Five Minutes in the Street: Making the Call...

You’re the first-due company officer. Your company has arrived at a well involved and progressing fire in a two story wood frame (Type V), residential occupancy, housing two families; one on each floor. It’s 03:50 hours.

You have a report of trapped occupant on the number two floor either in the hallway or bedroom.

The fire is rapidly extending, you observe pre-flashover conditions on the second floor based upon the smoke assessment.

You have a six person crew, half are experienced the other half are relatively new. The second due company is at least 5-6 minutes out.

What are you going to do?
You have a limited widow of opportunity….
Think about realistic tactical objectives and tasks…
Think about the time factors…
What are you going to do...YOU have to make the call and right now…?

BTW, you did not pick up a hydrant coming in...but you have a 1000 gallon tank on the engine...
Did I mention, you've got family members "screaming" at you to do something....

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Permalink Reply by Robert Owens on January 19, 2009 at 10:07pm

What do you mean why lay a dry supply line!!! I know that we are no the only fire dept in the country that lays out to fires. When I say "lay out" it means exactly that The driver stops at the hydrant wraps it then gets back in and drives to the fire....the second engine either places us inline or pumps to us. Laying out builds you incident for the future all you are doing is tunnel visioning in on 1 aspect of this fire while it may be important you don't know you fire involvement or affect on the occupancy so saying that taking the steps to establish a water supply is a waste is in my opinion ridiculous.

With our man power in this scenario there will be ZERO delay in that rescue. If this was real life and we had only three (officer, driver, and firefighter) I would still lay out and I would put all my effort to attack the fire and give the rescue to the first due special service or next due engine.....If after I got a decent knock on the fire I could search I would but if we put the fire out then that takes care of the problem.

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Permalink Reply by FETC on January 19, 2009 at 10:25pm

I will revert back to my very first response for closure. Everything listed on my PAGE 1 reply is within the first 5 minutes - we are going aggressive. Command is in the street per the parameters Chris set, and we are not laying in.

Contingencies: Pump won't engage, burst line, or the 2.5 is overrun (highly unlikely) and the upstairs search crew will exit via secondary means of egress, or over my ladders. Ben, Engine913 and myself are fairly close to the same strategic goals with minor tactical differences.

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Permalink Reply by Bill Johnson on January 22, 2009 at 11:45pm

Life safety is top priority, with that said I would have 3 two member teams- fire attack: Exterior knock down from doors and windows with 1 1/2" line. Search team advance to second floor ,vent team throw ground ladders for egress and for vertical ventilation. Call for resources early, and advise second due to catch the plug.

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Permalink Reply by rescueortruck on January 28, 2009 at 7:40pm

Walk around but on the way I would split the crew and into 3 groups of 2 driver and one newbie, trained and newbie for the others. Once there like I said do a walk around and see conditions first. The crews should be stretching lines, once the walk around is done get info from crews which should be getting it from family. If we are a 100%, give or take a 5, sure there is a rescue then get four to stretch a line at least a duece and half which would go the the "known" rescue area to give cover for a search crew. I feel that if you can get the line to the second floor before flash you could prevent it, but that would only happen if the rescue was there to. Bottom line protect your own!