Garden Apartment Fires By Capt. David Polikoff

1. Garden Apartment Fires By Capt. David Polikoff

2. Objectives • Discuss construction of garden apartment • Discuss tactics • Discuss our rolls and functions on the fire ground • Discuss command considerations

3. Overview • Building Construction • Layout and Design • Box Assignment • Strategy and Tactics • Command Considerations

4. Definitions • Aggressive: moving quickly to accomplish a task. All the while keeping safety of you and your crew in mind. Aggressive firefighting is used in offensive or defensive modes. • Forceful • Hard hitting • Assertive • Unyielding • Attic: a story or room directly below the peaked roof of a building, especially a house.

5. Definitions cont. • Cockloft: structural space above ceiling and below rafters of a flat roof building, often connecting adjacent occupancies and permitting fire to spread laterally, often unseen. • Division: The organizational level that is responsible for operations within a defined geographic area, or with functional responsibility. Radio designation: Division xxx (Roof, Basement 1,2,3,4…)

6. Definitions cont. • Group: The organizational level that is responsible for a specified functional assignment at an incident, e.g., ventilation, salvage, water resources, etc. Radio designation: “specific function- (e.g., Salvage)” • Poke through: A hole or opening in fire stopping material • VES: Vent Enter Search

7. Key to Success • Aggressive Truck and Engine Work • Open walls and ceilings • Bring the correct GPM (min. 150 GPM), hose length and size • Put the manpower in the correct place • Plenty of Manpower • Understand how fire spreads in Garden Apartments

8. Keys to Success cont. • Understand how Garden Apartments are built • Kitchens and bathrooms stacked on top of each other from the bottom to the top • Be prepared to stretch hose longer than 200 feet • Preplan your area

9. Keys to Success cont. Always check the attic/cockloft on any fire regardless where in the building the fire started. Do this to ensure no fire has entered the walls and is traveling to the overhead spaces.

10. Keys to Success cont. From this To this

11. Building Construction • New vs. Old • Stack Design • Pipe Chases • Roof Design

12. Construction • Buildings are usually • Wood frame • Brick veneer • Ordinary construction • Multiple buildings joined together • Common attic/cockloft • Lightweight building construction • Roof and floor

13. New Construction • Lumber yards in the sky • Large open spaces • Large open cocklofts/attics • Light weight building materials • Light Weight Truss Construction • Wooden “I” Beams (with poke through in the web) • Energy efficient • Flammable exterior siding • Vinyl

14. Old Construction • Nailed roof systems • Masonry construction (brick and block) • Metal “I” Beams • Sturdy • Not as energy efficient

15. Stacked units • Kitchen • Stove vents • Bathrooms • Plumbing drains • Vent stacks • Provides fire spread through convection and conduction • Same floor plan plus or minus bedrooms

16. Pipe Chases • Run vertical and horizontal • Cut through fire stops • Cut through wooden “I” Beams • Provides avenue for fire and smoke travel • Provides fire spread through conduction and convection

17. Roof • Light weight truss • Fail very quickly • Gusset plates • Built off site • Each component relies on each other • Solid sawn wood • More solid than truss • Solid wooden beams • Sometimes larger than 2x4 • Built on site

18. Roof cont. • Eaves • Direct access to the attic for venting fire • Loads on roof • HVAC • Plywood • Burns very fast as it delaminates • Flat • Pitched

19. Roof cont. Gusset Plates Truss Construction Pitched Roof Broken Truss Component

20. Roof cont. Stairwell Hatch Flat Roof

21. Layout Of Building • Side “A” vs. Side “C” • Kitchens • Bathrooms • Hallway • Building Access • Building Size

22. Side A vs. Side C • What are the differences • Number of stories • Access • Truck Company • Laddering • Ground • Rear entrance • Terrain

23. Kitchens • Same from bottom to top • Fire travel • Extension • Overhaul

24. Bathrooms • Same from bottom to top • Fire travel • Extension • Overhaul

25. Hallways • Side A • Enclosed • Open • Court yard style • Foyer style • Typical layout

26. Hallway cont. Foyer Style Most common Enclosed Hallway

27. Hallway cont. Court Yard Style

28. Fallout Shelter Sign Hallway cont. Is this old or new construction? Open Stairs no hallway

29. Building Access • How does it sit • Shotgun (sideways) • Rear facing • Up stairs • Down stairs • Across a bridge • Distance from curb • Pre-connects • Leader line

30. Building Access Down Stairs Shotgun

31. Building Access Side C Upstairs

32. Building Access Across a bridge

33. Building Access 200 feet pre-connect lines will not get there

34. Building Size • Small older building • Small hallway • Small entrance • Large newer construction • Long hallways • Large lobby area One building

35. Our Box Assignment • Minimum of 26 people • 5 Engines • 2 Trucks • 1 Rescue Squad • 1 EMS unit • Behind the “8 ball” from the dispatch

36. Apparatus Placement • 1st Engine secure water supply • Side A • 2nd Engine complete water supply for 1st Engine • Side A • 3rd Engine secure 2nd water supply • Side C • 4th Engine complete 3rd engines water supply • Side C

37. Apparatus Placement cont. • 5th Engine • Uncommitted • 1st Truck Side A • 2nd Truck Side C • Rescue Squad don’t block engines or trucks • EMS Unit Don’t block incoming units or hydrants

38. Crew Assignment • 1st Engine • Size up side A • Fire floor attack fire • 2nd Engine • back up 1st engine Protect exits • 3rd Engine • Size up side C • Attack fire floor above or most threatened exposure

39. Crew Assignment cont. • 4th Engine • RIC • 5th Engine • Uncommitted • Report to the IC • 1st Truck • Ladders Ladders Ladders side A • Open up, vent and search • Report to the fire floor

40. Crew Assignment cont. • 2nd Truck • Ladders Ladders Ladders Side C • Report to the floor above the fire • Open up, vent, search • Rescue Squad • Search, utilities assist Truck with opening up • EMS Unit • set up aid station become part of rehab

41. Strategy and Tactics • Engine Company • Truck Company • Rescue Squad • EMS Unit

42. Assume that the 911 call has been delayed!!

43. Avoid Unnecessary Radio Traffic

44. Engine Company • Arrive on the scene • ENSURE A WATER SUPPLY!! • Leave room for the truck • Most ladders come off the rear of trucks • Pull past the address, or stop short if truck is coming from opposite direction (you can stretch hose not ladders) • Initial command Mode • Investigative • Attack • Crew Placement • Aggressive • Initial hose stretch • Leader line • Size of attack line should be based on the amount of fire • Protect the interior stairs • Work with the Truck Company

45. Engine Company cont. • Size up • Where is the smoke coming from • 1st floor and/or roof line • Color of the smoke • Smell of smoke (food vs. working fire) • Circle check • Nothing from front what about the rear? • Rescues • Front and/or rear

46. Engine Company Size Up cont. • Where is the fire going • Building construction • New or old • Interior status report ASAP • What you have • Are you getting it • Do you need more resources

47. Engine Company cont. • Hose line placement • 1st line • 2nd line • 3rd line • 4th line • Lines 3 and 4 • consider another way into the building (ladder into window) • But avoid:

48. Engine Company cont. • opposing hose lines • fighting fire from an apartment into a hallway; may jeopardize the stairwell • Drivers • Ensure the hose is smooth from the engine to the entrance of the fire building • Monitor radio • Assist Truck driver with ladders

49. Truck Company • Placement on the fire ground • Type of apparatus • TDA (tiller) • Rear mount Stick • Rear mount Tower • Mid-Ship Tower

50. Truck Company cont. • Crew placement • Tasks • Ground ladders • Forcible Entry • Search • Vent enter search (VES) may be a consideration for heavy fire conditions • Get walls and ceiling opened up • Ensure there is a charged hose line • Check the Attic/cockloft • Overhaul