Skip to content

Archives for webster-groves-fire-department

See all posts in the network tagged with webster-groves-fire-department

Company Drill: Standpipe Operations

No comments

 

This is a great drill from a great Brother and friend, Lance Peeples of the Webster Groves Fire Department in St. Louis County.  Look for more great material from Lance in the future.

 

 

Daily Drill 1: Standpipe Operations

 

“The Daily Drill” is designed to spark discussion about operational issues in YOUR fire department.  To do this we use photographs or videos depicting fire operations in other fire departments.  We do not know the exact circumstances in which our Brothers in these fire departments are operating.  Photos or videos are not intended to embarrass our BROTHERS and SISTERS but rather are intended to provide US with learning opportunities relevant to OUR specific operational framework.  DON’TFOCUSONWHAT THEY’RE DOING…FOCUS ON WHAT YOU WOULD DO!  Stay safe!

 

Watch the video below and answer the following questions:

 

 

1.  Using the National Fire Academy Fire Flow Formula, what gpm would be required to extinguish a completely involved 500 square foot apartment fire?

How large of an undivided floor area is often found in high rise office buildings and what fire flow would be required there?

 

2.  Under previous editions of NFPA 14 what was the minimum psi required to flow 500 gpm at the most remote riser?

 

3.  What is the target gpm you are attempting to flow from your standpipe hose and nozzle combination?  What psi must be available at the standpipe operation to supply that hose and nozzle combination in order to flow your desired attack flow?

 

4.  The operation depicted showed using 4” supply line into the fire department connection.  What is the working pressure limit of LDH used in your department?  What is the elevation head pressure in a 30 story building?  Are standpipe operations usually high flow or high pressure operations?  Is using large diameter hose in FD standpipe connections a good idea?

 

 

 

 

 

 

5.  What is the diameter of hose used in your standpipe pack?  Is it an automatic/constant flow fog/smooth bore tip?  What nozzle psi is required for its designed flow?

 

6.  Will rust, scale, and other debris commonly found in standpipe systems pass through an automatic fog nozzle?  Will rust, scale and other debris usually pass through an 1 1/8” smooth bore tip?

 

7.  Can fire department pumpers ALWAYS be used to increase available pressure on the fire floor?  What about damaged or missing FD connections?  Pressure reducing and restricting valves?  Missing piping or excessive head pressures?

 

8.  At the One Merdian fire in Philladelphia on February 23, 1991 what was the length, diameter, and nozzle type (including psi/flow requirements) of the standpipe kits used by the fire department?  Did this setup work?  Why or why not?

 

9.  What were the names of the Brothers that died at One Merdian that tragic day?

 

Posted by on November 29, 2012 • Filed under: buildling construction, fire sprinklers, fire-rescue-topics, firefighter-safety-health, firefighting-operations, fires, high rise, historic fires, in-the-line-of-duty, line-of-duty, major-incidents, mayday, RIT, scba, search, self rescue, situational awareness, size up, Training, training-development • Tagged: , , ,

The Daily Drill: Part 3-Forcible Entry

1 comment

Here is another great post from my friend Lance Peeples of the Webster Groves Fire Department in St. Louis County.  Thanks Lance and now for some fire-thinking to occur.

 

Review the following videos and answer the questions:

 

 

 

1.  Who is assigned the “Irons” or “Bar” position on your first alarm assignment?

 

2.  List EVERY tool the forcible entry (FE) firefighter (FF) should carry when he dismounts the apparatus for an alarm investigation at a multiple dwelling.

 

3.  Are these tools mounted near the riding position of the FE FF?

 

4.  Who is the FF on your first alarm who is designated to use the axe to drive the halligan while the FE FF holds the halligan in place?  What tools should he or she carry?  Are they mounted immediately adjacent to that riding position for quick access?

 

5.  Will a Rabbit tool (hydraulic forcible entry HFT) work on a door with angle iron shields?

 

6.  How would you defeat an inward opening door with angle iron shields that cover the entire length of the door?  What if another piece of angle iron (or a “U” channel) was attached to the door frame and thus prevented placing the fork of the halligan between the frame and the angle iron attached to the door?

 

7.  Is it acceptable to attack the hinge side of an apartment door in a multiple dwelling?  Why or why not?

 

8.  At multiple dwelling fires is it standard practice in your department to force an adjacent apartment door before forcing the fire apartment door?  What might be an advantage of doing this?

 

 

9.  Will a Rabbit (HFT) tool work on outward opening door?  What does an outward opening door in a multiple dwelling suggest to you?

 

10.  What do bolt heads projecting through a door suggest?

 

11.  Should the fork bevel be against or away from the door?  What are the advantages and disadvantages of each position?

 

12.  Some departments order halligan tools that are longer than the standard 30” length for increased leverage.  What is a serious disadvantage of longer tools?

 

Posted by on July 28, 2011 • Filed under: buildling construction, firefighter-safety-health, firefighting-operations, forcible entry • Tagged: , , , , ,