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Continuing Education Course Basement Fire Strategy and Tactics BY JOHN J. LEWIS AND ROBERT MORAN TRAINING THE FIRE SERVICE FOR 134 YEARS To earn continuing education credits, you must successfully complete the course examination. The cost for this CE exam is $25.00. For group rates, call (973) 251-5055. Basement Fire Strategy and Tactics Educational Objectives On completion of this course, students will 1. Identify common basement fire indicators. 3. Describe the key components of an effective, task oriented incident size up. 2. Understand the importance of rapid, coordinated fire sup- pression, search, and ventilation operations during a base- 4. Illustrate the major safety concerns facing firefighters oper- ment fire. ating at a basement fire. CENARIO: YOU ARE DISPATCHED TO A REPORTED alternate method of attack, particularly if the initial size-up structure fire at 12 Bella Court; early radio reports reveals the use of lightweight building components. S indicate a definite fire with smoke showing on -ar • Overhaul is not yet a major issue. However, the quick and rival of the deputy chief. You are the officer on the first-due efficient use of precontrol overhaul to open up and get engine company. As you approach the scene, you attempt a ahead of the fire by checking for fire extension in interior three-sided view of the 2½-story wood-frame structure. Thick voids, baseboards, ceilings, and floors will have a major im- black smoke is showing from the first and second floors and pact on limiting fire extension and controlling the fire. the open front door. No fire is visible as you move past the • Ventilation operations may be severely hampered or delayed structure. Your crew stretches the initial attack line to the front because of the limited number of openings present on the entrance and prepares to enter the dwelling. As you and your structure’s exterior. If so, this will severely delay the ongoing fire crew move into the structure, your instincts and accumulated suppression operation and movement of the initial attack line. cue-based experience urge you to rethink your actions. You To deal with such a dynamic and fluid fire environment, feel something is not right. At this point, the nozzleman turns firefighters must be able to quickly identify exactly what is go- to you and states, “Hey, I think it’s in the basement!” ing on inside the building from the exterior on arrival. Properly identifying common basement fire indicators such as obvious smoke conditions with high heat levels and no vis- SIZE-UP ible fire is a critical factor for first-arriving companies. It is well Conducting a proper size-up on arrival sets the founda- understood that these types of incidents will challenge even tion from which we develop and implement an effective the most experienced and well-trained departments. Fire sup- incident action plan. The most familiar and frequently used is pression operations at fires of this nature call for the first-due the common 13-point size-up acronym COAL WAS WEALTH: engine company to initiate immediate offensive fire suppres- Construction, Occupancy, Apparatus/staffing, Life hazard, sion operations while the first-arriving truck company performs Water supply, Auxiliary appliances, Street conditions, Weather, rapid, efficient primary search and ventilation. By following this Exposures, Area, Location/extent, Time, and Height). This type of model action plan on arrival, first-due companies will size-up memory aid provides a vast amount of information set a solid foundation for all subsequent fireground operations. that is essential to incident operations and the development of As we look at the scenario above, we can determine the the overall strategic and tactical objectives. following: A second, more task-oriented, size-up that focuses on • Search operations will be a major issue since the number of several elements critical to effective interior fire suppression occupants is unknown. operations is the acronym BELOW: Building construction, • Exposures include not only the first floor but the entire Extent/location, Life hazard, Occupancy, and Water. Although structure since basement fires can grab hold of the entire this is an excellent streetwise prompt to use to rapidly gather building and rapidly compromise the dwelling’s structural task-oriented information, it is missing one critical compo- integrity. Confining the fire to the basement and extinguish- nent—smoke. The importance of being able to read and com- ing it before it moves throughout the structure are now the prehend what the smoke coming from a structure is signifying priorities. However, the type of construction and the extent on arrival of first-due companies is an extremely important and location of the fire inside the building may require an component of setting the tactical objectives required at base- www.FireEngineeringUniversity.com BASEMENT FIRE ● 1 (1) Note the dividing line of smoke and fresh air at the main entry of this dwelling. The air track is drawing fresh air to the seat of the fire while the heat and smoke are traveling across the ceiling level from the open interior basement stairs. (Photo by Chris Saraceno.) the building components used to construct single-family dwellings creates an environment in which each type of construction behaves substantially differently when exposed to the products of combustion. First-arriving firefighters must quickly gather and blend several pieces of critical information to build an effective tactical fire suppression toolbox for each method of construction. As we know, the Type V classification for wood-frame buildings can be further broken down into several categories, each with its own unique issues. Braced- ment fires. Since this critical information must be included frame, balloon-frame, platform-frame, and lightweight wood in our first-due company size-up, the letter “S” for smoke is construction all pose their own significant hazards during fire added, and the BELOW acronym is revised to read as EL- suppression activities. In addition, the construction industry has BOWS: Extent/location, Life hazard/safety, Building construc- brought hybrid (wood/steel mix) and cold-formed steel construc- tion/intelligence, Occupancy, Water supply, and Smoke). tion techniques to the table, presenting yet another serious safety Extent/location. Rapidly determining the extent and loca- concern for responding personnel. It is critical for firefighters to tion of fires in belowgrade areas is arguably the most critical know these construction types and how they will act and react piece of information first-due personnel require. By determin- when attacked by fire. ing the location and fire extension probabilities, the incident Braced-frame construction uses a system of wooden posts commander (IC) is allowed to develop his incident action plan and girts that are tied together at the four corners of the (IAP), and the company officer is provided the critical infor- structure in a mortise-and-tenon style connection. The major mation necessary to determine the method through which his concerns with this type of construction will be the age of the company’s tactical objectives will be met. Fires originating in structure, the viability of the connection point prior to and these areas are to be treated distinctly from first- or second- during the fire, collapse potential, and fire and smoke move- floor fires. In essence, properly determining this component ment throughout the dwelling. of size-up sets the foundation for all of the fire suppression Balloon-frame construction allows for unimpeded fire and operations that will follow. smoke travel throughout the structure vertically and horizon- Life hazard/safety. It is a well-documented fact that fires tally. Although windowsills may provide some form of vertical move rapidly throughout wood-frame buildings. The numer- firestopping and bridging found within floor joist voids may ous voids, open stairwells, interior design, and furnishings provide some horizontal firestopping, a fire in these buildings within these structures all contribute will tax the resources of the most well- to the swift and deadly movement of 2 staffed and experienced fire department. fire and smoke throughout the interior. Platform-frame construction offers Firefighters must be prepared to initiate an enhanced form of inherent firestop- rapid, aggressive primary searches on ping through the construction methods arrival in high-priority areas such as bed- used during the building process. In this rooms, common egress paths, and hall- construction, each individual floor area ways on all levels of the structure under is built in a separate section on top of adverse conditions—typically without the lower floor.A horizontal “plate” is the protection of a handline. Subsequent attached to the top and bottom of the secondary searches of the building that vertical stud, which creates an inherent involve comprehensive examinations of all areas for potential victims and fire extension are also required. (2) Reports of fire burning below are Building construction/intelligence. usually not received until after lines are stretched into the structure, when interior Building intelligence is a critical compo- crews encounter high heat, lots of smoke, nent of any fireground size-up. Determin- and no visibility. Radio reports from the ing a building’s construction type, size, and interior to the incident commander must structural condition prior to making entry be frequent and describe the conditions provides a clear picture of the hazards present and considerations for fire loca- tion. (Photo by Chris Saraceno.) firefighters will face. The varying nature of www.FireEngineeringUniversity.com ● BASEMENT FIRE familiarization, and quality building size-ups is in all likelihood 3 the ideal approach to adopt. Occupancy. What is it that occupies the space between the four walls and roof of the dwelling? Since we are unable to conduct fire inspections within private residences, firefighters can only assume that the dwelling will actually be used for its designed purpose.

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