High in the Sky
Approaches to more effectively & safely attacking high-rise fires

Editor’s note: Over the years, complex high-rise fires have challenged some of our most seasoned firefighters; these fires include the First Interstate Bank of Los Angeles, Four Leaf Towers in Houston and The One Meridian Plaza in Philadelphia. Some of the most extreme issues deal with wind-driven fires, limited access for civilian rescues, complex air management requirements and crew rotation, limited means of ventilation, HVAC systems control requirements, command and control complexities and large-scale evacuations.

Thanks to the combined research efforts of NIST and several major fire departments throughout the country, many of these complex issues are being resolved with refined tactics and field-tested equipment that will ultimately revolutionize high-rise firefighting throughout the country. Here’s a brief look at two approaches to making high-rise fires safer for firefighters.

FDNY’s HRN
By Paul Robinson, FDNY firefighter
The high-rise nozzle (HRN) currently in use by FDNY was designed to give the incident commander (IC) an alternative strategy to apply water during wind-driven fires.

The intense heat created by wind-driven fires makes the public hallway of a high-rise an untenable position for standard interior attack. On wind-driven fires on lower floors, aerials and tower ladders provide exterior attacks, but they’re not an option on upper-floor fires.

FDNY and other departments had traditionally met this challenge by delivering water from the floor below the fire using vertical nozzles. These early HRNs were heavy and large, and they required members to remove the window and lean out to attach the nozzle to a windowsill. This exposed the member to falling debris and the possibility of falling out of the window. Obstructions such as child guards, A/C units and window bars often made those vertical nozzles ineffective.

Improvements in design were made with the concept to use the water streams reach of 100 feet delivered from a 2 ½" inch hose with a 1 1/8" MST, thus enabling the nozzle to remain positioned on the floor below.

The new HRN is an 8' nozzle made from 1 ½" rigid aluminum pipe with a 68-degree bend. It features a truss that supports the nozzle from end to end for added strength from the downward forces while flowing water. It weighs just 14 ½ lbs. and features a T-bar handle that aids in deployment and control. The inside end of the nozzle has a 2 ½" ball valve shut off; the outer end has a 1 ½" coupling with a 1 1/8" master stream tip.

Here’s how it works: Firefighters stretch the fire hose to the location directly below the failed window of the fire apartment. They attach the HRN to the 2 ½" hose, open the window, rest the nozzle on the sill and push the nozzle outward. The length extending outward will be dictated by the height between the floor below and the fire apartment window sills (Spandrel wall).

When the shut off is opened, water flows horizontally through the HRN and gets redirected back to the building through the 68-degree bend and into the open or failed fire apartment window above, delivering over 200 gpm using standard standpipe pressures. The water stream clears the bottom sill into the fire apartment window, bounces and deflects off the ceiling, resulting in a cooling of the super-heated gases and a quick knockdown of the fire. Final extinguishment can be accomplished on the fire floor via an interior attack.

In February 2008, NIST partnered with FDNY and Polytechnic University and conducted live-burn experiments on Governor Island (see NIST Report 1629 for results published May 2009). After the positive test results from Governors Island, FDNY chose the HRN design to be piloted in the field. Seventeen engine companies are now equipped with the HRN and an additional 50 will be added by the end of 2009

For more information about the FDNY HRN, contact me at willistonpark4@aol.com.


Chicago’s HERO Pipe
By Michael Wielgat, Lieutenant, Chicago Fire Department

The fires at the Cook County building and the LaSalle Bank building in Chicago revealed just how difficult it would be to fight a fire on an upper level of a high-rise building. In those fires, the Chicago Fire Department was very fortunate to have the option of exterior master streams; the county building was on the 12th floor, so ground-based master streams were just within reach, and at the LaSalle Bank, master streams were used from an adjacent rooftop. It didn’t take much imagination to see that in a slightly different situation, the risk would have been much greater in the attempt to quickly and effectively extinguish the blaze.

Nearly 5 years later, with the input of many Chicago fire personnel and repeated testing with the Chicago Fire Department, a new tool as emerged as an easy-to-use solution: the High-rise Emergency Response Offensive Pipe (HERO Pipe). Using a dynamic pipe, stabilization and a rigging design, the HERO Pipe allows firefighters to access fires safely from the floor below the fire. It’s designed to be set up by a two-person team within minutes.

In addition to its ability to handle offensive operations during large-scale incidents, crews can use the HERO Pipe to introduce neutralizing agents, while protected in Level “A” suits, from the safety of the floor below to mitigate chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, or explosive (CBRNE) incidents. It also safely operates at 80 psi, is capable of delivering 900 gpm and can handle pressures of up to 200 psi when available. Safety features include an in-line pressure gauge, flow regulators, stabilization bars and securing clamps. The HERO Pipe can continue to operate unmanned if necessary.

Here’s how it works: Firefighters secure the HERO Pipe to the window sill (if no sill is available, the system rests directly on the floor), secure the bottom extensions to level the system, attach and stabilize it with hydraulic stabilizers, extend the waterway from 8 feet to 14 feet depending on the need, attach the hose, pressurize the system and flow water into the floor above. The pipe is designed to operate with a solid bore nozzle or a fog/straight nozzle controlled remotely from the floor below. The waterway can be tilted to deflect the stream off the ceiling or straight in for more effective reach.

The HERO Pipe has gained the attention of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and is currently undergoing the process to be included in DHS’ approved product and technology list.

In addition, on Oct. 20 the HERO Pipe was named the Visionary Award winner of the 2009 Chicago Innovation Awards.

For more information, visit www.TheHeroPipe.com or e-mail me at info@theheropipe.com.


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