ON FIRE ❘ by MICHAEL N. CIAMPO
We carry and most likely use tools and appliances on every run we respond to. In “Two Hands, Two Tools” (On Fire, June 2009), I pointed out that individual firefighters could do more work while carrying two different tools. Plus, they wouldn’t have to run back to the rig to retrieve a tool if they carried two different size tools (i.e., a halligan and a hook). Of course, most of us want to carry the “keys to the city”—an ax or a maul and halligan normally married together. It’s important to remember to get a hook inside the structure to reach those areas where shorter tools can’t. Carrying a variety of tools may help you accomplish tasks more efficiently.
Hooks
All over the country, firefighters carry various types of hooks that have butt ends, pry bar ends, or “D” handles. A pry bar end on a hook enables firefighters to pry off base molding while in a more upright stance. Often, firefighters remove their face pieces during overhaul and breathe in some unhealthy air. Then, when they bend over to pry off the baseboard with a shorter hand tool and stand back up, the room gets blurry, they see white spots, and they lose their balance—all probably from near exhaustion and breathing toxicants. Using the longer tool can help avoid this.
Truck Company Tools Across the Country
You can also use the pry bar end to pry off crown molding, get or hold a purchase on an inward- or outward-opening door, slide under large-diameter hose and pry the hose to the side of the street, probe the roof for soft spots, and pry off plywood nailed or screwed on window frames. There are many more uses, and firefighters would rather have a tool with two workable ends than just one end.
Another value of a hook is it can quickly make a rescue-carrying device for a firefighter wearing a self-contained breathing apparatus. If a member has suffered a medical emergency, you don’t need to wait for a rapid intervention team and stokes basket to remove him from the structure. Do not use this method if a member has suffered a long fall and has serious back and leg injuries. Then it’s more appropriate to wait for the stokes basket to arrive. However, if you’re deep in a structure and two hooks are at hand, this method is a quick removal technique.
After transmitting the Mayday message that you have a member down, you can begin the removal with two hooks. Slide the butt ends down through the shoulder straps in line with the down firefighter. The hooks should go from the outside to the inside; this keeps the shoulder straps from having too much slack and keeps the down firefighter in a tighter package.
Once you have the hooks in line with the firefighter, the heads of the hooks will be just above the firefighter’s head and the butts will be down by the calves when using a six-foot hook. If you picked up the firefighter at that point, his legs would bottom out and drag along the ground. So, slowly lift the firefighter’s legs up and over the hooks so his boots are pointed to the outside. Then two to four members can lift and carry the firefighter. Try to keep the firefighter’s legs together by keeping the hooks closer together; it will make him more comfortable. This rescue sled device is an easy way to transport a member. When drilling with it, “victims” usually admit the method is pretty comfortable.
The Bresnan Distributor
One thing about firefighters: We learn from talking to others and listening to their fireground experiences. Flammable building cladding can be found everywhere. We’ve seen some harrowing towering infernos from this building characteristic. When these fires are out of reach of an aerial stream, we need to come up with an alternative plan. Getting above the fire can be difficult because of the radiant heat and direct flame impact. Flanking from the sides may be an option, but remember that the wind on the upper floors can push the fire in one direction and make this difficult. Another issue when operating from the side is a building’s decks, balconies, and setbacks.
Some cities have floor-below nozzles for wind-impacted fires. This tool is another item we may need to operate and move from floor to floor to try and extinguish or control these fires.
Another option that has worked for some cities is to deploy the Bresnan distributor over the side of the building. Stretching a line off the standpipe and lowering a length of 50-foot hose over the side of the structure or out a window can help the distributor’s stream penetrate a large surface area of the structure. A nozzle’s shutoff is usually placed one length back so the water flow can be controlled. Using a standpipe pressure gauge is another way to watch the flow of the device. A hose roller will make raising and lowering the hose easier up and down the side of the building. Placing utility ropes onto the hose can also assist in lowering and raising.
Always use caution if using this tactic on a roof, especially if no parapet is there to prevent a firefighter from falling off the roof. Adequate lighting should also be in place when working in darkness.
Drill on this tactic prior to having to use it. Throwing a plan together like this shouldn’t happen when you encounter a fire like this for the first time. During apparatus checks, ensure your tools and appliances are in proper working condition so they can assist you at fire and emergency scenes.
MICHAEL N. CIAMPO is a 36-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 International 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.
