ON FIRE ❘ by MICHAEL N. CIAMPO
It’s very easy to say over the radio that you’re on scene with fire or smoke showing, but firefighters should add the type of structure and the location of the fire or smoke. That “paints a picture” for other responding units and allows them to start planning their operations.
When you have a fire on the first floor of a three-story dwelling in a commercial occupancy, relay that information. Units hearing this information now know they are dealing with what many refer to as a “mixed occupancy.” Just because you heard the word “commercial” doesn’t mean it’s a taxpayer fire; those structures are different and require different strategies. The mixed occupancy in multiple dwellings or private dwellings is usually some kind of storefront located on the first floor with residences on the floors above. Fires in these storefronts present some severe challenges and often turn into multiple alarms.
It’s important for all firefighters to perform their own personal size-up when they arrive on scene. Glancing at the commercial occupancies on the first floor can tell you the type of fire load and hazards you can expect. In many of the food establishments and self-service laundries, you many run into numerous gas appliances and a grease/vent duct that runs up through the building in the dumbwaiter shaft to the roof. Fire in the ductwork can make the duct’s seams fail and fire can spread on numerous floors.
When you see a delicatessen or beverage store, keep in mind that heavy refrigeration units add to the weight load on the floor. Fires starting in the basement could affect the structural integrity of the floor joists, and an earlier-than-anticipated floor collapse could occur.
Hardware and auto parts stores can contain a lot of flammable and hazardous materials. Exploding aerosol cans may be just one of the hazards firefighters could face in these occupancies.
With these fire loads and occupancies on the first floor and living space on the floors above, you can expect a severe life hazard when a fire breaks out during the nighttime hours. Arriving on scene with people overcrowding the fire escape or yelling out the windows is a real possibility because the interior stairs may have zero visibility with acrid smoke or extending fire funneling up them. The first-due engine company may have to perform portable ladder operations while also stretching a hoseline to the storefront.
When a truck company arrives and finds fire behind a roll-down security gate, members can cut the locks, but they must not open the gate so quickly. If tenants are fleeing down the fire escape, opening the gate could expose them to smoke or flames. Truck company members must coordinate the removal of the occupants with their forcible entry operations in these cases.
The engine company must size up the amount of fire on arrival, the occupancy of the store, and the building construction. Pulling a smaller-diameter attack line helps maneuver around narrow store aisles and can aid in extinguishing the fire faster. However, if you see a furniture or tire store on the first floor, consider stretching a larger handline.
At recent fires in electronic bike stores, units arrived on scene to well-advanced fires. Fire blew out of the store and across the sidewalk and autoexposed to the floors above. The lithium-ion batteries add to the fire load, resulting in severe conditions on arrival. Engine companies may consider deploying a monitor nozzle into the store on arrival to help knock down the bulk of the fire and limit autoexposure to the floors above.
On arrival, look at the front of the occupancy for a sidewalk hatch for basement access. The hatch may allow faster access into the basement, and you won’t have to waste time trying to locate it in the store. The hatch can be difficult to force, with additional security measures such as padlocks, interior chains, and cables. You might have to cut the hinges and pull the whole cover off the hatch.
Do a proper size-up; some frames may be rotted, and you can pry them out of the sidewalk. If smoke is pushing from the hatch on arrival, consider checking there first for the fire origin.
Be aware that if you pop this hatch open, you can run into a few problems. There may be a chute or rollers that allow stock to be moved to the lower level quickly. Plus, the stairs may be very steep or rotted, or a ladder may be the attached to a wall to offer access below. Use caution whenever traveling down the stairs; walking down them facing them reduces the chances of falling forward or hitting your head on the top of the framing.
If there isn’t a sidewalk hatch, you might not know the fire is in the basement when you proceed into the store. When you first enter the smoky store, when you’re down low and moving forward, sound the floor to ensure you don’t land in the basement if the fire originated there. You do it on the roof; why wouldn’t you do it in a store? Plus, if it’s a three-story frame and you hear a solid floor noise (terrazzo, tile, or concrete) after sounding it, you’ll know there’s a heavier weight load on the joists.
Another quick tip for checking the basement in these places is to drive the point of the halligan into the floor; it may penetrate the linoleum and subflooring and help you read conditions below. As you move forward, be aware of a hatch that might be in the floor of the store for basement access. Move forward with a purpose but with caution in these occupancies.
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.
