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Risk Profile & Size Up- You Make the Call
Risk Profile & Effective Size-Up
You've arrived with two other firefighters from your company at a working fire within a Townhouse occupancy. The end unit has heavy smoke evident from the second floor on the Alpha side. There is an unconfirmed report of an occupant being inside.
Your team is donning masks for entry, there is no line charged (as of yet). You're assigned to conduct an immediate primary search by the incident commander (who is the first due engine company officer) who has assumed command. The Battalion Chief is still a aways out. A truck company can be heard arriving as is the second-due engine company.
You stop, and start looking at the structure, smoke and assumed fire conditions.
What is the risk profile and safety considerations?
What can you assume?
What should you be thinking of doing?
What should you communicate?
What should you do or not do? Do you have an option?
Read the smoke: what is it telling you?
You are the senior member of this team, in terms of experience. The other two firefighters are less experienced.
What are you going to do?.....
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Robert Venable on
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My men wouldn't go in without a charged line.The smoke tell you room and contents involved.Need to get a crew into adjoining townhome to check for extension.Truck co.needs to vent roof.
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Permalink Reply by Chief 29 on
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I would not make entry without having a line in service with the amount of smoke pushing unless the report of occupancy is confirmed. There is no need to risk lives if there are no lives in danger before there is a line in service. The truck company should immediately begin ventilation. You would also need to throw some ground ladders to the second floor before a search of the second floor begins.
After the basic safety concerns are addressed (charged line,Ladders for emergency exit) and ventilation is ready to begin I would begin an aggressive attack on the fire along with the search. Keep in mind that until ground ladders are thrown and ventilation has started you will more than likely gain enough manpower, two or three more guys to initiate the search and attack at the same time.
Remember you are number one. unnecessary risks need to be kept to a minimum. SAFETY, SAFETY, SAFETY.
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Permalink Reply by Ben Waller on
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The key element in sizing up this fire is to read the smoke. This smoke is BLACK FIRE.
It meets all of the "Look Out" signs of reading smoke...
Color - it's dark black
Density - it's very thick
Volume - there is a lot of it
Velocity - it's pushing out and up...rapidly
That tells you that this smoke is hot enough to ignite and lacks only a minimal temperature increase or momentary exposure to a flame to completely flash over virtually this entire townhouse.
It is very unlikely that any civilian in this townhouse is alive, but there's a chance that an isolated compartment on Side C is uninvolved.
I'd start this one by cleaning out the upstairs windows on Side A - that will let some of the heat out, vent any potential flame to the outside, and buy a little time. I'd quickly check Side C - there may be a better entry point there, or there may be a victim at a rear window. If that's the case, a quick grab from a ground ladder is a better choice than an interior attack. If I have to attack from the front, I'd have the 2nd-most experienced firefighter vent the upstairs windows immediately before I took the least experienced firefighter and took the line inside.
A basement is pretty unlikely - it appears that this one is built on a slab.
The interior stairs are probably just inside the front door, to the right, against the divider wall to the apartment to Side D.
In this case, the second engine takes a backup line in - two levels of fire equal at least two lines to fight it.
The first truck driver and tiller throw ladders all around while the officer and irons join my engine to search - if the interior is tenable. The third engine and second truck or the rescue search the Delta exposure, check for extention, and check to overhead for cockloft extension. They'll probably have to pull the Division 2 ceiling and fight an extension fire there.
This fire is at least an "all hands" with a fourth engine and second truck for RIT, a medic for patients, another medic for rehab, and at least two extra chiefs - one for Safety and one for the rear. We may as well sound the second alarm and try to get ahead of this one. A quick second alarm might save a later fourth alarm on this one.
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Permalink Reply by Christopher J. Naum, SFPE on
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Thanks for a great size-up and risk profile....
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Permalink Reply by Jason Brooks on
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You stop, and start looking at the structure, smoke and assumed fire conditions.
What is the risk profile and safety considerations?
Unconfirmed victim, risk a lot to save a lot. Lightweight construction, get it and make a hit, or you will lose the entire building
What can you assume?
Upstairs fire based on smoke conditions. crappy construction
What should you be thinking of doing?
Attack the fire and hopefully run across a victim, if there is one. Second in engine establish water supply. Truck throw ladders and start a primary search
What should you communicate?
Smoke conditions, number of crew making entry, area that you intend to be going for attack, needed resources
What should you do or not do? Do you have an option?
You have to go fast attack if you have any chance at saving a life and getting ahead of this fire.
Read the smoke: what is it telling you?
Heavy fire involvement, hot fire, contents burning, already vented, working its way into attack
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