By MICHAEL N. CIAMPO
Filling out an alarm for a fire in a high-rise multiple dwelling as the fourth-due engine, the crew noticed that the alarm ticket’s critical information data stated that for numerous apartments it was a “four-length stretch.” Monitoring the department radio, we heard the battalion chief report that they had fire on the third floor with possible extension to the fourth floor.
Entering the block, we positioned the apparatus at a serviceable hydrant and heard the chief calling for us over the radio. Fire was now autoexposing to the floor above, and we were ordered to assist the third-due engine with getting a line off the standpipe to the fourth floor. Since our department’s procedures require the first and second engine company to team up and stretch from the standpipe outlet from the floor below the fire (which they did from the second floor to the fire apartment on the third floor), we had to team up with and assist the third-due engine in stretching the second line from the standpipe outlet on the first floor to the fourth floor. Carrying our standpipe bag (fittings, tools, and appliances) and folded lengths of hose, we headed into the building.
We met up with the members of the third-due engine and began connecting hose lengths in the lobby and formulating a quick plan of action. Their nozzle firefighter carried his lead length of hose up the stairway as we positioned our firefighters in the attack stairwell at the pinch points (wall corners at the landings) to keep the stretch flowing smoothly and to keep the hose butts from getting caught on the wall’s corners. Plus, if the butt got stuck on the stair tread’s edge, a simple up-and-down/side-to-side motion would free it.
With the proper spacing, the stretch seemed to be going smoothly, despite our being on air and in a heavily charged stairwell. While we positioned at the fourth-floor stairwell door, feeding the hose down the hallway and awaiting word that they had enough hose to “make the apartment,” we heard screams of panic in the stairs. Suddenly, a freight train of a person collapsed while attempting to exit down the attack stairway. Realizing that if the person continued down the stairs she would most likely be overcome by smoke and pass out and tumble onto other firefighters below, we picked her up off the floor with her dog in hand and brought her onto the fourth floor.
Since that floor wasn’t as charged as the third floor but required the use of a mask, we brought the victim onto this floor toward the opposite end of the hallway from the apartment where the fire extension was occurring. We banged on doors as we brought the victim down the hallway. A family opened one of the first doors, enabling us to enter the smoke-free environment. Quickly removing the regulator from our face pieces, we checked that the victim didn’t have any injuries from the tumble and told all of them to stay in the apartment. We told them that the fire was under control (a little white lie; it never hurts to calm people down) and that we were right outside the apartment and would check on them frequently.
As we got back to the stairwell door and knelt down to drag more hose up, the line began to fill with water. Our minds went into panic mode: Was there enough hose at the darkened end of the hallway?
Quickly locating the other company members’ space out on the second attack line on the floor above with some of our hose still in bundles, I was able to breathe a little sigh of relief. Extra hose was in the vicinity if the stretch was short and the fittings bag was nearby – both good signs and the results of great tactical decisions by one of the crew’s thinking firefighters.
As luck would have it, the stretch was a length short, and operations quickly had to fix the problem. Luckily, the second-due truck saw the autoexposure and the room’s window fail while searching the floor above and popped off two closet doors to cover the opening. Members used the pressurized water can to wet the doors and to combat the extending fire. That held for a while, but they had to back out of the room. They closed the door, standing fast and monitoring conditions at that location until the hoseline got to their position.
While the truck was waiting, the two paired engines shut down the standpipe valve and bled the pressure off the line at the nozzle, then removed the nozzle and attached the other extra length that was nearby. That lead length is packed with the nozzle attached to reduce the time it takes to get the line in service. The hoseline was now looped backward from the connection point to reduce the chance of any kinks once it was recharged and to assist in the fluid stretch into the apartment. The companies could have taken off the nozzle’s tip, placed an increaser on the nozzle’s shutoff, and reattached the hoseline, but that also would have required the shutoff to be tied in the open position or a member to be stationed there to ensure it remained open. Now that the line was charged, the engine moved in and extinguished the fire on the floor above.
Luckily, despite having a curveball thrown in our direction, the members communicated well, maintained unit integrity, followed department procedures, and were quickly able to overcome an operational miscue. Training on all tactics and procedures not only helps us during our everyday operations, but it also ensures we are ready for the unanticipated occurrences.
For related video go to http://bit.ly/FEMcOF41
MICHAEL N. CIAMPO is a 31-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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