SEARCH TIPS

BY MIKE LOMBARDO

The hallmark of a good fire department is an aggressive and thorough search. Most departments mention somewhere in their mission statements the tenet to save life and property. In reality, saving a life is really what firefighters are here for. The public likes all the neat stuff we do, but when push comes to shove, they want us around to save them and their loved ones from doom. Although they may not consciously think about it, people in our communities go to sleep at night with the comfort of knowing that some unknown man or woman will come to their home and rescue them in the night from the horror of burning to death. This is an awesome responsibility for all firefighters, so don’t mess it up! The following are some thoughts on search. They may be able to help you out at some time.

• When entering ahead a line or without a line, firefighters can use a 21/2-gallon extinguisher to knock down fire. More importantly, an extinguisher can hold the fire until you are able to pass by it, close a door, or save a baby! (See “Searching Without a Line: What Would You Do?” Fire Engineering, May 1998, p. 85.)
• When searching the fire floor, try to penetrate as close as possible to the fire and work out. You want to do this so you can cover the area before the fire does. When you search a floor above a fire, start your search at the point of entry.
• Don’t ever assume a place is empty-search every time! This summer, my company removed three civilians from two different fires in “obviously vacant” boarded-up buildings.
• If staffing is limited, first search the most logical locations where victims may be found. At night, you want to hit the bedrooms immediately; in a two-story home, they are probably on the second floor.
• Search for children and adults differently:

—Adults will try to escape. Look at avenues of egress such as hallways, doorways, behind doors, and under windows.

—Adults will try to save their children. If you find an adult, always sweep around to make sure he or she was not carrying a small child.

Children may be found anywhere, such as in this linen closet.

—Children may hide. You may find children anywhere and everywhere you can possibly think to look. Kids may be afraid of you-a firefighter in full personal protective equipment may be scary to a young child. Children may also hide because they have started the fire.

—Firefighters are a third category of person to look for. A firefighter may be in a kneewall looking for a child or in a crawl space looking for fire extension. Firefighters can be anywhere, so look everywhere when searching for one of our own.

Would you find a child in this room during search? Since it is possible to miss victims during the rapid primary search, it is best if the secondary search team is composed of different members. They would have a fresh view of the situation and avoid the possibility of the same person’s missing the same thing.

• The buddy system is great, but additional backup is even better. Handline operations require a minimum of three firefighters to accomplish efficiently. Search and rescue operations are the same-three or more is a good size team. With three firefighters, one firefighter can remain at a point of safety to alert the others to changing conditions. That firefighter can also serve as a reference point should a firefighter become lost or disoriented and offer help if the team finds a victim.
• When searching a large department store or office building, feel the floor. If you’re standing on carpet, you are probably in a sales or work area. If you are standing on a tile floor, you’re probably in the aisleway.
• VES (vent-enter-search) techniques are dangerous and can draw and spread a fire. But they can be extremely successful if done aggressively. It takes an educated size-up by chief officers and members who are going to accomplish this task to know when to go or not to go.
• The primary search must be thorough and rapid. Firefighters cannot take all day to accomplish a primary search in a private dwelling or apartment. Communicate the results of all searches to the incident commander.
• If possible, a different crew should perform a secondary search. A new crew will have a fresh look at an area and eliminate the possibility of the same person’s missing the same thing.

This is where the child was located in the room shown in photo 4.

• When searching bedrooms, check up high. If you find an unusually low bed, it may indicate bunk beds. If you find spindle- type legs, this could be a baby crib that you need to check. This can also help you find windows that could be a way out for us or our victim.
• When searching, check behind furniture. Try not to disturb the furniture’s position-moving furniture around can disorient you when you return to exit a room. It is easy to move a couch a few feet and block the door through which you entered.
• What’s the best way to indicate that a room has been searched? In the past, some methods included marking the room’s door with chalk (how do you see the chalk mark in smoke?) and turning the mattress into a “U.” These techniques are impractical. The best method is to communicate to the incident commander and other search teams. Also, don’t let your ego get in the way! No one should say, “This room has been searched, so don’t worry, you don’t have to go in there.” I want the chief to send as many search teams as he can to check a room.
• Large searches, such as those in hotels and motels, are much better controlled by good fireground communications. The incident commander can sector off a large building for a search and assign units to those areas. For these multiple-room type searches, use door tags to indicate that the room was searched. But remember, these tags will not replace solid communication; you still have to perform a thorough secondary search.

Firefighters may unknowingly pass right under the fire. We need to train to be aware of the environment around us.

• Get search information from a victim who has escaped or a neighbor. Find out how many people there might be; where they might be; if there are children and, if so, what ages; and the locations of stairs, bedrooms, and so forth. Use this information, but don’t count on it. A “baby” can be a 22-year-old out on a weekend crack high or a nine-year-old poodle. This will definitely affect the search. The search team won’t be able to stop and get too much detailed information, but someone should-a police officer, the pump operator, or the incident commander.

To keep an eye on conditions above, drop your shoulder as you crawl. Another method is to crawl with one leg extended in front of you and keep your weight on your back leg. This allows you to see conditions above and in front of you.

For example, in the case of a baby, the age of the child is significant. If the baby is four months old, and Mom says she left him in the front room upstairs, the child is probably still in the same spot. If, however, the child is 21/2 years old, take a good look at the place the child was last seen, but remember that the child could have moved just about anywhere.

• In commercial buildings, look at time cards if no information is available from employees. Time cards can give you an indication of who is (how many) and who is not in the building.
• Check the rear of the building. Is anyone hanging out a window? Has anyone jumped-did you look in the bushes on the way around back?
• Stay low-it reduces the possibility of getting burned. Your body covers a much larger area than just two boots of whatever size (very few unconscious people are found standing), and you are less likely to fall through a hole in the floor.
• Talk to each other and to the chief by radio, giving your location and informing each other of what you find. When reporting to the chief, give your location each time. In an emergency, it may help pinpoint your location if you can’t be reached or if there is a collapse, rapid fire development, or other problem.
• Keep quiet, and listen for victims. Hold your breath now and then; you may hear a victim moaning or the fire burning. You can also do this to orient yourself-you may be able to hear an engine pumping; this will tell you where the street side of the building is.
• Look out a window that you have vented to orient yourself relative to the building exterior. Try to see where a ladder is located if you are on the second floor. If you find fire, inform the incident commander and your teams. Close the door on that area to isolate the fire, if possible.
• If you become confused, disoriented, or in trouble, stop and compose yourself. Panic is your worst enemy! Try to always be aware of where you are. If you are out of air, get as low as possible, and don’t ever give up-stay in control. Safety is often just a room away or at the end of the hallway. Tell yourself you can make it! (See “Flashover: A Personal Account,” Fire Engineering, August 1996, p. 90.)

• How to move around during search and how to evaluate conditions while doing so are important. In many live-burn training evolutions, I have witnessed many firefighters crawl unknowingly right under the fire. You can crawl into an area and still be aware of your environment. One way is to simply drop your shoulder as you crawl so you can get a look overhead. Another method is to crawl with one leg extended in front of you and keep your weight on your back leg. This allows you to see conditions above and in front of you.
• Train recruits on the real heat conditions they will encounter on the fireground. We train in concrete burn buildings and flashover simulators that can get very hot. When young firefighters go to a real fire in a frame building, however, they feel safe because “it’s not as hot as it was in the burn building.” This can lead to a dangerous false sense of security.

MIKE LOMBARDO is a 24-year veteran of the fire service and a captain with the Buffalo (NY) Fire Department. He is an adjunct instructor at the New York State Fire Academy. Lombardo is an instructor on fire tactics, live fire attack, firefighter survival, and command throughout the United States and a member of the FDIC and Fire Engineering advisory boards.