Fireground Survival Awareness

INTRODUCTION

Just as firefighters prepare to fight firesFF must also prepare for the situation they

hope to avoidThe incidents where firefighters have lost

their lives, or where they lived to tell about it, have a consistent theme:Inadequate situational awareness

NIOSH AND USFA REPORT FINDINGS

Several NIOSH line-of-duty-death (LODD) investigations indicate Firefighters :May not be adequately trained on fire ground

survival proceduresHow to call a Mayday Actions to take while waiting to be rescued

NIOSH AND USFA REPORT FINDINGS

ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI FD. May 3, 2002.The NIOSH incident report can be viewed at

http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/fire/reports/face200220.html.

Lessons learned include:Team continuityFFs operating on the floor above a fire should

have charged hoseline.Train FFs to manually activate Personal Alert

Safety Systems PASS when lost or disoriented

NIOSH AND USFA REPORT FINDINGS

HOUSTON, TEXAS FD. FEB 19, 2005.The NIOSH incident report can be viewed at

http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/fire/reports/face200509.html.

Lessons learned include:Proper size upCommunicate interior condition to the outside

IC.Train FFs on the actions to take while waiting

to be rescuedUse exit locators such as high intensity

floodlights / strobe lights

PREVENTING THE MAYDAY

Preventing a Mayday must consciously occupy a fire fighter’s thoughts during:TrainingEmergency calls

Summarize the knowledge and skills fire fighters must acquire during drills to prevent a real Mayday

MAYDAY PREVENTIONKNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS

MAINTAINING SITUATIONAL AWARENESSFirefighters most often find themselves in

trouble because:Develop tunnel visionOperate off the hose line and lose their “lifeline”Fail to monitor their SCBA air consumptionGet separated from their partner

Operate alone.

MAYDAY PREVENTIONKNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS

Firefighters need to assess the situation for changing conditions also improves situational awareness and safety stay on or close to the hose lineclosely monitor their SCBA air supplyListening to radio traffic

What’s going on about the fire ground

Firefighters should never push the safety envelope

PREPLANNING

To increase survivability, firefighters must become familiar with their response districts

Allows us to see:Construction elementsDiscuss strategiesRecognize potential response problemsProvide clues to where and when a building

may fail

PREPLANNING

May prevent a Mayday situationUltimately, this knowledge allows personnel

to anticipate building compromise during fire involvement so fireground safety is maintained.

CONSTRUCTION TYPE

Critical findings during a preplan:Building constructionRoof construction

Conventional construction regular timber or metal beams

Light-weight construction truss systems.

CONSTRUCTION TYPE

Further classified as:Protected construction

Has a fire rated covering.Unprotected construction

Structural members are fully exposed.

Unprotected lightweight construction is the most dangerous.

Must be identified on the preplan

LIGHTWEIGHT TRUSS SYSTEMS

Inherently dangerousMust be considered high riskNational Institute of Standards and

Technology (NIST) and Underwriters Laboratories (UL) lightweight “I-joist “ was exposed to firecollapsed in only six minutes

LIGHTWEIGHT TRUSS SYSTEMS

Phoenix / NIOSH Lightweight roof trussesOnly eight minutes

Collapse will occur about the time firefighters arrive on scene

LIGHTWEIGHT TRUSS SYSTEMS

UL also foundInsulation qualities of flooring and carpet

above light-weight truss systems:1,200 degree fire below100 degree above

Measured just prior to collapseMisleading “cool” environment

Inability of thermal imaging cameras to detect the severity of fire below in the basement

FUEL LOADS

All contents stored in a buildingAdd fuel to the fireDetermine the rate of

spreadAmount of heat released

from burning fuels plays a significant role in fire spread

FUEL LOADS

Heat release / Time to peak heat releaseSignificantly enhanced when the fuel is

contained within an enclosureGenerally, contemporary furnishings made of

synthetics such as polyurethanes and microsuede fabrics, have a higher heat release

FUEL LOADS

Natural Material Furnished265 Seconds (4 min. 25 sec.)

Synthetic Material Furnished240 Seconds (4 minutes)

FUEL LOADS

Rapid fire growthSmoke rapidly fills the occupancyDifficult to locate the fire

A decision Search above the fire floorBefore having hose lines in place on the floor

belowResulted in fire fighter fatalities and numerous

Mayday situations

OVERHEAD WEIGHT

HVAC unitsTanksExcessive roofing materialBillboardsSnow (Standing water)

BUILDING HISTORY

RenovationsLegalIllegal

Previous fires

DERELICT BUILDINGS

Abandoned In disrepairDefensive operations

SIZE UP

Critical fire ground survival taskAssess the risk versus benefitAssessment of the situation

ChangesMode of attack for the operationFire fighters should risk very little to save

just the building and/or its contents

SIZE UP

Four critical componentsConstructionLocation and ExtentOccupancyLife Hazard

SIZE UP

ConstructionAssessing the way the fire building is erected.

Questions to ask include: How is the building built? How long will it contain the fire to its current

location? How long will the building allow fire crews to

operate inside if the decision is made to enter? Was the building built using light-weight truss

construction?

SIZE UP

Location and ExtentWhere the fire is located in the buildingHow it will spread inside due to the

construction style. Reading of smoke conditionsIdentifying the color, velocity, density and

volume of the smoke

SIZE UP

OccupancyIs the building an empty factoryOccupied

Single familyTwo-unit apartment building

Consider secondary means of egress prior to entering the fire building

SIZE UP

Life HazardWhereSurvivability

Risk versus benefit analysis

READING SMOKE

Would you enter a building filled with propane?Propane is extremely dangerous because they

are susceptible to gas explosionsSmoke filled buildings are just as dangerous

READING SMOKE

The flammable range and ignition temperatures of propane

and smoke are similar

READING SMOKE

Recognize the dangers associated with the smoke conditions:En routeUpon arrivalDuring fire fighting operations

READING SMOKE

Missing signsFlash overSmoke explosionsBackdraftRapid fire development

Deadly to fire fightersThe ability to read smoke correctly will prevent

a Mayday situation from occurring

READING SMOKE

The following is a description of each characteristic:VolumeVelocityDensityColor

READING SMOKE

VolumeQuantity of smokeIndicates the fuel load

andFire flow required

READING SMOKE

VelocitySpeed the smoke comes

out of the buildingHelp locate the fireHigh velocity indicates

high heat

READING SMOKE

DensityThicknessMost important factorIndicates

Continuous fuels burningPossible flashover conditions

Fire fighters should not enter structures where dense smoke is

banking down the walls and nearing the floor.

READING SMOKE

ColorHow long the fire has

been burningDistance the smoke

has traveled to the outside

Gray/white and slow movingyoung fire

READING SMOKE

ColorGray/white smoke

exiting with high velocityHot fire - smoke has

traveled a distance

READING SMOKE

ColorBrown smoke Mid-to-late-heating

burning unfinished wood products

READING SMOKE

ColorBlack smoke

The fire has been burning for a while.

Black, dense smokea precursor to flash

over…Get out

ROOM ORIENTATIONINTERIOR LAYOUT SIZE UP

Stay oriented Critical to being able to get

Fire fighters must know at all times are:1. Where they are2. How they got there.3. How they can get out.

ROOM ORIENTATIONINTERIOR LAYOUT SIZE UP

DispatchRecall that they know about the building

Prior knowledgeCreate images of what you might see when you

arriveAnticipate what they expect to see when they

arriveShare any information that may be of value

Girlfriend lives in complex, etc

ROOM ORIENTATIONINTERIOR LAYOUT SIZE UP

Consider Types of roomsHallwaysFurnitureDoorwaysWindows

ROOM ORIENTATIONINTERIOR LAYOUT SIZE UP

CreateMental image of layout

Location of windowsLocation of doors

ROOM ORIENTATIONINTERIOR LAYOUT SIZE UP

Map the roomIdentify Memorize

FurnitureLandmarks

ROOM ORIENTATIONINTERIOR LAYOUT SIZE UP

OrientationKnows where you are

“I’m in a bedroom because I feel a bed and a window.”

Remember how you got there“I entered the bedroom from a hallway adjacent to

the kitchen.”Know how to get out

“I can use the bedroom window if conditions worsen.”

MAINTAIN AWARENESS OFCHANGING CONDITIONS

Awareness of worsening conditions alert the fire fighter that it’s time to exit the buildingContinued increase in heat or flame productionCracking noises Monitoring radio traffic

indicate worsening The fire fighter should never hesitate abandoning

a position and exiting the building if conditions worsen.

RAPIDLY CHANGING FIRE CONDITIONS

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Scientific Study of the Iowa Fire in December 1999Post incident analysis of fire fighter fatalityIn December 1999 a two story duplex fire in Iowa

claimed the lives of three fire fighters. The fire was reported by a 9-1-1 caller at 0824. Upon arrival fire fighters found white to dark

brown smoke coming from a single unit of a two-story two-unit duplex.

RAPIDLY CHANGING FIRE CONDITIONS

First floor layout of the unit involved. Fire fighters entered on the A-side, through the front door (left side of diagram where the porch is located). Fire originated on the stove in the kitchen (C-side). One fire fighter was found in the living room.

RAPIDLY CHANGING FIRE CONDITIONS

Second floor layout of the unit involved. Hot gases and fire extended up the stairwell. One fire fighter was found on the second floor near the stairwell and another in bedroom 1.

RAPIDLY CHANGING FIRE CONDITIONS

The following timeline, along with computer images of the fire at various stages, indicate how thermal conditions trapped fire fighters only minutes after arriving on scene.

RAPIDLY CHANGING FIRE CONDITIONS

RAPIDLY CHANGING FIRE CONDITIONS

The following FDS/Smokeview images are scientific re-creations of the incident. This dataincludes: size of the building, materials used in construction, and building contents (furnishings, window coverings).

View looking through the wall (D-side) into the living and dining rooms with the kitchen behind the yellow door. Thermal conditions at approximately 0832 (491 s into the simulation). Hot gases (390 °F to 570 °F) rapidly extending into the adjacent rooms.

RAPIDLY CHANGING FIRE CONDITIONS

Thermal conditions at approximately 0833 (524 s into simulation). Thermal conditions consistent with flash over extending further into the structure.

Temperatures exceeding1000° F were experienced in areas where fire fighters were searching for children.

RAPIDLY CHANGING FIRE CONDITIONS

View from the opposite side with the walls removed. Thefront door is on the right and the kitchen on the left. Thermal conditions at approximately 0834 (605 s into simulation).

Temperatures exceeding 1000° F were consistent with a flash over event. Fire extending up stairwell where fire fighters were searching for victims.

SUMMARY

All fire ground personnel are responsible for safety and must be aware of fire conditions that may lead to a Mayday situation

All personnel must maintain situational awareness to prevent a Mayday.

A coordinated effort with good communications will help with an ongoing assessment.

SUMMARY

Ongoing reports from:Interior operationsVentilation teamsExposure groups

Help the IC make better decisions to continue the current attack or move to a defensive, exterior position.

Preventing a Mayday requires all personnel to communicate what they see, especially when conditions indicate immediate disengagement is necessary.