Make the Call

[3105]

Let's continue the size-up thread from The Watch Desk. This picture caught my eye first because the dwelling is very typical of what we have around the county and secondly due to the prevailing conditions. Imagine this is what you see as you pull up, either in a command vehicle or from the officer's seat of the first arriving engine.

Let's further suppose that you have your own engine with yourself, a D/O, and two firefighters as well as a second engine similarily staffed with a one (1) minute ETA. A truck company is still in the process of being dispatched. It's early morning - 0849 hours on a weekday and unclear at this moment if all residents are accounted for. A chief officer has not yet signed on.

Conduct a "size-up" and make the call: Offensive, Transitional, or Defensive (describe what steered you to the decision)

Initial tactics you would use (be specific: hose diameter, entry point, vent point, etc)

When would your strategic posture change?

Follow through the scenario (pretend things happen and apparatus arrive) and describe your reactions/orders.

[thelurker]

Arriving with a 3 story SFD. Fire showing from division 2 beginning to expose division 3. Strike the 2nd alarm (based on time of day and current staffing) Pass command and go offensive on the attack. (Assuming my pump operator can be properly attired and certified as 1 out). 1-3/4" line to the fire room, backup line to the front door. With the obvious fact the room has flashed, the lack of smoke from other orifices, and the color of the smoke, that is telling me that we can go knock the heck out of this fire with 175-200 gpm if we do it very soon.

The Chief arrives o/s and assumes command. The picture shows that this structure is already vented horizontally, so lets not waste anymore time.

As the 2nd engine arrives the officer and 1 will staff the backup line and bring that into position to protect the steps. The other FF, and the initial FF left over from earlier will continue being 2 out and try to get some more ground ladders thrown. The D/O from the 1st engine and the D/O from the 2nd engine will be establishing a water supply.

Hopefully Central has a truck company for us by now, but if not, the third due engine will now become the search team, and begin any additional venting they can do.

The RIT when they arrive will be assigned to the side closest to us in the pic, this side of the hedges, and if no RIT was specified, the 2nd arriving Ladder Company has that task.

As soon as the 1st truck company arrives, I want the roof opened up, and them hooks in the room below the fire, and start working their way upv until they get ahead of it. Next available engine crew will pull another backup line, and the current back-up line will move to the third floor if possible.

At this point the fire should be well knocked assuming that all that early venting did not draw the fire through the house.

[3105]

If you read closely, Dean is juggling personnel like a ring master in an effort to maintain the Two In Two Out mandate...a challenge when you're faced with minimal staffing. Everything inside us screams to get in there and get it without observing the nicities...a temptation few find hard to resist.

I think we'd all tend to agree that the TITO rule is flagrantly violated on a daily basis, not deliberately or malicously but because of the culture we've grown up with of DOING SOMETHING NOW rather than waiting. I admit it's tough to resist...for the most part, each IC makes his/her decision accordingly...I can see a valid argument for committing less if the situation is such that a rapid attack will have a positive outcome...but you better be 1000% certain or else the result will probably end your career.