BY FRANK C. MONTAGNA
The call was for a water leak in an apart-ment on the second floor of a four-story apartment building. It had been raining heavily for the past three days and the ladder company had responded to numerous water leak calls during the deluge. Typically, these calls were the result of a leaky roof, a porous wall, or a window that needed caulking.
Usually, there was not much that the firefighters could do to stop the leak, except check to see if the leak had affected the building’s electrical system and if so, shut down that portion of the system. If the ceiling was saturated and in danger of falling, they could poke a hole in it and allow the excess water to drain out. They would use the back end of the pike pole so they would not pull down a large section of the ceiling as they withdrew the pole. If necessary, they might pull down additional portions of the saturated plaster or gypsum board so that they would not fall and injure the occupants after the firefighters left. They could also place salvage covers to protect furniture and to channel the water into a sink or bucket.
 (1) Use salvage covers to reduce the damage from leaking water and falling plaster. (Photos by author.) |
This call seemed to be just another routine call. The firefighters arrived at the caller’s second-floor apartment. The occupant had pots all over her apartment, strategically placed to catch the water leaking from her ceiling. Obviously, the problem was above them. The officer brought personnel upstairs and found the same condition on the floor above.
The problem was on the roof, where firefighters found a lake. The building’s roof was 100 feet wide by 150 feet deep and had about one inch of water over the entire area, contained by the parapet. The roof sloped from all sides toward the center where there was a drain. The water was not flowing down the drain, but there was no apparent clog at the drain, so they surmised the clog must be in the drainpipe.
The officer instructed his firefighters to bring the salvage pump to the roof and to pump the water off the roof. While two of his firefighters went for the pump, the officer sent two other firefighters to check for hazardous conditions in the building. They reported that the drainpipe, which descended through the center of the building, appeared to be leaking water into the top-floor apartments on both sides of the drainpipe. From there, it was spilling down into the lower-floor apartments. In the involved apartments, the lath-and-plaster ceilings were waterlogged and threatening to fall. When informed of this, the officer called for another company and a chief.
This was turning out to be more than a routine water leak. The heavy saturated ceilings were a hazard to the occupants, and the officer would have to remove the occupants until the situation was remedied.
The two firefighters checking the involved apartments were putting a hole in a waterlogged ceiling when a large section of it collapsed on top of them. The weight of the lath-and-plaster ceiling combined with the added weight of the water knocked them to the ground. It hit one firefighter directly on his helmet, rendering him unconscious. It hit the second firefighter with a glancing blow on his helmet and a solid blow on his shoulder, causing him to fall over backward. The second firefighter, seeing his partner down and unconscious, called for help on his portable radio.
Once again, a routine response turned out not to be routine. Luckily, the firefighters were wearing their protective clothing. Their helmets deflected the blow and absorbed the shock from what could have been a serious injury. They were also lucky that the roof was able to support the weight of the pooled water.
I responded to one building collapse that resulted from a leaky roof. It had been detected and reported to the building’s owner, but he ignored it. The front wall of the six-story apartment building and part of the roof suddenly collapsed, dumping the contents of the floors into the street. An unsupported lean-to collapse of all six floors and a pile of brick and other debris in front of the building resulted. There was no warning before the collapse-one moment, there was a front wall and the next, there wasn’t. Had firefighters been called to that building for the water leak a few minutes before the collapse, they would have been under the rubble in the street.
The next time you respond to a water leak or a flooded roof, in all probability it will be a minor incident and no one will get hurt, but what if ellipse? Even at routine water leaks, always wear your protective gear, and always take basic precautions.
SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS
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A flooded roof may already be near collapse. When encountering a flooded roof, remember that with the weight of the water, the roof may already be close to the point of collapse. As the water weight increases, the beams will sag in the center, and the beam ends will pull away from their supports. In a worst-case scenario, the beam ends will fall off their supports or the beams will crack in the center. In either case, the result is a collapse that may trigger further secondary collapse.
Consider also that the water may be leaking down into the building, causing internal structural damage-washing away mortar in aged brickwork or rusting supporting steel beams, columns, or lintels. If this leak has existed for some time, the damage could be severe enough to cause a structural collapse.
 (3) A water leak damaged this lath-and-plaster ceiling. A six-foot pike pole would place this firefighter out of harm’s way should a large area of the ceiling collapse. |
Additional weight may collapse an already overloaded roof. Water weighs 62.4 pounds per cubic foot, and the weight of one inch of water on the 100- by 150-foot roof mentioned above would be about 78,000 pounds. If you step onto the roof to assess or remedy the problem, step gingerly and with a minimum of additional personnel. Your weight might be the straw that breaks the camel’s back. Do not in any case jump off a ladder or parapet onto the roof! The impact load will be far greater than the load you created by just walking on the roof. The roof is already carrying weight beyond its intended capacity and any additional weight, especially an impact load, could cause the roof to fail.
Remove building occupants if they are or may be in danger. Determine if the occupants are in danger and if so, remove them from the danger area. This may require removing them from their apartment or even evacuating the entire building. You may need assistance from other agencies to provide shelter for the displaced occupants. Call for such help early in the incident if needed, rather than having the building occupants stand out in the rain waiting for help to arrive.
Use tools, not hands, to unclog drains. Never use your hand to clear a clogged drain. If attempting to unclog the roof drain, be aware of the suction effect created when the drain is cleared. Your hand could be pulled down into the drain by the suction created when the water starts to flow down the drain. Use a tool instead. In one instance, a maintenance man tried to clear a clogged roof drain with his hand. He successfully cleared the drain, but when the water started to flow, the suction pulled his arm into the now-functioning drain. Luckily, he was able to keep his head above water and call for help. To free him, the fire department had to cut and remove a section of the drainpipe. The maintenance man was then transported with his arm still in the cut section of pipe to the hospital.
Remove the water from the roof. Drain the water off the roof with salvage pumps or any other means available. Use a rubber hose to siphon the water off the roof by submerging it, folding one end back on itself and then letting the still-folded end hang over the roof. Rubber hose will not kink; cotton-jacketed hose will. When it is unfolded, water will siphon off the roof through the hose.
Beware of the parapets. If parapets enclose the flooded roof area, the weight of the water, pressing against the parapet, may cause it to fail. Parapets are not intended to withstand the lateral pressure of the water.
Drain a saturated ceiling with the back end of the pike pole from a protected area. If a ceiling has absorbed water and is threatening to collapse, first poke a small hole in the ceiling with the back end of a pike pole, which will allow any accumulated water to drain out of the space above the ceiling. Use the six-foot pike pole’s reach to keep yourself out from under the area of potential collapse. Once the water is drained, again using the pole’s reach but this time with the hook end, gingerly pull down the worst of the soggy ceiling. Be aware that a large area of damaged plaster may suddenly come down. If possible, pull the ceiling from a protected area such as from within a doorway or from another room. Remember, if the ceiling does collapse, your protective equipment can protect you-wear it!
Use salvage covers to avoid further damage to the occupancy. Attempt to drain water into a tub, a sink, a bucket, or out a window. The occupant will appreciate anything you can do to prevent more damage. You can cover furniture or divert leaking water into the bathtub by making a ramp with a salvage cover. Try to protect personal property as well as the building from damage.
Shut off electrical power to any appliance, fixture, or wiring that is wet. Water and electricity do not mix. If the power is left on after the wires or appliances are saturated, you may be called back later for an electrical fire or have to resuscitate an electric shock victim.
Any call, even a simple water leak, could be beyond the routine. You must be alert at all times to potential dangerous conditions, and you should wear the appropriate personal protective gear. An SOP that takes into account the various things that can turn a routine response into a disaster should be in place for all of your typical responses.
FRANK C. MONTAGNA, a 31-year veteran of the fire service , is a battalion chief with the Fire Department of New York. He has been an instructor at the FDNY Probationary Firefighters School, the officer in command of the FDNY Chauffeur Training School, and an adjunct lecturer at John Jay College in New York City. He is a member of the FDNY Chief’s Association and the author of Responding to Routine Emergencies (Fire Engineering, 1999). Montagna has a bachelor’s degree in fire science and lectures on firefighting-related topics.
