Mutual Aid Fire

Check out this link to Ocean City Md. FD commercial fire in a T-Shirt shop. This email has been forwarded around locally & Chief Grace of ECFR made some good observations on the rapid changing conditions below. First check out his link here, check out the time stamps on each picture and join in on the discussion!

I’m speculating that there may have been some dynamics involved there that let the situation get away from them like it did.

1. That location is possibly an automatic alarm frequent flyer & the companies had become complacent with regard to apparatus placement. In other words: “Let’s just drive up the boardwalk right to the front door so we don’t have to walk as far. It’s probably another false alarm anyway.”
2. The private fire protection system (if there is one at all) had to have been out of service. One working sprinkler over the point of origin would have nipped that thing in the bud.
3. When a Fire Inspector comes down on shop owners about aisle space, ceiling/sprinkler head clearances, and general over-stocking, they do so to prevent fires like this one from happening.
4. If your department has a tower ladder, always consider using the bucket’s nozzle as a portable master stream device. Had they lowered the bucket to it’s lowest possible setting, they could have, from their set up point in front, knocked out the back wall of that shop with a high flow, high pressure, great reach straight stream.
They underestimated the fire’s existense and or growth potential & they were behind the 8 ball from the start.
I’m glad that you’re sharing someone else’s bad day experiences with the brothers & sisters that are truly interested in learning more about trying to do the best job possible.
Stay safe!
–
Patrick T. Grace, Battalion Chief
Escambia County Fire Rescue

Routine house fire burns two members of FWBFD’s T-6 Co.

The following is part of the actual incident report on the Laurie Dr. fire in the City of Fort Walton Beach Fl.:

“T-6, R-6, B-6, DC-6, MEFD E-11, OIFD T-4, OIFD AC-4 responded to a working structure fire. Battalion 6 arrived first, reported heavy smoke and established command. T-6 positioned in front of the structure and R-6 pulled clear of the scene and reported back.

B-6 requested another crew for R.I.T. and OCW E-3 was dispatched. The front door, front window and a window on side four were venting moderate grey/lt. brown smoke. The owner was out front, hysterical and being subdued by a bystander but was able to tell us that the fire started in the kitchen. The bystander with her stated that three dogs might be inside. T-6 Captain walked to side four and side two to evaluate the building. She noticed that the dogs had already escaped to the back yard.

T-6 crew pulled a line to the front door as R-6 went to side three to ventilate.
OIFD T-4 crew was assigned to pull a second line to the 2/3 corner of the
structure and MEFD E-11 crew was assigned to R.I.T. T-6 crew encountered a
lot of debris in the yard as they approached the front door. They could also see that there was a heavy fire load inside the house. R-6 checked the windows on side three and found that two had already vented. They finished clearing the window openings and vented other involved windows and reported their findings to command. They then went to side two to stand-by to open a side door as T-6 made entry through the front.

Battalion 6 came to the front door before T-6 made entry and advised them that the fire was located in the kitchen straight to the back. Just inside the doorway T-6 crew encountered heavy smoke and then vent point ignition occurred above them to their right side. The fire fighter behind the nozzle man and T-6 Captain yelled for the nozzle man to open the nozzle. After not feeling any change in conditions, T-6 Captain ordered the fire fighters out of the building. At about the same time the force entry FF noticed that the nozzle FF’s gear had caught on fire and the force door FF pulled nozzle FF out of the building. T-6 Captain pulled the hose line out to apply water to the nozzle FF’s gear. The flames on his gear were already extinguished, so the nozzle FF began applying water to the fire from just outside the doorway. T-6 Captain then assisted the second FF with the hose line, and the fire in the front room was knocked-down within seconds.

B-6 reported to dispatch he had two firefighters with minor injuries and needed an additional EMS unit OIFD T-4 crew along with R-6 advanced a line through the door on side 2 and assisted with extinguishment and completing a primary
search. OCW E-3 arrived E-11 crew assisted with secondary search and mop-up.”

Read the commentary and see pics of the damaged gear here

This was Filed under “flashover” on youtube. It’s a bit long but note the fire venting @ the 3:14 mark, then a little later when a crew decides to enter the structure(after fire vented thru the roof no less) @ the 5:28 mark. This is an old video from around 1993 from somewhere in America. As you watch the video what are you thinking?

 Smoke conditions? Engine Placement? Water? ect?…What do you see?

Thankfully people post videos of their operation for us all to see & learn…

ALSO, FOLLOW THIS LINK TO AN ANOTHER AMAZING FLASHOVER VIDEO SENT TO MAF FROM CAPT STONE OF FWBFD!

http://www.firehouse.com/videonetwork/index.php?showid=728330