Photos by author.
“BREAD AND BUTTER” OPERATIONS:
STORE FIRES, PART 2— ENGINE COMPANY OPERATIONS
After arriving first on the scene of a working fire in a store, the engine company officer is required to make tactical decisions based on an initial size-up. Decisions involve—among other things—identifying the construction of the fire building, assessing life hazard, determining the position and size of the original attack line and whether forcible entry is needed to get this line in operation, and establishing a sufficient water supply to sustain an attack on the fire.
REACHING THE FIRE
Mom-and-pop stores. For fires in “mom-and-pop” stores, (located in a building with apartments either above or behind the store), access to the fire determines where to stretch the first line. If the fire is visible in the store itself, stretch the first line to the store. The size of the handline stretched is based on the amount of fire visible, the size of the store, and the life hazard in the rest of the building. Heavy fire conditions require a 2’/4-inch initial handline: It gives sufficient water flow for a rapid knockdown and should be used on all types of store fires when a heavy fire condition is involved. Rapid knockdown is essential at such fires because these buildings contain numerous avenues of extension.
Stretch a second line as soon as possible to back up the initial attack team and protect the stairs to the floor above. As the initial line begins to make headway, the second line can be moved upstairs, while a third line is positioned to back up the initial attack crew.
If smoke only is visible from the front of the store, the fire may be located at the rear of the store, in the basement, or in the apartment at the rear of the store (if present). In all cases, you still must gain access to the store.
A heavy smoke condition with high heat but no visible fire in the store indicates a cellar fire. In stores with rear “caretakers” apartments, fire in this apartment may cause high heat and smoke conditions in the store that may not be easy to detect if the door between the store and apartment is partially opened. When a search of the entire first floor reveals no fire, a cellar fire is the logical conclusion.
In these small stores, the interior stairs usually are well hidden. Many times the entrances are little more than a trap door in the floor behind one of the counters. Other stores may have a narrow set of stairs that are off to one side of the building; usually the stairs run in line with other staircases in the building.
When you find the entrance to the cellar during a search for the fire, do not just throw the door open. Feel it first for any signs of high heat. With the beam of your flashlight, check around the door for any signs of smoke pushing around the jamb. If you feel high heat or see smoke, you must have a charged line in position before opening the door. In most cases, when you encounter severe conditions, keep the door closed and use the line to protect the first floor. Accomplish extinguishment from exterior entrances, if available (usually located at the side or rear).
If no doorways are present, apply water on the fire through windows. Use this tactic only until the fire is darkened down sufficiently enough for the engine to advance down the interior stairs. In the rare case in which there are no exterior openings, consider using cellar pipes or distributors to darken down the fire. When conditions are not as severe, you can open the door and advance the line down the stairs to extinguish the fire. You usually can control fires in these smaller stores—unless they are heavily involved—with one 1 3/4-inch handline. Many times you can “sweep” the entire store from the sidewalk with the line. However, beware of cellar fires and fires in rear rooms that give you a false reading of actual conditions. When in doubt, stretch the 2½inch line.
Rear apartments usually have two entrances: one in the rear/side yard (exterior) and one in the back of the store (interior). When the fire is located at the extreme rear of the apartment, the side/rear door might be preferable for the initial attack line—but only if it is easily accessible through an alley or driveway. If there is no alley or driveway, stretch the line through the store.
If the fire room adjoins the passageway to the store, conditions in the store on arrival probably will draw you to the store entrance. Once you stretch the line to this location, it is easier to attack the fire through the store than to reposition the line around to a rear entrance.
Taxpayers/strip malls. Fires in taxpayers or strip malls require that engine companies stretch numerous lines simultaneously. The construction features of this type of building lend themselves to rapid fire spread. Again, 2‘/2-inch hoselines should be stretched for a heavy body of fire.
For an obvious fire located in the store proper, stretch the first line to the involved store. If conditions warrant it and sufficient personnel are present, the first engine can stretch two handlincs to the fire store. (This tactic also is useful for large single occupancies such as supermarkets and department stores. Due to the large floor area and numerous aisles with stock, two lines might be needed to darken the fire.) For occupied stores, consider stretching the first line through the showroom (front) window to keep the exits unobstructed for fleeing occupants. The second engine company to arrive then stretches a line into the most seriously exposed store. Additional lines are still required to back up the first lines stretched into the original store and to protect other exposed occupancies.
In newer or renovated stores, check for the presence of a sprinkler system. If one is present, the second line the first engine company stretches should go to supply the system.
For a fully involved store, engine companies should consider using a master stream device. Many modern apparatus come equipped with preconnected deck guns. Base your use of this tactic—darkening down the fire with a master stream while handlines are stretched to finish off the job—on training and fireground experience. Running out of water before the fire is darkened down and flowing water too long and pushing fire that you could not extinguish are two of the hazards associated with using master streams as an initial attack weapon. Master stream devices also may be needed if your initial strategies using handlines are unsuccessful. Don’t be afraid to shut down handlines that are no longer effective and join them together into one master stream that may pack the punch needed to penetrate to the seat of the fire.
As the company advances into the involved store, the officer should be aware of certain hazards. The fire, although basically knocked down in the store, most likely has spread into the cockloft. It also may have spread into adjoining stores through flimsy partition walls or ductwork.
Hanging ceilings and ventilation and heating ducts frequently will collapse under heavy fire conditions, leaving a maze of metal, ductwork, and supporting hangers for the engine to advance through. Stock frequently is knocked over by the stream or topples under the weight of the water. Many times this happens after the line has passed, and the collapsing stock buries the line and blocks the aisle, preventing a rapid exit if conditions deteriorate. After initial knockdown, operations in stores should proceed at a slower pace. Provide lighting when available. Relieve crews as soon as possible.
Once the fire has entered the cockloft, the race is on: Expect complete involvement of the entire cockloft in a short period of time. As the fire spreads, it will drop into the other occupancies. You will need handlines for all stores in the taxpayer, along with sufficient personnel in each store to pull ceilings and expose fire.
When stretching additional handlines, it sometimes is advisable not to stretch into the most seriously exposed store. Instead, skip a store. This sometimes lets you get a handline in front of the advancing fire. A laterarriving company can stretch a line into the intermediate store. If skipping a store does not work the first time —if the fire’s already past you — you can try it again, depending on the overall size of the taxpayer.
Remember, as the fire burns through the roof, exposures may become a problem, especially if they are taller than the taxpayer. Brands might also present a problem; special-call engines for brand patrol.
As the fire gains momentum, master streams again become the choice to control the fire. Tower ladders, if available, give you the option of working from ground level or from above the roof line.
If companies are still working in the building, avoid directing the stream into any ventilation holes. This will only drive the fire throughout the cockloft and down into the stores. It is much more effective to operate from ground level and use the master stream to drive the water into the cockloft. These powerful streams will knock down most ceilings and expose any hidden fire.
When no tower ladders are available, you can use deck guns and multiversals from ground level. After operating into one store, shut down the lines supplying the multiversal and move the device into position in front of the next store. You can cover many stores by using more than one device.
Fires in the basement or cellar of a store in a taxpayer are probably the most punishing to our operating forces. Limited ventilation, high heat and smoke conditions, and often maze-like conditions due to partitions and stock contribute to the fire problem. As in most types of building fires involving basements, stretch the first line to protect the interior stairs that lead to the basement, if there are any.
Before committing this line, determine the type of floor on which you will be operating. Beware of any floor made of tile or concrete that may be installed over an existing floor. Old wooden floor beams were not made to carry this additional weight and will fail under fire conditions faster than you expect. The tile or concrete also will act as insulation and limit the amount of heat being transmitted through the floor. This might lead you to believe that the fire below you is not of a serious nature and let you commit forces further than fire conditions warrant. When in doubt, don’t commit your forces to an interior attack.
Most stores in taxpayers have basement stairs toward the rear of the store: This can be a very punishing position to obtain and maintain. Ideally, the engine company will be able to advance down the rear stairs and extinguish the fire. In reality, a heavy fire condition most times prohibits this. If the engine can advance down the stairs, position the second handline at the top of the stairs to protect this position. As the line advances out into the basement, leave one crew member at the base of the stairs to monitor conditions and to warn the operating crew if conditions begin to deteriorate. If a large area is involved, two handlines may be required to operate together to advance out into the basement.
Keep in mind that the main body of fire may be hidden behind high-piled stock or be separated by partitions. Sometimes you can deflect the stream off the ceiling over such stock to reach the main body of fire.
When conditions prevent an interior attack, use outside entrances such as rear and side doors, sidewalk grating entrances for stock deliveries, and windows, if required. If no outside entrances from which to attack are available, you must rely on cellar pipes and distributors. Again, working above the fire is extremely hazardous: You constantly must monitor conditions. Stretch additional handlines to protect the openings you make for operating the cellar pipes.
As a last resort, consider flooding the first floor with master streams. This will fill the basement and eventually extinguish the fire.
Additional engine companies will be required to stretch into adjoining stores and basements. From the adjoining basement, sometimes by breaching walls you can direct lines onto stubborn cellar fires.
CONSIDERATIONS
- Beware of tightly sealed stores; know the signs of a potential backdraft and how to operate without causing one.
- Establish water supplies based on expected use if the taxpayer becomes fully involved.
- Call for extra help early and often; anticipate the need; take into account the response time of additional resources.
- Preplan as many of these structures in your district as possible.
- Be aware of numerous renovations concealing structural defects.
- If you do not make headway in a reasonable amount of time, withdraw all interior forces (after 15 to 20 minutes, depending on conditions; less time, if fire involves any type of truss assemblies).
- Use a 2’/2-inch handline for advanced fire conditions. It’s easier to break down lines to l}/4-inch than to stretch additional lines because you couldn’t darken down the fire.
- At all fires, beware of fire extension into the cockloft by way of partition walls, pipe chases, and other voids.
- Especially in areas with rolldown gates, engine operations may not be able to start until the truck company provides forcible entry.*
Guidelines for selecting a 2‘/2-inch handline for initial attack, as per City of New York (NY) Fire Department’s All-Unit Circular #206:
- Advanced fire on arrival.
- Handline is expected to be taking a purely defensive position— unable to advance.
- large body of fire in a large uncompartmented area.
- Large volume of water required to cool a superheated area.
- Officer is unable to determine the size or extent of the fire or fire area.
- Standpipe operations.*
