Stretching the appropriate line and getting it into operation with the proper flow is crucial to the successful outcome of a fire in a high-rise building, Lieutenant Mathew Rush told students at his FDIC 2010 class, “Standpipe Operations and the Engine Company.”
Rush focused on understanding high-rise building components, including standpipe types and appropriate code applications, fire department connections (FDCs), fire pumps, and recognizing and overcoming common pressure-reducing valves (PRVs) problems. This presentation offered a valuable street-smart understanding of the basic tactics and equipment an engine company needs for high-rise operations.
For a large number of fire departments, according to Rush, standpipe operations are not the norm and, so firefighters must educate themselves accordingly for success. He covered the basics of numerous issues, ranging from generational building codes, incumbent building systems, and the recommended equipment and mindset needed to overcome them. Students gained a valuable appreciation of the complexity of standpipe operations in high-rise buildings and the basic knowledge of what they need to do to prepare for a successful outcome.
Rush urged his students to take the knowledge gained and share it with their fellow firefighters, “When we share information with each other, we all learn and get better at our profession.”
Rush is a 15-year veteran of the Austin (TX) Fire Department and a lieutenant in Engine Company 22. He has published articles for Fire Engineering and FireNuggets.com.
