ARRIVING ON THE FIREGROUND can be quite hectic, especially if you have fire showing, people fleeing the building, and limited visibility due to smoke and you’re operating with minimum staffing. If you’re first to arrive, whether in a chief’s vehicle or the first-due fire apparatus, it’s imperative that you give some type of fireground radio report. Doing so “paints a picture” for the responding units and helps them perform a mental size-up of the situation unfolding on scene. Some might say, “I didn’t have time to do it,” but believe me, hearing you have fire on the second floor of a two-story frame is much different than hearing you have fire in a one-story strip mall. Giving a quick radio report including the type of structure and the fire’s location can set the tone for how the whole fireground operation will play out.
If you pulled up in a “fire SUV,” you should give the building type and fire’s location first, before saying “Assuming command.” Then it’s perfectly okay to hit the hatch release; run to the rear of the vehicle; grab a turnout coat, helmet, and flashlight; and move away from the command post. Sometimes I wonder if there’s a super glue dispenser in the hatch, because the first-arriving chief often remains stuck in place from the moment he arrives on the scene
Leaving the vehicle and getting a full view (360º size-up) of the 2½-story dwelling can provide some fascinating details of the structure and fire. Doing this is imperative if you want to decide on your fire attack methods. Recent studies have shown the importance of attacking a basement fire from the same level, if possible. It’s one of the safest measures you can take. It removes sending firefighters down the “chimney or flue from hell” (aka interior stairwell) and has them enter on the same plane as the fire. If you didn’t make it to the rear and see there was a walk-out basement with windows, a doorway, or sliding glass doors, you’re handcuffing yourself in your thought process on fire attack strategies.
Another important step is your personal size-up as the incident commander (IC)—that you visually see what’s in the rear. Some things witnessed on so many firegrounds include a sloped rear yard that exposes a whole floor below the one-story ranch you thought you had. Performing these “circles of safety” may enlighten you to propane tanks, a garage under the home, rear decks, and the need for more portable ladders than you thought for access and emergency egress from the upper floor
After your visible journey, with a radio in hand so you’re still able to communicate while traveling, jot the things down that you saw or make a drawing on the white board at the command post. As the one with the white helmet on, it’s important for you, of all people, to know the full details and grab a mental picture for yourself of the structure. As the late Frank Brannigan, noted building construction expert, said, “The building is your enemy; know your enemy.” Sure, there are new ways to quickly grab this information from Google earth, but things can change, and a photo doesn’t pinpoint all the details you need to know from your walk-around.
If you’re unable to get to the rear because the building is attached, like you find at a large townhouse complex or a block of row frames or brownstone dwellings, then assign a member to do so. Normally, some departments assign this task to an individual, so the position is covered on every run. While trying to get to the rear of these structures, a firefighter should size up which unit the emergency or fire is in. If it’s toward the middle of the row, instead of going all the way to the end to try and get a view of the rear, attempt going through either exposure. If it is near an end, then walking down a few units and making your way around the side yard might be your best access.
Prior to heading to the rear of these types of dwellings, be aware that you’ll often find some type of fence cordoning off the yards and limiting access. If there’s a fire, you’ll have to perform forcible entry. Use your wise judgment when there’s not a fire. Remember, you can’t get lazy on this assignment. Just because you’re responding into an automatic fire alarm or reported odor of smoke and arrive with nothing showing, it’s still imperative to get to the rear.
During your exterior size-up or, as some would say, “search,” you might notice a light haze emitting from a portion of the structure, catch a weird whiff of smoke near an exhaust outlet of a clothes dryer, notice a wood stove exhaust pipe with the siding melting around it, or see smoke issuing from a bathroom fan exhaust port. While it’s imperative that members are operating on the inside, it is also imperative that a member is operating on the outside.
Many departments are very good at sectoring off the fire building when it comes to operations inside. However, when it comes to worrying about outside views, they lack some of the intuition to provide that on the fireground. Instead of just assigning the rapid intervention team to perform a 360 for emergency operations or the safety chief on the multiple alarm to get an overall picture of the scene, couldn’t you assign a white helmet to these duties? Going to the rear during a decent job and having direct contact with the IC, let’s say on a command radio frequency, you can provide quick and detailed information immediately when needed. In addition, you can see the rear and monitor the sides of the structure, too.
It’s okay to step away from the SUV. “Look so you’re not shook” when it hits the fan.
MICHAEL N. CIAMPO is a 38-year veteran of the fire service and a lieutenant in the Fire Department of New York. Previously, he served with the District of Columbia Fire Department. He has a bachelor’s degree in fire science from John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City. He is the lead instructor for the FDIC International Truck Essentials H.O.T. program. He wrote the Ladders and Ventilation chapters for Fire Engineering’s Handbook for Firefighter I and II (Fire Engineering, 2009) and the Bread and Butter Portable Ladders DVD and is featured in “Training Minutes” truck company videos.
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