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Box 2752..Reported Fire in an Occupied Apartment Above Sammy's Liquors
The structure is occupied by a Liquor store on the number one floor and has four (4) apartments located on the number two floor. The building is approximately 60 feet wide x 85 feet in depth. It is located on a sloping lot, with the street side (Alpha) the high point. You have a walk-in access to the basement on the Charlie side, which is used as an office and storage for the store and for the tenants.
Both the Bravo and Delta sides have pilasters and an integrated retaining wall built out along the wall perimeters. Look ever the photos, as there is a lot of mission critical information present for your size-up and IAP.
A fire is reported in Apartment #2. The alarm of fire is reported by civilian who observes smoke coming from the window after he drove into the parking lot. He reports the situation to the store clerk.
Time and Situ Status: 14:30 hours, Saturday afternoon
Weather: Cool, Clear. 70 degrees F. with a sight breeze coming from the bravo side.
Apartment #1. Two bedroom, is leased by a young couple w/ a baby
Apartment #2 Two bedroom, is leased by an elderly male
Apartment #3 One bedroom Studio, is leased by a couple
Apartment #4 One Bedroom Studio, is leased by a single female
Box 2752 is dispatched for a reported fire in the apartment occupancy.
First Alarm Assignment: 3 Engine Companies, Two Truck Companies, The Rescue Company and the Battalion Chief and Duty Deputy.
The 100 ft tiller ladder Truck Arrives and reports a working fire with heavy smoke on the Delta side. The First Due Engine Company arrives and has picked up a hydrant across the street. The Rescue Company has arrived and its Four (4) person crew is walking to the building from the Delta side. The store clerk meets the RSQ Co. Officer and reports that there are apartments upstairs and he’s not sure who is home and who is not. He tells the officer the number of possible tenants in the apartments.
The balance of the alarm assignment is still responding, as is the BC and Deputy.
You’re the Rescue Company Officer….
What are you going to do?
What assignments need to be carried out, and in what order by the on-scene companies?
Following the arrival of the balance of the alarm assignment and the transfer of command, the BC and Deputy establish command. The fire is well involved in apartment #2 with possible extension.
What’s the building profile and structural integrity factors?
Anything special about the building that you may be concerned about?
More recon info after some posts…
Now get those masks on and check you gear and get to work…
PS: I've added a download PDF file of the scenario...first draft...give me some feedback if this is something you might find usefull in the firehouse for training....
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FFN1.pdf, 820 KB
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Trainer on
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The town liquor store…..OMG!!!
Chris, I got to go to work now, will look at tonight
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Permalink Reply by Eric on
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My first thought is that the fire is already winning and we've got some catching up to do. That being said, we're presented with some challenges. In a building this old there are going to be some very unpredictable additions & building construction (the chimney stack is an interesting example), caution and awareness is vital and good communication back to command will be needed. With the additions added on there's likely a big risk of void spaces and unprotected pipe chases that will lead to an extension and overhaul issue. In the first photo it looks like some new paint covers the exterior, this is a good way to be fooled by some covered up structural damage which should be carefully looked at on the 360 and regularly by the safety officer. I'm thinking Extra Engine & Truck ordered on arrival to stage and re-evaluate after the primary for a full 2nd Alarm.
Assignments -
Engine 1 - Lay in with LDH to the D/C side and stretch a gated 2 1/2 with shoulder pack of 1 3/4 line to the second floor landing. The crew (short the wheelman) will be used to advance in to the fire unit.
Engine 2 - Stage the rig Bravo side and report to the landing with a shoulder pack. This crew will wait for the primary search reports to determine extension into the other units and advance if needed or back up E1.
Ladder 1 - Stage the rig on the D side toward the A side and ladder the A/D corer as best possible taking the overhead lines into consideration. Split the crew, 2 use the aerial and ground ladder the A side windows, 2 to the roof shortly joined by the 3rd to vertically vent the skylight over the fire unit.
Rescue - Split Team, 2 with E1 to the fire unti for primary, 2 to conduct the primary on Units 4 & 3.
Ladder 2 - Stage B/C side and ladder the same corner. Crew to conduct primary on Unit 1 and check any attic space for extension.
Engine 3 - Primary Search on Floor 1 to ensure evacuation, look for hazards and hit utilities.
BC & DC - One take the command, the other assume Safety.
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Permalink Reply by Christopher J. Naum, SFPE on
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Any thoughts on the first-due Ladder Co. apparatus placement on the C-D corner relative to considerations for a collapse zone.......?
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OK, with that being said (as I suspected it would)...now how many of you have had to order the relocation of apparatus in the early stages of aggressive and escalating fire attack?
I can tell you from experience, it is a difficult task to implement (ie. to get the driver to move that rig..and now) in a timely fashion. Ultimately, apparatus relocations typically occur when the situation calling for the move in the first place is "very" obvious (as in the walls are collapsing).
I've also seen it the other way too guys...when effective and disciplined firefighters follow the orders, knowing what the needs are OR better yet, when skilled Fire Officers are observant and take in some of the big picture upon arrival and set up base upon the risk projected ( ..you know, the what if.....)
Gotta look at where the fire and incident may be 15, 20 or 30 minutes into the operation (especially, what IF...)
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I was on a fireground in late November where an Engine relocation was ordered by the IC due to deteriorating fire conditions, although at the time no collapse hazard was present or immanent. Crews had been in an aggressive interior attack on a basement fire in a 16,000 sq ft home for around 30 minutes when fire was found advancing through the first floor & attic. The first due (pumping) engine was relocated when defensive operations were ordered and well before collapse occurred, a good foresight of the IC... a thinking officer/engineer also backed the engine into the driveway, making the move easier.
I attached a photo of the initial placement and the move taking place with several FF needed to move the partially filled sections of 5 inch.
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Permalink Reply by Ben Waller on
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This is at least a 2nd alarm and probably a 3rd. There are multiple Division 2 occupancies that require search and rescue, multiple ladders need to be raised/thrown, additional ladder companies are needed, Division 2 is badly cut up, and the building is OLD.
Structural collapse is a major potential here, for several reasons:
1) This building was part of a row of ordinary construction structures when it was built. Those structures typically share common, unreinforced masonry walls. With horzizontal members on both sides, the B and D walls have support from two sides. Take one away, and you have weakened the entire remaining structure long before the fire starts.
2) This building is over 100 years old, so the mortar is the old lime morter. (Pre Portland cement) This mortar washes away very easily when it's exposed to the weather. This mortar has decent strength in compression, but it has very little shear strength and almost no tensile strength. Without lateral support on both sides, this adds to the wall weakness problem. If any fire streams hit the bricks, they'll start washing the mortar out almost immediately.
3) There is a new, mostly-glass entrance cut into the D wall at the D-A corner. This causes even more structural compromise, because this structure type is not designed to have holes this big in the B and D walls.
4) The fire is well-involved. If it attacks either the roof or floor, they can collapse pretty quickly, due to the "fire cuts" in the ends of the joists. Fire cuts are bevels in the end of floor and roof joists that were common when this type of building was constructed. They were designed to burn through fairly quickly and pancake the floors/roof in the fire building without pushing the B and D wall out and collapsing the neighboring structures that used to be on either side of this old building. Fire cuts lead to collapse much earlier than you'd think in buildings that are as apparently solid as this one is.
If we're going to save this building and the people in it, we need lots of firefighters, lots of water put directly on the fire, lots of ladders, lots of ventilation, and we may still have multiple fatalities and/or surprisingly early collapse.
We also have a huge rescue problem in Division 1. We must rescue Jack Daniels, Evan Williams, Jim Beam, Captain Morgan, Johnny Walker, Jose Cuervo, and that old Scotsman, Glen Fiddich. :-)
Seriously, if the fire ever gets to Division 1, all of that alcohol creates an instant Class B polar solvent fire.
By the time that happens, we'll be long into the Born Loser phase on this one.
Get the people out, get the firefighters out, and let this one go the way of every other building on this block...instant parking lot.
Ben
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Get that Tiller moved!, I’ve seen a $600,000. aerial ruined in almost this same manner when the walls come tumbling down. I will also guess the parapet walls are part of the old buildings that were tore down, or burned down. It as already been noted of the cut joists, this makes for quick collapse.
There must be a hallway across B side of apartment 3 for access to apt 1, unless there is a central hallway. Either way I see easy access from C for evacuation, get that going ASAP. Reset the tiller for a good down deluge just in case, Eng 1 is pulling hand lines for entry into appt 2. Truck company is on the roof sounding and preparing to vent. I’m a little hesitant here, I’m going to let the tiller shoot a little water to stop the rubber roof from burning, and wait for a report from eng 1 attack, well maybe they have a remote transmitter on the TIC and I can get a better look. It strikes me a little odd that there is fire on the roof outside of this appt.
Set everyone up for big water and outside of collapse zone, set command post and wait for more info and the BC.
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