Bread and Butter Fire Attack

Pretty decent little fire attack.


Okay, this really is a bread and butter fire attack for every fire department in the country.  One story, frame, occupied, probably 25' by 30'.  The front room is involved, but the smoke doesn't look ugly from what you can see on the video.  The nozzleman does a reasonable job of leading out, and the fire is knocked quickly.  I like the entry through the front door.  It's faster than trying to get around to the rear (did you see the fence?) and also makes sure your Engine is doing a primary of the likely escape route if there was someone inside.

They get up and open the roof fairly quickly.  To my way of thinking that is a two person roof job but I know some departments prefer to send a larger crew.  All in all a nice little video of what happens when we get water on the fire.

Think about what you would do if things were different.
Mental Rehearsal number 1: Let's say you pull up as the first Engine.  You are the experienced nozzleman  and your officer is a bit of a worrier.  As you step off the rig and take a look you go to stretch and the officer says, "Hit it from the window first."  Does that sound like a good idea?  Is this a fire that needs a defensive to offensive mode of operation to make it safe?  No.  Be ready to step up and say, "If we put the line in the window we are going to push fire into the house. We can get this one boss."

Mental Rehearsal number 2:  What would you do as the Truck if you were first on scene and there was someone standing on the front lawn saying, "The baby is in the back room!"  Are you waiting for the Engine?  Obviously not waiting for water will put you in a situation that could become untenable quickly.  Waiting for water could mean the kid dies.  I think this is one of those situations where you do some RECON and see if you can make the grab.  You have 600 square feet tops here.  Based on the smoke the door to the fireroom may be closed.  If not, you may be able to scurry down the hall with a can and get control of the door.  Even a hollow-core door will buy you a few minutes to do a primary back towards the front of the house.

My only "do better" on this video is that I hate to see people getting off the rig with their SCBA Facepiece on.  I know MSA has the ability to let you breathe ambient air,  but the mask limits your peripherial vision and makes it much harder to take in the big picture.  Look at the guy running up to the door with the axe.  Running on the fireground should only be away from the building, otherwise you are moving forward faster than you can visually process.  Take the second to don your mask prior to making entry, that way you can slow down and "pull your boots up" the way generations of folks did.  It gives you that second to get a sense of the whole scene and prepare for the job.

Again, just my two cents.  Cheers!