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Close Calls in the Fire Service
I started this discussion to hear stories about different close calls everyone has had. Post any story. Whether it be inside the structure, responding, on MVAs, or any other activity.
I will start with my own close call. My department responded to a house fire in late October. I was on the second engine in. We caught the hydrant and then pulled to the scene. My partner and I were told to make entry into the house. We had to use forcible entry to gain access. After this we started our fire attack. Immediately we saw the fire coming from the bedroom. We began to spray and by this time the next truck from a neighboring department arrived. They sent a crew of 2 in to do a search and assisst my partner and I. While we are spraying we notice fire starting to roll behind us. We immediately back out. The second crew in saw where the fire went into the attic of the house. They then proceeded to cut the ceiling. While in the process another firefighter comes into the home and pulls the entire ceiling in on top of two crews. No MAYDAY was called because everyone was fine, but shortly after we exited the house because the integrity of the trusses was compromised the section of the roof we were working under collapsed.
I will start with my own close call. My department responded to a house fire in late October. I was on the second engine in. We caught the hydrant and then pulled to the scene. My partner and I were told to make entry into the house. We had to use forcible entry to gain access. After this we started our fire attack. Immediately we saw the fire coming from the bedroom. We began to spray and by this time the next truck from a neighboring department arrived. They sent a crew of 2 in to do a search and assisst my partner and I. While we are spraying we notice fire starting to roll behind us. We immediately back out. The second crew in saw where the fire went into the attic of the house. They then proceeded to cut the ceiling. While in the process another firefighter comes into the home and pulls the entire ceiling in on top of two crews. No MAYDAY was called because everyone was fine, but shortly after we exited the house because the integrity of the trusses was compromised the section of the roof we were working under collapsed.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Brian Mackie on
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My first call after being promoted to Captain was in a unserviced subdivision. While there was a lake about 500 yards away, it was frozen, (it was -33 that night) therefore it took extra time to establish a working water supply.
I arrived and established command. Three guys went in. No visible fire, but lots of smoke. Communications were good, and they tell me it was very hot, but they can't find the seat. They were now making their way downstairs, and I noticed a downstairs entrance. I held off on ordering PVV until they reported to me. I watched the smoke change from light, to dark gray/black, fluffy and increasingly more and more smoke coming out, now from the basement windows. Here is where it got a lil bit touchy for me. I would watch all kinds of videos of actual firefighting jobs. In Toronto, In Buffalo, In Detroit, etc. Lots of big big fires. In each and every job, I would notice these same smoke conditions. Increasingly gray / black and very "fluffy" looking smoke, pushing out. In every video, I also noticed that within 3 or 4 minutes of the onset of these smoke conditions, the room flashed over in tremendous (and unsurvivable) fashion.
Having very little command experience, and this being my first command job, telling more senior members what to do, seemed to be a bit of a concern to others. (And me, I might add)
I realized the situation didn't look good, and remembering what I saw in all those videos, and seeing what was before me, I told the attack crew " I think you guys should get out of the building right now" and explained that there was an extrance door downstairs in the room they were in.
They came out, and the room flashed over - just like in the videos that I watched.
We lost the house that night. We didn't even save the fn basement! To this day, I wonder if those three guys would have come out even if they were not ordered out. I think (or at least hope) they would have.
That was many years ago, and we have never discussed it. Possibly before the days of CISD.
One of those guys is to this day upset that he couldn't or didn't find the seat of the fire before he was told to get out. Typical!
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Permalink Reply by Corey Carr on
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Ralph,
I really appreciate the advice, and thats first thing I do when I am on scene, is check my surroundings. Thats pretty crazy about the drunk guy. Once again thank you for the advice.
Stay safe out there
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Permalink Reply by Norm Tindell on
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We were first on at a working house fire. The Chief advised the first crew going inside to go in and turn left. They misunderstood his instruction (?!?) and turned right. While they were looking for the seat of the fire the smoke at the front door very quickly thickened, lowered and began pushing out faster. The Chief recognized the signs of impending flashover and had the engineer sound the horn. I was at the door pulling hose. Those guys stumbled out that front door together, shoulder to shoulder, at the same instant the front room flashed. Their gear was smoking. They dropped the nozzle at the door. I grabbed the nozzle and cooled the overhead as everyone began regrouping. We still talk (and sometimes laugh) about that one pretty often. We still can't figure out how those guys fit through that door.
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Thanks I really appreciate it when older guys give advice and it really helps improve my work and my ability to do the job.
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Permalink Reply by Fireman Larry on
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In the time that I was active, I had quite a few close calls, as far as the first real pucker factor. In the late 80's we were dispatched to a report of smoke from a dwelling, early evening in July. We were running a two man engine, just a Lt. and myself, on arrival, we had heavy smoke from a single story, wood frame structure, no word on occupancy. The Lt. gave me the order to charge a 1.75", pack up and meet him inside, {Out of that station, we ran skeleton crews, so it was normal to do it this way.} I did so with a Pick-Head Axe in hand, he had already attacked a fire in a living room chair, I had started the search for occupants, keeping in voice contact with him at all times. As I cleared the main area, entered a bedroom, cleared it, the Lt. was at each doorway as we continued through the hall to two other sleeping areas. The next in Engine arrived, they advised of heavy smoke from the entrance, we had just gone through that area, we headed back to find fires in all corners, the exit was blocked, he started to extinguish them, when the bedroom, that I had just exited ignited with heavy flame out the door. Now we had been a few minutes, working pretty good, got the first gong from the SCBA bell, again no big deal, been there before. We were able to knock the fire in the living room, saw the exit door, more engines companies were arriving, when our exit was again blocked by heavy fire, I had no choice but to give the LT. hell for not putting the fire out, we made it to a window and exited to safety, Once outside, we saw the smoke, it was rolling from the structure, thick and black, not normal for a residential occupancy of that time era. The crews finally extinguished the fire, lots of water used, the investigators found seven different locations, with multiple sets, several floor joists cut, but not all of the way through, it never gave. Mind you, we didn't have the two in two out rules, no RIT or RID's, really, all we had to rely on was each other and experience. We were pretty lucky to get out of that one in one peice....
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I used to read all of the LODD's in Fire House online, after so many were passing from cardiac reasons, our dept. did a study to try and prevent it from happening to us. After reading those depressing stories, day after day and week after week and month after month, I read hundreds of LODD's, just to realize, I wont read of tragedies like that anymore, nor would recommend anyone follow those stories, personally, I absolutely despise hearing about FF's being hurt or dying, these are our brothers and I don't want to see them gone.
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bull diddely... if you fight fires, go to MVA's or do anything on a public access area, you will have something to remember... after all, you work for "The Ocean Gate Fire Department aka the fightin 37th" that sounds like an adventure in itself....
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Permalink Reply by Triple J on
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One not too long ago where we pulled up to a well involved single family dwelling, with fire in the attic and the 'C' and 'D' side in some bedrooms, with a report of occupants trapped. An acting Lt. from the second due Engine (they arrived at the same time as us due to location) and I went in through a door off of a breezeway on the 'B' side. We made a hole through the ceiling and it looked clear. The Acting Lt. made a quick run down the hall to look for survivors (fortunately the people were not home as believed) while I stayed at the door with a hoseline. As he got back to me, the ceiling and burning debris from the attic fell on us, burying the hoseline. I opened the nozzle up to extinguish the fire around us and was about to call for the Acting Lt. when I heard him say "follow the hose out". I told him "**** that, it's buried. Follow me". For some reason we thought that was funny and came out of the smoke into the front laughing like a bunch of fools. 2 other Firefighters who saw the ceiling come down on us and were ready to come in after us looked at us in disbelief. LESSON REINFORCED - Whether you have a search line or hoseline, ALWAYS keep your mental compass turned on of where in the structure you are. Knowing where we were, we were able to exit the structure in seconds to regroup and got out without a scratch.
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Permalink Reply by Russ on
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I believe that these "CC's" should be told so that the "young and full of you know what and vinegar" can learn from our expierences.
i had what i call my first "NDE" near death expierence when i was about 20 and assigned to do a quick search above a fire during a high rise fire. i broke a window (on orders) and it came apart in 3 pieces, one of which went between by body and armpit. the glass split my turnout coat and opened the skin on my arm below the armpit and above the elbow.
i didnt know i'd slit an artery until i felt something warm filling my glove. i thought it was water from the upper floors going down my shoulder and filling my glove with warm water. when i realized that "nobody was throwing water above me" i looked and discovered the injury
thats when it went from bad to worse
i saw the spurtiing and radioed i was injured and comming out. as soon as i turned, my low pressure alarm went off(1970's scott scba's). before i could make it to the stairwell i ran out of air. i attempted to filter breathe as i was taught in probie school but was overcome as i reached the stairwell. I came around as i was being removed from the building to an ambulance and transported where i got a bunch of stitches.
i'm not going to BS you, i was scared when the bottle ran out. i didnt want to die in that building and did my best to get out before i was overcome. i calmed down and began to listen to the senior guys about the job and how to do it.
the last NDE before i retired was a partial collapse at a house fire. grey blown in insluation got waterlogged and the supports could not support the weight when the fire weakend the wood supports for the ceiling. i heard a crack and the next thing i knew i was face down, could not move and my pass was chirping. when it fully went off, they did a radio roll call and i could not reach my radio to answer because of the way i was positioned (like a suspect would be by the police being searched) my radio was on the front of the turnout coat in its pocket. i could hear them calling me but could not move to answer.
my first reaction was to try to calm down and conserve my air
they knew where i was and what i was doing (thank god for incident command acountiability)
they stopped operations switched radio channels so it was just me and operations on one channel. every few seconds he would call me or just say something to reassure me, that was nice. they found me within five minutes (but it seemed like an hour) and i was removed and was not injured
(now for the funny part)- it was a probie who found me first by digging. he got to my right boot first and shook it and asked "is that you man?" i asked, how many dead firemen are in here?, get me out i dont know how much air i have left! they took me out through a breach in a wall i was near. they dragged me out and placed me face up. (with the scba on) and began to take stuff off. they disconnected the mask hose (MSA) and let it fall into some water. i inhaled and got a facefull of water and sat up at they were pushing me down i was trying to get the water out of the mask, it was kind of a sight me drowning and me trying to get the mask off. a paramedic took over and i walked with him to the ambulance to get checked out and transported for a checkup. he saw everything and said, "that would have wowed them down at the coroners office, how does a firefighter "drown" at a house fire?"
what i learned being on both sides of these types of occurances is that training for them might just save you or give you a chance to live.
when i was a young firefighter (late 70's) i thought "it was never going to happen to me" because i was the greatest firefighter in the world, nothing can harm me. the first NDE shattered that real quick and back then you didnt talk about your fears, you were supposoed to suck it up and move on which i did. I AM SO GREATFUL that times have changed and we have CISD and we are encourgaed to talk and ask questions and LEARN
when pass devices came out it was called a "pussy switch". i'm glad that went away but i know why that came about. there is still an undercurrent of "overmacho" in the fire service. i accept it as a part of confidence building but in the same breath, i would tell younger members about my expierences and tell them not to dwell on getting trapped but learn from surviviors because something i or somebody else may say or you overhear or read about may someday save your ass and living (or avoiding) NDE's and telling about them it is what counts
GREAT TOPIC Corey!
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