Preincident intelligence (PII)-commonly known as preincident planning, preincident survey, or risk assessment-is a vital fire department resource. Its objective is to identify hazards and response limitations in your community. Knowing the hazards and types of construction in your protection area determines the type of equipment you will maintain and the areas of training you will emphasize. As remedial as this may sound, many fire departments do not have a comprehensive knowledge of what they are protecting.
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Ideally, gathering preincident intelligence starts prior to the construction of a new facility or development. From unspoiled land to the finished product, it is important to be involved in the planning, construction, and occupancy processes. By taking an active role in each of these phases, you will be more prepared to effectively direct fireground operations. PII will aid in reducing the unknowns. Unknowns will always be present at incidents regardless of how sophisticated your intelligence-gathering program may be, but you reduce the number of unknowns by gathering preincident intelligence and applying it during preincident exercises and suppression operations.
Aggressive PII practices will identify critical response information. The name of a facility does not always indicate its true occupancy. Making assumptions about an occupancy without gathering PII can lead to disaster. For example, you cannot always assume that a church is a church is a church. Churches are often stereotyped as occupancies that have extraordinary occupancy loads primarily on Sundays. Today, however, churches are becoming “full-service” facilities: They provide child care, recreation programs, and food service. Moreover, these activities are no longer exclusive to Sunday mornings but are conducted daily. Fire departments must be aware of these church functions.
CALVARY CHURCH
 (1) Fellowship Hall with some of its folding partitions in use. The Hall, which can seat 600, can be divided into six compartments. (Photos by author.) |
After two years of construction, the new Calvary Church, in Manheim Township, has taken occupancy in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. The $18 million facility is by far the largest building of assembly in the local fire company’s first-due response area. The facility occupies 200,000 square feet (the size of the building is just under that of a typical Wal-Mart superstore) and is a “full-service” church. Its various uses meet the definition of several occupancy categories. Lancaster County is a well-known tourist area. The church seats more people than any other exhibit hall or tourist attraction in the county, including the 1,500-seat Lancaster Mennonite Fine Arts Center; the 1,650-seat American Music Theater; and the 2,047-seat Sight & Sound Millennium Theater. The main sanctuary seats nearly 2,500 people and has a series of catwalks hidden within the ceiling area. A separate chapel seats another 320. A nine-room nursery can house up to 100 infants, and Fellowship Hall, with folding partitions that can divide the large room into six compartments, can seat another 600.
 (2) Numerous classrooms, constructed primarily of metal studs and interior masonry block walls, run off hallways that exceed the length of the local fire department’s preconnects. |
The facility also maintains numerous classrooms for bible study, a gymnasium with two full-sized basketball courts, and a stage. Although the facility does not present an aboveground height challenge, it is four levels. The two main entrances are located on the third level. The church foundation was graded down and built belowgrade to appease neighbors who opposed the huge facility.
The facility is located in a fast-growing combination area bordered to the east by a limited-access highway; to the north by farmland; to the west by a residential housing development; and to the south by a 300-unit, high-density condominium/townhouse complex.
 (3) The kitchen area, which includes a walk-in cooler and freezer, is on side 4, ground level, and may be in use any day of the week. |
Manheim Township, the second most populated municipality after the city of Lancaster, has a population of more than 30,000. It is served by three volunteer fire companies. Eden Fire Company No. 1 is the first-due response agency for the facility. (The apparatus due is maintained in the computer-aided dispatch system at the Lancaster Countywide Communications Center, the central dispatching point for all police, fire, and EMS units in the county.) Eden operates a 1,500-gpm pumper with 1,500 feet of five-inch supply hose, a 102-foot ladder tower, and a medium-duty rescue.
PREOCCUPANCY INCIDENT
Although fire department personnel followed the construction progress of the project, the department’s PII practices were heightened after a response to a structural collapse during construction. As wooden trusses were being positioned, one fell, precipitating a domino effect that resulted in the collapse of 50- and 80-foot-span wood trusses. Six construction workers were trapped and injured-one critically. At this time, the department realized it had to become aggressively involved in gathering PII for facilities being planned or under construction. This became especially important since some of the fire department’s recommendations for improved fire safety were not implemented because of cost or aesthetic considerations.
RESPONSE HAZARDS
Eden Fire Company officials followed the construction progress and noted the facility’s inherent dangers and response limitations. The next-due automatic-aid company, Neffsville Community Fire Company, was invited to participate in a tour and tabletop exercise of the facility with Eden officials, who worked with the Manheim Township Office of Code Compliance during the construction process. Several response-improving recommendations were made to the facility, including the installation of multiple lock box locations for prompt fire department access. Before the facility could receive its occupancy permit, the local fire company had to tour the building.
The fire company also requested that the facility purchase specialized equipment such as a thermal imaging camera, hose for “church packs,” and fans to aid in smoke removal. Not all the requests were granted. The facility, however, meets the township’s minimum code requirements. Manheim Township follows 1996 Building Officials Code Administrators (BOCA) codes. The church’s configuration does not meet the criteria for standpipe installation listed in Section 915.0. Although it is four levels, it doesn’t meet the height criterion, since the floor level of the highest story is not more than 30 feet above the lowest level of fire department vehicle access and, conversely, the floor level of the lowest story is not more than 30 feet below the highest level of fire department vehicle access. Following the project from the ground up enabled fire officials to identify many of the existing hazards and to consider alternate methods of addressing them.
ACCESS
Access to the facility is a concern. There are four primary accesses, including two main lobby entrances on Level 3, on opposite sides of the building. A third entrance, located on Level 2, leads to the gymnasium’s balcony and Fellowship Hall areas. The fourth entrance, on Level 1, leads to the gymnasium and stage area. Three of the four accesses were outfitted with a lock box, each containing grand master, pull station, and elevator keys.
There is only one annunciator panel to indicate the alarm’s location, even though the fire company had requested additional panels, which were not added because of their cost. An emergency stair tower is next to each lobby entrance. Although the location is beneficial for hoseline deployment, there is no external key hardware so that the door can to be opened from the exterior. Therefore, to access a fire through the stair tower, firefighters must do the following: go to the lock box to get the appropriate key(s), enter the building through the lobby door, and go around the corner and into the stair tower. Then, the door can be opened from the outside.
OCCUPANT LOAD
 (5) Fifty trusses fell on six workers, who were injured-one critically. |
The population capacity of the building and accounting for those in attendance during an emergency are concerns. The average population at a Sunday service exceeds 2,000, and attendees range from infants to the elderly. The self-preservation demographics will affect evacuation measures and search and rescue operations. During an actual fire event, panic-stricken parents will be aggressive in their efforts to locate their children, especially those in the nursery. Assisting the elderly will be labor-intensive. Responders must be aware that congested exits will affect the efficiency of gaining access.
INTERIOR OPEN SPACE/TEMPORARY DOORS/COMPARTMENTS
The interior open space and lengthy hallways are other hazards. The length of classroom hallways, the overall open space in the lobby and other rooms, and access contiguous to the lobby exceed preconnected hoseline lengths. Eden’s longest preconnected handline is 400 feet, including 200 feet of three-inch hose wyed to 200 feet of 13/4-inch. Depending on the engine company’s placement, this line may get personnel to the middle of the lobby if they’re lucky. There are no standpipes in the facility, so the fire department must develop contingencies.
Search and rescue efforts may be hampered according to the use of temporary folding walls. Fellowship Hall may be one large room with seating for 600 people, or it may be divided into six compartments seating 100 persons each. The gymnasium can also be divided in two by a folding wall. Only when crews have entered these areas will they know if these obstacles are in place.
SUPPLY LINE LAYS
Laying a supply line will require a significant amount of hose, especially to the extreme rear of the complex. Identifying the fire’s location and the properly positioning of apparatus will prevent the unnecessary deployment of “spaghetti.” Preincident intelligence indicates that hoselays up to 1,500 feet may be needed to reach certain access points. Understanding the capabilities of mutual-aid apparatus is essential. Whereas the county standard for an engine company supply line is 500 feet, knowing and using the correct engines will favorably affect the efficiency of supply line deployment. Neffsville, the second-due engine company, carries 2,200 feet of five-inch hose. Its other engine carries only 800 feet.
ELEVATION
Elevation variances and multilevels are other concerns. Very few occupancies in the Eden first-due area present these kinds of problems to the extremes that this facility does. Although there is ground-level access to Level 1, the ground level is also maintained at Levels 2 and 3. Anticipated problems include firefighter disorientation and confusion in issuing incident command instructions.
SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES
 (7) Side 1 of the facility has no access points. |
A courtyard within the complex raises an elevation concern. The kitchen and Fellowship Hall are at ground level on side 4 near the courtyard. Yet, these same areas are actually the second level to the courtyard, which has three access points. Occupants and firefighters could confuse these double-door access points with the exits. Firefighters must be certain to cover this area during search and rescue operations.
DETECTION/SUPPRESSION
The facility is equipped with smoke detectors and is partially sprinklered. A fire department connection is at the south entrance. However, as noted, there are no standpipe connections. Hoseline deployment will come exclusively from apparatus preconnects. The building’s one annunciator panel is at the east side en-trance. The building is alarmed into several areas, including Administration, Education, Recreation, Nursery, Music, Fellowship, Classroom, and Sanctuary.
CONSTRUCTION
 (8) Side 3 provides the primary access to the gymnasium area. Three of the structure’s four levels are visible from this vantage point. |
The classrooms and areas surrounding the sanctuary are constructed primarily of metal studs and interior masonry block walls. The roof trusses are wood with gusset plates. Roofing is primarily plywood sheathing covered by asphalt shingles. The gymnasium, however, is of steel-beam construction with corrugated insulated walls and corrugated metal decking covered by rubber roofing material.
TRAFFIC
Fire apparatus access would be hampered by hundreds of parked vehicles of members of the congregation and cars attempting to exit from the complex. Apparatus response may be delayed at certain times of the day. Four other churches that also draw extraordinary attendance are within one mile of the Calvary Church. The roadway system leading to and from these facilities was not designed for the traffic load. Four of the five churches exit directly onto Oregon Pike (Route 272). Although Calvary Church is located on Landis Valley Road, most of its traffic also converges onto Oregon Pike. Extreme congestion occurs. In some cases, it takes nearly an hour for the parking lot to clear. Response time to incidents occurring after services or that necessitate emergency vehicles’ traveling through this area will increase. Alternate routes may be accessed.
OVERCOMING THE OBSTACLES
Although in some respects the situation looks bleak, the reality is that fire officials are aware of the hazards and can put in place contingency plans to overcome them.
Firefighter Safety
 (9) The chapel, which seats 300 and extends from side 4, can be accessed only from the inside of the church. |
Because of the open space within the facility, firefighter disorientation is a great concern. The company is currently researching a search/tag line program in which each SCBA will be equipped with a tag line. This program, however, has many logistical issues that need to be resolved.
Another suggestion the fire department made to the facility was to mark the bottom of each door, especially in the stairwells, with the floor number and area reference so that firefighters could identify their locations. This was not done because of aesthetics.
PII Maps
Mapping is an important tool in disseminating and applying PII. The hand-drawn map (we do not yet have computer-aided drafting or onboard computer technology) and other PII information are bound in books that are placed in all fire apparatus and the command vehicle. The map not only illustrates the layout of the property and facility but also specifies reference points critical to effective and efficient incident command operations. Is everyone on the same sheet of paper, so to speak? “Side reference 1” may not mean the same to a mutual-aid company. References can be understood when there is more than one apparatus access. Specifically marking these aspects on a map and distributing them to mutual-aid companies will prevent miscommunication. As an example, without predetermined reference points, instructions might be to “take the first entrance and position on side 4.” Without a map, and assuming that apparatus officers know exactly what entrance and side are meant, errors could be made. Depending on the direction from which mutual-aid apparatus are responding, the first entrance may be different. With a map, the incident commander can prelabel the entrance and side. Instructions could then be simplified to “take entrance A to side 4.”
Another instruction reference is to the numbering of the parking rows, which permits giving precise instructions for positioning the apparatus deploying supply hose. The parking rows are numbered in ascending order with side reference numbers-for example, parking row 2-4 would indicate side 2, row 4.
RESPONSE
Because of the extraordinary circumstances the facility presents, fire officers reviewed the standard response to a church incident. Now, a reported structure fire response to the church includes three engine companies, two truck companies, a rescue squad, and an ambulance. General assignments are predetermined for each apparatus. It is important that the predetermined assignments not be charged to specific apparatus, since apparatus may not arrive in the order anticipated, may be out of service, or may be committed on another call. Instead of assigning Engine 1 fire attack, for example, identify general objectives for apparatus such as the following: “The first-arriving engine is fire attack,” “The second-arriving engine takes the fire department connection,” and “The third engine pumps the hydrant.”
HOSELINE OPERATIONS
This facility has caused the local fire department to review its ability to respond to the challenges posed by the church. Hoseline advancement will be hampered. Doors must be chocked to avoid couplings’ catching between a closing door and its frame. Preconnected handlines may be ineffective or short, depending on the fire’s location. Developing a “church pack” similar to the concept of a “high-rise pack” was necessary to overcome the lack of standpipes.
VENTILATION
There are few alternatives for smoke/heat removal, since there are no vertical openings and fire department HVAC controls for removing smoke are limited. Positive-pressure ventilation may be possible in some areas; however, smoke removal will be a challenge.
It is important to get out in your community and see what is really out there. Whenever the opportunity exists, become involved in gathering PII and identifying service concerns of a new facility prior to, during, and after construction. This will increase your knowledge of the facility and its dangers and will allow you to prepare for those dangers and response limitations.
The most important aspect of PII is practice. Tabletop, functional, and full-scale exercises are critical for enhancing all facets of preemergency preparedness, from understanding the PII maps to actually carrying out the tactical objectives. Regardless of how well aware you are of the dangers present at a facility or how sophisticated the PII maps may be, it will mean nothing if you do not review the plans, train using them, and practice them.
ERIC G. BACHMAN, an 18-year veteran of the fire service, is the hazardous materials administrator for the County of Lancaster (PA) Emergency Management Agency and deputy chief and former chief of Eden Fire Company No. 1. He has an associate’s degree in fire science and is certified by the National Board on Fire Service Professional Qualifications as a Fire Officer I, Hazardous Materials Technician, and Hazardous Materials Incident Commander and in emergency management through the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency. He is public information officer for the Lancaster County Local Emergency Planning Committee, a volunteer firefighter with the Manheim (PA) Fire Company, and a duty officer for the Haz Mat 2 Environmental Fire Rescue Company in Lancaster.
