Although this week’s featured firefighting near-miss report takes place 25 years ago, it contains a variety of lessons that are just as important today as they were on the day of the event. The focus of this week’s report is the opposing hoseline incident. However, as you read this report, feel free to select other factors you identify as being worthy of discussing with your crewmembers and personnel. H. G. Wells said, “History is a race between education and catastrophe.” This week’s report is a “history” lesson we can use to educate and avert catastrophe.
“We were dispatched for a house fire with a possible victim inside. I was on the first-in engine with an acting officer. I masked up while the officer pulled a 1 1/2” pre-connect to the back of the house and started flowing water into the basement window. The officer told me to search the interior for the possible victim. I proceeded to the front and waited for back-up.
We entered with a handline, searching down the center hallway of a ranch style home. As we entered the bedroom above where the fire was coming out the basement window, I was very cautious and took off my glove to feel the floor to see how the floor temperature was… We then proceeded to the bedroom across the hallway to the only room that had not been searched following the same procedure as the previous room. Only this time when I eased my weight onto the bed, the legs of the bed punched through the floor and I thought I was going to the basement. Visibility during these two searches was smoke to the floor, moderate heat and 1 to 2 feet of vision.
At this point in the fire, we had not gained access to the basement… At this point I had not seen my officer since he pulled the pre-connect to the rear…
Radio was marginal at best and not everyone had/has one…when told by the IC to enter the structure to locate the basement and then the fire, no one else knew it on scene… we arrived at that door the same time the back door was open and at the same time my officer opened the nozzle again on the opposite end of the house, thus driving the fire out the two openings that were now open. This pinned me and two FFs behind me to the floor from flames and heat. It was hot enough to make the aerosol cans next to me under the sink explode…
Opposing hoselines often result in injuries to firefighters. So the fireground should be organized so that each personnel know what the plan is, how the attack will take place and what each member’s role is in the plan. In addition, having a strong command team ensures additional safeguards are in place to prevent hazards like opposing hoselines. Once you have read the entire account (CLICK HERE), consider the following:
1. What steps do you take to ensure all personnel on scene understand where the point of attack will take place?
2.If an opposing hoseline is identified on your department’s fireground, how quickly can it be shut down and controlled?
3. Who or what controls the placement of hoselines on the scene of your department’s structure fires?
4. What is the best advice you can give to your fellow firefighters to protect them if they are caught in an opposing hoseline situation?
5. Does your department provide portable radios for all riding positions? If not, what is the timetable and potential funding sources for acquiring them?
Have you experienced a near miss due to opposing hoselines? Intervene to prevent opposing hoselines from going in service? Tell your story on www.firefighternearmiss.com to help another department avoid the trap of opposing hoselines.
Note: The questions posed by the reviewers are designed to generate discussion and thought in the name of promoting firefighter safety. They are not intended to pass judgment on the actions and performance of individuals in the reports.
