Training Video Time, Kids!

Watch what happens at roughly the :45sec mark.


This is why we don't vent behind the Engine!  By the 1:18 mark you can see that there was an Engine Company inside making what was probably a very difficult push to the seat of the fire.  Even with the failed window in the fire room there was still a tremendous amount of heat in the front.  Read the smoke!  It's pushing out under pressure from the front of the building.  This is one of those times we have to open the roof!

Most departments out there are operating at a deficit when it comes to responding manpower.  There aren't enough people to go around.  Regardless we have to figure out a deployment that allows us to open the building up properly.  You'll see once they are outside and choose a defensive attack (any attack made from outside the building is defensive) it takes roughly :10sec of water to get a knock on the fire room that was causing the problem.

Once one interior room has flashed over the rate of heat transfer to the rest of the house skyrockets.  Think of it like your oven.  Until the thing heats up you can set potatoes in there bare handed all day long.  Once it is 400 degrees though it gets warm just standing in front of the open door.  The interior of the fire building is the same way, just that room that flashed is radiating 1500 degrees or more into the rest of the house.

Back to the embed video.  About the 4:00 mark you see two guys head to the roof and then hear the saw running.  We can see that the D side still has a well seated fire.  At 5:02 we see a member venting the front gable window of the 1/2 story (which is probably occupied living space).  There is probably the same window in the rear.  These windows aren't the best for "vertical" ventilation, but they do pop the cap and start to relieve some of the pressure.  They may be better than not having any kind of top side opening.  The primary concern has to be not dragging the fire into unburned areas where victims may still be.  However given the level of fire development there is little chance that without venting those windows anyone on the second floor would live long.  We have to control the environment!

As you continue to watch the video there are some questionable choices made.  Why?  Lack of Situational Awareness!  Do we perceive, comprehend and predict what is going on? This is one of those videos to sit down and have a shift drill with.  Talk about what is going on and then how you would handle the fire if it was in your town.

As always it is easy to Monday morning quarterback someone's fire and pick out things that could have gone differently.  However only by looking at these things do we have the opportunity to learn from the experiences of others.  How many fires have you been to this month, or even this year?  These videos, and hopefully my blog, are the mental rehearsal opportunities I keep talking about.  Make the most of every fire you can watch and review.  It's no different that a professional athlete watching game video!  Make the most of every fire you see.

Just some thoughts and a good video. Cheers and be safe.