Chapter 05- Foundations of Firefighting Tactics and Strategies

© 2009 Delmar, Cengage Learning

Foundations of Fire Fighting Tactics and Strategies

Chapter 5


Objectives

• Describe the process of developing the fire fighting strategy and tactics involved in planning, locating, confining, extinguishing, and overhauling fires in buildings and other special fire situations

• Discuss the methods used for the determination of the proper fire operating mode: offensive, transitional, defensive, or non-attack mode


Objectives (cont’d.)

• Define the term size-up and explain the steps and factors involved in making a size-up

• Review the fire strategy and tactics used by firefighters and apply the fire behavior characteristics discussed in the text to the situations reviewed

• Describe difficult fire situations encountered by firefighters and the strategies and tactics they should use to resolve these situations


Introduction

• Learn about:– Structure fires and fire behavior patterns most likely to

be encountered– How to apply fire behavior tactics

• Overall mission for fire incidents has three major components: finding the location of the fire, confining the fire, and extinguishing the fire

• Size-up: method used to identify problem(s) presented by the incident


Development of Strategy and Tactics

• Overall mission for firefighters responding to fire:– Locate the fire– Confine the fire– Extinguish the fire

• Decision-making model: overall strategy on emergency incidents


Development of Strategy and Tactics (cont’d.)

Figure 5-2 The five steps in the decision-making model


Attack Modes

• Offensive mode: make a direct attack on fire for purposes of control and extinguishment

• Transitional mode: shifting from offensive to defensive mode or from defensive to offensive mode

• Defensive mode: conducted on exterior of building to protect adjacent buildings from fire spreading


Attack Modes (cont’d.)

• Non-attack mode (passive approach): under certain circumstances, a fire attack may be too dangerous and incident command will choose to let the fire burn out without an attack– Cannot be made without careful consideration and by

making every effort to include the owner in the decision making process


Size-Up at the Incident Scene

• RECEO-VS– Rescue– Exposures– Confinement– Extinguishment– Overhaul– Ventilation– Salvage


Construction

• Includes building components, materials, and extent of their fire-resistive abilities

• Five NFPA classifications – Type I, II, III, IV, and V


Type I or Fire-resistive Construction

• Columns, beams, floors, walls, and roof made of materials classified as non-combustible

Figure 5-4 Type I orfire-resistive construction


Type II or Non-combustible Construction

• Non-combustible and either protected or unprotected

Figure 5-5(a) Type II or noncombustible construction


Type III or Exterior Protected/Ordinary Construction

• Exterior walls made of masonry materials

• Interior walls and materials permitted to be partially or wholly combustible

Figure 5-6 Type III or ordinary construction


Type IV or Heavy Timber/Mill Construction

• Exterior walls are usually made of masonry and therefore are non-combustible

Figure 5-7 Type IV or heavy timber/mill construction


Type V or Wood Frame Construction

• All major structural components can be made of combustible materials

Figure 5-8 In Type V construction, all major structural components can be made of combustible materials


Occupancy or Use

• The building code that classifies buildings by their use

• Loss of lives in building fires is always a concern where large numbers of people gather


Apparatus and Staffing

• Standard operating procedure (SOP): specific information and instructions on how a task or assignment is to be accomplished

• Need to know manpower resources– Number, type of pumping, and ladder capability


Life Hazard

• Primary search– Aggressive primary search for victims during the first

few moments after arrival

• Personal alert safety system (PASS)– Small, motion sensitive unit attached to and worn with

the SCBA by firefighters when entering an Immediately Dangerous to Life and Health (IDLH) environment


Terrain

• Structure can be built on land with different grade levels

• Careful pre-incident planning can help in reducing the time required to deal with terrain problems


Water Supply

• Can water be delivered in sufficient gallons per minute to suppress the number of BTUs being given off by the fire?

• Learn location of water lines of other jurisdictions or districts


Auxiliary Appliances

• Fire sprinklers have record of over one hundred years of being 90% to 98% effective in controlling fires

• Three types of water sprinkler application systems – Wet pipe– Dry pipe– Deluge


Street Conditions

• Narrow streets, traffic congestion, double-parked cars, and construction work can severely impact fire operations

• Close coordination with public works and traffic departments can reduce such problems


Weather

• Extreme weather conditions can affect operations

• Rehabilitation system:– Hydration– Nourishment– Rest and recovery– Medical evaluation


Exposures

• Using water by running it down side of exposed building, coating it with water

• Water spray can protect against movement of heated air currents and direct flame impingement

• Use large water appliances to reduce or redirect air currents and to cool threatened building surfaces


Area and Height

• Indicates maximum potential fire area• Height of building raises issues of whether the

fire department has necessary ladder lengths to reach upper building areas

• Height may provide exposure hazard to nearby buildings

• Impacts use of master streams


Location and Extent of Fire

• The lower the fire, the more serious the threat of fire is to the building

• Fire below grade such as a basement fire, are hotter, and generally more complex


Time

• May determine life-threatening situation• Time of day impacts time required for a fire

apparatus to arrive– Morning and evening traffic peaks can double the

response time


Special Concerns

• Personnel accountability report (PAR): reports on location/condition of personnel

• Personnel accountability system (PAS): determines entry/exit of personnel

• Rapid intervention team or crew (RIT/RIC): assignment of group for rapid deployment of reports on personnel in trouble/missing


Fire Behavior in Specific Occupancies

• Different procedures need followed for various types of buildings

• Important to understand essential differences of building methods and building types when evaluating how to approach a fire


Building Construction Methods and Occupancy Types

• Platform construction method: floors built separately from outer walls and ceiling and floor area serves as fire block to stop movement of hot fire gases between floors

• Balloon frame method of construction: obsolete construction method where wood studs run from foundation to roof and floors are nailed to studs


Single-Story Family Dwellings of the Past

• 1940s – 1950s– Plastered walls covering wood/wire mesh which was

painted/covered with heavy paper or cloth– Bare wood, rugs, linoleum, wool carpets– Bare wood to upholstered furniture with cotton, wool,

or leather– Rooms poorly insulated with single-paned windows– Fire load was low and the rooms were well ventilated


Today’s Residential Properties

• Better insulation and increase in fire load• More plastics• Interior fire fighting hotter• Decreased time to flashover• Has become much more dangerous in these

occupancies


Multiple-family Dwellings

• Vary from city to city

Figure 5-16 Open atticand truss construction


Mercantile Fires

• Strip malls made as cheaply as possible• Barely meet code requirements• Fire originating in one store of a strip has good

chance of communicating to others – Can extend into cockloft area and once there, will

move horizontally with little or no resistance

• Roof ventilation is important


Hotel Fires

• Not designed with fire safety in mind• Older hotels built with open stairways and rooms

off of corridors with transoms• HVAC units can circulate hot fire gases

throughout the building if unit is not protected with fire dampers

• Not equipped with an eyebrow– Designed to prevent or inhibit fire and smoke from

lapping into the upper floor(s) in a multistory building


Industrial Occupancies

• Vary considerably due to manufacturing processes

• Tenant factory/loft building– Potential for a fast-spreading fire is high

• Newer manufacturing buildings constructed using concrete tilt-up construction– Provide open void spaces where fire gases can

accumulate


Churches

• Similar construction• Large hanging ceilings or cocklofts lead to

church’s destruction• If steeple present, collapse is likely• Life safety record for church fires is good


Schools

• Fire drills usually constructed• Significant improvement in the use of fire-

resistant construction materials in new schools• Some schools use modular classrooms


Basement Fires

• Good location for storage of combustible items• Can become fully developed and present a very

hot, smoky fire situation where visibility is limited• Long hoses may be required• Possibility of gas ignition


Attic Fires

• Burn upward• Respond quickly to proper vertical ventilation• Should be attacked as fast as possible• As little water as possible should be used


Flat Roofs

• Attic space is approximately three feet deep and provides open space between underside of roof and top side of ceiling

• Always work with wind at your back or side from where the wind is blowing: windward side– Keeps smoke and hot gases downwind


Peaked Roofs

• Encourage the use of aerial ladders• Roof ladder also used if aerial not possible• Vent hole cut as close to the ridge as possible

without damaging the underlying rafters– Should be made on leeward side


Carport/Garage

• Carport: freestanding structure open on all sides– Carport itself is not serious fire problem because it is

constructed using a minimum amount of combustible materials

– Flammable liquid fires common

• Garage– One-story: line inside house to prevent extension of

the fire into this area– Two-story: direct attack on garage and line upstairs


Summary

• Understand basic principles of fire fighting and characteristics of fire behavior

• Three efforts:– Locate the fire– Confine the fire– Extinguish the fire

• Determine type of attack necessary

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Chapter 05- Foundations of Firefighting Tactics and Strategies

Education