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Five Minutes in the Streets- Observations & Decision-Making
Five Minutes in the Streets- Observations & Dynamic Decision-Making
In this session we’re going to look at Observation Skills and Dynamic Decision-Making
You’ve arrived at the incident scene at a fire involving a residential ranch house. The house is situated on the curve of a long dead-end street that ends in a cal du sac. A four-staffed truck company arrived first-due. Followed second-due by a three-staffed engine company and five minutes behind the third due engine with three staffing. A Battalion Chief arrives an just assumed command, prior to your arrival.
As you get a face-to-face briefing from the Incident Commander, you’re observing the incident scene from street side at the end of the driveway with the sequence of incident operations covering a time span of about 8-10 minutes.
Based upon your observations, what’s happening and what decisions and assignments need to be made? This is your opportunity to capture your observations, process them and tell us what dynamic decision-making factors are under your consideration and assignment. You guys take this session where ever you’d like to go with it. We’ll add other factors and issues as the dialog starts up…..
BTW.. the first due engine is just making the entry thru the front door on side A, with a 1.75 inch attack line, that hasn’t been charged yet, the second engine company is prepping for entry ( but having some difficulties…new guys…) The truck company has already opened up the roof……
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Robert Owens on
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Well it looks like a pretty "routine" fire if there ever are any.
What needs to be done right now is the following:
An RIT needs to be established...we have multiple crews operating in an IDLH atmosphere and we need to have a way to rescue them if something goes wrong.
I am assuming that the Primary has been done by the interior truck team and the driver and other firefighter vented the roof. If not then a primary needs to be done. There is a car next to the house so we do not know if someone is in there but that provides a resonable enough clue to assume that there is.
Rehab needs to be established firefighters will soon be coming to the end of there work cycle and will need new bottles, cold water, and a break.
2 additional engines and 1 additional special service need to be dispatched. If we assign and RIT we will no units in reserve...we need ot have fresh bodies to take the place of the guys that have been working.
I would also have someone fill the role of safety officer (in my FD that would be the EMS supervisor that automatically responded on the working fire).
well thats all I got for now.
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Permalink Reply by Ben Waller on
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Building Construction - Type V with partial brick veneer.
Water Supply - uncertain from the photos, but if it's in my area, it's hydranted.
Occupancy - at least one adult is at home, from the car next to the garage.
Size-Up - Side C not observed - do a 360. Fire in the garage and the den with the blown-out picture window on Side A.
Smoke - increasing volume, moderate velocity, dense, and light-to-medium gray, tells us that some of the structural members in the attic are involved and it's getting worse.
Engine 1 - nozzle and officer inside the front door either attacking the fire or looking for it. Driver pumps.
Truck 1 - split them - officer and irons inside for search and rescue with irons, hook, search rope, and TIC. Driver and tiller complete the roof vent - QUICKLY - then report to the front for reassignment as IRIT.
Engine 2 - they should have laid a supply line if Engine 1 didn't. Driver makes the hydrant hookup, officer and nozzle start on the garage with the 2nd line. Engine 2 driver reports to CP as Command Aide once the hydrant hookup is complete.
The first problem - possible rescue. Hopefully the occupant is at the mailbox holding Rover the dog, Fluffy the cat, and telling you that her kids are at school and hubby is at work in the next town down the road.
The second problem - this is at least a 3-line fire with the attic involvement.
RECEO-VS Analysis
Rescue - If the occupants are not outside, then the truckies need to get going with the TIC. They need to check the overhead with the TIC as they go, and report conditions to IC.
Exposures - interior exposures, fire spreading Bravo to Delta, especially in the attic.
Confinement - The main body of the fire seems to be left of the front door. If there is no fire in the living spaces, Engine 1 should pull the ceiling inside the front door and hit any fire in the attic to hold it.
Extinguishment - Redirect Engine 2's line to back up Engine 1's line inside the front door.
Overhaul - later
Ventilation - vertical if Truck 1 can get it done quickly and the roof structure is solid. We may need to try additional vertical vent farther to the right, especially if the fire has traveled past the existing vent hole.
Salvage - later, except for good nozzle technique.
Actions - since I'm apparently the Deputy Chief, I'm reassigning Battalion 1 to Safety. He's going to get Truck 1 in their masks right now, ensure Accountability is started, then locate the utilities, then start repeat 360's watching for fire extension and changes in smoke conditions.
I'm going to ask for 2 additional engines, an additional truck, a rescue, and at least 1 ALS ambulance.
Truck 2 is going to establish a full RIT, relieving Truck 1's IRIT. Truck 1's driver and tiller will finish removing the garage door.
Engine 3 will complete extinguishment of the garage. I'll keep them exterior until we ensure that the structure on the Bravo end is sound.
Engine 4 will stage so I have a rested ready reserve unless we have substantial fire in the living spaces that Engine 1 and 2 can't handle. I think we're making progress, so they'll be staged just off the main street in the direction of travel opposite the supply line layout.
Rescue 1 - all 4 of them - will enter with hooks, irons, and TIC. The officer and hookman continue searching for extension and get the rest of the ceilings pulled to expose the attic fire for Engine 1 and Engine 2's lines. The driver and irons complete the secondary search.
EMS treats any injured or smoke inhalation patients if there are any. If not, they establish Rehab. If needed, I'll request additional EMS.
That's not everything, but it's someone else's turn.
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Permalink Reply by Engineco913 on
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Damn Ben you covered the bases. Only thing you didn't mention (aside from the partridge in a pear tree) was having safety put the smackdown on the ff about to decend the ladder to mask up in the smoke. (based on the white face shield I am going to guess LT)
I would work for you anyday
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Yeah, I caught that three of the truckies went to the roof to do a two-firefighter job.
I know a lot of people think that vertical vent should be covered by a hoseline, but we only have two engine crews. Engine 2 is inexperienced and out of position. We just don't have the manpower to put a hoseline of dubious value to the roof to cover the vent team.
This vertical vent is a stick-and-move, open-the-hole-and-get-down move.
The strong chastisement for the truckies operating on the roof without masking up or flash hoods will come later. That chastisement will likely coincide with an unpaid vacation if we're career and an unpaid vacation if we're volunteer.
I'm also going to coach Engine 2 about their apparent candlemoth syndrome attack on the garage fire. If Battalion 1 had a lot of fire and had them hit it to slow extension, then it's OK, but I'm betting that they just took the nozzle to the biggest fire they saw and hit it - a typical inexperienced engine mistake.
I'll also ask Battalion 1 (privately, later) why he had such an inexperienced crew working together on Engine 2. There may be a good reason for it, or he may have just not wanted to hear Engine 3's senior firefighter bitch about being traded for an Engine 2 rookie for a shift. Good senior firefighers have saved a lot of rookie lieutenant bacon over the years...just like experienced USMC Master Gunnery Sergeants save rookie USMC 2nd Lieutenants.
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Permalink Reply by Christopher J. Naum, SFPE on
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Give me your perspectives on the Building Profile again….. What vintage does the house look like….mid to late 1960’s early 1970’s at best?.....Do you really think the structural support system for the roof is LW Truss?.…If so, metal gussets or plywood?...nailed or gang? ….dimensioned rafters maybe…..?
What do you think about the read on the smoke…rapidly changing conditions within a relatively short time span, color, pressure, volume, extent….any operational issues?
What about the vent group?....operations without BA on?....time on the roof....opening up in the right area?...
Just looking for more insights on your perspectives and dialog………
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Chris,
In my part of the world, this house is a late 1950's to early 1970's, stick-built with dimensional lumber.
The roof structure is rafters/joists, at least 2x4's and maybe 2x6's. There are probably no LW trusses, but you can't trust what might have been added or replaced.
Smoke - the attic fire is extending. There is a little fire kicking up in the garage, but there's not a clear enough view to determine is this is what's causing the increase in smoke volume and velocity. The smoke hasn't gotten to the Black Fire stage yet, but it's headed there without quick intervention.
The operational issues are that the truckies aren't far enough ahead of the attic fire to do much good and that we're iffy on enough water a nd tool work to open up the attic and extinguish the fire without more help.
Ben
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Here's another photo....
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This looks like a case of the inexperienced engine crew diverting their attention to truck work, opening the garage door, and fanning a fire that was ventilation-controlled until they gave it plenty of air. There isn't enough water going on the seat of the fire - at least not yet.
I'm also wondering if this garage was part of the original house or and add-on that replaced a carport or something similar. It's hard to tell from the bird's eye shots, but with the stepped-down roof this might be the case.
In the last shot, either it got cloudy, the sun is setting, or the smoke over the garage is getting a darker brown. That could indicate more exposed structural wood is burning, that there is a lot of fuel stored in than average, or just that it's getting hotter in the attic...or all three.
The truckes really need to get off the roof. They aren't doing any more good, and they're at considerable risk.
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