Firefighters are a strange bunch (for many reasons)! One thing that separates us from higher “species of animals” is the way we handle problems. Engineers think problems to death. Doctors use trial and error (“take two aspirin and call me in the morning”— if the aspirin doesn’t work, then we’ll go to plan “B”). Lawyers “argue” a problem to death. Firefighters react immediately to a problem. Right or wrong, we see a problem and solve it as quickly as possible and then wait for the next problem (fire).
Even as incident commanders (ICs), we prioritize our problems and then assign crews to handle them. If someone or something throws us a curve, we react—make a decision and then move on. Hopefully, logic, experience, and knowledge form the basis of the actions we take.
In this month’s question, a vent crew (regardless of staffing size) is directed to vent a five-story occupied apartment building vertically at the roof bulkhead. While approaching the bulkhead door, the firefighter (or crew) hears cries for help and sees a civilian hanging out a window with smoke rolling over his head. Should the firefighter stop and make a rescue or continue on with the ventilation? The entire question is given below.
Several problems are posed here. First and foremost is the immediacy of the visible rescue vs. the vertical ventilation evolution. In my mind, the rule that should be followed is, What will do the most for the most?
In this scenario, opening the bulkhead will immediately improve conditions on the dominant vertical channel (the interior stairway). This should do the following: (a) help civilians attempting self-rescue and (b) improve visibility and interior conditions for firefighters’ initial operations (in this case, fire control and extinguishment and search operations). The firefighter would be distracted from this task to remove a single civilian from a window below, which is a difficult and time-consuming operation. (Note that I didn’t say “rescue” because whether a screaming individual leaning out a window that happens to be venting smoke is in immediate danger is questionable.) If staffing is limited, go for actions that “do the most for the most.”
Another problem here is the aspect of freelancing. To act in this instance without informing Command (or the immediate officer) of the change in assignment is freelancing—and freelancing kills. Think about it! All below (the firefighter’s officer and Command, who probably gave or acknowledged the order to vent the bulkhead) are laboring under the assumption that the bulkhead is in the process of being opened. Conditions should soon be improving inside. In this case, the answer to the freelancing is a simple radio transmission. “Ventilation to Command: I have a victim in a side C window yelling for help. Do you want me to assist him or open the bulkhead?”
Command will advise; once Command advises, the firefighter is no longer freelancing. Freelancing is only freelancing if you don’t tell Command (or possibly, in this case, the immediate officer).
—John “Skip” Coleman, deputy chief of fire prevention, Toledo (OH) Department of Fire and Rescue, is the author of Incident Management for the Street-Smart Fire Officer (Fire Engineering, 1997) and Managing Major Fires (Fire Engineering, 2000). He is an editorial advisory board member of Fire Engineering and a member of the FDIC Educational Advisory Board.
Question: A firefighter is assigned to operate on the roof of a five-story, flat-roof apartment building. The fire is rolling in a first-floor apartment. Equipped with a hook, an ax, and a lifesaving rope, he moves to the roof by aerial ladder. His officer instructed him to perform vertical ventilation by opening the door at the top of the stairway bulkhead. This will assist the search and fire attack efforts below. While walking toward the bulkhead, the firefighter hears a person shouting for help. He goes to the roof’s edge and sees a man below at a window from which heavy smoke is venting. There is no direct access to the window from the building’s front or side B or D. Which of the following actions should the firefighter take and why?
1. Initiate the rescue using the lifesaving rope, and notify his officer to assign the ventilation to another firefighter.
2. Begin working on ventilating the bulkhead, and notify his officer that a victim needs to be removed.
3. Some other action (explain).
Ron Hiraki, assistant chief, Gig Harbor (WA) Fire & Medic One
Response: The majority of the firefighters and fire officers who reviewed this situation said they would immediately notify the appropriate superior officer (within the incident management system) of the victim’s situation and then begin ventilation by way of the stairway bulkhead. Although there was serious concern for the victim’s situation, the firefighters and fire officers recognized the “bigger picture” of carrying out an important part of the tactical plan, ventilation. If the firefighters on the roof were to divert from their original assignment, search and rescue and locating and extinguishing the fire would be more difficult and take more time, jeopardizing the lives of more residents and firefighters.
Some firefighters and fire officers were concerned that initiating ventilation was contrary to the incident priorities of rescue before extinguishment. We normally think of rescue as removing the victim from danger. However, we can also accomplish rescue by removing the danger from the victim. In this situation, the firefighters and fire officers felt that ventilating was essential to extinguish the fire and mitigate the danger to everyone. Additionally, the consensus was that this would be a more effective use of the firefighters on the roof.
After completing the ventilation task and notifying the appropriate superior officer, these firefighters could proceed to locate the victim and ensure his safety. This action gives the firefighters a good option for accomplishing both tasks and may also be a safer and more efficient method of rescuing the victim.
This is a very difficult decision for any firefighter to make. The situation pits teamwork (carrying out your part of a tactical plan) against individual initiative (recognizing a critical task and taking action). Members of the fire service and the community expect firefighters to practice both.
Steve Kreis, assistant chief, Phoenix (AZ) Fire Department
Response: Our policy states that truck companies will operate on commercial structures as full crews. Members are not to freelance or be assigned alone to perform any functions inside the hot zone. Truck companies are staffed with an officer and three or four firefighters.
After arrival and on receipt of orders to make the roof to perform ventilation, we would leave one person at the pedestal of the truck and use the aerial device to gain access to the roof. Once on the roof, the company officer would radio Command of the situation and get an affirmative acknowledgement from Command that the truck company will be making the rescue by using the bulkhead or the aerial device (whichever is safer and quicker). We don’t use rescue ropes. After making the rescue, they would notify Command that the rescue is completed and that they are ready for reassignment.
On notification of the impending rescue situation, Command would have to adjust the incident action plan. If Command had already addressed the rescue with other companies, they (we use command teams) would radio the truck company of that and have them continue with the ventilation order. If Command had not previously addressed the rescue, they would acknowledge the truck’s actions, try to support their actions with interior companies, and assign another truck company to complete the roof ventilation if necessary.
Tom Brennan, chief (ret.), Waterbury (CT) Fire Department
Response: This question “begs” for additional information that should be available on arrival of the unit and the assigned members: How tall is the building? Construction? WHERE IS THE FIRE? Is there a fire escape? On what floor is the victim?
Assuming that the fire is not on the top floor, the priorities of the roof ventilation assignment are to ventilate the vertical arteries for the interior life hazard (including the advancing fire teams).
The opening of the bulkhead door and communication with the officer about the presence and location of the victim will almost always allow for the alleviation of conditions below and for the removal of the victim from the interior. The “age-old” question of just how much attention the vertical ventilation firefighter should pay to the victim still rears its ugly head.
Here is where the firefighter’s discipline, experience, training, dialogue, and critique come into play. He has to understand that paying too much attention to the victim—getting “married” through conversation (shouting)—will cause the primary life-saving function, the opening of the vertical arteries to the fire building to the outside, to be abandoned. That event alone may account for all of the life hazard in the structure and increase the aggressiveness of the firefighting effort below.
Assuming (second) that another firefighter from this team or another company is assigned to the roof and that the access is ensured by the placement of the aerial ladder mentioned, also request that preparation for a roof rope (life rescue rope) rescue be made on the arrival of the second firefighter.
Therefore, the actions should be as follows:
1. Assure the noisy victim that you are there and help is on the way.
2. Notify those below (truck officer or whatever) of the presence, location, and stress of the victim while opening the bulkhead door and ensuring that it will remain open, to relieve conditions below and, in some cases, the fire apartment itself.
3. If there is a fire escape to the victim or the fire apartment, consider using it after the roof has been adequately vented.
4. Prepare the roof rope for the second firefighter’s arrival—proper knots or harness security to have yourself lowered on his arrival.
5. The single slide of the lone firefighter is a last resort in this case. Give the interior team a chance to access and remove the victim with primary search tactics enhanced by your performing excellent ventilation techniques on the roof.
Remember that the second greatest life-saving function (putting out the fire is the first) is ventilating the fire building.
Katherine T. Ridenhour, captain, Aurora (CO) Fire Department
Response: My department’s operating procedures dictate that we never send one member to the roof alone; therefore, for this scenario, two members have been assigned to the roof for ventilation of the bulkhead door. As they proceed to the door and hear the shouts for help, the following describes their actions.
One firefighter would immediately proceed to the roof edge from where the shouting is coming. The firefighter would make verbal contact with the victim and find out what the problem is and then radio Command or his division/sector/group officer giving a CAN report (conditions, actions, needs). The firefighter would instruct the victim to close the apartment door (if possible) and the door to the room he is in (how many fires have you been on where if the occupant had simply closed a door, the incident would never have escalated?). Once assured that a rescue team has been assigned to assist the person, the firefighter should remain on the roof and keep talking to the person to reassure him.
Meanwhile, the other firefighter would proceed to the bulkhead door and open it, using the door as a shield against the smoke and heated gases. Once open, the door would be chocked or blocked. The firefighter would radio Command or the division/sector/group officer that the vent hole is open and relate the smoke condition and movement. He would then walk the remaining roof perimeter looking for other potential ventilation openings and other possible victims.
Once ventilation is accomplished and the shouting victim’s door is closed, there may be no need for the roof team to instigate a rooftop rescue using rope. Once the bulkhead door is open, sufficient smoke and gases should be removed so that a risky rooftop rescue would be unnecessary.
The proposed rooftop rescue would indeed be risky. Most firefighters have probably rappeled and perhaps performed one or two practice rope rescues while in the recruit academy. Attempting a rope rescue would be highly dangerous for the average truck company member, who probably has not had technical or high-angle rescue training.
A coordinated fire attack with effective ventilation is usually the best way to assist potential victims in a fire. The firefighters assigned to the rooftop will have the greatest positive impact on the fire and the occupants by completing the ventilation task, thereby reducing or eliminating the need for a risky rope rescue in a scenario such as this.
Larry Anderson, assistant chief, Dallas (TX) Fire Department
Response: Let’s assume this is a ventilation team of two firefighters assigned to open the top of the bulkhead. On hearing the call for help and realizing that a life is in danger, they should immediately notify the sector officer or Command that they are redirecting their efforts and initiating a rescue operation. It is extremely important for the chain of command at this incident to know that a rescue operation is underway. Rescue is our number one strategic priority at any emergency incident, and all resources available to the IC should be brought to bear to accomplish that rescue. That is not to say that firefighting efforts should cease. These efforts now support the rescue operation. Fire extinguishment is actually number four in the strategic priority order; in this case, it can become a tactic needed to give the rescuers enough time to complete their mission.
Another team should probably be assigned to complete the bulkhead ventilation to make it easier for the rescue team to gain access to the victim and to direct the smoke and heat up the stairway away from the victim. Rescue must always be our number one priority. It may not always require an action, but it must always be a consideration before other aspects of an operation are undertaken. Remember, a body recovery is not a rescue. Why would we put our people or ourselves in harm’s way when we have no hope of changing the outcome?
Bob Oliphant, lieutenant, Kalamazoo (MI) Department of Public Safety
Response: In this scenario, the firefighter should continue with his ventilation assignment and notify Command about the man at the window. The man at the window might be the most obvious victim, but there could be more unseen victims inside the building whose situation could be worse. Ventilating the building will improve everyone’s chances of survival and should be the first priority.
If this building is similar to buildings with which I am familiar, it will have an open stairway from the bottom to the top floor. Opening the bulkhead at the top of the stairs should achieve ventilation and improve interior conditions for everyone, including the man at the window, other unseen victims, and firefighters.
If the man at the window could not be removed while ventilation was being accomplished, the firefighter on the roof might be able to help after opening the stairway bulkhead. He could try to get to the person from a fire escape or by going down the interior stairs if conditions permit. My guess is that the man tried to leave his apartment but was driven back inside by smoke and heat that traveled up the open stairway. The apartment door probably remained open, and the open window became the initial outlet for smoke to escape. Closing the apartment door may be all that is needed to alleviate the conditions inside the apartment until the man can be removed.
Rescuing the man at the window might seem like the first priority, but ventilation will accomplish more for everyone including victims and firefighters.
Leigh T. Hollins, battalion chief, Cedar Hammock (FL) Fire Rescue
Response: Keeping in mind that a whole lot of additional information is needed to provide a “firm” answer, and assuming many things, I would have to say that to initiate the rescue would be the overwhelming priority. I just can’t see delaying that action at all.
He should communicate with his officer (what actions he is going to take) for the sake of the entire operation (suppression activities, ventilation, and rescue). Otherwise, he is possibly jeopardizing not only the firefighters operating below but also the victim and himself. However, even assuming the worst (that he could not communicate his actions), I would have to say the rescue is the right choice.
Josh Thompson, battalion chief, Avon (IN) Fire Department
Response: First, I have never liked the idea of firefighters working alone on the fireground. The buddy system is safer, but I understand staffing levels dictate otherwise at times (if assignments can be completed safely by one firefighter). By initiating the rescue on his own, this firefighter is freelancing, plain and simple. Freelancing is dangerous to everyone on the fireground, citizens and firefighters alike. What unnecessary danger might this firefighter be placing on the victim and himself? Who is to say that other firefighters or officers are not already aware of the situation and are taking steps for the rescue? What is the possibility that he may be lowering into fire venting out a window? How would the attack and search teams be affected—flashover, hindrance of the attack/search efforts? These are just a few things to consider when making such a decision.
The firefighter was assigned ventilation not only to assist the search and attack crew below but also to buy some time for any other occupants in the building, venting for life. In my opinion, the best course of action for this firefighter would be to note the location of the victim and notify his officer while walking to the bulkhead and continuing with the initial assignment. After completion of the assignment, the firefighter should contact his officer for further direction. The firefighter may then be directed back to the window for communication with the victim or crews attempting rescue of the victim or to perform a rescue using the lifesaving rope (provided that the rope is in good condition, able to hold two people, and of sufficient length; it wouldn’t necessarily be worth losing two lives in the process).
Another option might be (if the victim were on the fifth floor and can no longer be seen) to get a partner, enter the bulkhead, go to the fifth floor, search for the victim, and remove the victim to the roof and down the aerial ladder. There are numerous other options, but it is probable that venting the bulkhead will improve conditions for the victim, thus increasing the victim’s chance of survival.
Rick Lasky, chief, Lewisville (TX) Fire Department
Response: We rank ventilation near the top of our tactical priority list, as it should be. We’re aggressive when it comes to ventilation, whether horizontal or vertical, keeping in mind what we have all been taught since the first week of the academy—that for us to be successful on the fireground, we have to be skilled in what are considered the “basics”: fire attack, ventilation, and search and rescue.
Looking at the scenario provided, I think it really doesn’t matter whether you send one member or several members to the roof (I know, I know, but let’s get past the one-member thing for right now). Whatever the staffing SOP is, the goal should be to stick to the tasks as assigned as often as possible. As much as a victim at a window can draw attention, we can’t allow ourselves to get caught up in just that or fixated on just that action when we were given the assignment to ventilate.
Don’t get me wrong. That victim in the window obviously is important. But let’s look at what we were assigned to do in the first place, and why. We were assigned to get to the roof, commence with “topside” ventilation in an effort to aid the interior crews with their attempt to locate the seat of the fire and any missing or trapped victims, and support the engine company with their suppression efforts. It may sound bad or be viewed as unpopular to say, on seeing the trapped occupant at the window, that you should immediately tell the IC of the victim’s location but continue with your ventilation assignment. If anything, think about what might be going on inside if at that specific time we had a victim or several victims in the building who weren’t as lucky to make it to a window. The sooner we open up and vent the building, the better conditions should get for the victims and the firefighters inside.
If we’re talking about opening up a bulkhead door, it’s going to provide a better environment for the companies making the stairs if done properly. The same applies if we’re opening up over a staircase the interior companies are trying to make. Either way, staying with the original plan (I know that the fireground is a very dynamic place and is constantly changing) and sticking to the assignment, coupled with good communications, should give us a better chance for a successful outcome for everyone.
Craig Shelley, fire protection advisor, Saudi Aramco Fire Protection Department, Ras Tanura, Saudi Arabia
Response: One of the key pieces of information left out of the scenario is where the victim is located in relation to the fire. This will help determine if there is an immediate need for rescue. Certain duties must be performed in all cases: (1) The roof firefighter should first communicate to the victim that he has been noticed and help is on the way. (2) He should communicate to the interior team and other responding personnel that a victim is present, and give the victim’s exact location. (3) The firefighter should begin roof ventilation by opening the bulkhead door and the skylight (depending on conditions). This one action may ventilate enough of the interior to allow the interior forces to rapidly move to the victim and make the rescue from inside or the engine team to rapidly advance to attack the seat of the fire, eliminating the need for rescue. It would then become an evacuation.
If the need for an exterior rescue is warranted because of the fire’s severity and the victim’s location in respect to the fire, the roof firefighter may have to prepare for a life-saving rope rescue. In this case, the firefighter should inform his officer and other personnel after ventilation that a life-saving rope rescue is being initiated. This will allow for additional personnel to be dispatched to the roof to assist. Remember, this should be a two-person operation. Locating the substantial object to which to tie off and communicating information to the victim and other team members can be performed while waiting for assistance to arrive. Once the additional assistance has arrived, the life-saving rope rescue can be initiated in accordance with the department’s SOPs. Departments should have SOPs in place for these rescues so that efficiency and safety are achieved. Also, it may not always be necessary to totally remove the victim using the life-saving rope rescue technique. There have been instances in which the rescuer had only to stay with the victim at the window to calm him while the interior crew made the rescue or the fire was extinguished. Remember to keep an open mind and not get tunnel vision when it comes to these rescues.
Danny Kistner, battalion chief, Garland (TX) Fire Department
Response: This is truly a difficult situation. The best place to plan for this type of event is at the fire station when we are “what ifing.”
I think I would want my firefighter to begin working on ventilating the bulkhead and simultaneously notify his officer that a victim needs to be removed.
Ventilation may reduce or redirect the greatest part of the smoke away from the victim long enough for a properly mounted rescue effort to be attempted. Properly executed ventilation tactics may create a more tenable situation for the attack team, as the heat and gases are given an avenue for escape.
Attempting a single-handed rope rescue at this point would tend to tip the risk-benefit scale toward the negative. Let’s examine all that could go wrong. First, is this a skill regularly practiced? If not, you are only asking for disaster. An improperly tied knot, an anchor point that is not as secure as first thought, a rope cut by a rough building edge or broken glass, or any number of other variables thrown into the equation can and will lead to a dead firefighter and victim.
Second, the situation is only going to deteriorate while you are preparing for your descent. When you get adjacent to the window where the victim was last seen, will you be able to reach him? Will he still be there, or did he succumb to the toxic effects of the fire gases and is unable to assist with his own rescue? Assuming you are able to reach the victim and he is able to assist, to what location would you lower him, and can you count on a crew to pull you to safety?
An additional consideration would be the strength of the rope when exposed to heat and fire conditions. If heavy smoke is already venting from the window and there is no other avenue for exit, it won’t be long before fire begins to add to the mix. Can your rope take it? Are you exposed?
This type of rescue should not be a consideration except in departments that have the necessary training and firefighters who have proficiency in this maneuver.
The victim and firefighter might be better served by a coordinated, simultaneous ventilation and fire attack. The victim may not be immediately removed, but conditions may be improved enough to buy the victim precious minutes until a rescue group can arrive.
Michael Allora, lieutenant, Clifton (NJ) Fire Department
Response: The firefighter assigned to the roof in this scenario has a critical role to play in the overall success of a coordinated fire attack. He is assigned to vent the heat and deadly products of combustion accumulating on the upper floors of the structure. A five-story apartment building pre-sents a tremendous life hazard. Should there be a delay in opening up, the crews operating in the interior and the victims attempting to flee will take unnecessary punishment from an already hostile environment.
The first action this firefighter should take is to inform the IC of the situation. Keeping the IC informed is crucial to the success of the incident management system. Notifying the company officer would not be the best course of action. The company officer may be in a position to provide little assistance if he is involved in another operation inside the structure. Once informed of the situation, the IC can direct other crews that may already be in place to effect the rescue. There may be a crew of rescuers on the floor or in the apartment at the same time the firefighter notices the victim’s dilemma.
Once the IC is aware of the situation, the firefighter should concentrate on opening up the bulkhead and providing relief over the open interior stairway. This action alone may help the victim trapped at the window. The products of combustion will now be venting upward and out of the structure as opposed to mushrooming onto lower floors. The search crews will benefit by increased visibility. Crews will be able to search a larger area more quickly. The firefighter should also perform a search of the landing inside the bulkhead door for any overcome victims who may have attempted to flee by accessing the roof.
Informing the IC of the situation and then performing the topside ventilation in a timely manner is the best course of action. It will alleviate the conditions inside the building, making it safer and more tenable for the operating crews. This will allow the fire attack crew to get to the seat of the fire more quickly and provide much needed relief for the crews searching above the fire. Should the firefighter abandon his original assignment and attempt to make the rescue, he would be creating more problems than he would be solving.
Jamie C. Morelock, firefighter, Fremont (OH) Fire Department
Response: There may be no right or wrong answer to this scenario. Since we deal with so many unknowns at an incident, numerous factors must be taken into consideration before any action is taken. Solid operating procedures offer personnel a consistent starting point; however, those procedures must be flexible and allow for adaptation. Additionally, effective communication, coupled with accurate information, remains the backbone of successful operations.
The first action of any firefighter operating on the roof should be to do a quick size-up of all sides of the building and relay any pertinent information to an officer. The firefighter in this situation needs to remember that the officer is depending on the accomplishment of the original assignment. Personnel who deviate from their assignment must notify their officer of the change.
Life safety remains our number-one priority, and several questions will have to be answered before this firefighter takes any further action. Will delaying ventilation put more lives at risk? How bad are the conditions at the victim’s position? Are additional personnel available to assist on the roof? In today’s world of gross understaffing of fire companies, it is not uncommon to find an aerial apparatus operating with only one or two people. Other questions would be, Is a team in position to effect a rescue from the interior? and, Can a portable ladder accomplish the rescue from the ground?
The truck officer and the roof firefighter must take training and experience into consideration. Is the roof firefighter capable of performing the rescue? Many bulkhead doors are heavily secured. Personnel must be diligent in their tool selection. Using hand tools that have multiple uses and power equipment can help to reduce fatigue and increase the likelihood that tasks will be accomplished in a timely manner.
There are no easy answers. A multitude of questions must be considered before a decision is made. Each incident will dictate that answer.
Alastair Gordon-Farleigh, Grad I Fire E, United Kingdom
Response: I am a retired fire officer in the UK, currently employed as a nonuniformed training officer for a fire brigade. This scenario is somewhat different from the type with which we would be familiar.
My first response is in the form of a question: What on earth is one firefighter doing in such a hazardous situation? Surely a team of two as a minimum should be detailed for any such task.
Here in England, we always operate in teams of two minimum for any such task—usually conducted in SCBA, which, as you may be aware, is very tightly controlled by safety procedures to protect the crews.
In this scenario, the obvious answer is to conduct the rescue if the person is in immediate and serious danger. If he is in a safe area and simply panicking, he can be reassured and encouraged to wait for an additional crew to get to him.
In this country, the procedure for using an aerial platform precludes re-siting when crews are using the platform as an entry point to the building. This could limit the rescue capability of additional crews because, theoretically, the platform would be unavailable.
The officer in charge of the incident or sector is responsible for risk assessing the incident dynamically. He would need to be in constant communication with the roof crew and would have to decide on the safest action to take.
Hopefully, crews would be accessing the building from all possible entry points simultaneously to perform search and rescue; therefore, backup crews could be directed to the victim fairly rapidly.
If the building requires venting, this could improve the lot of the victim and rescuers dramatically. Alternatively, it could all go sour and seriously aggravate the incident. The officer in charge, not the roof crew, would be in the best position to make such a decision.
Dave Dodson, former battalion chief and safety officer/lead instructor, Response Solutions
Response: Given the choices and the limited information, I have to lean toward the third choice (some other action). Assuming the firefighter is part of a team that includes the officer or group/sector supervisor, the firefighter should immediately relay the call for rescue and allow the officer to make the call. A lone firefighter should not be on the roof.
Can both actions be reasonably accomplished? The officer needs to make his crew-split decision based on his read on the smoke exposure of the victim needing rescue. “Heavy smoke” doesn’t paint the picture. Smoke—and its potential to kill the victim—is measured in volume, velocity, density, and color.
Additionally, the floor on which the victim is located should alter the decision making. Smoke that is of high velocity (turbulent velocity means high heat), dense, and black on the fourth or fifth floor indicates a bigger problem than a first-floor fire. If the victim is exposed to this, rescue is paramount.
Quick radio communication and coordination are essential here. If crews are available on the victim’s floor, the rapid ventilation of the bulkhead could expedite an inside rescue and reduce the smoke exposure to the victim—a “vent-for-life” approach.
The style of door and forcible entry effort must also be considered: An easy open job would help the vent-for-life approach, whereas an “noncooperative” door could cause the officer to rapidly abandon the door and go for the rescue. When the door does open, does it relieve the smoke exposure to the victim? In either case, Operations/Command communication is essential to eliminate action-plan dysfunction.
This scenario can serve as a great motivator for firefighters and tactical supervisors to think through the relationship of tactical priorities—smoke reading, crew capabilities, and the traps of operating outside the action plan—even if the intent is founded in rescue. Further, the scenario underscores the never-ending pursuit of skill proficiency. How fast can you open various doors? How fast can you set up a safe lifeline rescue? If you haven’t drilled on these skills in some time, you’ve set yourself up for mistakes when the rapid-rescue situation pre-sents itself.
Ed Herrmann, lieutenant, Boynton Beach (FL) Fire Rescue
Response: With the information provided, it seems clear that the firefighter should immediately notify Command of the victim’s situation and then complete the assigned task as quickly and as safely as possible.
The reason for this is twofold. First, ventilation performed at the proper time and location is vital to all other aspects of interior operations. Heat and toxic gases are removed from the structure through a controlled pathway with the intent of making the conditions within the structure more tenable for firefighters and unprotected occupants. This act alone could redirect the airflow within the identified victim’s apartment, thereby drawing fresh air into the window as the toxic gases rise through the now open roof. Visibility is improved throughout the structure, making fire attack and search operations safer and more effective, thereby improving the victim’s chances of safe rescue.
The second reason for choosing this option is based on the fact that a ground ladder rescue is almost always preferred to a rope rescue. This is especially true since details such as victim’s exact location and type of other rope gear carried by the firefighter are not specified.
If ventilating does not improve the victim’s situation, if no other personnel are available to raise ladders, if interior crews are unable to reach the victim for whatever reason, and if the aerial is unable to reach the victim, then Murphy’s Law and short staffing have ganged up on you and forced you to plan E. The type of rope rescue would, again, be based on numerous factors such as the victim’s level of consciousness, the rope’s rating, the descent control device (if any) available to the firefighter, the availability of anchors, and so on.
We are trained for decisions like this from the first day of the academy. Hours and hours of lectures on fire tetrahedrons, chain of command, and safety, as well as the time spent drilling on forcible entry, ventilation, ladder, rope skills, and so on are pitted against our instinct to immediately help the one person we can actually see. This is just one of those situations where we have to control our instincts and quickly think things through. Also, keep in mind that those instincts are what led us to our chosen profession.
Mark Spencer, firefighter/EMT, Oshkosh (WI) Fire Department
Response: My answer is 2 or a combination of 2 and 3. Why? Without getting into regulations, practicality should answer this one. No. 2 is close, but I would reverse the actions. First radio the IC about the victim’s presence and location. This can be done in the time it takes to walk back over to the bulkhead. Second, remain on the task assigned, since ventilating aids fellow responders and the victim.
It is not practical to perform some type of one-person rescue with the equipment described. It may grab a headline (if successful), but it certainly doesn’t follow safety guidelines and may very well endanger two lives. The firefighter does not have all the incident facts, such as cause, intent, fuel load, involvement, building age and construction, and so on. What would be the effect of failing to complete the task? Also, the firefighter does not have the necessary equipment to attempt a roof-rigged rescue with a mere hook and rope.
By the time the firefighter completes his assigned task, the IC should already have additional personnel and equipment on the way to carry out a safe and successful rescue, whether it be from inside, outside, or the rooftop.
Lance C. Peeples, instructor, St. Louis County (MO) Fire Academy
Response: The firefighter assigned to the roof position at a fire on the first floor of an occupied multiple dwelling has a critical responsibility—that is to take the lid off the chimney. He does this by ensuring that the bulkhead door has been forced and any skylights have been opened. This single action at a serious fire in a multiple dwelling will usually improve conditions to the point where the occupant showing at the window can wait for rescue by the interior search team.
The roof firefighter should also notify his officer of the exact location of the trapped occupant. If the firefighter neglects his primary responsibility of venting the stairwell, the advance of the initial attack hoseline will be slowed or stalled, and searches will be extremely hazardous. Indeed, it is entirely possible that additional victims are in even greater peril than the occupant at the window. Prompt vertical ventilation may be life saving to these individuals.
Only after accomplishing his primary responsibility of ensuring that the “lid is off” should the firefighter set up for a rope rescue. He has to await the arrival of the second-due roof firefighter anyway.
The second-due roof firefighter should act as a brakeman while the initial roof firefighter attaches his personal harness to the life-safety rope. He can then be lowered to the victim, where he should be prepared to catch the victim should he leap onto the rescuer. Single-slide rescues are extremely hazardous in this situation; hence, the preferred technique is to use a topside brakeman.
A final comment on the tool selection of our hypothetical firefighter: An ax is a poor choice for this position. Cutting the roof is not indicated at this particular fire. A halligan tool is often necessary to force open the bulkhead door. These doors are frequently locked from the inside with slide bolts or are chained shut. By inserting the adz end of the halligan under the door at the corner where it meets the roof surface, it is usually possible to gain a purchase point. Next, insert the pry bar end of the specially designed roof hook (a six-foot steel shaft with a halligan hook at one end and a pry bar at the other), and secure the purchase point. By alternating the placement of the roof hook and the halligan, it is usually possible for a single firefighter to work his way up to the lock and force the door.
Finally, this firefighter should be equipped with a thermal imaging camera (TIC) or a hand lantern slung over his shoulder with a quick-release strap. After he completes his duties on the roof, the firefighter should descend the exterior fire escape (never the interior stairs) and attempt to search the top-floor apartments. Obviously, he should await the arrival of the second-due roof firefighter before entering an environment that requires the use of SCBA. The hand lantern or TIC will facilitate the search.
