(Photo courtesy of Tom Meloy, Fairfax County Company 4/A)
Post courtesy of Mike Deli, Fairfax County Battalion Chief 1/A
Look at the attached photo. E436, TL436, T425, and R439 returned to this incident scene to see what ground ladder options we could come up with.
In the photo, there are two ladders placed on the ground, leaning against the deck. The ladder on the right is the 35' extension - in this instance, it didn't reach any of the top floor windows - when we placed/heeled it outside of the back yard fence, the angle was too low and there was not enough length. When we placed it inside the fence, the deck acted like a fulcrum (What the fulcrum is a fulcrum Mike? ed.) and made the angle too high so the tip could not touch the house. Plus, it's typically at least a two person ladder. The ladder on the ground on the left is the 20' straight - this is easily a one person ladder and was the best choice to get up onto the deck. The firefighter placed the 20' inside the fence, climbed onto the deck and hoisted (hand over hand) the additional ladders up onto the deck. On the deck, the ladder on the far left is the 14' straight found on any engine and in this case is a nice fit to the window sill (where it needs to be for a means of egress from an IDLH environment). The ladder on the right is the 16' straight from most truck companies and in this case is too much. Realize that in both cases of the 14' or the 16', much of where the tip lands depends on the depth of the deck and where the ladder is butted. This isn't as simple as placing ladders to a third floor window because of the obstacles created by the fence and deck. On the front of the townhouse, the car in the driveway made things difficult -
What were our options with that car? Pull out of the way? At first we were hesitant to place a ladder. A nice combination of ladders to accomplish this might be found on the engine with it's 14' and 24', one person ladders. In the 1st Battalion we don't give up until the task is completed. The third ladder being hoisted to the deck is the 14' extension and though it could be adjusted to fit a variety of objectives, some thought the ladder is too narrow. Thoughts?...
On the front side, the car in the driveway made ladder placement difficult - get the keys and drive the car back into the garage? Initially, the crew was hesitant to place a ladder on the first landing of the exterior stairs thinking about not crowding the entrance. We summed it up like this - if the IDLH is on the top floor, that gets priority for an alternate means of egress over the lower floors that may be partially blocked by the ladder - make sense?
There is still some debate over whether or not the window should be removed by the exterior crew when interior crews are fighting an attic fire. As in any case, it's a judgement call - what are the conditions on the floor where the companies are working? But if we want always want to err on the side of safety, remove the window... thoughts?
Please review with your folks, as a single picture is worth a thousand words.
2 comments:
Excellent post! Deployment of ground ladders is an extremely important fireground task that seems to be overlooked a little more often than it should. It's nice to see some of these "less than ideal" scenarios and folks taking note of them. I think this picture hits on a few important take home points. If you're running as the second due Truck company to a townhouse fire and do not have vehicular access to the rear, bring portable ladders AND a chainsaw. The chainsaw can quickly be used to facilitate widening or eliminating fences which are often found in the rear of these occupancies, which will allow easier access for us and our equipment. We could also utilize the saw to eliminate a portion of the deck railing to allow placement of our portable ladders without getting the fulcrum effect. The butt of the ladder will need to be kicked out creating a low angle, however angles for emergency egress purposes should be lower than the normal 75. Of course, companies operating on or in the vicinity of the deck should be aware parts of the railing have been removed. As for window removal.......that's a separate beast of it's own. I think in NOVA that might rank up there with the Fog vs. Smooth Bore debate! LOL. It seems that there is such negativity associated with removing windows that some folks may now be hesitant to remove windows when it's needed and in turn put themselves in a bad situation. We, the NOVA fire service, need to get past this and acknowledge there is a time for window removal and ensure it's being done during these times. We also need to ensure we aren't going around and haphazardly poking random holes in windows in a house with no heat,smoke, or fire. It trickles down from the top though.....battalion chiefs need to have confidence in company officers to make the right decisions as to when windows should or shouldn't be taken and company officers need to instill enough skill and discipline into their firemen so they know when to take windows or not. If we do take windows, we need to ensure we take the WHOLE window.....no glass,no curtains,no screens, and no sash! If you or I need to get out that window, the last thing we need is to get hung up on something in the window. Again, an excellent post and great picture to get people thinking!
I agree with Patrick when it comes to bringing a chain saw to the rear with you. We all know that, for the most part in our area, you will encounter some sort of privacy fence to the rear of the row. Most, if not all, of our truck/tower companies' chain saws are located in the last compartment to the rear of the truck. If you know you are going to the rear to throw (sorry, place) ladders, it takes a second to grab a chain saw and take it with you. Take down the fence. Plain and simple. It takes a minute or so to cut the fence posts/cross members and pull it down.
If heading to the rear as an initial assignment as the first due truck crew (even if our assignment is to make entry with the engine or start a search, etc...) I have gotten into the habit of gathering my tools and taking a 16' with me. This way, there is at least one means of egress from a second floor early on, and you don't have to 'wait' for the truck driver/OVM to get one there (he can get one to the front right away and now both sides are covered quickly). You need to be thinking ahead, and practice 'multi-tasking' when you train.
Also, instead of trying to get a 28' or 35' over the railing of the deck to upper windows, just bring a 24' extension and a 14' roof ladder. Throw one to the deck and man-handle the other one up onto the deck. Now you can easily/safely access all the windows above the rear deck. And as far as the car issue goes, unless you need to use it to get to the roof, use the aerial from the truck company in the front. Why would you even consider moving it back into a burning structure? Just a thought.
-Keith
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