Five Minutes in the Street: Size-Up the Risk

Let’s put our thinking caps on today and look at a particular building and occupancy and examine it from a risk and size-up perspective from the street. The building you see in the photographs has a number of unique features, construction, material and layout conditions that will affect fireground operations in the event of an incident response.

Your assignment is to provide your insight and perspective on what you see, what you can identify with and what you can assume about this building and occupancy.

Perceptions may be deceiving; Assumptions may be detrimental; Reality under combat fire suppression may be fatal.

Here are some things to look at or discuss. I don’t want to limit you towards any specific areas of discussion or issues, provide us with YOUR perspectives, concerns and observations.

Suggested Risk Profiling:

 Building Type
 Occupancy profile
 Age issues
 Condition
 Accessibility
 Risk Features
 Construction features
 Expected building assembly systems, materials
 Expected building performance under fire
 Collapse and integrity
 Special Hazards
 Special Building features/internal
 Layout and configuration
 Access and Egress
 RIT/FAST issues
 Hose line movement
 Search and Rescue factors
 Occupant escape and removal
 Ventilation aspects
 Horizontal/ Vertical/ PPV
 Forcible entry issues
 Expected fire spread
 Expected fire flow demands
 Collapse Zones, internal/ external
 Exposures
 Operational Perimeter
 Water Supply
 Offensive/Defensive/Marginal Profile
 Laddering Issues
 Air Management
 Command Management
 Staffing and Resource Needs
 Firefighter Safety Profile
 Incident Command Organization
 Interior/Exterior Operations

OK, get your note pad out and start your assessment, analysis and profiling…..

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Christopher J. Naum, SFPE on March 21, 2009 at 9:37am
OK...Let me add the considerations for the "Life Safety" concerns.. and the accountability system that'll have to be reinforced at the door....

You guys are killing me....LOL

On a more somber note, with this interior view, what about the considerations related to exiting, occupancy load, fire loading... etc? ( think about the "other" nightclub incident....)
Permalink Reply by Ben Waller on March 21, 2009 at 7:46pm
Without a working sprinkler system, this structure is designed for a mass fatality incident in the event of even a small fire.

We never hear about nightclub fires resulting in either multiple fatalities, serious injuries, or major fires if the club was sprinklered. Wonder why that is???
Permalink Reply by Tony P on March 22, 2009 at 12:51am
Ted, you have a sentence containing words that become an oxymoron. The words 'country' and 'entertainment' appearing together?
Permalink Reply by Tony P on March 22, 2009 at 12:52am
Do we have buildings like that converted to similar use? Yes we do. Are there any in my Brigade area? Thankfully no, and none within reach either!

I've read about fires in similar premises, and will sit this one out.
Smoke EaterPermalink Reply by Smoke Eater on March 23, 2009 at 9:52pm
Getting people out is going to be a big job in itself and I wouldn't be suprised if this had some fatalities. It is an old building with probable minimal renovations done to it. It has the AC units on the roof which under fire conditions is putting alot of extra weight on the roof. The parking lot looks kinda bare during the day but what about at night. It could be a nightmare getting apparatus in there. I also saw that there is only one way in or out. The rear doors have been boarded up. We would probably open those doors to get as many people out as possible. Venting may be tricky because of the AC units. I don't know. I have never had to deal with those things. But if it's solid then I will vent. You are going to need numerous EMS units one block away for wounded. PD on scene to get people out of the danger zone and to a safer area (EMS staging) also for crowd control. Utilities to be shut off. Keep firefighters away from power lines on B side in case they come down.
The only way I would go offensive on this one is a small fire in just one area of the building. Anything bigger than that would have to be defensive. Have engines lay in and ladders surround and drown. Also set up some protection for exposure on B side. I will be the one carrying out the girls in the picture.....LOL
Permalink Reply by Chad Furr on March 23, 2009 at 10:27pm
OK I live in the sticks so nothing like this for me. ! word comes to mind. DEATH TRAP ok 2 words lol TCSS
Permalink Reply by rfdjumper on March 23, 2009 at 10:38pm
Damn, you beat me to the FFN CSI bit for this one. Good Job!
Permalink Reply by Jeremy Bell on March 23, 2009 at 11:48pm
if you have never been in nashville it is a hell of a place to party!!! as seen in the over occupied club...i am assuming it is the wildhorse saloon...

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