BY ROBBIE J. HARRIS
Firefighters often reflect on fires of the past, remembering the ones that were stopped, those that could have been stopped, and those that got away. When we reflect, we remember the buildings we were in and any special hazards or circumstances that might have been present during those times. It is safe to say that we try to learn from what we have seen and done.
Sometimes, the obvious is not always apparent in an incident/fire call. The call to which the Davenport (IA) Fire Department responded on December 6, 2009, was one such incident. At 2350 hours, a report of a house fire at 901 Farnam Street was dispatched. This building was built in 1900 and had been converted from a single-family to a multifamily dwelling. With 6,601 square feet of space, a 2½-story height, wood-frame balloon construction, and walls and ceilings made of lath and plaster, this building presented many challenges (photo 1).
1 Photos by author. |
As the first units arrived on scene, there were reports of fire showing from two first-floor windows on the A/D side. Exterior extension was noted from both openings, with autoexposure to the second-floor window on the A and D sides and under the eave on the D side. Crews entered the building and made an aggressive interior attack. Extension lines were pulled to the second floor, and extinguishment was accomplished. The incident commander (IC) ordered that the attic be checked; crews were told to find the attic access. The crews then began searching for extension to the attic access.
While crews on the second floor started looking for the attic access, smoke conditions were moderate and banked down to the floor. Crews used thermal imaging cameras, pike poles, and other tools to find an access to the attic. After several attempts and a lot of frustration, the crews were ordered to make a scuttle hole. Firefighters encountered lath and plaster with solid wood subflooring when pulling the ceiling.
Truck company crews requested chain saws, folding ladders, a hoseline, and pike poles to make a 4 × 4 access point to the attic. This hole was on the second-floor middle bedroom on the B side (photo 2). The hole was cut and finished in less than five minutes. When crews started to make entry into the modified scuttle hole, all companies on scene were told that a stairwell to the attic had been found and that it would be the one and only access point to the attic.
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INDICATIONS
Once the smoke cleared and the fire was declared to be out, the obvious became clear: The 360° assessment in the initial size-up did not reveal a C-side door on the second floor above the back-porch roof that apparently led to nowhere (photo 3). This door later was a major clue to the stairwell leading to the attic. Our research showed that older homes in this area had been modified on the exterior, in the interior, or both. We know the inherent dangers of structural fires, and we also know that building construction plays a major role in how we fight the fire and how it grows. With building modifications, doors must be identified so access to upper floors is not delayed.
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After I was told that the stairwell had been found after completing the modified scuttle hole, I was relieved and curious about where and how the stairwell was found. Before cutting the hole on the second floor, my crew spent some time searching for a scuttle hole, pull-down stairs, or a stairwell to the attic. While searching for attic access and in thinking back later, I recalled that there were several missed clues in finding the hidden stairwell to the attic near the C/D corner of the house.
One clue that crews missed was a closet door that had storage space under the interior stairway to the attic. This space was on the C/D side, and the door that opened to the storage space was thought to be the pitch to the roof peak (photo 4). Later in the incident, that notion was proved wrong and was ultimately established to be one of the main factors that led to the finding of the hidden stairwell.
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When the order to make a scuttle hole was given, most of the crews focused their attention on helping complete this assignment. The IC, however, kept one crew searching for any access to the attic, which led to the finding of the stairwell. The crew that kept searching for any access point found the closet door, behind which was thought to be the slope of the roof to its peak. The company officer then determined that this was not the slope of the roof but stairs leading up. The investigation led the crew to an adjacent room, a bathroom with four walls intact and a small sliding casement window on the D side (photo 5).
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The crew was ordered to make a vertical cut with an ax along the inside of two adjoining studs on the C side to expose what was behind the lath and plaster. The crews found an open space that led to an open stairway (photo 6). The officer then gave the command to take out as much of the wall as possible for entry. On entry, command was notified of the findings, and he gave permission to enter this space, which was confirmed to be a stairwell leading to the attic.
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LESSONS LEARNED
Our officers are trained to evaluate what is in front of them by conditions, building construction, size and stories, occupancy, and mode. The first company on scene did a good job in sizing up the A, B, and D sides from the rig (270° size-up), making initial assignments, and establishing command. When the district chief arrived on scene, command was transferred, and a 360° size-up was conducted; the door on the C/D corner went unnoticed. In looking at the structure, we can see the door is apparent on the C side and the D side, showing a six- to eight-foot space from the C/D corner to the small sliding casement window (photo 7).
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We also learned through our Community Service Division and Building Department that when older homes are renovated and modified to a multifamily dwelling, bathrooms are required for each residence. If a bathroom is not present, then one has to be added in that specific residence.
In looking at this particular structure, we can tell from the exterior that there is a door, a space between the C/D corner and the bathroom window, and a slanted roof. All are indicators that a stairwell may have existed.
This challenge demonstrated that knowing your building construction is not limited to knowing just the type; it also includes taking into consideration any modifications done to the building. Policies need to be established for controlling building modifications and providing guidelines concerning them.
Any time buildings are changed from a single-family to a multifamily dwelling, plans that will alter existing floor plans must be coordinated with and approved by both the fire and building departments to ensure that codes and standards are not violated. Special care needs to be taken to maintain fire safety standards, minimize hazards to occupants, and give us an understanding of what has been modified. Knowing that these hidden spaces exist and where they are can shorten the time it takes to direct resources and increase the chances for a successful incident.
ROBBIE J. HARRIS is a captain in the Davenport (IA) Fire Department, where he has served for 17 years. Previously, he was a member of the Muscatine (IA) Fire Department (1992-1994). He has a BA degree from St. Ambrose University and an MS in education from Western Illinois University and is a graduate of the National Fire Academy’s Executive Fire Officer Program.
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