Three-Line Attack Gives Assurance at House Fires
departments
The Volunteers Corner
Although most residential fires are extinguished with the use of a single hose line, they are responsible for a majority of the fire deaths in the United States. Furthermore, the National Fire Data Center has estimated that two thirds of the “large fires”—those that spread beyone the room of origin—occur in residential occupancies.
Therefore, house fires warrant an aggressive attack that will accomplish a quick knockdown of the fire combined with simultaneous action to contain the fire before it spreads to other parts of the building. In other words, the wood frame house fire (brick veneer houses are wood frame houses with brick topcoat) demands as much of a professional attack as a four-story factory.
Standard operating procedures should be developed to handle working fires in houses. If everyone is familiar with such procedures, a coordinated, aggressive attack can be made effectively on the largest of house fires. At the simple fire where only a brief application of water from a single line eliminates the problem, the full-scale SOP is abbreviated but held in reserve in the event that the fire does not react the way the size-up said it should.
Three-line attack: A basic operation that can handle all but the largest house fires is a three-line attack with l 1/2 or 1 3/4-inch lines—lines that range from 50 to 125 gpm. The first line goes to the blazing room and attempts to darken down the fire. The second line usually backs up the first line and the third line goes to the floor above the fire to cut off any upward extension of fire.
With these three lines, we have now provided for protection of interior exposures, confinement of the fire and extinguishment of the fire.
Now the men in charge of these three lines have to remember that fire fighting demands continual exercise of judgment and standard operating procedures should be regarded as guidelines—not dogma engraved in granite. For example, if the first line is operating safely on the first floor at 2 o’clock in the morning, the second line might best go directly to the second floor because at that time of night, there is quite likely a rescue problem above the fire. In such a case, the third line would back up the first line.
At another fire, there might be an immediate rescue problem on the second floor, and the first line might have to give the fire on the first floor a brief dash of water just to slow it down and then go to the second floor to handle the rescue work. This would place on the second line the responsibility for continuing the fire attack and protecting the men on the first line from being cut off by fire. The third line would then he used where the situation indicated the most need.
Big lines: The SOP attack we have outlined requires no more than six men on the lines. It also requires a minimum of two men to ventilate and do search and rescue work.
When immediate control of the fire does not occur, then a backup 2 1/2-inch line— which can provide up to 325 gpm—should be stretched to the entrance of the building. If you are really shorthanded, there is nothing wrong with the operator of the working pump leaving the pump under governor or relief valve control and stretching this line with the help of the operator of the second pumper.
Because so few house fires require an initial attack with large volumes of water—2 1/2-inch lines—the officer of the first-in engine must always be quick to recognize the big fire. He should be alert for the fire situation that calls for the two responding engine companies to stretch 2 1/2-inch or larger lines from the fire to a water source—hydrants or a river or pond. This not only saves time in developing a large rate of water application, it also saves houses.
Control the stairs: One of the axioms of fire fighting is that control of the stairs is a vital step in controlling a fire in any building-including houses. In the first place, control of the stairway removes the possibility of it becoming a flue for the advancement of fire to an upper floor. Furthermore, a stairway provides the best route for removing occupants endangered by the fire. So attaining control of the stairs at the start of the fire attack both helps confine the fire and facilitate rescue work.
Control of the stairway also makes it easier for fire fighters to advance lines to upper stories. Much time can be lost raising ladders and advancing lines over them to get to an upper floor. If necessary, stretching a 2 1/2-inch line to provide a high enough water application rate to gain control of the stairs can be faster than going the ladder route except under extreme conditions.
Most of all, you must operate hose lines inside a house—or any other building—if you are going to prevent a total loss. The name of the game is to get inside. That’s where the operation of hose streams is most effective. That’s where you can best see the fire and control hose streams so that they hit fire and not interior partitions shielding the fire.
When your hose lines are outside the building, they are only partially effective at best, and the fire is continuing to consume the structure right in front of your nozzles.
