This book is everything firefighting.  Just about anything that you want to know about firefighting is in here. The great thing is that the information is short, to the point and easy to apply to situations.

Keeping these books and others within reach is a good way to stay engaged. These resources gives you valuable information at your fingertips when you need it. It is also a good way to pass on information to others and to have meaningful conversation about “fire stuff.”

Stay safe and keep your mind on the task at hand, becoming a better firefighter.

Other places to get books for the fire service:

Fire Engineering

Fire Service Books

FireBooks.com

FireRescue1

IFSTA

The Fire Barn

These are just a few, if you know of others, please let us know.

Posted by on February 4, 2011 • Filed under: backdraft, buildling construction, command-leadership, fire stopping, fire-rescue-topics, firefighter-safety-health, firefighting-operations, fires, forcible entry, heavy timber, high rise, i joists, search, self rescue, situational awareness, size up, training-development, training-fire-rescue-topics, trusses, vacant building fires, vent, ventilation, VES • Tagged: , , , , , , , ,

Challenges on the Roof

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We all know that every roof is different and creates a new challenge. I thought I would post some more obvious challenges for us when we get on the roof.

The first two pictures show a flat roof of a hospital doctors building. This roof is a single story building and is at least 25 years old. As we can see, this roof has a top covering of gravel with an under layer of membrane and tar over metal decking.

This roof provides a challenge for ventilation because of obvious reasons. The built up membrane and tar with the layer of gravel will make this roof difficult to vent. Even if we can easily scrape away the gravel, the tar and membrane will challenge our saw technique and maintenance. If we are not prepared and not using the correct blades our saws will gum up and make cutting impossible.

The next few photos show skylights that we will mostly see on large, open span buildings. They allow natural lighting and are common in the “big box” buildings that we see in home improvement stores and large grocery and retail stores.

In some instances these vents/skylights can blend in with the roof surface and become difficult to distinguish from what it is in regards to the actual roof. These are especially dangerous during darkened and smokey conditions. Use caution and these are another reason for building familiarity.

These are not the only challenges that we face, but we will discuss more at another time in a future post.

Take some time and discuss how you would operate on these roofs with your crews.  Are there some experiences that you might have had on these types of roofs that you can share?

Stay safe, train hard and be careful.

Posted by on January 3, 2011 • Filed under: buildling construction, fire codes, firefighting-operations, Uncategorized, vent, ventilation • Tagged: , , , , , , ,

Good Roof Vent Video

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Here is a good video an actual roof ventilation on a two story house. It is a little rough from the helmet cam and I am not a big fan of the music on these types of videos, but the intent on showing a good roof vent is really good.

Take a look and give some props to Ladder24co folks. Stay safe and share your knowledge.

Posted by on November 5, 2010 • Filed under: firefighting-operations, training-fire-rescue-topics, trusses, vent, ventilation • Tagged: , , , , , ,

VES Video

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Here is a pretty good, basic video on VES (vent, enter and search).  It has good demonstration points from the beginning of the operation to the complete search of one room.  The thing I like about this video is the use of two persons for the VES.

Although this can be done with one person, you must weigh the risk vs. benefit, it is ideal to do this with two people.  However your department chooses to perform this function, you must train regularly.

One thing that is not mentioned in the video is the fact that personnel performing VES must be highly trained and experienced. Knowing how to read changing conditions, fire behavior and building construction is a must.

Keep on training and stay safe out there.

Posted by on October 19, 2010 • Filed under: buildling construction, enter, fire-rescue-topics, firefighter-safety-health, firefighting-operations, fires, forcible entry, rescues, search, situational awareness, training-fire-rescue-topics, vent, VES, videos • Tagged: , , , , , , , ,

Basics of Size-Up and Smoke Reading

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Here is a good video from our buddy Dale Pekel. Dale has a series of great training videos. In this video, he shows some basics about size up and reading smoke.

We have to do more of this, and like Dale says, be proactive. Train hard and we’ll see you on the “big one.”

Posted by on September 6, 2010 • Filed under: backdraft, buildling construction, firefighting-operations, fires, vent, ventilation, VES • Tagged: , , , , , , ,

Great Training Opportunity

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Three days of ball busting training evolutions on acquired structures!

If you missed FDIC, you have to make this training event.

I have had the opportunity to spend some time with Nate and  Kevin and they are the real deal.

The training is real and practical.  It is stuff you will use in real life, on real calls.

You just can’t afford to miss this.  The price is right and the location is in the middle of the country.  I just can’t say enough about the classes and teaching style of the Brotherhood Instructors.

Even if you can only make one day, it is worth the travel.  But, beware, you will be whooped by the end of the weekend.

Get to the Brotherhood Instructors Facebook page and look at their videos, blogging and pictures for an idea of what they do.

See you soon and train hard with The Brotherhood!

Posted by on June 10, 2010 • Filed under: buildling construction, fire-rescue-topics, firefighting-operations, forceable entry, forcible entry, fun stuff, rescues, RIT, scba, search, training-development, training-fire-rescue-topics, vacant building fires, vent, ventilation, VES • Tagged: , , , , , ,

Since We’re Talking Ventilation…..

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Since posting the video on PPV, I have been sent links to many other videos on PPV, ventilation and flashover. Some were good and some not so good. This one I thought was a good video to sit down and take a look at with your crew.

There are some things that can be learned from this video. We weren’t there from the onset, but valuable information can be taken away from this video.

If you have links for videos or your own that you think would be beneficial, pass them on to us and we will take a look and post them if appropriate.

Take care, stay safe and stay low.

Posted by on May 28, 2010 • Filed under: command-leadership, fire-rescue-topics, firefighter-safety-health, firefighting-operations, fires, RIT, training-development, training-fire-rescue-topics, vent, ventilation • Tagged: , , , , ,

Be Careful Using PPV–Good Video

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This is a video I found on The Bravest Online. This website has some great content and very current fire related videos that can be used for information and training ideas.

This video is from the Salt Lake City area and shows what can happen when you have hidden fire and use a positive pressure fan with crews inside the building.


Find more videos like this on firevideo.net

There are many thoughts on this tactic and you should follow your local SOP or guideline.

Posted by on May 26, 2010 • Filed under: fire-rescue-topics, firefighter-safety-health, firefighting-operations, mayday, rescues, RIT, situational awareness, training-fire-rescue-topics, vent, ventilation • Tagged: , , , , , , , ,

Take the Entire Window

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Here is a short but good video from our friends at Brotherhood Instructors and Urban Firefighter Magazine on taking the window.

Do yourself and those inside a favor, take the entire window.

Train and stay safe.

Posted by on May 10, 2010 • Filed under: buildling construction, enter, fire-rescue-topics, firefighter-safety-health, firefighting-operations, forceable entry, rescues, RIT, search, situational awareness, vent, VES • Tagged: , , , , , ,

Training for VES

9 comments
How many of you do VES?

How many of you do VES?

How many of you and your organizations routinely perform Vent, Enter and Search Operations?

When discussing this tactic in some circles there is great debate.  In fact, I have heard outright intolerance for VES.

It boils down to training and experience.  Believe it or not, I have had firefighters actually have to ask what the acronym meant.  Obviously, they don’t perform it.

It certainly has it’s place and is something that can be incorporated into the Outside Vent position.  Especially in jurisdictions that don’t have dedicated Engines and Trucks, this position is even more critical.  In these areas, one fire you may be performing engine company operations while the same day at a different fire you may be the truck company based on the order of your arrival.

I am curious what your policies are and what your training is for this position?

How does your department run in terms of companies and assignments?

Share what you do and how you operate so that we can all learn new ideas and methods to keep us safe.

Take care and train hard and smart.

Posted by on April 8, 2010 • Filed under: fire-rescue-topics, firefighting-operations, RIT, training-development, training-fire-rescue-topics, vent, ventilation, VES • Tagged: , , , ,

Company Discussions: Redeployment?

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What would you do at this point?

What would you do at this point?

There is a lot already taking place here.  A hose crew is at the door or inside.  A guy is taking out a window or something to that effect on the D side.  And someone is on a ladder.

There is some nasty smoke pushing out of this structure.  It definitely is under pressure.

Time is running out for keeping this in check and an interior attack.  We’ve all been here and we know how this can go.

At this point in the fire, what ventilation tactic would you use and why?

If you need to, redirect these crews and put them where you think they will make the most progress and explain your actions.

Share with your crew and post your discussion points.  We always get great feedback and we know you have some goo ideas, so, let’s hear them.

Stay safe and be careful.  Get yourself healthy and stay healthy.

Posted by on March 7, 2010 • Filed under: command-leadership, firefighter-safety-health, firefighting-operations, fires, situational awareness, vent, ventilation • Tagged: , , , , ,

Cool Tool Ideas

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I good way to keep two tools together. Picture from Brotherhood Instructors

I good way to keep two tools together. Picture from Brotherhood Instructors

Here is a cool way to get two tools to stay together.  Firefighters can get real creative when they want to.

This is a good example of getting out of the chair and doing something to help the fire service.

Using multiple tools can make forcing entry much easier and more effective, so it is beneficial to have more than one tool.

The last post was about bringing tools, so I thought this was appropriate.  To see some other tool drills and ideas, click the picture for Brotherhood Instructors site.

Posted by on February 24, 2010 • Filed under: enter, fire-rescue-topics, firefighting-operations, forceable entry, search, training-fire-rescue-topics, vent • Tagged: , , , ,

Secondary Means of Escape

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Have a second means of escape when operating on the roof.

Have a second means of escape when operating on the roof.

When operating on the roof, make sure as the crew operating on it, and/or the officer on the ground, that there is a secondary means of escape.

As we can see in this picture, the primary means could get cut off by fire.

It is prudent and appropriate to put an additional ladder on the opposite side of this building for the crews to exit from.

When this crew made the roof that fire over the front stoop may not have been there nor suspected.  While making the cut they could have lost their primary escape route.

Speak up if you see things like this, it could make all the difference in the world.  This has to be done to keep everyone safe.

Is there anything else you see that might need to be addressed?

Most importantly, this is to illustrate the need for a secondary escape.

Take care, think, and stay safe.

Posted by on January 30, 2010 • Filed under: command-leadership, fire-rescue-topics, firefighter-safety-health, firefighting-operations, vent • Tagged: , , , , , , , , ,

Fiberglass Panels

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Photo from FireEngineering.com. This is the hole that a New Jersey Battalion Chief fell through.
Photo from FireEngineering.com. This is the hole that a New Jersey Battalion Chief fell through.

I don’t normally post items right out of publications, but, this is just too important.

If you have already read this, bear with me.

I was finishing up my December issue of Fire Engineering and got to this article.  It was something I had thought about before but it has been awhile.

The picture you see is where the chief fell from the roof to the floor below.

I am attaching a link to the article, please read it and remember it.  If you have to make changes to the way you attack these buildings, do so.  Change the codes if you have the ability and stay safe out there.

http://www.fireengineering.com/index/articles/display/8028781264/articles/fire-engineering/volume-162/issue-12/departments/what-we_learned/dangers-of_fiberglass.html

Photo by Frank Bellina

Posted by on January 21, 2010 • Filed under: buildling construction, firefighter-safety-health, firefighting-operations, vent • Tagged: , , , ,

Vent, Enter and Search

9 comments
Is this a situation that VES would be deployed?

Is this a situation that VES would be deployed?

This building looks to be a very large residential home, or more likely a mutli-family dwelling.

It appears that the majority of fire is on the second floor.

It is night time and the chance that it is occupied is good.

This could be a good time to use interior crews to start an aggressive search with a hose line since we really can’t see any fire.

At the same time, we can have some outside vent guys laddering these windows and performing vent, enter, search tactics since the building appears to be large.

Now, this is somewhat controversial in some parts, like mine, but I think it is an effective tactic.  The key here is to have adequately trained personnel who have experience and can make good decisions in the risk vs. benefit area.

Additionally, there needs to be coordination with the interior crew. And, hey, if you have enough on scene to send in an attack line and a search crew, good for you.  That just isn’t always the case.

Just remember, if you are performing VES, know where you are, have a tool. You may only be able to sweep the room with a tool because of heat.  If you do get in a room, your first bit of business is to shut the door to the adjoining spaces. Oh, make sure you have got  a radio.

What do you think out there?  Any other ideas?  Let us know and share your knowledge.

As always, thanks for stopping by train everyday.

Photo by: http://www.eurekafirerescue.org/2010Pictures.html

Posted by on January 20, 2010 • Filed under: enter, fire-rescue-topics, firefighter-safety-health, firefighting-operations, fires, rescues, search, training-fire-rescue-topics, vent, ventilation, VES • Tagged: , , , , , , ,