© 2009 Delmar, Cengage Learning

Special Concerns in Fire Fighting

Chapter 6

© 2009 Delmar, Cengage Learning

Objectives

• Explain pre-fire and post-fire planning processes and describe how these activities will ensure safe, efficient, and effective fire fighting activities

• Describe fire behavior in confined enclosures with and without ventilation activities

• Explain the various methods of ventilation and how each method impacts fire behavior

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Objectives (cont’d.)

• Explain the activities of salvage and overhaul and their role in fire extinguishment, and methods used to reduce further property loss

• Explain the procedures used to ensure that utilities do not threaten the safety of the building or its occupants

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Introduction

• Learn about areas of special concern in fire fighting activities:– Pre-fire and post-fire planning – Ventilation– Salvage – Overhaul activities

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Advance Preparation for Fire Fighting

• Firefighters have responsibility to preplan the community areas in his or her jurisdiction

• Identify jurisdiction’s target areas with elevated:– Life threat– Property threat– Threat to responding firefighters

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The Pre-incident Plan Inspection and Review

• Pre-plan how to deal with areas of threat in case of emergency situation

• Brings together first-alarm companies– Allows all personnel to become familiar with the

property by:• Seeing the property

• Discussing the problems they may encounter

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Availability of Water

• Determine: – Location of the fire hydrants– Flow capability– Water main size– Supplementary water supply locations

• May be divided into zones:– Fire management zone (FMZ): zone within a

jurisdictional engine company’s area where similar hazards are grouped by approximately equal needed fire flow and hazard

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Built-in Fire Protection

• Determine:– Operation and procedures needed to start and shut

off the system– Locations of system’s key components– Location of Siamese connections and control valves

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Built-in Fire Protection (cont’d.)

Figure 6-4 Firefighters examine outside control valvesduring pre-incident planning.

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Mutual Aid Resources

• Determine:– Types of resources available– Additional staffing

• Availability

• Capability

– Procedures used by assisting fire agencies

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Pre-incident Planning and Fire Behavior

• Determine:– Principals of fire behavior, their structures and their

characteristics– Layout of a building and the location of its structural

additions and components– Working knowledge of fire behavior

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Post-fire Activities

• Should be conducted in positive manner• Should promote a learning environment • Members should build on the positive aspects of

their actions• Member should address areas needing

improvement

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Post-fire Conference

• Conducted to improve future fire operations by using the lessons learned from the incident

• Responding parties generally invited• Each member describes actions during the

incident• Information presented summarized and

presented to members

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Post-incident Form

• Checklist used during conference may contain some or all of the following sub-topics:– Origin, detection, alarm, equipment and staffing

response, extent of fire, size-up, preplanning, ICS, RIT, forcible entry, rescue, ventilation, hose streams, salvage, overhaul, traffic control, utilities, and incident communications

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Ventilation

• Needs to be high priority and actions should be immediately implemented

• May require more time than placement and deployment of hose lines

• Should be discussed in preplanning sessions

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Roof Ventilation

• Look for natural openings first:– Scuttle holes– Skylights– Stairwells

• Sound roof with pike pole• Cut hole directly above fire

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Louvering

• Helps reduce exposure of personnel to smoke and heat as roof is vented

Figure 6-6 A finished louver opening for ventilation.

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Horizontal or Cross Ventilation

• Use windows, doors, and other horizontal openings for ventilation

• Evaluate wind direction • Determine where the heated gases and fire will

go once they leave openings• Windows may have to be broken• Smoke fans can be useful

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Horizontal or Cross Ventilation (cont’d.)

Figure 6-7 While using smoke ejector fans for ventilation, firefighters must cover the entire opening to avoid churning of air which reduces smoke removal effectiveness.

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Negative Pressure Ventilation

• Using mechanical fans to pull heated smoke and gases from the interior to outside building

• Ineffective/inefficient method of smoke removal• Churning of the air may be a problem if fans are

not a good fit

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Positive Pressure Ventilation

• Uses mechanical fans to blow air into a structure to remove smoke and gases through additional openings

• Outlet opening must be controlled• If too many doors and windows are opened,

positive pressure ventilation is ineffective

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Figure 6-8 Positive pressure ventilation.

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Salvage and Overhaul

• Little consideration was given to salvaging in the past

• Fire departments now accept responsibility to:– Extinguish fires– Reduce water and smoke loss as much as possible

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Overhaul Operations

• First step is examining behavior of smoke, heat, and water

• Survey the damaged area before beginning overhaul operations

• Attempt to contact the owner of the premises• Assign teams to complete work• Save all records, partially destroyed or not

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Debris Handling

• Caution should always be taken• All burned material should be wetted down and

sifted through for hot spots• Debris pile locations should be chosen before

debris is being moved• Adequate barriers should be provided

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Water Removal

• Water overload could cause building collapse• Can use variety of methods

– Stairways– Cast iron sewer piping– Holes cut in floor– Wall breach

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Checking for Lingering Fire

• Thermal imaging device can show differences in temperatures throughout structures

• Attic should be checked for hot spots• Suspicious floors should be checked from below

through the ceiling• Baseboards and window facings may need to be

removed

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Securing a Building

• Should be turned over to owner or secured• Windows and doors broken in fire should be

boarded up• Should be made safe for weather events• May be necessary to post a firefighter as a fire

watch or check building periodically

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Summary

• Explore basic principals of fire behavior through:– Pre-fire and post-fire inspections and conferences– Procedures of ventilation, salvage, and overhaul

• Understanding the interrelationships of the above are vital steps to successful fire fighting and safe fire ground operations