ON FIRE ❘ by MICHAEL N. CIAMPO
Over the course of their careers, firefighters will be exposed to some significant changes. Was it because technology advanced and brought new equipment into our field or was it brought about to better protect us? Many of us were surprised to realize that with the advancement of battery-operated tools, we might never need to hook up hydraulic lines to our extrication equipment again. Change can often be met with resistance, challenges, and reluctant firefighters buying in, but for many, it may just take some exposure to it for them to accept it or try it.
Saws and Cutters
With new lightweight battery-operated saws and cutters, firefighters have some choices as to which tool to use. Security bars and screens secured to windows are always obstacles for us to tackle. Removing them when our members are operating inside the structure should be one of our first courses of action. Doing so can create an emergency escape route in case things go bad. With today’s security issues, we’re seeing these devices at all levels of a structure, requiring firefighters to operate off fire escapes, portable ladders, the aerial, or the tower ladder bucket to remove them.
When operating on a portable ladder, the gas-powered rotary saw can be cumbersome, depending on the angle of the ladder, reach of the operator, and position of the bars. Luckily, we now can use a lighter weight compact saw or disc cutter when we operate on the ladder.
When cutting these bars, ensure nobody is operating below you so if any material drops, nobody will be injured. Use caution in overreaching when using a power tool; the centrifugal force of the saw or cutter can pull you unexpectedly.
Many of you might ask, what about the battery’s life span? Hopefully, during your daily maintenance check, you inspected the batteries and found them fully charged.
Are smaller, lightweight saws going to replace gas-powered saws? No, but we’re now able to operate with a lighter saw that can also run in smoky atmospheres because it doesn’t need clean air to run. As more of these products are used in the field, firefighters will find more uses for them.
Some departments already have a tool bag with a hydraulic forcible entry tool and a battery-operated saw in it, which their forcible entry firefighter carries. If that’s what your area calls for, then do what you need to do.
Exhaust Fans
For residential firefighting efforts in one- and two-story dwellings, it’s easy to get an exhaust fan into service. Many of us were so accustomed to pulling an electric cord off a reel on the apparatus and to the building that it became second nature. Early in my career, I was exposed to hook brackets with swivels mounted onto the fan’s handle. These hooks were sturdier and didn’t wear as much as the cable hooks do. They were there so a firefighter could climb up a ladder and hook them onto a rung. With the fan in position, once the fire was knocked down, the fan became the primary exhaust provider. Sure, the nozzle could be used for hydraulic ventilation, but the fan was a quick substitute. So, with the evolution to gas-powered fans to pressurize stairwells and clear a dwelling of contaminants once the fire was knocked down, many of us were impressed. Now, with the battery-powered fans becoming standard in the truck company’s tool inventory, we’re able to bring them to an upper floor and provide some positive pressure ventilation into an apartment or area of the building. Doing so can help us provide fresh air into the area once the fire is knocked down and rid the carcinogens present inside the fire apartment. Plus, we don’t have to worry about extension cords, pigtail adaptors, or a power source to run the fan.
Ladders
Ladders have been a mainstay in the fire service since the beginning. We’ve even seen more uses created as our training in other disciplines evolved and we recognized other areas where ladders could provide us with safer tactics and operational knowledge. Years ago, we didn’t see roof ladders mounted on the fly or bed section of aerial or tower ladders, and now it’s common on the apparatus. These ladders provide us with another platform to work from when performing peaked roof ventilation and can offer access over a high parapet. Due to their length and size, plus other obstructions in the area (wires and tree branches), it may be difficult to get these ladders into position.
To help combat these situations, another ladder is more commonly found on the tip of these rigs. The folding ladder, also called the attic, suitcase, or scissor ladder, is narrow and lightweight. For years, we used these ladders to gain access into an attic area from a scuttle found in a closet or ceiling of a dwelling. Since these ladders are shorter and more lightweight than a roof ladder, they are often easier to position over a high parapet and onto the roof from an aerial or tower ladder.
Train to find the best place to position the ladder onto the roof in comparison to the apparatus you’re working from. For instance, placing it into the door opening from a tower ladder bucket restricts your movement out of and into the bucket. You can do it, but it shouldn’t be your first choice.
You can also place this ladder on the roof to allow a firefighter to gain access to the bulkhead or dumbwaiter shaft’s skylight. When rapid intervention training became more of the norm for departments, the folding ladder was found to provide access through a small basement window and could be used as a stretcher and ramp to remove a firefighter.
As for change, it’s inevitable that more is on the way.
MICHAEL N. CIAMPO is a 38-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.
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