Make the Call #38 (Read the Smoke)

[WebBoss]

A little twist on things here...

Take into consideration by the smoke and construction type

1. Which method of attack would you choose and why? (We know what they're doing)

2. Where is it burning?

3. What is it burning?

PapaCheese, here's the perfect moment for you to "School" some of our younger viewers!







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[thelurker]

Smoke to floor level? Check
Smoke thick as cotton? Check
Smoke Yellow tinted? Check

My First read is a Basement/ Crawlspace fire. Undisturbed Dust and Dry wood is giving that yellow tint to the smoke. With smoke that dense, it's going to be very hot smoke. Maybe see if there is a safer place to make that push than right through the front door. Also you might want to use a 2.5's line to get those GPMs up.

My Second read is based on that the vehicles are backed up to that part of the house tells me that it is a garage fire that is extending into the house. Probably is a garage used for storage rather than housing vehicles based on the smoke color.

Without being there and being able to actually take a look around, those are my 2 best guesses.

[FirstDue312]

Gotta agree with Dean here on this one with his first read. The smoke looks to be pushing pretty well with only the chance to get worse. Possibly try to find and exterior entrance to the basement/crawlspace in question. Definitely hit this thing hard with a 2.5, and start pulling walls inside to see if it is getting ahead of your crews. Be weary of floors giving way, and if it gets worse and the fire starts jumping the walls, pull em out

[JDub]

Well I am not the greatest smoke reader but something is burning very hot. I agree there is probably a safer way to enter however we could find that out with a proper 360 and I would go in service, if entering the structure with a 1 3/4 for mobility especially if it is a garage fire and I am going to push it back into the garage. However have the 2 1/2 ready in case we go to an exterior attack.

I am going to say Offensive

E1- Lay in and crew to the interior directed by the first due officer who did a 360. There are cars in the drivway so they are going to start a primary search with a handline.

E2- Pick up the lay and manpower to interior to assist in the search.

E3- 2nd handline to interior also directed by the officer.

T1- VENT, however if the fire is not in the 2nd floor yet I am not going to open the roof and have the fire find its way up. Vent in conjunction with hose teams. Also assist with the removel of of civilian victums if there is any. Ladder set up in the master stream postion.

T2- Same idea as Truck one. Vent and assist with removing victums.

R1- To the entrance where the hose team entered.

R2- To another entrance as a precution.

[voyager9]

I concur that the fire looks to be somewhere in the garage area. The smoke is pushing under pressure out the garage door on the left and much less so out of the ventilated window on the right.

I'd say its a Transitional trending to Offensive.

Get a line in the kitchen to confirm and try to keep the fire from extending. Get a crew to finish ventilating the garage. Is the garage door open? Its hard to tell from the picture. It kind of looks like it, but I'd expect a bigger volume of smoke from that area if it was.

If the interior cannot confirm fire in the garage/kitchen then the pucker factor gets higher and we gotta stop and reassess.

[augdog]

I'll go garage fire on this one as well. It appears to me that the garage door isn't open, but maybe that guy with the hook breaking windows may have busted out if there was any.

Two inch because I'm used to it, get in there and find it. Like everyone says it's hot smoke. The early ventilation is key. Any pressurization would have made those guys at the door crispy critters if they just forced the door without busting windows.

I'd go offensive, with defensive a high probability. After knocking the crap out of it, those walls gotta get open for spot fires or any extension. If it gets really bad, go to that roof and open up. Throw ladders early, just in case.

[papacheese]

This may change a few perspectives, especially if you had an earlier version of "Reading Smoke"....

BTW, these are AWESOME pics.....

In his latest revision, Chief Dodson tells us that the reddish-brownish smoke which we were previously told indicated "dust and dirt" in a void space is more accurately, the color produced by untreated wood being heated towards it's ignition point....a slight but important difference for three reasons:

1) although most untreated wood can be found in an unfinished attic space (rafters, joists, etc) that typically have a lot of dust, it can also be found in unfinished basement areas and garages that are relatively dust-free.

2) The color is indicative of increasing heat and NOT necessarily open, active fire...although that's almost a certainty if not vented/cooled.

3) Untreated wood is typically STRUCTURAL in nature as opposed to contents...which means that the fire is attacking/will be attacking the building's integrity. This does NOT mean it's about to fall down, but instead a vital piece of information for crews entering the structure.

As human beings, we're typically sensitive to noticing colors, but it's important in Reading Smoke to understand that color can be dictated by many factors such as temperature, distance, water content, materials burning, and weather....it's better to "generalize" a little rather than try to get too specific.

ALL materials in direct contact with flame generally put out thick, black, ugly looking smoke.....

[WebBoss]

So based on Chief Bickmore's comments, which just taught me something good, this fit's Brannigan's idealology of a "Structural Fire" versus a "Contents Fire."

Good stuff here, very good stuff. I would certainly be more worried about the "Structural Fire" then I would be about the "Contents."

[papacheese]

For those of you who have never had a Reading Smoke class, the basics can be quickly summarized as follows:

[glow=red,2,300]The thicker, darker, and more turbulent the smoke, the more dangerous it is and the closer to open flame [/glow]

As much as we would like color to reveal a lot of info, in general it really doesn't with a few exceptions (the tan/reddish brown being one and a "pukey yellow" another).

[thelurker]

papacheese said:

This may change a few perspectives, especially if you had an earlier version of "Reading Smoke"....

BTW, these are AWESOME pics.....

In his latest revision, Chief Dodson tells us that the reddish-brownish smoke which we were previously told indicated "dust and dirt" in a void space is more accurately, the color produced by untreated wood being heated towards it's ignition point....a slight but important difference for three reasons:

That color also seems to come from tightly packed cardboard. Which lead to my "garage used for storage" comment. I learned this a couple summers ago while fighting a cardboard recycling truck fire.

[chief3102]

Let's not forget the work van in the driveway with the ladder rack and ladder on top. Who knows what kind of materials are being stored in that garage.

[firstin312]

My first thoughts looking at these pics is yes in a dusty area with untreated wood exposed. I do not think the smoke is pushing out, look at the pic where he is venting the window and there is not smoke pushing out, very like in volume. Looks as if a garage, workshop fire, truck with ladders parked in drive way, is this his workshop? If so lots of possible untreated wood stored there. Pics show smoke pushing out from underneath the shingles above garage, smoke from front door most likely coming from door separating the garage and house, but must use caution when entering house, don't think a 2 1/2 is needed think you must have 2, 1 3/4 one for attack and one for back up just in case. Also need another crew to get above the garage into the possible bedroom above, for either extension or for rescue, night time is everyone out? , how late is it? As always need to be safe and check the floors and have a 360 done so all aspects of the fire are known to the CP.

[papacheese]

REALLY excellent comments and observations...something I didn't take too much notice of but several did is where the smoke is issuing from, ie: the front door. Combined with the color, it could very well be a stack of unfinished wood in a workshop as firstdue312 offered...basement fire? Notice there's very little smoke coming from Division 2..

[cfd2037]

Feb 5, 2008 8:09:51 GMT -5 chief3102 said:

Let's not forget the work van in the driveway with the ladder rack and ladder on top. Who knows what kind of materials are being stored in that garage.

Ahhh...you stole my thunder, Chief!!! Good catch on the van, though. I'd definetly treat the scene as if there is some kind of construction/painting type of chemical.

Rather find out there isn't any hazards the safe way, than to find out there is the hard way.