BY DAVID “CHIP” COMSTOCK JR. AND JEFF SHUPE
The Western Reserve Joint Fire District serves Poland Township and Village, suburban and agricultural communities located in southeastern Mahoning County, in the northern end of the Appalachia corridor in eastern Ohio, in the heart of the rust belt. Poland was established as a small village in 1796. The District contains many historic houses that have been renovated numerous times over the years, creating a significant fire suppression challenge. It was established in 1923 as a volunteer department and remains so today; 70 active fire suppression and EMS personnel operate out of three stations.
The county lost many of its steel company employers in the 1970s. Recent national economic factors have caused many of the remaining steel industries to close. High crime and unemployment in urban areas have resulted in accelerated urban flight. Poland Village and Township have been primary recipients of the relocated residents; as a result, call volume for the District has more than tripled in the past five years. The District has attempted to maintain its training to keep up with the increase in population, which has resulted in an increase in calls.
In Ohio, there is a significant difference in the required minimum training levels between volunteer and career firefighters. Believing that every firefighter should be trained to the same and highest standard, regardless of employment status, the District applied for and received a Fire Act grant to be used for training.
The planned program consisted of more than 250 hours of training coordinated by a local community college. The grant permitted the department to complete much of the training within the geographic boundaries of the District. Instructors, many with national teaching experience, were imported from north and central Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York State. Local facilities were used for most of the training.
Within a month after the course work began, department officials learned that a high school in a neighboring village was scheduled for demolition, since a new one had been built with state bond money. The local and state education officials were approached, and after the political red tape was successfully cut, the school was ours to use for training purposes.
The high school was a training officer’s dream. It was approximately 200 feet wide by 300 feet long and was three stories high. It included a gymnasium, locker rooms, a cafeteria, shop and band-room areas, and more classrooms than could be counted.
THE INITIAL TRAINING
The first use of the school was for ladder drills. Ground and aerial ladders were raised to the first-, second-, and third-floor windows, as well as the roof. Firefighters reviewed ladder placement and use. The firefighters—both new and those with height adversities—were broken in with the introduction of a ladder maze. By virtue of sheer repetition, like the recitation of the ABCs, these drills produced firefighters who became extremely proficient in this basic fireground function.
The school’s metal and wooden doors, as well as its roll-up gates, presented numerous opportunities for forcible entry training. Several doors were modified using dowel rods and angle iron so that forcible entry could be repeated during the live-fire scenarios. The emphasis was on basics—the use of the irons (flathead ax and halligan).1
Ventilation skills and techniques were also reviewed. Several different levels of flat roofs permitted ventilation work using hand tools and power saws. In addition to roof work, firefighters were retrained in equipment-carrying techniques, in an effort to improve firefighter safety.
Firefighters repeatedly stretched 13/4-inch and 21/2-inch handlines. Stretches were made into the basement, as well as to the first, second, and third floors. Instructors focused on stretching lines from the apparatus to the fire’s location to improve speed and efficiency. The emphasis was on teamwork.
FIRE EVOLUTIONS
Once the basic engine and truck company work was completed, the training turned to live-fire evolutions. The fire evolutions were set up with National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1403, Standard on Live Fire Training Evolutions—2002, in mind. Three scenarios were created.
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Six teams of five to six firefighters were split up into two engine companies, two truck companies, and a rapid intervention team (RIT). The sixth group was permitted to rest and, as necessary, fill air bottles on-scene from a mobile cascade system. Each group ran all five parts of every scenario. The first-due engine company was responsible for stretching the initial attack line and, on occasion, forcing entry. Truck companies operated by seat assignment. The interior team consisted of the officer, the irons, and the can (extinguisher) man.2 The outside team consisted of the chauffeur, the outside vent (OV) man, and the roof man. This trio was responsible for forcible entry, laddering the building, and outside ventilation.
Evolution 1
All students were run through the “search and rescue/forcible entry corridor,” which simulated a working basement fire. The objective was to get all students in the same thought process about firefighting and the procedures that should be followed in a basement fire in a structure of this size and type. The first-due truck crew members entered the building with their tools to search for the fire’s location while first-due engine company members waited by their apparatus for a report of interior conditions.
For many firefighters, this delay in stretching a hoseline is hard to understand, especially when there is a working fire. However, in large-area structures, a fire department cannot have all of its personnel running around blindly in the building in a smoke condition. Likewise, hoselines cannot be prematurely stretched. Firefighters must first know the fire’s location, size, and direction of travel. Those responsible for the interior search must provide a detailed report.
This evolution helped to develop a disciplined approach to firefighting, which ultimately leads to improved accountability, coordination, communication, and safety.
Evolution 2
The objectives of the second evolution were similar to those of the first, but several obstacles were added. The initial truck crew searched for the fire through a heavy smoke condition. The search necessitated that firefighters travel a considerable distance, approximately 100 feet deep into a 25-foot-wide area. Truck company members had to locate the fire and call for the attack hoseline.
While the engine crew advanced its handline, the truck crew controlled the door to the fire room with a can and a hook. Firefighters with the irons forced entry and searched an adjacent room. The attack line was advanced to the fire room; the first-due engine company extinguished the fire. The second engine company was responsible for the second line. Location of the line was determined by the needs of each incident. The second truck crew proceeded to the second floor and searched above the fire in an area also heavily charged by smoke.
Truck company members encountered heavy smoke at the door of each scenario. Communications were monitored relative to the conditions encountered and how and when the hoseline was requested. Firefighters had to provide detailed information once they entered the fire area. Again, teamwork, personal safety, and accountability were emphasized.
One of the problems the engine company encountered was related to the use of preconnected hoselines in the long hallway stretch. In several scenarios, the engine crew “came up short” with its hoseline stretch and had to add one or two lengths of hose to reach the fire area. The members did a great job of correcting the problem and, during the process, learned about the value of “static hosebeds” and having a “donut roll” on the engines. Like school, firefighters were challenged with new ideas—in this case, that it may not be the best practice for fire departments to have all of their attack hoselines preconnected.3
As a result of this evolution, students learned that communication and contact among crew members are essential in near-zero visibility environments. Firefighters were able to see firsthand the difference of working with and without ropes when operating in large areas. This evolution reinforced the realization that engine and truck work are distinctively different and that each must be performed by the respective crews to accomplish the overall fireground strategy.4
Completion of the second evolution helped reinforce the concept of training by repetition. At this point, firefighters began not only to learn but also to understand the concept of a coordinated firefighting plan.
Evolution 3
The third evolution was a third-floor fire; a forcible entry problem was added. The burn room was located in an old boys’ lavatory. It was a large room with walls made of ceramic tile. The commodes and sinks had been removed; the room had no windows or ceiling vents. It was well-suited for helping students learn about “staying low” in a fire room where furnace-like conditions exist.
The forcible entry problem was a roll-down security gate to the third floor. The gate was in the “down” position, and a lock was put on the gate. The lock had to be forced before entry into the fire-floor area could be gained. Again, firefighters were faced with heavy smoke conditions throughout the third floor; the forcible entry team, while working in smoky darkness, had to force the lock before they could lift the gate.
The fire’s location on the third floor also made it possible to ventilate the roof. Ventilation equipment was in the hallway outside of the restroom; crews were able to take power saws up aerial devices to the roof to initiate ventilation work. Interior crews got to see the benefit of vertical ventilation in an area of proximity above the fire’s origin. Again, the truck company members’ practice of carrying tools to the roof and their operation of those tools were reviewed and critiqued by instructors.
During the third scenario, instructors monitored radio communications to make sure everyone heard the transmissions, especially the call for the hoseline. Instructors also made sure that engine companies had sufficient hose length to reach the fire floor and that firefighters became proficient in advancing the line and removing all kinks. Firefighters were watched to see if they would position themselves at the bends in stairs to help keep the line moving inward and upward. The students also stretched a second line quickly, with the idea that this fire was taking place in a large building, not a house. Students were taught that sufficient water must be applied to attack a volume of fire with the potential to spread beyond the area of origin.5
Again, the instructors emphasized that accountability must be maintained in heavy smoke conditions, especially during search and rescue operations. The instructors also ensured that there was coordination among the companies as they worked, especially between the engine and the truck.
 2. For additional information, see “Basic Tools: The 21/2-Gallon Water Extinguisher,” Harry Oster, Training Notebook, Fire Engineering, Mar. 1999, 16-20. |
As with the first two live-fire evolutions, this one also incorporated the total response concept, in which students operated as different engine and truck companies, often arriving in different order so that each member understood the different duties of a company on arrival. One of the best teaching tools was having students stretch the attack hoseline from the apparatus bed while the fire was underway. The purpose was to make students understand the “real time” necessary to put a hoseline in service during a working fire.
LESSONS LEARNED
Firefighters were taught to provide proper status reports and to eliminate unnecessary radio traffic while providing critical information to the incident commander. As an example, firefighters reported when expected tasks could not be accomplished. The location, number, and condition of victims were provided. Firefighters began each evolution with a proper size-up, which included type of construction; occupancy; condition and location of fire, if any; and potential exposures. Throughout the class, firefighters were reminded again and again of the importance of knowing building construction and its effect on fire spread. Collapse risks were reviewed.6 As a result, the firefighters quickly recognized parapet hazards that were present. Firefighters also recognized and understood the dangers of working on different types of roofs.
Firefighters learned about the risks of “premature stretching.” Too often, firefighters attempted to stretch a line to the structure without knowing the fire’s exact location. Instead, firefighters learned to wait for an engine company officer or truck company member to radio information regarding the fire’s location and the best way to stretch the line. Proper nozzle techniques were reviewed. The advantages and disadvantages of solid and fog streams were demonstrated.7 Particular emphasis was placed on cooling the ceiling area to prevent flashover.
Throughout the evolutions, firefighters serving as the backup to the nozzleman had a tendency to crowd the nozzle. Firefighters were trained to not crowd the nozzleman, to maintain their position on the line, and to keep the line moving forward without permitting the line to kink.
In observing the evolutions, instructors observed that firefighters had a tendency not to open the nozzle all the way. This was partially a result of the firefighter’s placing his hand on the bail during the clockwise rotation of the nozzle during extinguishment. Placing the hand on the bail instead of well behind the nozzle on the line restricted water flow and resulted in delayed extinguishment of the fire. Instructors also demonstrated positioning the officer away from the line, in a position where he could closely observe firefighters and fire conditions, which vastly improved the efficiency of extinguishment efforts.
Static and preconnect loads were compared. Firefighters often had to add 50 to 100 feet of line to the preconnect stretch because of the length of the hallways. Firefighters became proficient at this technique. More importantly, they became better at judging the amount of hose needed for the stretch once the location of the fire was determined; this often resulted in their relying on the static hosebed.
During truck company operations, firefighters searched with and without ropes because of the various sizes of the rooms within the building. The firefighters learned the advantages and disadvantages of each and realized the importance of remaining oriented. Firefighters found that failing to feel high on the wall caused them to overlook windows that could be beneficial if a quick escape became necessary. They also learned that if they proceeded into a room to search and passed two corners, it was usually better to continue moving forward than to try to retrace steps backward.
Firefighters were given several scenarios in which use of a thermal imaging camera became important. With the limited number of cameras available, the truck company officer (a member of the inside team) would usually use the camera. In those areas where the rooms were small and close together, an officer could remain in the hallway and guide single firefighters searching rooms on opposite sides of the hall. Firefighters performed searches more quickly and confidently. Furthermore, the officer could monitor fire conditions and order the retreat of the interior truck company crew if it became necessary.
The interior truck company crew also used the water extinguisher extensively. Firefighters learned the advantage of having a can to hold fire in check when a search needs to be made and the crew does not have a hoseline. The issue of passing up the hoseline for purposes of a search was also reviewed: Although searches without the protection of a hoseline are more dangerous, many times searches for victims must be made before a hoseline can be placed in operation, especially in evening residential fires. The firefighters’ skills in recognizing such situations were further developed.
Throughout the evolutions, firefighters were reminded of and retrained on the necessity of using PASS devices. The potential risks of not using a PASS device were stressed. Firefighters found what the fire service already knows—that built-in SCBA PASS devices are far more superior than manually activated devices. We reviewed the advantages of having a personal flashlight in addition to the large flashlight the fire department provides for each firefighter and of carrying personal rope and tools appropriate for the assigned task. Firefighters were instructed repeatedly not to give up their tool, since the tool is the key to their getting out of the building if conditions quickly deteriorate.
PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT
Instructors created practice problems to help prepare the students for real-world situations. The goal was to have students understand and become proficient at the assigned tasks.
Months of training finally paid off approximately one week after the conclusion of the live-burn scenarios. On June 3, 2003, at approximately 7:45 a.m., District firefighters received a call for a fire in the Poland Middle School. The first engine company arrived and performed a size-up. The truck company arrived immediately behind the engine company and went to search for the fire in the very smoky building, where visibility was significantly reduced.
A second engine company went to the rear. A third engine company, acting as a truck company on that date, also initiated a search for the fire. The interior truck company team located the fire in the basement. Using the can, the team was able to confine the fire to a small area encompassing several large lockers. Although the fire had produced a significant quantity of smoke in the basement, the fire was small and quickly extinguished. Hoselines did not need to be stretched. The engine company assisted the truck companies in searching the building. The engine companies also assisted with setting up natural and mechanical horizontal ventilation. CO levels in the school were checked extensively, while the teachers and students waited to return to the school.
The fire department’s actions were well observed by the arriving students, parents, teachers, and administrators. The department received great praise for its prompt action in extinguishing the fire and mitigating the potential smoke damage within the school. There is no doubt that the numerous months of practice resulted in the excellent grade!
Endnotes
1. For additional information, see “The Irons,” Richard A. Fritz, Fire Engineering, May 1998, 93-96.
3. See “Preconnect Pitfalls,” Tom Sitz, Fire Engineering, Feb. 2004, 24-28.
4. For departments that do not have a truck or an aerial ladder, traditional truck work must still be completed. The basic premise is that one designated crew must complete assigned truck operations, such as forcible entry and ventilation.
5. See also “Fire Streams and the Aggressive Interior Attack,” Armand F. Guzzi Jr., Fire Engineering, Feb. 2002, 67-78.
6. For information on building collapse hazards, see Building Construction for the Fire Service, Third Edition, Francis L. Brannigan (Quincy, MA: National Fire Protection Association, 1993) and Collapse of Burning Buildings: A Guide to Fireground Safety, Vincent Dunn (Fire Engineering, 1988).
7. See “Improving the Quality of Your Solid Streams,” Jim Regan and Andrew A. Fredericks, Fire Engineering, Apr. 2000, 59-72.
DAVID “CHIP” COMSTOCK JR. is a 22-year fire service veteran and chief of the Western Reserve Joint Fire District in Poland, Ohio. He is a chief fire officer designee and lectures on fire service topics relating to chief and company officer operations, liability, and personnel issues. Comstock is an attorney in the firm of Comstock, Springer & Wilson Co., L.P.A., in Youngstown, Ohio. His law practice focuses on insurance defense litigation, including governmental liability and insurance fraud/arson cases.
JEFF SHUPE is a career firefighter with more than 29 years of service. He is a member of the Cleveland (OH) Fire Department and has been a volunteer firefighter and a training officer for a small combination fire department. He has an associate’s degree in fire technology and attended the University of Cincinnati Fire Protection Engineering program. He is an adjunct instructor of the Ohio Fire Academy and an FDIC H.O.T. instructor.
