Video Credit: Erie County NY Fire Incidents
In this series, we’re taking a look at online video of firefighters operating at various fire scenes. As always, this is not a call to criticize fire department’s actions on scene, but rather to contemplate how you and your agency might respond given your particular resources and staffing.
This fire occurred at 446 Plymouth Avenue on October 4, 2022, at 6:01 a.m. The structure was an occupied 2 1/2-story, wood-frame, single-family dwelling with fire in the attic.
Analysis
The construction, at a minimum, is wood frame, but some features suggest it may be balloon construction (narrow windows stacked in line within same stud bays). We know balloon construction provides an open stud bay from the lowest level to the attic, which can rapidly spread fire up and drop fire down. We do not know if the home is truly a single family or if it may be a rooming house.
The 1/2-story attic space could be a livable, finished space or possibly an unfinished storage space. If the space is finished, we can expect knee walls, which create voids within the attic for hidden fire extension. Hidden, unchecked fire in voids and knee walls can work against firefighters and can lead to trigger events like backdraft and smoke explosion.
- Best Practices for Tackling Fires in Balloon-Frame Construction
- Training Minutes: Knee Wall Fires
- Dodson: THE ART OF READING SMOKE
The first and second floors appear clear of smoke. Initial reports suggested fire on the second floor, which may have been the case, though latter reports indicated fire in the attic with minimal extension to the second floor. My suspicion is that the fire may have originated in the void between the second-floor ceiling and attic floor or perhaps in a wall or void space along a knee wall.
We can see visible, reachable fire on the Delta side, Charlie quadrant, which appears manageable. The initial smoke attributes (volume, velocity, density, color (VVDC)) present as moderate volume, laminar velocity, moderately dense, and gray in color. I suspect initial smoke is being volume pushed, or that there’s not enough space in the fire compartment to contain the smoke. As fire extends and remains unchecked, we can expect more turbulent smoke under pressure, which now makes smoke heat pushed. This smoke characteristic is somewhat visible when firefighters open the roof.
Many agree that sometimes vertical ventilation is required and sometimes not. Many agree vertical ventilation is a tactic to support the attack crew, and should come simultaneously, if staffing and resources allow, be effectively coordinated, be effectively communicated, and be initiated after fire is being controlled by sufficient and effective water application. In this case, it sounds like attack crews are staged on the second floor while awaiting vertical ventilation. In my opinion, water on fire or at least into the area of origin to cool should occur in advance of vertical ventilation.
If ventilation occurs (any ventilation, whether vertical (roof), horizontal, through an open door or window), flow paths are completed and created, which also works against firefighters. If we control the air by maintaining door control and by maintaining a ventilation limited atmosphere, we control the fire by creating an atmosphere that does not burn because it is too rich. Even the steam created from our fire streams can create a rich environment that does not burn.
Get the water on the fire, gain control of the fire, then ventilate the space. Much of this is second nature to many fire crews, but it is especially important to understand what you have, what the fire dynamics are doing, and how to best counter that to gain fire control and speed extinguishment and the search process.
Strategic/Tactical Considerations
Given the time of day and type situation, with manageable fire, the strategy justifiably begins as an offensive operating mode. Conduct the 360 with thermal imaging camera to gain the big picture view. This would have identified visible, reachable fire showing on the Delta side.
The initial fire appears contained and manageable. I am a big believer in getting water on visible, reachable fire as quickly as possible to extinguish exterior fire that is auto-exposing. Crews should get water into eaves and voids to slow/stop fire advance into soffits, knee walls, and the attic. Get water into other involved levels of the structure to surface cool and to gain fire control.
In my opinion, water should have been applied with a solid/straight stream to the visible fire on Delta at the onset. This action, at a minimum, slows the forward progress of fire and may stop the fire and its ability to auto-expose and work against firefighters. This simple step, which takes only seconds to complete, helps to immediately gain fire control, improves conditions to simplify and speed the interior advance, and limits inherent dangers. This outside attack will help confirm the seat of fire and if the water is being effective, as we should see a sustained improvement. If fire/smoke continues to push from the fire area, it would indicate the source of fire is deeper into the structure.
Outside water, when applicable, supports the offensive attack mode, and is easily applied with limited staffing. This tactic is versatile in that it can attack exterior fire, interior fire, and fire on multiple levels from a relatively safe and stationary position with good visibility.
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Sometimes firefighters ignore the obvious fire, like the elephant in the room. We must understand visible, reachable fire does not wait. As crews force and make entry and advance the line through the compartmentalized structure (which may or may not have hazards, obstacles, hoarding conditions, etc.), water application may be delayed. We must address fire whenever opportunity presents, and as quickly as possible, regardless of where water is delivered from. Yes, life safety is a priority, but often we reduce the threats to life safety by addressing the fire.
Cultures and traditions are difficult to break in the fire service. Sometimes we are just used to doing what we have always done, but science has provided an opportunity to build our knowledge and understanding of fire dynamics and tactics like never before, and it would behoove firefighters to consider the empirical findings to continually evolve and stay ahead. Frequently, we need to assess our knowledge, training, understanding, and operational policies to determine if they are still in line with today’s modern fire challenges, and continually evolving to stay ahead.
NICK J. SALAMEH is a 36 year veteran of the fire service. He was a Fire/Emergency Medical Services Captain II and previous Training Program Manager for the Arlington County (VA) Fire Department, where he served 31 years. He is a former Chair of the Northern Virginia Fire Departments Training Committee. Nick is also a contributor to Fire Engineering and Stop Believing Start Knowing (SBSK).
