16 Fire Attack

Objectives (1 of 2) Describe how to supervise a single company. Describe how to size up the incident. Describe Lloyd Layman’s five-step size-up process. Describe the National Fire Academy size-up process.

Objectives (2 of 2) Describe risk-benefit analysis. Describe how to determine fire flow. Describe how to develop an incident action plan. Describe the tactical safety considerations.

Skills Objectives Perform a scene size-up.

Introduction to Fire Attack (1 of 2) Managing or supervising fire officers directly supervise a crew at fire and other emergency incidents. Fire officer has responsibility for: Safety of fire fighters Safety of civilians Ensuring incident is mitigated

Introduction to Fire Attack (2 of 2) Photographed by Mike Legeros

Supervising a Single Company (1 of 2) Fire officer is a working supervisor. When the company advances the attack line into a structure, the fire officer is with them. Fire officer also evaluates their effectiveness. Fire officer relays relevant information to his or her supervisor.

Supervising a Single Company (2 of 2) Level of supervision should be balanced with the experience of company members and the nature of the assignment. Emergency scene supervision requires a more authoritarian form of leadership than nonemergency activities.

Supervising Multiple Companies Standardized actions: Emergency operations must be conducted in a very structured, consistent manner. Strong emphasis is placed on standard operating procedures (SOPs).

Command Staff Assignments Command staff positions include: Safety officer Liaison officer Public information officer Fire officer working in one of these positions reports directly to the incident commander.

Sizing Up the Incident (1 of 9) Size-up is a systematic process of gathering and processing information to evaluate a situation. That information is then translated into a plan to deal with the situation. Size-up begins long before arrival at the scene.

Sizing Up the Incident (2 of 9) Once at the scene, initial size-up must often be conducted under intense pressure to “do something.” End result of a good size-up is an incident action plan (IAP): Considers all the pertinent information Defines strategies and tactics Assigns resources to complete tactics

Sizing Up the Incident (3 of 9) Pre-arrival information: Size-up begins with dispatch. Name, location, reported nature of the incident On-scene observations: Visualization is key. Understand and recognize basic fire behavior.

Sizing Up the Incident (4 of 9) Lloyd Layman’s five-step size-up process: In 1940, Chief Lloyd Layman wrote Fundamentals of Fire Tactics. Used military training model with emphasis on general principles

Sizing Up the Incident (5 of 9) Lloyd Layman’s steps: Facts Probabilities Situation Decision Plan of operation

Sizing Up the Incident (6 of 9) National Fire Academy size-up process: Phase one: Pre-incident information Considers what you know before the incident occurs Phase two: Initial size-up Considers the specific conditions that are present at the incident Phase three: Ongoing size-up Ongoing analysis and evaluation

Sizing Up the Incident (7 of 9)

Sizing Up the Incident (8 of 9) Risk/benefit analysis: Key size-up factor when selecting appropriate strategic mode Offensive attack is an advance into the fire building. Defensive attack used when risks outweigh benefits. Fire fighters do not enter. Transitional attack refers to a situation where the operation is changing.

Sizing Up the Incident (9 of 9) Courtesy of Dennis Walus

Smoke Is Fuel (1 of 2) Time-and-temperature curve for fire development was established by NFPA and American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) in 1918. Since then, sofas, beds, chairs, and tables have evolved into resin-based composites. Termed “solidified gasoline.”

Smoke Is Fuel (2 of 2) Chief David Dodson started a program to teach company officers how to read smoke. Thick, turbulent smoke will combust as soon as one of its combustible gases reaches ignition point. Flashover then occurs. Very dangerous to fire fighters

Wind (1 of 2) Tactical considerations: Wind is a factor that must be included in incident size-up. Smoke is fuel. Venting does not always equal cooling. Fire-induced flows can be substantial. Avoid the fire flow path. Control the fire flow path.

All photos Courtesy of Allen Sklar www.allensklar.smugmug.com Wind (2 of 2) All photos Courtesy of Allen Sklar www.allensklar.smugmug.com

Size NFPA 1710 requires an initial force of 14 fire fighters to conduct a basic fire attack on a single-family dwelling. Big box retail stores can exceed 100,000 ft (30,480 m), with merchandise piled high.

Fire Flow Volume of applied water must be sufficient to absorb the heat being released. Estimated fire flow is the rate of water application required to control fire in the building or section of the building. Formulas: Kimball Rule of Thumb and Royer/Nelson Iowa Rate of Flow.

“When the Science Hits the Streets” The science of fire suppression has advanced in leaps: Automatic fire sprinkler design Purple-K Building and Fire Research Laboratory Research by National Institute of Standards and Technology, Underwriters Laboratories, and others

Developing an Incident Action Plan (1 of 5) After size-up, incident commander develops an incident action plan. Two major components: Determination of appropriate strategy Development of tactics to execute strategy Strategies are general, tactics are specific and measurable.

Developing an Incident Action Plan (2 of 5) SOPs are used to provide consistent structure. Three basic priorities for incident action plan: Life safety Incident stabilization Property conservation

Developing an Incident Action Plan (3 of 5) Tactical priorities (RECEO VS): Rescue Exposures Confinement Extinguishment Overhaul Ventilation Salvage

Developing an Incident Action Plan (4 of 5)

Developing an Incident Action Plan (5 of 5)

Tactical Safety Considerations (1 of 4) Full ensemble of protective clothing when exposed to hazardous conditions Scene safety: Lights at night Abrasive materials for traction on ice Apparatus positioned to protect scene

Tactical Safety Considerations (2 of 4) Scene safety (continued): Hot zone: Highest hazard, minimum number of crew allowed Warm zone: Moderate hazard, restricted number of crew allowed Cold zone: Minimum hazard, no restrictions on number of crew or nonemergency service individuals

Tactical Safety Considerations (3 of 4) Rapid intervention crew (RIC): Standard component of emergency operations in hazardous conditions Minimum of two fully equipped personnel on site for immediate rescue of injured or trapped fire fighters

Tactical Safety Considerations (4 of 4) Personnel accountability report (PAR): Systematic method of accounting for all personnel at emergency incident When incident commander requests a PAR, each fire officer physically verifies that all assigned members are present. Fire officer must be in visual or physical contact to verify.

Summary (1 of 2) Commanding a fire attack is a core fire officer requirement. Lloyd Layman’s five steps for analyzing emergency situations NFA’s basic phases of size-up are pre-incident information, initial size-up, and ongoing size-up.

Summary (2 of 2) A risk/benefit analysis must be incorporated into the size-up process. Single-family dwellings are the most frequent source of civilian fire deaths and may have the widest variety of occupant activity and construction features.