All Entries in the "Adaptive Fireground Management" Category
Structure Collapse at 140-Year Old Mill Building Kills 2 Career Fire Fighters and Injures 2 Others – Pennsylvania
Death in the Line of Duty…A summary of a NIOSH fire fighter fatality investigation F2018-06 Date Released: May 22, 2019 On March 22, 2018, two male career fire fighters, ages 50 and 29, died following a structure collapse while working to extinguish hot spots following a structure fire in a 140-year old mill building. The […]
Buildings on Fire Risk Assessment Matrix
Buildings on Fire Risk Assessment Matrix Building Occupancy Risk Profiling Reading the Building The importance of understanding a building’s anatomy, its occupancy risk and compartment profile are integral to efficient and effective firefighting operations within buildings on fire and are essential for all phases of fire suppression and operational engagements. Fundamental to these operations is […]
Predictability and Performance Of Buildings and Today’s Fireground
When we look at various buildings and occupancies, past operations (good and bad) give us experience that defines and determines how we assess, react and expect similar structures and occupancies to perform at a given alarm. The “art and science of firefighting” is predicated on a fundamental understanding of how fire affects a building […]
Fire Dynamics Simulation of 2011 Baltimore County LODD- 30 Dowling Circle
The Baltimore County (MD) Fire Department published the Line of Duty Death Investgation Report of the 30 Dowling Circle Fire recently. The report was written by a Line of Duty Death Investigation Team comprised of departmental members, including representatives of the local firefighters’ union and the Baltimore County Volunteer Firemen’s Association. An overview and […]
The New Rules of Combat Fire Engagement: Random Thoughts
The New Rules of Combat Fire Engagement: How do You Measure Your Effectiveness on the Fireground? What are Your Rules of Engagement Based upon? Are Your Operations SOP Driven? Are they Aggressive or Measured? What is Employed in your Size-up? How is Risk Assessed, Monitored, Adjusted? Do Company Officers Manage Tactical Objectives? Is Tactical Entertainment […]
The Same Mistakes: Newspaper Reports Common Issues Affecting Fire Operations
Four years after nine firefighters died battling Sofa Super Store fire, a report details an eerily similar set of breakdowns in a March blaze. Firefighters rush into a burning commercial building with too-small hoses and insufficient water. The commander can’t reach them because the captain forgot his radio. Backup crews aren’t sure where to go […]
High-rise fires cause quarter billion dollars of property damage a year
High Rise Fire Operations High-rise fires cause quarter billion dollars of property damage a year The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) is reporting that in 2005-2009, there were an average of 15,700 reported structure fires in high-rise buildings per year with an associated $235 million in direct property damage. The report, “High-Rise Building Fires,” (PDF, 499 KB) cites […]
New Sensor System Tracks Firefighters Where GPS Fails
New Sensor System Tracks Firefighters Where GPS Fails Portable device locates missing firefighters–saves time and maybe lives Firefighter Ray Hodgson hits the talk button on his walkie-talkie: “I have fire showing, possibility of a rescue on the third floor. Engine 35, initiate a rescue group. Also back him up with a hose line.” A fire […]
Second Alarm Apartment Fire, VA
A second alarm fire occurred in a four-story apartment building in the 20500 block of Reserve Falls Terrace, Loudoun County, VA that took command of over 13 apartment units. The fire was reported at 07:39 hours on Sunday morning November 20, 2011. Arriving companies found heavy fire was coming from the building. Fire crews initiated […]
Residential Pre-Arrival: What are your Considerations?
A video clip of a structure fire occurring in a single family residential occupancy shows, in the first few frames a back draft occurring per-arrival of fire services. It’s apparent there is a developing and progressing fire in the Charlie division which may have originated in the, or vicinity of the detached garage (B-C) […]
Reported Structure Fire with Trapped Occupants: Are YOU Combat Ready?
Just another day… On any given day, at any given time in the streets, buildings and occupancies that comprise the fabric of our communities and ultimately our response district and first-due areas; the citizens we protect go about their daily lives and activities as we go about ours. On any given day, at any given […]
Commericals- Got Fire; Anticipate Collapse
Got Fire?……Anticipate Collapse.. A recent video clip making its way around the cyber fireground clearly depicted a very close-call and resulting near miss event to four firefighters at a four alarm fire involving a commercial building that housed an established insulation manufacturer and installation contractor. The video shows within a very compressed time frame, the […]
Wind Driven Mansion Fire
A million dollar Baltimore County, Maryland home was destroyed Sunday December 13, 2009 by a fire that tore through the 4,700-square-foot structure with such intensity that firefighters were forced to battle the flames from the exterior. Shortly after 21:00 hours, Baltimore County Fire Dispatch alerted crews for Fire Box 50-2 at 12607 Nancy Lee Court in […]
Fireground Dynamics: Smoke Explosion during Interior Operations
Three Franklin (OH) firefighters were caught in what has been determined to be a smoke explosion at a structure fire involving a restaurant occupancy in what appears to be a building of Type III construction that published reports indicated was built in 1892. Franklin (OH) FD Lt. Kyle Lovelace and firefighters Quincy Pearson and […]
Remembrance: FDNY and Buffalo(NY) Double LODD from Floor Collapse
Take the time to revisit two Firefighter LODD incidents that both occurred in the month of August in 2006 and 2009 respectively. Excerpts from the NIOSH Reports have been included that are part of the NIOSH FIRE FIGHTER FATALITY INVESTIGATION AND PREVENTION PROGRAM (HERE). Both of these incidents involved a double firefighter line-of-duty death (LODD) […]
