Interior Attacks or Not?

Does your volunteer dept do interior attacks on fire runs? Some volunteer departments do not do interior attacks. Does your department? Our department always look at safety first however if your department feels that they can safely go in do they? Some volunteer departments feel led to do only exterior attacks. What does your department do?

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Permalink Reply by lutan1 on January 19, 2009 at 9:08pm

That sad thing is I think some would try it!!!!

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Permalink Reply by Ben Waller on January 19, 2009 at 9:08pm

Scary. For a minute there, I thought you were going to say "Can Job".

:-)

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Permalink Reply by lutan1 on January 19, 2009 at 9:11pm

You'd have to consider vertical ventilation wouldn't you?

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Permalink Reply by Engineco913 on January 19, 2009 at 9:13pm

Yeah if the can is a variety of 30 yard dumpsters to Can it to ship out

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Permalink Reply by R Griffin on January 19, 2009 at 9:17pm

Depends on the structure and the length of time it has been burning. Firefighters are the number one priority on the fire scene. Caution on interior operations for vacant structures and remember the new structures are OSB board and could have glued trusses. We fight less fires today but seem to kill just as many firefighters a year. WHY? could be ego before safety . you don't have risk your life to prove you're a hero you proved that when you signed the application. BE SAFE!

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Permalink Reply by Ben Waller on January 19, 2009 at 9:20pm

To avoid unnecessary firefighter deaths for communities that don't adequately support their fire department, for starters.

As long as we conduct knee-jerk interior attacks because "That's why we're in business." then we'll keep putting on way too many of those LODD funerals we're all-to-good at.

Chris Naum has a new program on why we don't learn from our history.
He has documentation of multiple LODD fires going back over 40 years.
The common denominator in each and every one of them...
The dead firefighters were either inside or on the roof because...well, because "That's what we do."

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Permalink Reply by Ben Waller on January 19, 2009 at 9:25pm

Nothing wrong with exposure protection. Ben Franklin founded the first organized U.S. fire department based on keeping fires to the building of origin.

The bottom line is that if the community expects exposure protection and people want to volunteer their own time and effort to do it, good for them.

If the community expects more, but only funds/supports exposure protection, then exposure protection is what they'll get...at least if the fire department is smart.

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Permalink Reply by lutan1 on January 19, 2009 at 9:25pm

If thats the case Ben, why be in business.
I'm a bit gob smacked that in 2009, with heightened awareness of LODD's and so on, that we still have this attitude towards safety.

We don't have to risk everything for something that's not worth saving!

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Permalink Reply by Ben Waller on January 19, 2009 at 9:27pm

I'd consider a proximity suit and marshmallows.

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Permalink Reply by Ben Waller on January 19, 2009 at 9:44pm

OK. I apologize if I misinterpreted.

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Permalink Reply by Barbara Nelson on January 19, 2009 at 10:22pm

If you take out all the heart related deaths, we are not killing as many firefighter. I think that situational awareness (tunnel vision) is more of a problem then ego. All in all I think that we are doing much better safety wise.