Roof Deck fires

Not the best video but one of the few I could find. Roof decks, are all over the city and are especially concentrated in the areas with limited backyards. Let's go over some basic things to consider while operating at roof deck fires.

• The fastest way to get a line up to the roof will usually be over an aerial ladder but don't forget to run a line to the top floor in case the fire drops down.
  
• 1 3/4" line should be sufficient most of the time. Fast water will control most fires.
• Always consider the presence of a propane grill and act accordingly. No matter how many times you abate someone on having one on the roof, they'll still put one there.
• Don't forget to check the top floor for fire or occupants. Avoid the moth to the flame syndrome and use sound tactics.
• Look for light shafts and other fall hazards and limit the number of members on the roof.
• Do not forget that treated wood emits toxic smoke, although you are technically outside use your equipment.

Morale

 Morale- the confidence, enthusiasm, and discipline of a person or group at a particular time.

 Having been on the job 20 years and seen it all happen (well except for the layoffs of the early 80s) I can honestly say that I have never seen the morale of this department any lower.People embarrassed to identify themselves as members. Doing things such as taking the stickers off their vehicles etc... Local media outlets salivating at the mouth in their desire to absolutely DESTROY our reputations. An administration whose only goal is to ensure that we fail at our job. A "Leader", who in spite of his background, fails to understand that his only job is to take care of his members and not to kow-tow to a tyrant. 

 

Where does it end ?

 Well I'm here to tell you that being a member of our organization is one of the greatest things that can happen to you. Be proud of what you do. Put the stickers back on, wear your house shirt, shit get a flag proclaiming your allegiance. Don't let the nay-sayers get you down. Besides my home life, being a "Jake" is the greatest thing I've accomplish and I WILL NEVER be ashamed of that. 

 

 Think of all the times you have helped someone when they were in need. From giving a little kid some air in his tire to rescuing some one in a fire. WE HAVING NOTHING TO BE ASHAMED OF.

 Hey Boss man, remember the importance of morale and strive to improve it. Stop insulting your members. "Praise in public & discipline in private" first rule of leadership. Leaders lead and Bosses order.

 All we can do is strive to be the best and be ourselves. The rest will fall into place. I know what the members of this job have done for people and I've seen our members do some incredible things in my time. I know we are the first & the best at what we do, so to the admin and their chief propagandist (certain paper, we all know who) KISS MY FUCKING ASS !

 

Highway Patrol -vs- EMTs

Highway Patrol Gets In Fight With EMT - Watch more Funny Videos

What's sad is when the second trooper shows up he immediately assumes the black EMT was driving and goes after him.

Great Video

What a great video. I along with many others used to think West Coast departments only used PPV but the video tells another story.

Great venting and I even like the Captain supervising operations.

Random Thoughts II

 Will someone please tell me how this is the fault of the members or even the union?

  "Abuse the apparatus"?  I call it improvising. What are you supposed to do when repairs are not performed? 

 

 Who controls the purse strings? 

Good video of a job and if I remember correctly, it was a working fire.

You will see some sound and some not so sound actions being performed. It would be too easy to pick out the bad things but lets concentrate on the good things:

• First due truck pulling past the building allowing better Aerial positioning for roof access.
• Good horizontal venting with the stick
  
• Fast water from first in Engine

The video camera doesn't lie and seeing what you did or did not do after the fact can be humbling. What it can do is show you what went right and what went wrong and allow you to become a better fireman. If available it can allow you to do a post incident analysis or whatever you want to call it, to improve what you will do at the next one.

As a side note, this is a good video but the music sucks and this was not a crack house. It was being renovated and the contractors were on scene. I sparked it myself.

Collapse Zones

 Without bashing another department because we are just as guilty, but this is an example of not using common sense. A little bit of moth to the flame here.

 Once the decision has been made to operate in a defensive mode, you have to establish and maintain control over the collapse zone. When offensive operations have failed and master stream devices are being used, DO NOT ENTER THE COLLAPSE ZONE !  There is absolutely no reason other than a death wish to enter the zone. 

 Chief officers should maintain control over members and make sure the established zone is respected. A zone of at least the full height of the wall is established and no one is allowed to enter. Use the master stream devices for what they are designed to do. Big water on big fire.

Random Thoughts I

  PAR Reports - I understand the need for accountability and being able to hold a roll call at certain times or incidents that we respond to but Roll Call or Personnel Accountability Report (PAR), to me, is the same thing. We are the countries first, so I don't know why we now feel we need to follow other departments lead with fancy acronyms that sound good. We already did this and many other things. Why do we need to change the names of things we already do ?  Just recently a PAR check was attempted at a fire, it did not work. Trying to conduct one while companies are working inside a building is difficult at best and in reality, a wet dream. Company officers are usually busy dragging line or conducting searches and even though we all have radios now, unless they sound the turkey call, who really hears all or even some of the radio transmissions we make ?

  RIT - What's the difference between RIT and the stand-by company ? Absolutely nothing.

  High Visibility Vests- I know a law was passed requiring you to wear them on highways and limited access roads but ANY PUBLIC ROAD ?  Do we not have reflective striping on our gear ? People are morons and no matter what we wear they will still talk, text, drive drunk and basically pay no attention to the road. Why don't we just cut to the chase and buy Lime-Green Bunker Gear & Helmets so HQ people can feel safe.

Laminated Veneer Lumber III

 In the first picture you can see a close up of the sprinkler head. The piping is run through the void spaces and as you can see is made up of plastic piping. Although this will provide the homeowner with some protection for a contents fire, if for whatever reason the fire is able to enter the void space, rapid extension, danger to the support system and sprinkler failure will turn a "routine" fire into a long battle. 

 A couple of recent fires in our area have shown the flaws of the system. Both fires started outside of the building and extended into the void spaces. In one fire, laddermen were able to get ahead of the fire and open up, allowing access to the void spaces for the hosemen to extinguish the fire. This fire was manpower intensive and caused significant damage to the building. 

 In the second fire, what was originally a small outside fire, spread into the void spaces. The fire rapidly extended throughout the void spaces and due to the fact that the void spaces did not have sprinkler protection, the fire melted the sprinkler piping rendering the system useless. This building was a total loss and a new parking lot was created within a couple of hours. The lack of void space protection is a design flaw that architects, for whatever reason, do not consider unless fire prevention laws require them to.

 The second picture shows a few things I want to touch on. 

 The first is the utility punch through holes used to allow lines to be run throughout the building. Unless they are tight with absolutely no space ,they will allow the products of combustion to travel throughout the void spaces, extending the fire.

 The second is the use of extra pieces of unused sections of LVL. As you can see the pieces are placed throughout the building. This provides extra stability and prevents warping & squeaking. They DO NOT  provide any fire stopping protection. Notice in a close up of the picture, the spaces on both sides that are still present. These spaces will allow rapid extension of fire, when/if the fire starts in or extends into the void spaces.
  Whenever possible note the presence of these systems and have the information put into the CAD system. 

 This is by no means "expert" advice on all the numbers or exact information on these types of building construction. These are things I have tried to learn on my own time, whether reading or asking questions from people who are considered "expert" in these fields.

Laminated Veneer Lumber II

 Here are some more pictures of a LVL flooring system. These were found in a Brownstone being renovated in the South End. Notice the sprinkler head, more on this in the next post. Once again, when this project is finished you will not be able to tell that a LVL flooring system is present.

 Click on the photo and you can get a really good look at the web member and see the web is made up of pieces of wood glued together under high-pressure. Good for strength but easily damaged to the point of failure under fire conditions.

Laminated Veneer Lumber I

 Laminated Veneer Lumber (LVL) flooring systems are becoming more and more prevalent throughout the country and in particular the Northeast. 

 They are designed for a number of reasons, some of which are :

• The ability for larger open spaces, up to 25 % greater distances,
• Lighter and more cost effective than traditional flooring systems,
• Stronger floors, allowing greater loads placed upon them,
• Less warping and the elimination of squeaks.

 These are but a few reasons why we are seeing more of this type of construction. I have even been told of one Taxpayer, that after a fire damaged the store, the roof structure was replaced with the LVL system. Another reason why the Fire Department should be in charge of building inspectors but I'll save that rant for another day.

 Although LVLs have all these reasons that make them attractive, they have one flaw that concerns us, ability to maintain structural stability under high heat conditions.

 We as fire fighters must understand that if heavy fire is in the void spaces that LVLs create, we have to back out of that area and consider collapse potential. Many Institutes and people with letters after their name have tested these product and concurred that these systems will fail in a very short time (3 to 5 minutes)when exposed to fire.

 The best time to find and record the presence of these systems is during the construction phase, before they are covered up by ceilings and top flooring. Make a note and have the information entered into the CAD system.

 If you respond to a fire in a building with this type of construction, one of the first tactics to be performed besides a Primary search or hose line advancement, is to open up these spaces and check for fire.

 Before cutting floor boards ( venting basement fires or opening up around fire places) and now even venting the roof, try to make sure as much as possible what type of support system is there.

Venting windows II

Here are some pictures of two windows. One that is cleared out and one that was not cleared out.

Again clear out the whole window as much as possible.

Transoms

Here's a look at an interior transom window. I will add a picture of one not damaged as soon as I get one.

 Transom windows were designed to allow air flow in the days before air conditioning. Located above the inner doors they are usually opened from the top and can be decorative as well as functional.

 While this design does allow for air circulation it also allows the products of combustion to easily and rapidly extend out of the fire room and into the hallway.

 Fire Prevention laws do not allow the use of the windows when they lead into public hallways, but do not be surprised if you come across them in older buildings. They also seem to be enjoying a Renaissance lately as more and more people renovate older homes.

 The picture shows not only a transom but also lath & plaster walls.

Safety Awareness

What is safety ? 

 Is it operating in a safe as possible way while on the emergency scene or is it 1000 rules & regulations designed to handcuff us in functioning ?

 I reiterate again, safety is an attitude that begins before you walk into the firehouse. Checking your gear and equipment and an overall mental readiness.

 While responding and on the scene you do your job as safely as you can. What you don't do is over analyze and allow "what ifs" to paralyze your actions. Perform the duties you are assigned and the incident will come to an end. 

 Smoothly ? Ha, I've never been to a fire that played out smoothly. As far as I'm concerned they are all circle jerks that some how go out.

 Officers and Chief officers, however, are paid to think. Knowledge of your district and the types of buildings there are will go along way when the incident occurs. Give your company or companies (White Hats) specific tasks to accomplish and stand back. Do not micromanage them. Allow the officers to run the company to accomplish those tasks. Have the officers only inform you of the accomplishment or inability to accomplish those tasks.

 The Safety Awareness Effect, I feel is getting so strong that we're forgetting to perform the basics. We are getting tippy toe paranoid about liability and not on my watch mentality that we're forgetting that fire fighting is inherently dangerous. I'm not saying throw caution to the wind and re-create the charge of the light brigade but remember saving lives and property is our sworn duty. You risk a lot to save a lot. Common saying but true. 

 Are we putting too much stock into alleged expertise ? As far as I'm concerned there is NO SUCH THING AS AN EXPERT FIRE FIGHTER. 

 Now we have more and more members who seem to think they are expert fire fighters. You know the type, I have this and this, this sheepskin and that certification. All good stuff to increase your knowledge but totally useless when crawling down a long hallway.

 Knowledge is great but do not make everything a physics equation. Wet stuff on the Red stuff.

 

 I've gone all over the place on this one and feel free to agree/disagree. I value your comments.

FDNY FLT. Ray McCormacks FDIC Speech

http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid1842760318?bclid=1294526599&bctid=20858993001

What a speech ! The only negative thing I can say is I was not there to hear it in person. If you read some other blogs concerning the fire service I can't believe how many people are attacking him. As far as I'm concerned these are the chimney savers that are trying to turn our profession into a "safety haven".

Imagine if some of the "Jakes" on our job get there way. Every confirmed fire would automatically require multiples, no entry until the board is set up, where's your safety vest, etc.

Even members with significant time on the job have lost their balls. It seems as if some people are trying to hide their cowardice behind the safety banner.

Question/comment/venting- In the time that we have worn the Bunker Gear Ensemble (got to be PC here) I have asked numerous members this same question, Can anyone please explain to me the reason or lack thereof of why does the pump operator have to wear his pants ? That has got to be the stupidest, insane, moronic thing we are supposed to do !!! Not one person (including the member whose idea it was) can give a rational explanation for this policy.