Restaurant/nightclub fire
I would like to respond to the Letter to the Editor from Michael Bricault in May 2004 in response to the Roundtable “Restaurant/Nightclub Fire with Rescue.” There are assumptions made by each of the Roundtable responders and several problems with starting to pull out victims. Why are the victims lying all over and not stacked up at the front door? They are in a commercial occupancy, and when they find out about the fire, if they can run they will. I’m asking why they didn’t get out of the door. They weren’t asleep. Was it CO poisoning?
In the Chicago E2 nightclub incident, there were a couple hundred victims stacked up in the front door vestibule and leading all the way up the stairs to the second floor. The first fire companies could not pull anyone out the front door and had to go around to start at the top of the pile. They continued this for more than an hour. The stampede was started by a release of pepper spray on the dance floor but, unlike a fire, the pepper spray cloud inside did not double in size every minute.
How many trips can a firefighter dragging multiple victims make before he needs another air bottle? You pull faster than I do, so we split up and now we both have no partner.
Do we both have a search line to work from as we go farther inside to get the scattered victims? The fire also continues to grow in size as we work, and visibility gets worse. It sounds like flashover may have been imminent as the engine arrived on the scene. If this is the case, then there will be many lost victims farther inside and possibly as many would have died by being steamed from a lead out. The extra, added life hazard is that we are also inside dragging persons out without someone monitoring conditions at the seat of the fire. Can we also get caught in the flashover because any one firefighter could overextend away from the door without a point of reference? Very possibly.
The officer has little accountability in this scenario for his firefighters, and the most important life hazard to worry about is the company members. If we perform a hoselay we know the fire is being fought and, in the absolute worst case, which way is out.
When fire departments go to the city powers to negotiate, maybe they should bring up this scenario and ask what body count is acceptable because of the lack of adequate staffing. That number will give this fire company the correct strategy.
Jim Mason
Lieutenant
Chicago (IL) Fire Department
Forgotten overhauling tool
I was slightly disappointed by Michael Ciampo’s article “Overhauling Techniques that Save Energy” (April 2004). Although he gives excellent tips for effective and efficient overhaul, he neglects to address the one tool that actually makes the overhaul process easier and safer: a thermal imaging camera. Proper, skilled use of a thermal imaging camera is a proven method for reducing overhaul damage, unnecessary overhaul work, and the risk of a rekindle. Technology will never eliminate the need for physical work in the fire service. However, we as firefighters should never neglect advancements that can make our efforts quicker, easier, and safer.
Jonathan F. Bastian
Thermal Imaging Training Manager
Bullard
Don’t take silo fires lightly
I was a recent past chief of our department at the time of the following incident. I own and operate a farm supply business in our fire district. The main industry in our district is agriculture, with a mix of cash crop and dairy farms with supporting business. We serve a population of approximately 8,000 residents and cover about 490 square miles.
I currently am chief of department, but I am still plagued by this incident and think about how lucky we were that no firefighters were killed. I hope that sharing my experience with the Fire Engineering readers will prevent others from making the mistakes we made that October day.
A local dairy farmer came to my office at 8:00 a.m., stating that his silo was on fire and embers were blowing on his barn and throughout his barnyard. The farmer was worried that his barn would catch fire because of the high winds. I was confused. I knew the silo was a steel-type, airtight system used to preserve silage for years. The farmer explained that he was not going to use it anymore but was trying to feed the silage out that was in it. He continued that the bottom unloader was broken, so he removed two bottom 4 2 8 steel panels from the silo at the base and was digging out the haylage with a loader to feed it. That explained how air was introduced to the silo, causing the silage to burn.
I called the chief and updated him. We went to the farm to assess the situation. We found a hazardous situation because of embers landing on the barn, and we felt we needed to take action to prevent the large heavy timber barn from being engulfed in flames.
We conferred about what equipment could handle the incident. We sent an engine and two tankers, with a standby engine from a neighboring town at our station.
The equipment was well staffed. Along with a captain and two lieutenants, we established the incident command system. We laid a 21/2-inch line, had a 13/4-inch as a backup line, and established water supply with a tanker shuttle and portable pond. The chief turned command over to the two junior officers and returned to work, confident that the incident was in the good hands of seasoned veterans.
The 21/2-inch line was working on burning silage and the barn area was wet down. We should have packed up and gone home at that time. But the silage continued to burn, and slabs fell from the silo into the area at the bottom where the 4 2 8 panels had been removed. We consulted with the farmer, who said, “There can’t be much left.”
I had many concerns at the time. The major one was the potential explosion hazard in the top part of the silo from a buildup of gases or steam. We made the decision to ventilate by opening the top cover of the 80-foot silo. We knew we would be there for days if we didn’t put the fire out completely.
After the top was ventilated, we attempted to put the silo fire out by working from the ground at the base of the silo with firefighters outside the opening working a 21/2-inch line with a straight bore nozzle. Our concern became silage falling down in a large mass. We secured the hot zone, restricted personnel entry, and used accountability to track personnel. We also used lifelines on the firefighters working the 21/2-inch line. The operation was very effective: Hundreds of pounds of silage fell down, and a backhoe from the highway department dug it out from inside the base of the silo.
About two hours into the operation, all hell broke loose. The remaining tonnage of silage let loose, came crashing into the base of the silo, and blew out of the opening at the bottom of the silo. The firefighters operating the hoseline absorbed the full force of the impact. They were blown back 20 feet and buried in a pile of burning silage.
Firefighting operations became rescue operations. The operations officer called a Mayday. The IC called for ambulances and the standby pumper, as well as an engine of ours that had been conducting fire prevention activities at another location. We dug frantically, following the lifelines to uncover the members. We found one firefighter dazed and incoherent and another unconscious but breathing with a severe head laceration. The firefighters were transported to the hospital, and they recovered.
As firefighters, we made some mistakes that day, but we learned a valuable lesson: Do not take any incident lightly.
Paul Laing
Chief
Eden (NY) Volunteer Fire Department
Wildfire devastation a sore sight
While on a recent trip to Colorado, I was astounded to see the devastation from the wildfires that raged through the Rockies and the West Coast within the past few years. Our communities and those we serve must be aware of the precautions to take to prepare for wildland fires and the consequences.
Somebody throws a cigarette butt into the woods or leaves a small pile of leaves burning on a windy day. Both have been leading causes of wildfires that have destroyed ample amounts of land and property. We must include in our fire prevention programs the proper procedures to follow when burning outside and emphasize how careless actions can get out of control. News in Brief (March 2004) gave the highlights of Fire Engineering’s Wildfire Summit 2004. Among the resolutions discussed at the summit were involving the public and placing more emphasis on fire prevention.
We know that good fire prevention makes our job a little easier. Just last month, the emergency services personnel I work with battled the fires resulting from an uncontrolled outside debris fire that charred more than 130 acres of forest and marshlands. Had the person who left the fire unattended been more educated in fire prevention, those valuable items and property lost could have been saved.
Fire prevention programs primarily focus on fire safety for the young and what children should do in an emergency. However, don’t forget the adults: Aim to increase awareness of the causes, consequences, and preventive measures adults can take to protect the natural wonders and themselves. Increase participation in community events. When setting up props and exhibits for children, for example, set up a station explaining the dos and don’ts of outside debris burning. Display realistic photos of out-of-control fires. Use FEMA’s FireWise wildland fire prevention program.
More and more land is being destroyed by wildfires each day. We must focus on getting the communities involved in prevention. So spruce up those fire prevention programs, become actively involved with your communities, and don’t overlook the adults.
Amber R. Marino
Firefighter/EMT
Georgetown County (SC)
Emergency Services
