All Entries Tagged With: "Anatomy of Buildings"
Looking Back at The Cherry Road Townhouse Fire, Double LODD; DCFD 1999
Looking Back at The Cherry Road Townhouse Fire, Double LODD; DCFD May 30th, 1999 On May 30, 1999, (DCFD) fire fighters responded to a box alarm involving a townhouse fire at 3146 Cherry Rd NE, Washington, DC 20018-1612. DCFD FireFighter Anthony Phillips, Engine 10 DCFD FireFighter Louis Matthews, Engine 26 From the NIOSH Report: The […]
Stairway Collapse and Mayday in Chicagoland
A fire in single family residential occupancy in Chicago’s West Humboldt Park section on May 29th produced these dramatic occurrences: Serious injury to a woman and her grandchild, a firefighter being trapped, and good Samaritans lending a hand. About 12:30 a.m., Chicago fire officials and police responded to a fire in a one-and-a-half story single […]
Fire Behavior 101; Taking it to the Streets
Fire Behavior Fire Dynamics Fire Dynamics is the study of how chemistry, fire science, material science and the mechanical engineering disciplines of fluid mechanics and heat transfer interact to influence fire behavior. In other words, Fire Dynamics is the study of how fires start, spread and develop. But what exactly is a fire? Defining Fire […]
Compromised Floor Assembly Traps (CT) Firefighters
A Taftville (CT) Firefigher was caught in a compromised floor condition while fighting a fire in a residential occupancy on Friday morning April 15th in Norwich, CT., resulting in a mayday and RIT deloyment to support the extrication and firefighter removal from the interior. Published reports from Theday.com indicated a fire fighter issued a mayday […]
Roof and Ceiling Collapses
There have been two fire ground collapse events this week; the first in Gary Indiana on April 5th, the other in Washington DC on April 8th that resulted in a total of eight firefighters being injured. The collapse conditions presented themselves during the course of operations in which suppression or search and rescue operations were […]
Ceiling Collapse Injures Three Gary, Indiana Firefighters
Three Gary (IN) firefighters were injured when the third floor ceiling of a burning building collapsed on Tuesday April 5th during search and rescue operations. According to published reports their injuries weren’t believed to be life-threatening, but they were taken to a hospital. Battalion Chief Robert Groszewski stated about 20 firefighters responded to the fire at […]
Chesapeake (VA) Auto Parts Store Roof Collapse Double LODD 1996
OVERVIEW Fifteen years ago, on March 18, 1996, two firefighters were killed in Chesapeake, Virginia when they became trapped by a rapidly spreading fire in an auto parts store and a pre-engineered wood truss roof assembly collapsed on them. The cause of the fire was an electrical short created when a power company truck working […]
Charleston Sofa Super Store Fire; Final NIST Report Issued
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has released its final report on its study of the June 18, 2007, fire at the Sofa Super Store in Charleston, S.C., that trapped and killed nine firefighters, the highest number of firefighter deaths in a single event since 9/11. The final report was strengthened by […]
Lightweight Residential Construction: Collaboration Adds to Firefighter Safety
Lightweight Residential Construction: Collaboration Adds to Firefighter Safety From Fireengineering.com Aug 9, 2010 By Sean DeCrane Successful Passage During the recent International Code Council’s (ICC) Final Action Hearings in Dallas, Texas, a code change proposal requiring the protection of lightweight construction was successfully adopted into the International Residential Code (IRC). The code proposal will provide […]
Engineered Floor I-Joists and Firefigher Safety: Basic Insights
The following videos provide some Basic insights on Engineered Floor I-Joists and Firefigher Safety. The first two video reports are a few years old, but provide some good visual and narrative insights into the current building construction trends, operational limitations and fireground tactical safety considerations. Take the time to review these video clips and gain […]
ENGINE COMPANY STANDPIPE OPERATIONS:PRESSURE-REGULATING DEVICES
ENGINE COMPANY STANDPIPE OPERATIONS:PRESSURE-REGULATING DEVICES FireEngineering.com Feb 1, 2005 BY DAVID M. McGRAIL For most in the American fire service, pressure-regulating devices and specifically pressure-reducing valves (PRVs) were virtually unknown prior to 1991. It was only after the tragic One Meridian Plaza high-rise fire, which occurred in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on February 23, 1991, that PRVs […]
One Meridian Plaza High Rise Fire: Twenty Years Ago
Fire Operations One Meridian Plaza On what began as an uneventful Saturday night twenty years ago, a fire on the 22nd floor of the 38-story Meridian Bank Building, also known as One Meridian Plaza, was reported to the Philadelphia Fire Department on February 23, 1991 at approximately 2040 hours and went on to burned for […]
Multiple Alarm Operations with Wind Driven Fire
The five alarm fire that ran through a seven story multiple occupancy (MO) apartment building in the Flatbush Section in the Borough of Brooklyn (NYC) this weekend considerably challenged operating companies of the FDNY as the fire was fueled and spread in rapid success due to significant wind conditions compounded by news reports that a […]
The Station Nightclub February 20, 2003 Revisted
A fire occurred on the night of February 20, 2003, at The Station Nightclub located in West Warwick, Rhode Island. A band that was performing that night, during its performance, used pyrotechnics that ignited foam insulation lining the walls and part of the ceiling of the platform being used as a stage. Based on a […]
Maintaining Situational Awareness
Maintaining focused situational awareness during all phases of fireground operation is mission critical for operational integrity and firefigher safety. Don’t forget value added task assignments and ensuring you always maintain effective and appropriate collapse zones.
