I want to keep the firehouse up to date with their monthly drills for the kitchen table.  Perhaps someone will print this one and throw it on the table as well!

This is a cross-post from our Facebook page.  If you haven’t added yourself to our Facebook page, feel free to follow the link and add yourself.  There are several other daily/weekly drills that are posted there in addition to class photos and upcoming classes.

This photo provides a great overview of operations in a commercial-type warehouse. Several points of discussion are present:

- The roll-down gate was able to be raised without defeating it, most likely with this type of door, it was raised by using the chain inside the building. The door must be secured open in case of failure, and since this is a large door for a vehicle, conventional methods are not useful. Here a ladder company has used a 24′ portable ladder to assure that the door does not drop down pinching hose lines and trapping members. This is a very simple solution to an often overlooked and very dangerous issue.

- A heavy fire condition in the building with little or no smoke showing from the doorway. This indicates that vertical ventilation is working well, or that the ceilings are of very high and heat and smoke is building up drastically. Communication with members operating on the roof is paramount.

Members must be EXTREMELY AWARE of this build-up. In the photo, visibility is great, even near the fire area. This “false-sense of security” can lure members into trap-like conditions. Once the ceiling reaches the correct temperature, roll-over will occur and fire will rapidly drop down on the members and overwhelm hose lines (in some cases even 2 1/2″ hose lines). The only way to guard against this is by communication and awareness. Use thermal imaging cameras (also in the photo) and 2 1/2″ attack lines. The reach and “punch” of the stream will darken fire down well in advance of the nozzle team.

- The 10′ hook on the right side of the photo is also a must if ceilings must be pulled down. A member in this building with a 6′ hook is all but useless. As a rule, I will drop the 6′ hook and take a 10′ hook at most commercial fires. This will allow me to pull the multiple ceilings typically found in these old buildings. Don’t stop pulling until you’ve reached the roof boards. Sometimes, the 10′ hook can be used as a “thermometer” of sorts in the absence of a thermal imaging camera. You can extend the hook into the smoke above you, then lower it and CAREFULLY feel the head of the hook. This may give you an idea of the conditions above you if you cannot “see” them with a TIC. This will keep you from getting too deep, too fast and getting into trouble.

- A search rope is also present on a few members in this photo. Remember to secure the search rope on the EXTERIOR (parking meter, street light, rig, car, etc…) of the building regardless of conditions inside the building as you enter. Although clear in the building presently, if conditions deteriorate, you want the search line to bring you back to the street, NOT 20′ inside the door, which is now banked down to the floor and you have to “guess” the rest of the way.

- Water run-off: In this photo there is a single 2 1/2″ attack line flowing 250-300 gallons per minute. The trickle of water coming out of the overhead door is not nearly the amount of water being poured into the building. Perhaps it is going to a harmless point in the building, a drain, the basement, out another door due to the natural slope, etc…

What if it is not running off harmlessly? In this case it was being soaked into all of those pallets filled with antique furniture and other combustible and “sponge-like” items. Those items were stacked floor to ceiling, across TWO FLOORS of this 300×300 warehouse. Simple math: 250gpms at 8lbs per gallon = 2,000lbs (or 1 TON) of water per minute PER HOSE LINE! There were at least 8 attack lines on this fire during the offensive stage. That doesn’t even account for the floor load already present.

ALWAYS watch the water run-off. If it is going in, and not coming out it is going somewhere. This is equally important during exterior operations while utilizing master streams. After the bulk of the fire has been knocked down, the tendency is to enter the building to extinguish stubborn pockets of fire. The video below illustrates why that may not be such a good idea if the building is not allowing the water to run-off.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SUuBXRQyXk

In the video above in Midtown Manhattan serves as a great purpose for watching water run off. D/C Vincent Dunn had command of this fire, and would not allow members to enter the building to extinguish pockets of fire. At :53 seconds, you will see his reasoning.  The early video of the fire, you see no run-off even though several tower ladders throw TONS of water per minute into the building. If you listen to the video, the building was FILLED FLOOR TO CEILING with shoe boxes (excellent sponges).  They flowed water via master streams for ELEVEN hours.  Listen closely to the audio at 1:50 as well. “Engineers” declared this building “structurally stable” 3hrs before the collapse.

Feel free to jump in with any comments or questions.  I also want to extend a warm welcome to the members of the firehouse that are keeping up with the current events of Brotherhood Instructors, LLC.  ;-)

Stay safe,

Nate DeMarse
Brotherhood Instructors, LLC.
ndemarse.broinstructors@gmail.com

Another fantastic site full of great training tips.

http://www.hcftn.com/fireweb/

A great blog that was created by firemen for firemen, an excellent training resource. Be sure to bookmark this site in your favorites and check back often. Good work brother, keep it up!

http://ironsandladders.wordpress.com/

Look at the following photos and answer the attached questions.

Questions for disscussion.

1) What type of door construction and building construction are we dealing with?

2) Forcible entry tool selection?

3) What would your forcible entry techniques be to force this door?

Inside of the door will be shown later.

This next door comes to us from Eric Hankins from Yuba City Fire Department, this door has an interesting gate over the front of it’s doors.

Questions for discussion.

1) What would your primary means of forcing entry into this type of gate?

2) What is your secondary means of forcing entry into this type of gate?

3) What about the door behind the gate, how would you force it?

All of the questions can be cut and pasted into your answers. The Interior views will be posted at a later time so you can see how close your tactics where.

Special thanks to Brother Eric Hankins from Yuba City FD for letting us use his photos.

All answers must be posted with your full name, no unsigned posts will be posted.

CALLING THE MAYDAY

There are many reasons to call a mayday, such as being disoriented, trapped by fire or collapse, air supply issues, or being injured just to name a few.  It is of the utmost importance to recognize any situation that could inhibit your ability to exit the structure.  This is not the time to try to “work through” your problem, nor is the time to let your pride stand in the way of calling for assistance.  Remember we are operating inside a hostile environment with a very limited supply of breathable air…time is of the essence.

Now is the time to stop and take a deep breath, get control of your emotions and breathing rate, and think about what information you are going to give over the radio that will give you the best possible chances of surviving this ordeal.  The easy to remember mnemonic L.U.N.A.R. is a simple memory tool that will quickly relay the vital information required by the Rapid Intervention Team to find and remove you.

L-location, in the fire building

U-unit, company designation and assignment

N-name(s), of person(s) requiring assistance

A-air supply, remaining

R-resources, needed

A typical mayday announcement should begin with keying the radio microphone, counting to three (to yourself) and as calmly and slowly as possible announce “MAYDAY-MAYDAY-MAYDAY”, release the button count to three again, depress the microphone button and announce  “MAYDAY-MAYDAY-MAYDAY” and give your L.U.N.A.R.  The reason for giving a second round of maydays is to make sure that everyone has a moment to absorb what is taking place and the mayday announcement is not lost in the normal “noise” of the fireground.  The mayday should also be given in plain English so that there is no misunderstanding.  An example of a mayday announcement should sound similar to:

“MAYDAY-MAYDAY-MAYDAY, (pause) MAYDAY-MAYDAY-MAYDAY, third floor-rear bedroom, Ladder 8 was division three search, Lt. Smith, firefighters Jones and Williams, we have approximately ten minutes of air remaining, we need a ladder at the rear and tools to remove the window bars, we are cut off by the fire.”

The transmission of this L.U.N.A.R. would take roughly 20 seconds to complete, and gives the Incident Commander an adequate picture of the company’s situation.  It also gives the R.I.T. an idea of what obstacles they will be facing and what equipment they will need to bring with them.  While there is a multitude of mnemonics that could be used, the one you choose for your operations should include L-location as the first letter.  The reason for this is if only one piece of MAYDAY information is transmitted before the loss of communications, the location will ensure precious time is not lost having to search the entire structure for your position.

            Once a mayday transmission is heard, everyone should clear the radio of any traffic.  After the mayday information is given to Command it should acknowledged by echoing (repeating) the information back to the fire company that requested assistance.  If the Incident Commander does not acknowledge the mayday, the Dispatcher should activate some form of emergency radio tones and relay the mayday information to Command.  Additionally, the R.I.T. should be staged near the command post and monitoring radio traffic for any MAYDAY transmission as part of their standard operations. 

            After relaying the pertinent information, you should activate your P.A.S.S. device and begin working towards getting yourself free of the situation. Remember calling for assistance early can make the difference between going home and going to…well you get the idea.

The Brothers from the Norcal FOOLS have out done themselves with a fantastic website full of great training articles, photos, and training links. Be sure to add it to your favorites and check it out frequently. Great Job Brothers! Keep up the great work!!

http://norcalfools.homestead.com/

Here is a class announcement forwarded from Mike Chambers of the Evesham Fire Department in NJ.

The Evesham Township Professional Firefighters Association (IAFF Local 4687) is hosting Captain Mike Dugan, FDNY L-123.  The class content is centered on officers (or future officers) and features first due operations at private dwelling fires.

Download the flier and enrollment information here.

Stay safe!

On this day 8 years ago hundreds of our fellow brother firefighters responded to the terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center. The fire service and the world where dealt a huge blow when 343 of our fellow brother firefighters never made it home to their families, take some time out today to remember the ultimate sacrifice of so many……

The entire Brotherhood Instructors family would like to congratulate Erich Roden on his promotion to the rank of Captain with the Milwaukee Fire Department. Eric will bring an unequaled passion for the job along with a ton of knowledge and experience to what ever house he is assigned. Erich is a fireman’s fireman and will be a great mentor to firefighters for many years to come.

Congratulations Brother!! You Deserve It!!!