Our articles are normally political in nature, but sometimes we feel there are other topics or issues that must be addressed. As most of our loyal followers know we are more fire service related in our articles. So with that being said, today we would like to discuss the positioning of the initial attack line of a structure fire.
With all the differences between fire departments in America, there are a few things that are common to nearly all. Most fire departments fight fires in residential structures in the same way. A hand line is pulled from the engine company and advanced through the front door toward the seat of the fire.
Whether this is done because of department SOPs, past fire fighting experiences, or previous knowledge of the structure, fighting a fire in this manner (in residential fires) provides quite a few over looked advantages. Attacking a residential structure fire through the front is usually the shortest, fastest, and most direct path to the most critical areas of the house. (Notice how we did not say the shortest, fastest, or quickest way to the seat of the fire). The main paths of a house and exit ways, like hallways and stairways leading to bedrooms usually come off the main paths of the home. If there is fire in the front of a home or structure, these vital exit ways will be blocked. In a fire situation most residents forget about secondary exit ways and can become trapped, so quickly controlling any fire in these areas is essential to their survival.
There are some in the fire service that believe in the concept of attacking a residential structure fire from the uninvolved side. On paper this may work. The nozzle and the streams they produce will push the fire back towards the burned side and away from the unburned side. This in theory protects the occupants in the unburned portion. In reality attacking a residential structure fire from the uninvolved side is impractical.
Just for an example: You have a fire in the living room of a single story wood frame residential structure approx. 1200 square feet. On your arrival flames and smoke are bellowing from the front door and windows. Now consider the time, length of hose, and man power it would take to stretch that line to the side of the structure, through a fence, and into the back door. Even with a four man crew (a lot run only three man crews) this would take to long. Most of today's engine companies do not have pre-connected hand lines of more then 200 feet. In theory fighting fire in this manner sounds ok, but as you can see this does not provide sufficient hose to the rear of the structure and having firefighters work their way through the house to the front, where the fire is takes too long. This decreases the chances of occupant survival.
Fires, such as that in the example above, that are burning in the front of a house can be quickly and effectively suppressed by applying a solid stream of 175 gpms from a 1 3/4 hose line, advanced through the front door. By doing this you accomplish swift control of any fire threatening bedrooms and exit ways and occupants trapped in the rear of the structure. A solid stream will move less air then a fog pattern stream, lessening the effect of pushing any fire into the uninvolved areas. Using the solid stream also provides better reach and knockdown power.
All fires are different and all fires must be fought differently. So of course there are situations and conditions that warrants the first attack line to be stretched and operated from somewhere other then the front door. We will look at a few of those situations.
Residents/occupants that are trapped at windows by security bars or heavy steel casement window frames can quickly become fatalities if water is not promptly applied to them, for their protection (life safety). This is very similar to residents trapped above a fire and cannot be rescued by ladder due to the flames below are licking the ladder. That fire must be suppressed quickly to rescue those occupants.
In an ideal situation two hose lines should be stretched when residents are trapped in this manner. One to provide protection to them and the second would go through the front door to locate the seat of the fire. In real world situations it may be not be possible for an engine company to stretch and operate two hand lines prior to another engine company's arrival. So the initial hand line must provide the protection to the trapped residents/occupants. It must be noted that these residents/occupants could be over looked if no one does a complete size up including a 360 degree walk around.
Many of today's residents us LPG tanks (liquefied petroleum gas) for heating and cooking and flames impinging on these can place occupants, firefighters, and neighbors at great risk of a BLEVE. If you come across any LPG tanks with rising flames and the increasing noise from the relief valves, you must immediately start a cooling stream application of water or quickly evacuate the area.
In today's society "rat packing" is a big problem and even more so for firefighters. A structure packed floor to ceiling and wall to wall, with old clothes, boxes, and furniture makes for a huge fire load. Advancing a hose line in through the front door is impossible because the door can no longer swing open. Even inside. the area is probably extremely narrow for firefighters with a SCBA on to attempt to advance the hose line. Finding the best opening to perform the best knockdown is a great option here.
Firefighters take a lot of pride in fighting fires from the inside. This is where their pay is earned and this saves the most lives and property. Again, we must state that there fires and situations when fire streams must be directed from the outside. A fully involved abandoned structure, with no occupants, is an indication of an exterior attack. But there are scenarios that are not as clearly defined.
Your engine and crew is first on scene to a one story ranch style house with flames and smoke rolling out of a front bedroom window. Every door and window is heavily guarded with security gates and bars. The engine you are on that day does not have a rotary saw for some reason. You look in the drive way and notice two cars parked there. What do you do/should you do? Do you delay applying water to the fire while you and your crew attempt the time consuming effort of forcing entry with the irons? Do you quickly direct a hose stream into the window and knockdown the fire a bit, but possibly push the fire further into the structure, putting the possible occupants in more danger?
This is a tough one. We would love to hear what others would do. We will say this, you have to ask yourself what is worse? What causes the most adverse effects on the possibly trapped occupants? Every minute that passes the fire produces more heat, more damage, and creates more toxic gases. Also remember it is proven that short intermittent burst of solid stream in a window have minimal effect on pushing fire.
By no means are we advocating attacking fires from the outside. We are just pointing out that no two fires are the same. Even the most experienced firefighters will be forced with the tough decision as where to place the initial attack line. Experienced firefighters and those with less experience must remember this: THE INITIAL TACTICS IMPLEMENTED IN THE FIRST 5 MINUTES AFTER ARRIVING AT A FIRE, CAN BE EXTREMELY INEFFECTIVE 10-15 MINUTES LATER. Continuously observing for changing conditions and sizing up the scene will indicate when tactics should change.
So whether you are going in through the front door or placing the attack line somewhere else, remember that it may have to be moved in order to be effective.
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