Knowing When to Pull the Plug

Semi-Offensive Operations

There are times when during an aggressive interior fire attack that the volume of fire involvement will overwhelm the initial handline.  During these times a coordinated with draw, while maintaining water flow, will be necessary.  Once the attack crew is safely out of the structure, crews can regroup and prepare to make a new push into the building.  Under most situations the new advance will require a larger gpm flow, either through increasing the tip size, or gallonage output, or by simply utilizing a larger hoseline.  Once the heavy fire is darkened down at the point of entry a new advance can be made.  However some incidents will require a shift in tactics to a fully defensive posture when the volume of fire is too much to be effectively extinguished or the structure has become weakened due to the uncontrolled fire involvement.

During this fire in a vacant single family private dwelling, the attack crew was forced to withdraw from the attack on the second floor due to the large volume of fire present.  The incident commander ordered a 1-3/4" hoseline positioned on the porch roof , which was a safe work platform to operate from, in an attempt to darken down some of the fire while a 2-1/2" hoseline was being readied at the front entrance.  The IC also ordered long pike poles to the porch roof to pull the ceiling in the front bedroom via the porch roof windows in an attempt to extinguish the fire that was taking hold in the attic space.  Ultimately the fire with transitioned to a defensive operation.