Five Minutes in the Street: First-Due Engine

You're the Company Officer on an Engine Company that's responding to a report of a BBQ grill on fire in the driveway. The incident address is for a residential occupancy within a development community that was built in the mid-1990’s. It's located about five minutes from the station.

Your engine is coming down the side street and you can see a black plume header in the air over some roof tops, you do not have a clear view of the house yet, as you’re about a block away. As you come around the corner of the address street you immediately observe smoke showing and flame, as you’re driver just goes past a fire hydrant. You arrive and see it’s much more than a BBQ grill.

You step out of the engine cab and around the front of the engine and take in the view from the street…..There is no one immediately present that is coming up to greet you…the balance of your company personal are getting out of the cab.

Now, based upon what your immediate street observations ; provide a narrative of what your initial radio transmission is going to communicate….Think about what needs to be said, and how it needs to be stated. Provide a narrative transcript of what your transmission will sound like.

Second item on your immediate itinerary is; what are you going to do?
What NEEDS to be done NEXT, or IN-PARALLEL?
What orders are you going to assign?
What do you need to personally do?
Followed by the usual dance card items: Risk Profile, Safety issue, needs….

….did someone say there were 24 oz. steaks and ribs on that grill….?

BTW...you were the only engine (company) assigned to this alarm on the initial dispatch.....

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Permalink Reply by Ben Waller on February 21, 2009 at 11:04am

There is also the possibility of short-jacking the outriggers on the side of the truck away from the fire. It's not the best choice, but it can be done safely with practice.

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Permalink Reply by Joe Rocket on February 22, 2009 at 8:43pm

2 ENG. PER ENGINE CO. COMM TO WESTEND ENGINE CO.1 UP DATE POSSIBLE STRUCTURE FIRE.E1-TO COMM ADVISE E2HEAVY SMOKE AND FLAMES FROM 0.
E1 CALLS COMM HAVE ADDITIONAL CALL YOUR OTHER EMS. 2ND DUE ( E2 RESPONDING FORM BURGER KING )RESPOND IN OTHER DIRECTION TAP A HYDRENT USE THE DECK GUN TO KEEP CAR COOL. ENGINE1 DOSE PRIMARY SEARCH AND STARTS PRIMARY ATTACK WITH BACKUP ONLY 3MIN. AWAY YOUR ENGINE WILL JHON WAYNE FOR ONLY A FEW MOMENTS WHEN PRIMARY SEARCH COMPLETE 3FOUND ALL ALIVE ALL WITH PARTIAL AND FULL THICKNESS BURNS. E2 ARRIVES. PD ARRIVES FINDOUT WHO OWNS THE PROPERTY IS ONE OF THE BURNT.

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Permalink Reply by Smoke Eater on March 25, 2009 at 4:08pm

Well after seeing this header I know it's more than a BBQ now.

Deleware County Fire Dispatch Engine 71 is arriving in the area. Start me a full response from Center Twp. and Blountsville and run my tones again for a possible structure fire.

Dispatch Engine 71 be advised we have a working 2 story residential structure fire with possible entrapment. Start DCEMS. 703 will have command.

I will also have the utilities turned off.

I will have my driver grab the hydrant on the way in. We will only lay 2 2-1/2 lines since we don't have LDH.
We will knock down the fire with a 2-1/2 as fast as we can from the outside. I will send 2 guys with a 1-3/4 line in to do a search for victims as well as fire spread.

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Permalink Reply by Jeff Cole on March 29, 2009 at 9:12pm

"Engine blankty blank on location ...insert address here...two and half story ordinary residential SFD with heavy fire showing ground floor and through the roof, unknown occupancy...fill the first alarm assignment (2 and 1w/BC), and strike second and thrid alarm...all hands working, Blankty balnk passing command. Advise the next two engines to establish their water supplies".

Crew of 4 (lucky for some, a dream for others)...establish water supply as we made a forward lay. Prepare for engine-mounted deluge gun attack ("wagon battery") using tank until hydrant is completed. Initial attemp to slow fire with heavy stream attack. Officer completes 360 walk around size-up. As soon as hydrant supply is established, Officer and Jake will stretch a 1.75" line to the front door and enter, checking interior conditions. If stairs are immediatly located and not compromised with fire, primary search will begin working from downstairs to upstairs, venting dormers for egress if needed.

If fire extension on ground floor precludes search of that area, VES will be used off second floor division "2" (providing no rear slope is found) off ladders to make rapid primary search.

Given fire conditions and delay of initial full-alarm assignment, this fire will likely be a defensive attack, as by the time the additional companies arrive we can expect much heavier extension through the interior. The use of the 1.75" handline is for protection of the search, and is in no way large enough to confine and control the fire if it has penetrated the interior from the garage area. The line would be stretched to the interior to protect the stairs if need, possibly being stretched up the stairs, but advancing the line will slow the search. The two Jakes will use an oriented search of the upstairs bedrooms, with the line protection remaining in the hallway, while the Officer searches the bedrooms. ANY compormise of the stairwell position to the second floor will require an immdeiate withdrawl out the bedroom windows.

This would have been laddered after the hydrant Jake had completed the connection, with the driver operating the deluge, and the now-free hydrant FF throwing the roof and 24' front and rear accordingly.

Write the dwelling off, make the primary as best and quickly as possible.

Although the master stream may slow down some fire, it is most likely the fire will be extended all the way through the dwelling, given the time required for most additional companies to respond, arrive, and set-up and go into operation. We were way behind the "8 ball" from the get-go with the single engine initial response.

There is a small chance the fire could confined between the garage area and the other part of the dwelling, although this does look to be a renovated/expanded dwelling, likely lightweight contruction.

We should all know what that indicates.

I would rather not use my scenario discriptions with any burned occupants found. Sorry. Although that does affect the operation, enough of that reality already exists, and I would rather keep my fanatsy fire problem-solving victim free.