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Ten Minutes in the Street: On-scene, with Engine 21, Second Alarm…
Ten Minutes in the Street: On-scene, with Engine 21, Second Alarm….
A full alarm assignment has been dispatched to a reported fire in a townhouse, with possible trapped occupants. It’s a weekday morning and a holiday. Numerous calls are coming in while you’re enroute as the first-due engine (Engine Co. 21). You can hear on the radio that Engine Co. 13 has arrived on-scene at a commercial fire, across town and has smoke showing. (HERE).
You’re pulling into the neighborhood and you’ve got smoke showing and as you pull up to the parking lot entrance, it’s evident you have a working fire in a townhouse occupancy. You can see numerous people frantically waving at you as the engine pulls to a stop at the top of the road to drop the line and pick up a hydrant (Boxed arrow).
Here’s what you have so far….
• Townhouse Occupancy. The occupancy is the Second from the end unit. There are a total of eight (8) attached townhouses.
• The structure is wood frame Type V construction built in 2001. You know for a fact that the complex was built with engineered structural systems, wood I-beam floor support system and conventional gable truss roof.
• The townhouse units are all two bedroom units that are, located on the number two floor. The units have three levels that include a basement.
• There are cars that are parked directly in front of the building on the Alpha side.
• You can tell that emotions are high with the civilians, as the engine pulls up to the curb on the Alpha side… there’s a confirmed report of a trapped person on the second floor….
• You can see visible fire lapping up over the roof line coming from the Charlie side.
• You’re the first arriving unit, the truck company is right behind you; you have a four staffed engine as does the truck company. Mutual aid units are enroute on the initial alarm. A Battalion Chief is coming, but is not on scene at this time.
• As you get ready to key the mic, you can hear Engine 13 at the other fire transmitting a working fire in a commercial occupancy….looks like it’s going to be a busy day…
• You’re requesting a second alarm….As the first-due officer, with fire showing, a report of a trapped occupant and known features of the building and civilians yelling at you to get in there and rescue the person….what are you going to do? Provide a narrative of the issues, challenges, concerns, needs, strategy, tactics, risks, urgency, etc….
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Ben Waller on
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Cap, We can stop 100% of our
imaginaryhypothetical fires with the box assignment, right?
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Permalink Reply by Smoke Eater on
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That's right Ben. Too bad reality dictates otherwise.
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Shawn, I learn a lot from them, too. It's easy to get overwhelmed by something bigger than the average house fire if that's all you fight. The RECEO-VS is an old school, but effective way to break down the major strategic priorities and help keep focused on what is really important.
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Permalink Reply by larry jenkins on
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A couple of things to consider.
Some of you are talking VES along with an interior attack. This does not make sense and can be dangerous to the search crews. A VES is only done when you either know the exact location of a victim or suspect the location of victims and you can not make the front door on either. We usually only do this when attack lines are not available. If done while attacking the fire it better be coordinated, meaning the attack has to wait until the bedroom door is closed or you will push the fire onto your VES crew.
Another discussion is the fire walls. I assume there are firewalls due to the different elevations of the roof lines for each address. In our area the firewall is either block or double drywall. Both of these have a 2 hour fire rating. As far as the fire in the attic by auto exposure. That easily taken care of by pulling the ceiling on the 2nd floof and sticking a fog nozzle up there for steam conversion. This is done after search and extinguishment of the 2nd floor.
The last point is the construction. This is type V and will not hold up to collapse in twenty minutes but only 5 when the structural members are exposed to fire. Looking at the picture the fire has not gained control of the attic so extinguishment should be fairly simple.
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Larry,
VES with interior attack can be appropriate when the engine and truck arrive together. In this case, it's faster for the truckies to throw a 24 footer and VES the front than for the engine to get a line inside and upstairs. If the truckies can get the hall door closed quickly, then VES might be effective. If not, it's pretty easy to tell if the room is tenable or not from the window. It is important to remind the engine that they don't open the nozzle until the truckies can get the hall door closed. From the light gray smoke showing from Side A, I'm thinking that the hallway doors are closed before we get there - no fire or heavy black smoke showing on A like we have on C.
Assuming that offset roof lines mean fire walls isn't a safe assumption in this kind of construction. There is no roof penetration by a firewall here and in lots of places that means "no fire walls". In the southeast, we have lots of these. Some of the seperations are nothing more than one layer of sheet rock over OSB. The exterior overlaps might only be a layer of Tyvek sheeting and vinyl siding over OSB.
The other issue with the construction is that if your department doesn't have lots of manpower immediately available, the fire may take hold of the attic before you can get enough resources on scene to stop it. The Charlie side view shows the autovented Div. 2 fire impinging on the soffit and it looks like the soffit has burned through with fire showing in the attic.
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Permalink Reply by CAPNCRNCH on
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First thing I want to do is request a separate fire ground channel for this incident, so that I am not competing with the units at the commercial fire for air time.
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Permalink Reply by Just Plain Craig Moyer on
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I'm surprised no one has mentioned engine placement. You have a dead end street with limited access. If it does get away from you all you have in there is an engine and a ladder (we don't have trucks where I'm from). When I started driving I took more notice of where I parked my rig then when I was an officer.
I would pull around to the turn around area. We can pull lines off the rear of our engines as well as the side. This leaves more room for the ladder to work and have greater reach (Bravo and Delta sides) I would stage all incoming units until I know what I need. I might get a rescue in there or another engine to attack the Bravo side if it did get away from me. Theres a greater chane of that happening because theres is rescue going on as opposed to suppression. The truck crew is throwing ladders and starting ventilation. The engine crew is looking for victims (2 FF's). If there are EMS crews standing by have them throw ladders. Been there done that. The only people who should be standing around are bystanders.
Theres another working alarm in the area so instead of the next engine coming from say 5-10 mins away it might be coming from 15-20 mins away.
But to me it all starts with unit placement.
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Excellent points Craig!!!
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Ben,
As far as VES, I do have a truck in my station. But, I would disagree that a VES is quicker than going thru the front door with the engine and going to the 2nd floor via stairwell. A true VES means you only search the room that you have thrown the ladder to. To search the next room you have to exit the structure, throw the ladder again to the other 2nd floor window and VES, and do the same to the rear. We are quick and always have our lines ready by the time the truck forces entry. I didn't say a VES shouldn't be done. Just that the attack crews has to coordinate attack more carefully.
In northern Virginia all townhomes have a firewall between occupancies. So here the attic is a 2nd priority.
On our 1st alarm we get 34 personnel within 5 minutes.
Stay safe,
Larry
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