BY WILLIAM “TUCKER” DEMPSEY
I magine being a firefighter in A rural community when, seemingly overnight, a local farm is sold and 1,000 or more new homes are built on the property. This is happening across the country. The growth of the housing market in recent years has transformed many rural areas into suburban bedroom communities. Fire departments accustomed to fighting fires in older balloon-construction farmhouses, post-World War II ranches, and barns are finding themselves responsible for protecting scores of homes made of lightweight wood truss construction. In some cases, a single new development may have more homes than the town in which the fire department was founded, and the homes may be larger than the firehouse.
The new homes will create additional demand for your services, both EMS and fire. Farms are normally located away from resources (such as fire protection) and do not typically generate large volumes of calls. When several hundred homes are built on such a farm, it may become necessary to add apparatus or stations to better serve the area. Local laws may require the developer to set aside land for fire stations or funds to expand services. If such laws do not currently exist in your area, work with your local government leaders to try and enact them. The demand for service will come long before taxes or donations can provide the money necessary for capital expenses.
A rural department will face many challenges during this housing boom. The increase in calls, high expectations from former city dwellers, and the need for additional personnel or resources will take sound management skills and strong leadership to tackle. But the biggest challenge may come when there is a fire in these homes. Their streets may not even appear on commercially prepared maps if the developments are new.
CHARACTERISTICS OF MODERN SUBDIVISIONS
The layout of these developments can greatly affect fire protection. The houses may be set back off the street on large lots, making aerial access difficult, or they may be built very close together, which can create severe exposure problems. Some of the homes could be especially large (perhaps more than 10,000 square feet), creating issues with water supply, staffing, and accountability. There is rarely any vehicle access to the rear of these structures. Some new communities (or even individual homes) may have security gates. Gated communities are very popular in resort areas, where the homes may be occupied only on a seasonal basis, but they can create access problems year-round.
 (1) These 3,000-square-foot homes are only 13 feet apart, creating a severe exposure problem. (Photos by author.) |
The streets in many modern subdivisions can be very different from the rectangular grids that dominate older cities and towns. Speed bumps, dead-end cul-de-sacs, and curves designed to slow traffic can increase response times for fire/EMS units and can create a sense of security for residents that will result in more pedestrians using the streets. Apparatus drivers must constantly be on the lookout for pedestrians, especially if the development does not have sidewalks. Because of the street layout, some housing lots may take several minutes to reach from the entrance of the development. This can be particularly frustrating to responders when the house on fire is within sight from the main road but cannot be reached for several minutes because of traffic-slowing devices or the unusual street layout. It also may be difficult for large vehicles, such as tankers, to navigate these streets.
Some characteristics of subdivisions can work to the fire department’s advantage. Many developments, for example, offer only a few home models to buyers. This helps to cut the builder’s costs but also makes it easier for the fire department to preplan. Floor plans for each model, as well as maps, can usually be obtained from the real estate salespeople as soon as they open shop. The builders can also provide a wealth of information. They are usually willing to point out the construction features when you explain your purpose for asking. The houses may have some features that are identical, such as type and location of utilities, number and locations of bedrooms, and exterior basement or crawlspace access. Outside basement entrances tend to be in the same areas in the same subdivisions and have the same design. Take plenty of pictures while the houses are under construction, and display them at your station with explanations of the construction methods. Include this information in your company drills. If there are common features to all of the houses (trusses, location of utilities, for example), include that information in your maps or your computer- aided dispatch (CAD) system.
Depending on local ordinances, many of these subdivisions will require fire hydrants. In some communities, they may be the first hydrants to which the fire department has had access. Work with whatever local agency oversees the water system to ensure that these hydrants can provide the flow required and are adequately spaced. Prior to actual construction, you may be able to provide input on hydrant locations. If the development does not have hydrants, then you must plan to bring water to the site. Identify and document potential sources. Once you have completed that, conduct frequent training in tanker shuttles and long relays from static water sources to increase your department’s effectiveness during an actual fire.
The construction practices used in modern homebuilding can create fire behavior and spread vastly different from that in homes built in previous eras. Trusses, wood I-beams, laminated veneer lumber (LVL) beams, brick and stone facades, and steel beams can pose serious hazards to firefighters when exposed to fire. Become a student of building construction methods. Firefighters and officers must understand how they influence firefighting operations. Departments that have conducted interior firefighting in homes of balloon-frame construction for an hour or more (and the structure was still standing when they left) are likely to be caught off guard when the new home they are attempting to save collapses minutes after (or even prior to) their arrival.
The layout of the homes can complicate and prolong searches. Firefighters can easily become lost in a home that may contain 20-plus rooms, which may also feature multiple open stairwells, cathedral ceilings overlooked by interior balconies, and large undivided rooms that contribute to fire spread. The open design, coupled with the shear size of the building, can quickly create a fire that will overpower the water supply and exceed the suppression capabilities of 1 3/4-inch handlines that have become the standard for residential fires. In older two-story homes, the original bedrooms are typically located on the second floor and accessed by a common hallway. Today, the bedrooms could be located anywhere in the structure, and the master bedroom may be far removed from the others.
THE CONSTRUCTION PHASE
While the homes are under construction, they may contain even more hazards for firefighters. During this phase, many building components may be poorly supported or incomplete. Inside, fire may rapidly spread in areas where gypsum board is unfinished or absent. On the outside, the absence of siding will increase airflow through the structure and expose adjacent homes that may also be incomplete. Access may be difficult because of unfinished roads or dumpsters, construction vehicles, and materials that clog streets. Prior to families’ moving into the homes, lot numbers may be used instead of addresses. This, coupled with the possibility that street signs may not have been placed yet, could delay your response because workers may not be able to describe their location when reporting emergencies.
Propane heaters that are used for curing drywall mud can cause fires when they have been turned up too high or fall over. These fires frequently occur at night when no one is present, causing them to make considerable headway by the time they are discovered. The flames from these heaters may also cause nearby residents to mistakenly report house fires.
TACTICS
The first-arriving engine should make every effort to establish a water supply as soon as possible. If hydrants are present, the firefighters should know where they are (good maps) and how to use them to their advantage (training). Maps should be easy to read and have addresses and hydrants clearly marked. Departments unaccustomed to working with hydrants may require repetitive training to instill the habits of locating and using them. The first engine should try to lay a supply line and have subsequent arriving engines stage so that there is room for a ladder or rescue company to gain access to the fire building (remember: you can stretch a hose, but you can’t stretch a ladder). Streets may be narrow, and unused apparatus will quickly clog them. Even if there are no hydrants, a line should be laid from the nearest intersection to keep large tankers out of the way as they bring in water. These vehicles take up a lot of space to set up and to turn around, which may not be available in a development. Cul-de-sacs can quickly become bottlenecked with just a few vehicles, and street parking by residents and visitors can severely limit access to even smaller apparatus. Shuttle operations should occur on main roads where a smooth traffic flow can be established to maximize the gallons per minute.
Attack engines should be capable of putting long lines in service quickly to reach the rear of structures, because there normally is no rear access to vehicles. Many companies rely on preconnected 1 3/4-inch hose to handle any situation, but friction loss after 300 feet makes high flows unrealistic. One solution to this is to have on the engine 2 1/2- or three-inch hose that is easily deployed with a gated wye used in conjunction with preassembled packs (100 to 200 feet of 1 3/4-inch hose) to extend the reach of handlines while limiting friction loss and maintaining a good flow. It is important to know what your hose length needs will be prior to responding to your first fire in the development. Once the first home is framed, measure the distance from the street to the rear of the structure to determine approximately how much hose you may need. Make sure to allow for plenty of length to reach all areas inside the home. Once you figure out how much hose you may need, put it together and flow test the setup using a meter. This will help to determine the pump discharge pressure necessary to flow the gallons per minute you desire. After this has been determined, your firefighters need to train on putting this line in service quickly.
You should also have the capability of delivering a high-flow attack on arrival (larger than 1 3/4-inch). Design your hose loads to make these operations as quick and as easy as possible, and practice them often. To ensure that you will provide the proper gallons per minute, perform flow tests on your preconnected lines and mark the pump gauges with the required pump discharge pressure. This will simplify operations for your engineers.
Truck companies (or engine companies performing truck functions) must take the building construction into consideration. When ventilating fires in these buildings, the focus should be on horizontal openings. Officers should not commit personnel to the roof (if I can’t convince you, see Tom Brennan’s Random Thoughts, Fire Engineering, October 2005, page 204). This is often an unnecessary and dangerous use of personnel. Lightweight wood trusses are engineered to hold the weight of the roof assembly, local snowfalls, and other ordinary loads during normal conditions-not firefighters during a fire. Truss roofs can collapse with little or no warning, and venting them can draw fire into the truss void. If the incident commander feels the roof must be opened up, it should be done only from the safety of an aerial device. Modern homes built of platform framing do not benefit from roof openings the way that older homes with balloon construction do during firefighting operations.
To effectively search these homes, firefighters must realize that the large living areas many of them feature will make their job difficult. Some master bedrooms may have closets larger than most bedrooms in older homes as well as spacious bathrooms or “parents’ lounge” rooms. There may be several stairways leading to upper floors. Crews may advance up a stairwell, advance a few feet, and then begin down another set of stairs that leads to another area of the home. It is also possible that what appears to be a single-family dwelling may actually be a multifamily dwelling. Finished basements and in-law suites may be like houses within a house. It is not uncommon for two or more families to pool their resources to purchase a large home or for a homeowner to subdivide the house into several apartments (sometimes without the consent of the local authorities).
All responding personnel should be well acquainted with the hazards associated with fighting fires in these buildings. They must be prepared for, and anticipate, collapse at a much earlier stage in these buildings than in older ones. They should also be familiar with the building materials. Samples of wooden I-beams and other lightweight materials may be obtained from building sites (ask the workers on-site for scraps; they usually don’t mind one less piece to pick up). More information on construction materials may be found at your local building supply store and on the Internet.
Modern developments across the country may vary widely, so it is important to get out and make yourself familiar with the ones in your first-due area. More importantly, share the information with the rest of your department and your neighbor departments that may assist you. Chief officers should keep abreast of new developments and make an effort to be involved as much as possible. There are many points in the process at which you may be able to have input, depending on your local laws. Also, look at your initial response to these homes. The size, configuration, and construction of these homes may require more resources than your typical assignment for single-family dwellings.
WILLIAM “TUCKER” DEMPSEY has been a firefighter for 19 years and serves in the volunteer and career services. He is a field instructor for the Delaware State Fire School and a Pro Board Officer II and has degrees in fire protection and emergency services management. He is first vice president of the Delaware State Fire Chiefs Association.
