Just after midnight, the tones suddenly went off, but they were only for the chief. Listening to the address and report of fire on the roof over the intercom, I wondered if we would go as the rapid intervention team on the transmission of a confirmed fire, as a second alarm, or as an additional truck. I also wondered if it was just rubbish on the roof or smoke from an oil burner.
After a few minutes of monitoring the department radio, we heard the working fire signal transmitted and a size-up of the building type and height and fire location given. After hearing the report of a fire on the top floor, I focused on top-floor and cockloft fire tactics-and how the fire can start on a lower floor (traveling through pipe recesses and structural voids) and show up on top.
Listening more intently to the radio, the chief requested a second alarm; within a minute, the tones went off in our quarters dispatching the engine and truck to the job. Reading the run ticket, we saw that we were the second-due truck and the building had critical dispatch information on it. With that, the dispatcher was calling the chief, informing him of the identity of the additional tower ladder he had requested above the second-alarm assignment.
Waiting for the radio traffic to cease, we called the dispatcher, asking if there were any specific instructions for our tower ladder. We were told to just report into the command post as we were responding in. As we approached the scene, we got the rig into a position to cover the top floor and roof. After making sure the chauffeur had clearance from cars and any other obstructions for outrigger placement, we headed off to the command post.
Reporting into the command post, we informed the chief’s aide that we were the second-due truck on the second alarm (even though we were the only company there) and our rig was on the exposure four side of the fire building if needed. Standing fast until needed, the team stayed together, with the exception of one member who walked the long front side of the building to get a better size-up of what was occurring. Listening to the radio and hearing that a trench cut was being cut and that there was heavy fire in the cockloft, we were directed to report to the top floor. Arriving on the top floor, the company remained together at the opposite side of the building while the officer reported into the fire sector chief. Within a few minutes, he had us working with an engine company knocking down pockets of fire in the cockloft and opening up ceilings and walls to check for extension.
While we worked with the engine, visibility was terrible; looking through the thermal imaging camera (TIC), we still saw pockets of fire. Realizing that the nozzle firefighter couldn’t get a good read on areas to hit, we placed the TIC over his shoulder when he shut the line down. With the TIC’s screen close to his face piece, he was better able to pinpoint the fire areas and direct the line at those locations.
After doing that in one room, we did it in another; a large orange section was visible on the screen. The engine hit that area and shut down. After scanning it with the TIC again, it still showed orange. We called for a hook, figuring the fire might have been under the ceiling, but as the firefighter using the hook reached for the ceiling, he felt no resistance at all. He pushed farther up and felt nothing until he moved a few feet over and hit a metal beam. That’s what our orange glow was. The engine washed down the hot beam and then fog vented (opening the nozzle to flow water about three to four feet away from the window in a narrow fog stream pattern for fog nozzles or coarse pattern with a straight tip; also called hydraulic ventilation). Once we began to have some visibility, we realized that the two rooms had areas open to the sky with portions of collapsed ceilings, roof joists, and tar over our heads.
As the engine continued fog venting, the roof tar, furnishings under it, and wood roof joists would light up as fresh air was drawn in. The smoke and carbon monoxide levels continued to be intense, and visibility was poor. Plus, there were areas of lath and plaster throughout the rooms that would light up and needed to be washed down. In addition, the sections of dangling roof above us could collapse at any time, so we had to use caution when operating in these areas.
As operations continued, we were asked to do a secondary search of the apartment (a thorough and complete search of each room and area, meaning searching each closet, under each bed, inside the dresser drawers, and any pile of burnt materials). Because of members’ fatigue levels and the structural members that had collapsed onto the apartment’s furnishings and piles of debris, we informed the chief that this would be a difficult task to accomplish and we wouldn’t be able to handle it. Roofing sections would have to be cut, lifted, or removed to expose hidden fire that was still smoldering beneath them.
Over the course of your career, you’re bound to hear over the radio that the secondary search will be delayed and the reason for it (hoarding conditions, collapse). Make sure your secondary search is thorough and complete. Finding a victim after you’ve left the scene tarnishes your reputation and tactics. It’s a good policy also to have another company perform the secondary search to cover everything and to be able to report, “Secondary search is complete and negative.”
For related video go to http://bcove.me/5r1zjwld
MICHAEL N. CIAMPO is a 30-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 Ladder chapter and co-authored the Ventilation chapter for Fire Engineering’s Handbook for Firefighter I and II (Fire Engineering, 2009) and is featured in “Training Minutes” truck company videos on www.FireEngineering.com.
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