Transitional Attack is Whack
I'm amazed by the number of scientific studies that are calling for firefighters to change the way we are doing things. Now I may not be the sharpest tool in the box but have you read about this "Transitional Attack" idea? I hope I am stating this all correctly but this is what I'm hearing;
Point #1- Have the first hoseline directed into the window of the involved room to slow down the fire, and don't worry, doing this will not push fire, heat and smoke into the other areas of the structure.
NONSENSE! Yes it will! I don't care what the scientists discovered at their test fires, I have been to plenty of fires where a hoseline either deliberately or accidently or momentarily was directed into a window or down a hall or into a room and it moved fire, and lots of it!
Point #2- The stream must be in the straight stream position and held motionless pointing at the ceiling.
RIGHT! Now the nozzle firefighter has to get to the window where the fire is venting and hold the nozzle without moving it, pointed at the ceiling, in the straight stream position. What happens if it is rotated? What happens if it is moved horizontally back and forth? What happens if it is in the narrow fog position? I'll bet the answers to those three questions are; House burns down!
Point #3 - While this first line is flowing into the window, a second line is stretched to the entrance door and prepares for the interior attack.
Sounds good but all I keep hearing from departments large and small is that there are not enough people on the fireground to perform all the tactics that are required. Now we are going to be able to just find a second hoseline team to stretch and advance that interior attack line. I don't think so!
Here are a few more issues I have with this idea;
How do we communicate and coordinate these two "opposing lines"? When does line #1 shut down at the window and who orders that?
Why don't we stretch the FIRST line to the front door, enter the building, locate the fire and close the door to the room that is on fire? Then have the outside line give a quick shot of water to slow down this room of fire that we are so afraid to enter, before the interior line enters and knocks the fire down the old fashioned way.
Point #1- Have the first hoseline directed into the window of the involved room to slow down the fire, and don't worry, doing this will not push fire, heat and smoke into the other areas of the structure.
NONSENSE! Yes it will! I don't care what the scientists discovered at their test fires, I have been to plenty of fires where a hoseline either deliberately or accidently or momentarily was directed into a window or down a hall or into a room and it moved fire, and lots of it!
Point #2- The stream must be in the straight stream position and held motionless pointing at the ceiling.
RIGHT! Now the nozzle firefighter has to get to the window where the fire is venting and hold the nozzle without moving it, pointed at the ceiling, in the straight stream position. What happens if it is rotated? What happens if it is moved horizontally back and forth? What happens if it is in the narrow fog position? I'll bet the answers to those three questions are; House burns down!
Point #3 - While this first line is flowing into the window, a second line is stretched to the entrance door and prepares for the interior attack.
Sounds good but all I keep hearing from departments large and small is that there are not enough people on the fireground to perform all the tactics that are required. Now we are going to be able to just find a second hoseline team to stretch and advance that interior attack line. I don't think so!
Here are a few more issues I have with this idea;
How do we communicate and coordinate these two "opposing lines"? When does line #1 shut down at the window and who orders that?
Why don't we stretch the FIRST line to the front door, enter the building, locate the fire and close the door to the room that is on fire? Then have the outside line give a quick shot of water to slow down this room of fire that we are so afraid to enter, before the interior line enters and knocks the fire down the old fashioned way.
With all due respect to Chief Salka, it's easy to say "push the line in" when you have 53 firefighters on the initial alarm (10-75)
ReplyDeleteSmall departments with limited manpower may have to knock the fire down prior to entering.
Am I suggesting we break out the windows & let it rip with a wide fog pattern? No. But if a window has already failed and fire is blowing out, a straight or solid stream can cool things down & prevent a flashover without "pushing" and buys us some time.
2 or 3 well trained firefighters should not have much of an issue stretching and advancing a proper sized hand line, be it a 1-1/2", 1-3/4" or 2-1/2". There is a HUGE issue with applying water through a window. If the window is already vented, fire gases and heat are exiting which can leave other parts of the structure tenable for victims and a much easier environment for us to operate in. Once water is applied, even if you are merely "darkening down" the fire a large amount of steam is generated and the thermal balance is disrupted regardless of what type of nozzle or stream pattern you are using. All of the steam and heat occupy volume and there is only so much within the fire room. This means what can not exit through the already vented window will follow the path of least resistance, if the room door is open, it will now move into those areas previously tenable. If there are any victims their survivabilty is greatly reduced, not to mention it will slow the interior advancement of the hoseliine.
ReplyDeleteFor over a decade I worked in a fire department that only had two firefighter for hose work. Never once did I see any of them "darken" a fire from a window, an aggresive push from the interior was their tactic of choose. They were successful because they trained over and over on hose work.
Save dumping water through windows for defensive operations.
Don't misunderstand me brother. I'm not advocating going back to indirect attacks with fog streams and I'm not saying if fire is showing through one window we have to hit it from the outside first.
ReplyDeleteI just feel that sometimes it's a viable option, especially with low staffing and that a straight or solid stream won't push steam, smoke & fire gases the way a fog stream will.
"Always" and "Never" are two words I don't like to use.
Indirect attacks were a misguided attempt to adapt a shipboard tactic to residential structures. I will go as far to say that Layman's technique was and still is responsilble for more victim and firefighter injuries and deaths than any other tactic developed in the fire service.
ReplyDeleteIt's not about pushing the contents of fire, the volume of steam generation is the issue. Filling the room with steam will itself push the heat into adjacent areas.
This is what I think of when talking about "Transitional Attack": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bbn7BD7DW90
ReplyDeleteThe 2 lines stuff that Chief Salka is referring is not.