On Fire ❘ by Michael N. Ciampo
It’s that time of year again—the giving season! Let’s review some firefighting tips and tactics that can help you when operating on the fireground.
Flush the hydrant. When opening up the hydrant and before connecting your appliances to its ears (the more you hook up to, the more you get water from), flush the hydrant of any debris, rust, dirt, or other objects so you don’t clog the screen on the pump’s intake. Try not to put your hand in the hydrant to remove the objects—objects might be sharp and could cause an injury. Slowly turn the operating spindle open, let the water flow slowly, and remove the debris.
Difficult coupling. If you encounter a difficult coupling to uncouple after a job and someone went to retrieve a spanner wrench, while you are waiting, place the hose and the male coupling on the ground pointing upward. Next, fold the hose at a right angle to the female coupling so the couplings are now stacked. With your knee, put downward pressure on the hose above the female coupling and try to unscrew the coupling. If it doesn’t work, bounce with your knee a few times on the coupling. This should loosen the coupling by releasing some of the pressure on the rubber washer and permit uncoupling the hose.
Sweep the floor. While advancing with the nozzle, don’t always be in such a rush that you forget to stop for a moment and sweep the floor with the stream. This will wash away or cool down the material that has dropped from the ceiling (burning embers), push debris such as needles or broken bottles out of your path, and even help you listen for a solid floor. A change in the sound of the stream could mean there’s a hole in the floor, a stairway, or an elevator shaftway. By performing this tactic, you will also prevent the superheated water from being absorbed by some part of your bunker gear or prevent injury from kneeling on something.
Nozzle position. Whether you’re a fan of them or not, pistol grip nozzles are here to stay. If you really want to be good with them, just as with the older-style nozzles, hold the nozzle at arm’s length in front of you. Then you can whip it side to side or rotate it in a circular pattern more easily and with a much larger circumference than when you hold it beneath your armpit. And if you need to bend the hose around the corner and use the wall for protection, you can do it without putting your body and pistol in the line of fire. Operating with the pistol grip up along your chest and armpit gives you no flexibility!
The hook’s butt. When you toss your hook’s head up into the ceiling, you often hear a loud “thud” and feel the vibration in your arms. You move over a bit because you think you hit the ceiling joist and thrust it up again. Boom, the same thing happens, and with determination that you’re not going to let this ceiling beat you, you try it a third time and are still not through the ceiling. A common rule is, “Three strikes, you’re out!” If it isn’t working by then, try another tactic or area.
A simple solution for getting a hook’s head into the ceiling is to drive the butt end through the ceiling twice. Then flip the hook back around so you can connect the two dots with the hook’s head; you are now behind the finished ceiling and ready to pull. For lath and plaster, pull in short strokes next to the joist to save energy and release the material from the joists. Don’t stand under the material you’re pulling, and use the length of the hook to stay out of the danger zone.
Searching sense. There are numerous ways to search; many firefighters either use a hand or a tool on the wall as a hand is sweeping on the bed or whatever object you encounter. Some firefighters search with their feet on the wall, but there’s the chance they’ll miss a window (secondary means of egress), a door (closet where a young child is hiding), and the thin legs of a crib or get wedged between the furniture and bed in a small room. If you encounter a bed, get up on it and sweep it and feel those “pillows.” You can easily miss small infants and children on king-size mattresses. Also, sweep and search underneath the bed; most likely, it’s storage but also a place for children to hide.
Whenever you come to the bed’s end posts, slide your arm upward and make sure the posts aren’t supporting the bunk bed above you. If you are following another firefighter while searching, don’t crawl with your head down. If your partner stops suddenly, it could cause injury to both of you. Both of you should search with your heads up to look for signs of the fuel igniting over your heads. You most likely cannot do this on all fours because when you lift your head to look up, the back of your helmet will hit your self-contained breathing apparatus tank as your neck muscles burn. It’s not a natural posture and it’s uncomfortable, so try searching with one knee up and forward as you glide through the rooms. Staring at the screen of the thermal imaging camera will help you in your search for the fire and victims, but don’t search with blinders on: Use the walls as a reference so you don’t forget from which way you entered.
These are tactical tips that keep on giving.
MICHAEL N. CIAMPO is a 32-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 Ladders and Ventilation chapters for Fire Engineering’s Handbook for Firefighter I and II (Fire Engineering, 2009) and the Bread and Butter Portable Ladders DVD and is featured in “Training Minutes” truck company videos on www.FireEngineering.com.
