Don’t miss these training opportunities. The Brotherhood Instructors provide all facets of fire service training. You really need to attend one of their trainings.
Here is some training from Traditions Training. Again, if your looking for some of the best training offered, these two groups of guys can get for you.
Here is a video from Brotherhood Instructors. This is a basic engine company operations class that shows some really good ideas for drills.
Also, check out the Brotherhood site for training dates. If they are near you, you really need to check them out and get enrolled. It is really good stuff and they are great guys.
Watch and pass it on.
Do you see anything different here?
I was out of town most of this past week for class and noticed this building on the first morning I drove in.
The first morning they had only installed the wall to the “r” in Performing. The second day I realized that I needed to snap a picture of this to share.
This false wall is about four stories tall and covers the entire length of the building.
What challenges do you see?
As you can see, this wall definately would challenge any rescue efforts were there victims in the windows.
Not only will it hamper rescue efforts, performing ventilation or suppression from this side of the building would be challenging at best.
The frame of the false wall is set off of the building wall at a distance of approximately two feet. That is just a guess, but operating ground ladders here is almost impossible.
Interior crews would need to know that this side is limited access and egress because of the wall. It will certainly challenge our strategies and tactics should an incident happen here.
This is one good example of why you need to get out and see your area. Know what’s going on and get involved. As a crew you can preplan this building by just parking out front, take a picture or two and go back and have a discussion about how you would operate at this building.
Stay safe and be careful.
Cutting the drip loops.
This is a sensitive subject for some, but a basic skill I remember learning as a rookie.
Cutting drip loops is something that not all departments do, but it is necessary in some instances depending on where you are in the country.
In my area you could get utilities on scene in town within minutes whereas the more rural parts could take an hour.
Cutting the drip loops requires some skill and knowledge to be done correctly. You must also have a set of appropriate cutters and ideally, some electrical gloves.
As you can see, there are some hazards associated with this and you must follow your departments policies on this.
With this particular photo, what do you see as a hazard?
When would you consider cutting the drip loops?
Do you have the appropriate tools to cut the loops?
Be careful when dealing with electricity. The ideal tactic is to let the utility company deal with it.
Train to your departmental SOG’s and stay safe.
Deploy your people. You are the big boss on this one, what next?
You are the incident commander on this fire. You can deploy who ever you want where ever you want.
I am allowing for your normal response of resources. No cheating!
Don’t worry about what is going on with the personnel in the picture; pretend they are not there.
Explain your size-up and the building characteristics.
Deploy your resources accordingly through what ever a first alarm will bring you. If you want to expand your alarms, hey, have at it. Just let us know.
Sit down with your crews and work this out.
This fire came in as a house fire, unknown victims, called in by the neighbors.
Have fun with it, pass it on, and be safe.
What characteristics could you expect with this building?
Just about every jurisdiction in the country has a building like this one.
These are popular in the older downtown areas, especially in smaller towns and main streets.
Some of you may have fought a fire or two in a building similar to this one or done an inspection at one.
Based on your past experiences and this picture, what are some concerns you may have about this building?
How will those concerns determine your strategies and tactics?
What size lines and what conditions will you be looking for inside?
List your responses and share your experiences and thoughts.
This picture says a lot to me. I know that it is a still frame and only a fraction of a second in time, but I believe it is telling.
We have fire venting from the Alpha side upper window, and from the Bravo side near the eaves. There is no doubt that we have a good working job.
How many times do we see chaos from all parties involved when we show up to a fire like this. Adrenaline is pumping and people are excited and ready to go. Sometimes too much so.
With all of the chaos and effort to be first in, too many times we forget our assignments or tasks. Everyone can’t be first in and the other jobs are just as important.
Looking at this picture I get the impression that these are some cool cats. You have a team raising a ladder. You have a team with a hose line ready. It looks like the officer is getting his stuff on a little behind his hose crew, maybe from completing his 360. And there is a firefighter propping open the door.
This looks organized just from what I can see. It looks good and I bet they took it to it.
Know your assignments and do them. The best attack is a coordinated one when everyone is doing what needs to be done to accomplish the overall goal; safely get in and out after putting the fire out and removing all victims.
You must train this way and trust your crew for this to happen. So, get out of the recliner today and do something as a team. Ask about assignments if you have questions and train, train, train, and train some more.
Take care and stay safe.
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.
The officer must be the one that watches for conditions.
When a crew is making an interior attack, or any task, on the fire ground, the officer must be the eyes and ears of his crew.
Although everyone is responsible for safety and identifying unsafe conditions, the officer must continually keep a watchful eye on conditions.
Too often I have witnessed the officer take the nozzle, dragging the firefighter along into a burning structure. The officer should be the more experienced person on the line; there is a reason he is the officer. ( I know that is not always the case, but, you get the point.)
I can remember being in a 3-story house with fire blowing out the rear on the first floor and making an aggressive interior attack as the nozzle man. About 5 minutes or so pass and I am right up on this thing not making much progress. The acting officer tapped me on the shoulder and said we needed to back out.
I of course did not want to, but what I didn’t see, because I was focused on the fire fight, was that we were pushing fire around the stairwell back to the front door, where we entered. Mostly because we had the wrong sized line for the amount of fire we had.
But, the point is, he was doing his job. Not just helping me with the hose line, but seeing the “big” picture. He was paying attention to more than just what was in front of him.
As officers on the hose line we are expected to be aware and to get the job done. On that fire it meant pulling out and going back with a larger line, which was effective.
Watch for changing smoke conditions. Look for fire behavior that may be odd. Just look at everything and stay aware. Get the job done and get back safe.
Check out the link to this video of a backdraft that injured one firefighter. I don’t know that there is a lot that could have been done because it is such a short clip.
But, it is important to look for the signs and read the signs of smoke conditions that could indicate a backdraft.
Let me know what you think and stay safe out there.
I am back and will continue the discussion on vacant buildings.
First, I appoligize for not posting all weekend, I was at Missouri Winter Fire School teaching. It was a great weekend and everyone was pleasant and eager to learn.
When I left, I had posted a picture and gave a scenario of a vacant building. Vacant buildings and how we approach them is a hot topic right now. We have some chiefs and firefighters arguing that we need to write-off all vacant buildings.
On the otherhand, we have firefighters and some officers that argue that we should search all buildings that are on fire because that was what we were sworn to do. I understand both points.
While teaching this weekend this topic was brought up and the very vocal crowd, and the majority immediately said, “Let ‘em burn.” Their setement was that we should not be entering these buildings because they are “vacant.”
I then asked the question, “Are all vacant buildings decrepit and delapidated?” The answer is absolutely not. Many vacant buildings are just that; not occupied. It doesn’t mean that they are falling down and structurally unsound.
I pose this scenario. If a couple leaves their winter home for five months out of the year for warmer weather, is that building abandoned? Most said , “no.” Would the “let it burn” montra apply in that situation and why or why not? Well, most said no it would not apply.
Listen, I am not sure why this is so difficult. In a way I do because I understand the history of some very famous LODD that have happen in abandoned buildings. But, at the same time, we are seeing and hearing reports of homeless and vagrants being rescued and found in these vacant buildings.
So, what do we do? Here is what I am suggesting and you are free to disagree. If we use the same risk management system and the risk vs. benefit anaylysis, this becomes less of an issue. If your first arriving units are adequately trained, confident in their decision making abilities and familiar with their area, they perform like they would at any other building.
Just because a building is occupied does not make it inherently safe if it is on fire. The same is true for vacant buildings; just because it is vacant does not make inherently dangerous just because it is vacant. It also doesn’t mean it isn’t occupied.
Do your size up, get three sides when you pull up. Get your 360 and make an evaluation of conditions inside and those of the building. If conditions are poor and survivability is not possible, don’t put your people at risk.
If the structure appears to be sound, the fire conditions are condusive for an aggressive search and attack, then it should be done. The same rules apply for occupied structures. You may take more risk for an occupied structure if you don’t konw that all occupants are out. But, you still will measure conditions and survivability, especially if you have confirmation everyone is out. Use the same judgment and experience with vacant buildings.
The bottom line is that properly trained firefighters and company officers will make the right decision. IF they don’t, adequately trained and experienced chief officers need to make sure the correct decision is made and the proper battle plan is followed.
Use your head and don’t let your ego and emotions rule your actions. It could get you and your crew killed. Take your time to call on good practices and experience to see the overall picture.
Until next time, stay safe and be careful.
Vacant or not vacant: To go or not to go?
Recent discussions about vacant buildings and how we should handle them led me to post this scenario.
I have my own opinion on vacant buildings which I will post later. But, the discussion can get heated, depending on who you are talking with.
It seems most chiefs are of the opinion that vacant buildings are write-offs and company officers and firefighters want to aggressively attack these buildings and perform search and rescue if conditions permit.
Without further delay, let’s move on to the scenario.
You have arrived on the scene of this fire and it has been reported vacant. It is winter and cold outside. It is just outside of town, about 2 minutes from the city limits.
There are no hydrants but you have adequate personnel and apparatus to begin operations with approximately 4000 gallons on the initial response.
What are your initial actions and how do you approach a vacant house? Why do you what you choose and what conditions were considered?
Remember, everyone has an opinion and we can all learn valuable lessons from everyone. Also, this was an actual fire I was on. So, I can fill you in on how we did in a few days.
Let’s hear it all and stay safe.
Here is what I need you to do...
Okay, you are the officer with this group on the deck/porch.
There still hasn’t been a confirmation of victims being out. They might be, they might not be.
Another company is pulling up with four including the operator.
Make your assignments and explain your tactics. I understand we can’t see the rear and or the B side. But, this is fun and illustrative.
Let’s have fun with it and get your crews involved.
Stay safe and train for real.
Watch the video and pay attention to all sides of the building.
I know this is a short clip, but there is a great deal that can be learned from this video.
Were there any indicators prior to the collapse?
What, if anything, would you have done differently if you were a company officer or command?
Stay safe and be careful out there.
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.
There are two issues with this picture that we need to address.
In this picture you can see the electrical service and that it is not appropriate. In the dark or in heavy smoke, this could cause a real bad situation. Not to mention it could have started the fire.
But, as I looked at this picture, I noticed something else that we need to think about. Can you see it? I have no doubt you have noticed it.
The basement doors are boarded up. We mentioned this in an earlier post about boarded up windows. This is no different. Trapped or lost firefighters trying to find a way out may miss this door because it is boarded up.
There isn’t a whole lot we can do about it except to do our 360 and use good situational awareness. Doing that 360 will tell us a great deal and could save our lives.
Just stay aware and alert. Take the extra time to do your 360, it makes a difference and as an officer it is a must to keep your people safe.
This is fairly good sized single-family home. Fire has vented at the ridge, at least appears as such.
We have not confirmed that everyone is out in this late night fire.
There is a basement and most of the bedrooms are on the upper floors. Those are not fake dormers.
How do you procede and what are your main concerns and why?
What is your size up and as the first officer, what is your first action?
Get your company together and hammer this one out.
Stay safe and train hard.
Multiple exposure fire.
This is a great scenario for us to look at. It has a great deal that needs to be addressed.
Now, I understand that not every jurisdiction has this type of occupancy, but let’s use our imaginations.
We can gather a pretty good deal of information just from the picture.
Now, let’s go to work. I’m not going to ask specific questions of what you would do, you all have a pretty good idea of what we are looking for. List your tactical considerations and how your going to use your crews.
Since it is Sunday, I am going to give you all the resources you need.
Get started and share you knowledge.
Stay safe and train hard.
Do you have a plan for this?
Update:
Let me clear something up. I know this fire is a write off no matter what.
The intention here is to explore what we would do if this fire was one that victims were present in and was only smoke showing.
I am curious about how to handle an event where we are faced with adversity: inaccessibility and conditions that deem a rescue possible.
I have to tell you that when I saw this picture many thoughts ran through my head.
With the recent events in regards to natural disasters, this picture got my attention.
This is a picture from Hurricane Ike. I know this building is pretty well involved and as you can see, the street is flooded.
But, what if this was your area and you had this situation with confirmed victims? Now, let’s pretend for the sake of discussion you are the first arriving unit.
For those that deal with this, how do you pre-plan this kind of event and what would you do?
I have to admit, this situation is very remote in my area, but possible and we have never discussed a scenario like this. So, I’m flying by the seat of pants on this one as well.
Let’s hear what you all have to say.
(Thanks for all of the support and great replies so far, it is very humbling and appreciated.) Now back to business, how do we handle this situation?
Check the panel boxes, you never know what you will find.
Take a look inside the breaker boxes if you get a chance. Especially if something seems “not right.”
These two breakers are melted and still have wires connected. In certain instances they will fail and be overloaded and instead of being removed, get left on the bar.
These are no longer on the bar, but we need to know what, if anything, is powering whatever was connected to these breakers.
Just be aware that if a panel box looks bad, you may need to look a little harder and take off the panel cover.
Be careful and stay safe out there.
I know this is really basic stuff, but we forget very quickly about these basics.
When working off of a ladder use leg locks or a ladder belt. Don’t forget that ladder belts are not just for aerial trucks. They are very effective on any ladder. Well, maybe not an attic ladder.
With some of the new harnesses being integrated into gear, some have ladder belts built into them, so use them.
Bottom line; stay safe and operate safely. Sometimes it is easy to forget these basic skills. We teach them in the academies and rookie schools, and we need to refresh every once in a while.
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.
This is a great video of wood trusses in fire conditions versus dimensional, stick-built lumber under fire conditions.
We all know about the hazards associated with wood truss roof systems, but it is worth looking at again, and again and again.
Training and recognition are key in keeping ourselves and our crews safe.
Check it out and pass on to others, it really is a cool video.
This is a good example of the need for more resources. It concerns me when I see lines in a building and there is nobody at the entry point for a back up.
In addition, we are constantly training on coordinated attacks. We have no available crews for ventilation or search and rescue that I can see.
There are no crews for RIT or to secure utilities. How about keeping the civilians out of harms way?
There are other issues with this scene, but I will let you discuss the tactical side of things.
Let’s look at this video in two ways. First, how would your department tackle this fire with your typical response? Let’s pretend that we don’t know the status of occupants. Whatever your department gets is what you get.
Second, discuss your concerns with how this went down. I am not going to beat up on any department, this department looks to be short staffed and doing the best with what they have. But, I am willing use it as a learning tool. So, where is there room for improvement?
Thanks for taking a look. Stay safe and train hard.
I-joists are everywhere!
This is a picture of a multiple story house being built with engineered i-joists.
We have posted, and probably will continue to do so, pictures of these i-joist on the main level. Those pictures have been associated with text that tells of firefighters falling into basements.
Just remember that when you go to the second floor to search with fire below you, that second or third story floor is made of these i-joists. You have to be just as diligent above the main floor as you are on it.
The use of TIC’s are appropriate and should be used, but not solely depended on. Have good situational awareness and try to coordinate all searches with suppression and ventilation.
Be careful and don’t get complacent.
Thanks again for checking us out, stay safe.
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