This is a video that has been making the rounds since it went up on You Tube. The fire occurred on June 11, 2011 and gives us room for some good discussion.
First let me say excellent work by the firefighter who was caught when the roof began collapsing. He seems to keep his head and gets himself over the ridge quickly giving his partner the critical seconds needed to get to his position to help. I also like that the members of the roof team were dressed to play and not standing on top of one another. I think if this same situation occurred with two firefighters standing in 16 square feet worth of roof the outcome would have been different.
As always there are some "do betters" in this but all in all I think the operation seems fairly well executed. A secondary means of egress was established. MOST folks seem to be wearing all their PPE. So what could have been done differently here to avoid this near miss?
There are a dozen opinions for every person who watches this video but the only thing that I would ask would be, "Did he really sound the roof?"
To be honest I did not see it in the video. Given that this appears to be an attic fire and the roof failed on the more heavily involved side of the house I think the only thing that might have made this more preventable was doing a good sounding of the roof prior to walking on it. For those who say roof ladder I hear your point, but to be honest with a roof this shallow I wouldn't automatically deploy a roof ladder.
Use this video in your next company drill. Use it as a reminder about remaining calm when things go wrong. Use it to remind your folks about the importance of wearing all their PPE. Use it for size up and combat decision making skills.
Chris, The simplest key to avoiding this near miss would likely have been to not be on the roof in the first place. Considering the Building, Smoke, Air Track, Heat, and Flame (B-SAHF) indictors, particularly building construction and design along with the extent and area of involvement, roof ventilation (particularly where it was being performed) was likely unnecessary.
ReplyDeleteGood battle drill and reacting appropriately to problems is a critical skill, but the best way to avoid harm is to not get in trouble in the first place.