Chapter 6 - Safety and Survival

Sizing up the fire

firefighters get trapped because they failed to size up the fire below them

Operating above fire dangers

one of the most dangerous assignments a firefighter can take is to go above a fire

Vertical fire spread

- Can trap a firefighter above the fire in woodframe by spreading up its combustible exterior - Must realize you have less time above the fire in woodframe construction

Fire floor should be analyzed before going above by

- Determine approximate location of fire - check hot spot above - size and intensity of fire should be determined - use this information to determine if the fire can be put out by hose attack team. If not, do not go above the fire!

Most firefighter deaths above the fire are caused by

- Disorientation - They become confused, entangled and unable to return to the door or alternate escape route. Next firefighter is overcome by smoke or toxic gases after running out of air. Firefighters burned to death a flashover or hyperthermia

3. Operating above during a shaft fire

- Fire originating in cellar or lower floor that enters shaftway (stairway, elevator, garbage chute) flames quickly rise and mushroom out to top floor causing rapid fire and smoke spread - Orders must be given to ventilate the top of the shaft to release smoke and flame - Simultaneously, hoseline must be placed to extinguish spreading fire, protecting top floor occupants. To do this, firefighters must operate at least one or more floors above the fire - Due to possible outbreak of fire below firefighters on lower floors, secondary means of escape must be in place...aerial ladders etc. - Never underestimate the fire when working above it!

2. Searching above fire for extension

- Immediately after fire is initially darkened down, vertical fire extension is checked directly above the fire

What are the three common avenues of vertical fire spread?

- Interior stairway - Windows (auto-exposure) - concealed spaces

Sizing up fire floor operations

- Must be able to accurately size up the hose attack team operations taking place on the fire floor - Hoseline must be charged and ready for attack operations - Hose team must be initiating attack with aggressive well-planned interior attack - not disorganized -Officer of hose team should be notified by team going above so the hose team is aware of what is going on above them and what is at stake this also allows for communication to command if attack of fire is not going well - Working above the fire floor is always high risk operations

Three stairway designs

- Open stairway - enclosed stairway - smoke proof tower stairs

Preplan... No secondary means of evacuation to building

- Portable ladders - the porch roof - fire escape should stairs become impassable because a fire

Firefighter must be properly equipped with

- Portable radio - flashlight - tools

Construction type

- Woodframe construction - most dangerous - Ordinary construction (brick and joists) - Heavy timber - Noncombustible - Fire resistive - Least dangerous

Notify

- Your officer when going above the fire - the attack line officer you are going above him

Enclosed stairway

- found in apartments. Offers more protection than open due to properly working self-closing doors when the fire door is closed - If fire door is open, stairwell becomes filled with heat and smoke

Open stairway

- found in most private housing - most dangerous due to ability of smoke, heat and flames flowing freely of stairway - usually safer to gain access to second floor by portable ladder through bedroom windows

Smoke proof tower stairs

- is safest for firefighters and exists in some commercial high-rise buildings. An open airway exists between the occupancy and the stair enclosure, preventing heat, smoke and flame to enter stairway - Safest for searching above the fire

1. Searching above for victims

- must be done as soon and as quickly as possible - Of the six exposed sides of a fire - the one above is most deadly - Primary search of the structure will go above the fire as soon as possible after searching the point of origin - Deadly carbon monoxide caused by incomplete combustion is lighter than air and quickly rises to the floors above

Why do we operate above fire

1. to search for trapped occupants of burning buildings 2. To search for vertical fire spread 3. To protect people trapped on a top floor during shaft fire

Flame and heat cause what percentage of firefighter deaths each year

25%

What is the first thing you should do if you enter smoke, heat filled room, hallway, or apartment above a fire?

First, locate a second exit - then start search

When paired up

Leave one firefighter at stairs to warn of deteriorating conditions

When danger of flashover in hallway is present

Open apartment not directly over fire in case it is needed for safety

Always remember

Rules of risk

What is the proper way to climb or descend stairways between the fire floor and floor above?

Stay close to and face the wall