Autoexposure

When we think of autoexposure, we may think of the fire just extending upward from one floor to another or, in other cases, “leapfrogging” up the outside of the structure on numerous floors. Recently, we’ve seen fires rapidly burn up the exterior cladding of high-rise buildings, causing the whole facade to erupt in flames and extend into the building—even causing multiple fatalities at some incidents. Years ago, we used to recognize asphalt siding shingles and nickname them “gasoline siding,” but today we may have a modern equivalent in the exterior cladding on a building that is partially made of plastic. Everyone from the firefighter on the nozzle to the incident commander must recognize autoexposure, and it may not just be from floor to floor.

Gasoline Siding

Asphalt faux brick siding became popular years ago because it was much more weather resistant and held up for years compared to wood clapboard siding. Many times, this siding is hidden beneath aluminum or vinyl siding, and it’s not until the fire is venting out a window that we see the new siding engulfed or melt away and the asphalt siding rapidly begin to burn because of its hydrocarbon base. Numerous older homes in areas where the buildings are only a few feet apart will have rapid autoexposure to the adjoining structures.

Pulling up first due to a well-involved fire with this type of siding may encourage an engine to stretch a line to the structure and use its deck pipe stream on the exposure or, if staffing permits, stretch another line immediately to provide exposure protection. Firefighters entering these structures to perform a search must be aware that the fire may spread rapidly through the exterior siding and cut off a secondary means of egress out a window.

In windy conditions, these shingles have become flying discs and have rained down on members operating on the fireground. In addition, they’ve released large flying brands, and the incident commander may have to direct a company to perform brand patrol on the blocks surrounding the incident.

Once the fire is knocked down and the siding is compromised, overhauling tactics may require that firefighters operate out of the tower ladder bucket to strip the siding off the structure, drive a stream up the exterior of the building to peel off the shingles, or use long-handled hooks to pull the siding off.

Vehicle Fires

When responding to vehicle fires, it’s easy to get in the mindset that it’s just a car fire. We’re all looking to see that black column in the sky that lets us know it’s “well off.” Pulling into the block and seeing the vehicle between two buildings or backed up to the building making a delivery might just change our “let’s grab the trash line on the front bumper” mentality.

Today with magnesium engines and transmissions, vehicle fires burn much differently than in years past. Add the threat of the buildings being endangered with autoexposure potential, and someone had better be thinking of establishing a positive water source and checking for extension.

Recently, we responded to a fire in a van that was parked in the entranceway of the structure so the people moving out had an easier time removing their belongings. When the van erupted in fire, the flames began to melt and burn the curtains and blinds inside the apartments and cut off access to the building’s front door. Entering through a rear door, we had to force a few apartment doors. Once inside their smoky atmospheres, we reached the exposed rooms and tore down the melting curtains and blinds and soaked them in the bathtub.

It’s important for the nozzle firefighter to knock down the fire quickly while also protecting him and his crew from some of the auto’s hazards. He should get the stream between the building and the vehicle so as not to push by-products toward the structure. If the vehicle is well-involved, hit the tires for a few seconds while approaching to cool them down to prevent them from exploding. Directing the stream up into the underside of the vehicle’s roof disperses the stream to many areas inside the car. It’s okay to extend the nozzle inside the vehicle a few feet and just hold the hose and rotate it around so you’re out of the way of an exploding air bag or air bag gas canister.

Floor to Floor Vertically and Horizontally

Whenever you see fire out the windows, be aware of the potential for autoexposure. When the fire occurs near a shaftway, the threat of autoexposure is even worse, especially if the shaftway is narrow or the windows have portable air-conditioner units in them. Normally, you think the fire will just be extending above by autoexposure and require an additional hoseline to extinguish that extension. Unfortunately, we had an unusual experience where the fire was in a rear bedroom that had a flimsy wooden door that served as a secondary means of egress for the tenants to exit onto the fire escape.

When the fire occurred there, it spread horizontally to the adjoining apartment’s wooden exit door and through the two exposed wooden doors on the upper floor through the fire escape’s metal floor slats. The fire cut off one tenant from the apartment’s front door and fire escape, so he had to be rescued with the tower ladder when he appeared at the smoke-filled window. Now, four apartments had severe smoke conditions and fire extending into them. Luckily, the initial line was able to get through the burning room and fire debris to the window and direct its stream vertically and horizontally into the shaft to decrease the amount of fire extension. A simple room-and-contents fire caused horizontal and vertical autoexposure and, thankfully, was extinguished with a second-alarm assignment.

MICHAEL N. CIAMPO is a 33-year veteran of the fire service and a lieutenant in the Fire Department of New York. Previously, he served with the District of Columbia Fire Department. He has a bachelor’s degree in fire science from John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City. He is the lead instructor for the FDIC Truck Essentials H.O.T. program. He wrote the Ladders and Ventilation chapters for Fire Engineering’s Handbook for Firefighter I and II (Fire Engineering, 2009) and the Bread and Butter Portable Ladders DVD and is featured in “Training Minutes” truck company videos on www.FireEngineering.com.