There is a lot of talk about the different kinds of size up in regards to survivability profiling.  Although I respect those views, I just don’t think we are doing ourselves in the fire service justice by creating an additional “method” for performing your size up.

I still believe that a size up is a size up and the information you gather during it, along with experience, training and knowledge, will direct you into the right direction.  If the building is tenable or not; if it has burned before; if it is in poor condition; it doesn’t change how you size up. What changes is how you use the information.

That is if you have trained properly.  Let’s face it, not all company and chief officers are adequately trained in giving a thorough size up and applying that information into your strategy and tactics.

So, here is a little drill that is simple but yet effective.  I am going to give you four sides of a single-family dwelling and you need to size it up.

In addition, what can you tell about the layout of the house just by looking from the outside?  What are the indicators or clues that you are using to make these educated guesses?

[View with PicLens]

Share your experience and techniques, new officers and firefighters need this  stuff, so be generous.

Train often and stay safe.

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I am a big fan of companies getting out and scoping out their response area. Just when you think you have seen it all, something catches your eye that you missed the other 100 times you passed it by.  We all know what I am talking about.

Look at the picture above. As a fire service leader, what do you see?  What have you learned from your years of experience and training about these types of buildings?

What is of significance?

What is of significance that you see right away but the new guy might not have a clue about?

As an officer that will be making the initial decisions on this building you have a great responsibility to know as much about this structure as you can.  It will certainly help you to make the best possible decision about your tactics.

Take the time to sit with your crews and look at the features of this building. What type of construction is it?  What type of occupancy is it?  Why are both so important?  It just might mean the difference of saving the occupants and yourself.

Stay safe and be careful.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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