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Post by papacheese on Jan 2, 2008 6:57:52 GMT -5
This isn't so much a MTC for me as it is a chance to learn about something I know nothing about - mobile home fires. What special concerns/situations/conditions do we need to be concerned with when dealing with a mobile home? How does construction fit into the size-up equation, if at all? Those of you with mobile home experience...share the knowledge!  |
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1900
Forum Captain
Posts: 103
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Post by 1900 on Jan 2, 2008 7:23:48 GMT -5
While this one doesnt look like much at all...
Trailer fires in general are pretty awesome....HOT as hell, not far to fall if you fall throught the floor (since 9 times outta 10 in the winter heat tape is the cause from the under side of the trailer), and not much to fall on top you....
We always referred to them as like a fire in a big soda can...
But Scotty and Chuckie are the experts here....
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Post by coatman on Jan 2, 2008 12:35:19 GMT -5
Well they are a whole different ballgame then a good house fire.
Been on quite a few over the years and I can say its like attending the flashover simulator.
Most of them are laid out the same when you do your 360 look for the rear door this will tell you what side the hallway is on.
When making an interior attack to make it easy on the crew if you plan on using 2 lines send them in the same door. If you send the 2nd line in the rear door and your 1st line is in the hallway its like a flame thrower coming down a 3 foot tunnel.
Like Chad said most of the time its winter and faulty installed heat tape is the cause. Most moblie homes have skirting thats the 1st thing that needs to be removed to find where the electric and water lines enter the bottom of the unit. Where the lines come through is where you need to open up ASAP. Almost every moblie home has a bottom layer of felt or thin wood and this is just like a balloon construction house. The fire will run from one end of the unit to the other in a matter of minutes if you do not open the bottom area up.
Ventilation would be windows only for the older moblie homes that have metal roof's. The problem with metal roof units is that you need to know the location of the roof ribs and what we call a can opener to open over the fire area. The newer units with the wood trusses are exactly like a house truss so use the same precautions.
Falling through the floor will happen quite often so sounding the floor will be your best friend!! Falling through the floor and catching a cross beam in the groin area will make your day go bad real quick.
Electric fires in the older units can be difficult because in the 60's and 70's all the outlets were installed with a clutch head type of screw and removing the outlet is alomst impossible with out the proper screwdriver. This tool can be purchased from a trailer or camper store to make your job alot easier.
I will try to upload a picture of the can opener that we use for metal roof units.
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Post by coatman on Jan 2, 2008 14:11:36 GMT -5
<a href="http://s253.photobucket.com/albums/hh71/chuckoatman/?action=view¤t=DSC00041.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh71/chuckoatman/DSC00041.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
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Post by Kramer on Jan 2, 2008 14:49:29 GMT -5
being as i live in one, i can vouch that the basic layout is the same in the older ones. the newer versions are more like ranchers than trailers. with the older ones theres a door on each side. when i was younger i got to see one flash when dad was 4100 and we were out and about in the chiefs truck...blew 2 guys off the deck and into the front yard. the skirting now is plastic on most and easy to remove, but there are some left that do have the metal skirting and that is a pain...
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Post by papacheese on Jan 3, 2008 8:41:56 GMT -5
Thanks guys..this is primo info for those of us who don't usually see fires such as these...
Some of you might be thinking: "What a waste... we don't have any mobile homes in our local...", to which I would counter: au contraire!
I can think of several occasions when I've been on a mutual aid cover that could include a mobile home park...haven't you?
Sorry for the picture's lack of appreciable fire or smoke, but I wanted to put this out there to get some info flowing.
Anyone else? Don't be shy...we've gotten a lot of new members over the past week or so...share your knowledge and experience in dealing with this type of fire!
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Post by papacheese on Jan 3, 2008 8:45:07 GMT -5
Chief, Chuck, and/or Kramer: what is the partially-PPE'd white helmet doing on the right side of the picture? It kind of looks like an electrical disconnect box for the unit...is that the case with these?
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Post by Kramer on Jan 3, 2008 9:39:14 GMT -5
ahhh yes another thing...the meters, especially in the parks(equivalent to a development for houses), are NOT connected to the house. my park actually has blocks of 4 of the units meters on a pole, so every 2 rows is a pole with 2 meters on each side. as far as the partial PPE just look at my avatar...
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Post by shader101 on Jan 3, 2008 13:43:06 GMT -5
thanks guys good info::: hey cheeze you have them in your local, just take a ride and look, they are usually parked in the driveway of a 500,000 + house and have tires on them, a nice big gas tank and port gen-system
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Post by voyager9 on Jan 3, 2008 14:21:54 GMT -5
thanks guys good info::: hey cheeze you have them in your local, just take a ride and look, they are usually parked in the driveway of a 500,000 + house and have tires on them, a nice big gas tank and port gen-system 500k in the 31? Doesn't that qualify for COAH credit? Thanks for the info, as a whole a fire in one of these units looks to be a mess. If it isn't caught quick I imagine they very quickly become unenterable since the entire contents and most of the structure is combustible and confined. |
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Post by thecutman on Jan 26, 2008 10:42:16 GMT -5
Guys,
Just remember that with size up on these especially for the crew making entry. Always look for the rear doorway on the outside of the trailer. If there is another door on the same side then that is the hallway side. If you do not see a rear door on the side your entering then it is on the other side.
Also there are some models that have bedrooms in the front as well as the rear. The fire that Chuck and I pulled the lady out of in richards trailer park was set up that way. The report was numerous victims trapped , we have to make a decision on where we were going first. We went to where we thought the kids would be but were wrong. Not knowing where you have victims trapped makes it that much harder. See if you can get a report from the homeowner or neighbor if they are confirming victims ask them where the bedrooms might be.
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