CFD High Rise Water System + reference manual Flashcards
high rise bag contains
65mm in-line pressure gauge (bars)
65-38mm gated wye
2x 65mm 60 degree elbow
2x 65mm spanners
18inch aluminum pipe wrench
ten door wedges
ten door keepers
two sprinkler wedges
10inch crate bar
side cutters
two door mark crayons
two type of high rise hose bundles
15m of 65mm hose
30m of 44mm hose
difference when loading the 65mm hose
you should connect the male and female couplings to prevent damage tot he male threads
loading the 44mm hose
nozzle attached to male coupling on the inside
for ease of carrying the hose is folded
at approx 32 inches from the tip of the male coupling
three straps serve two purposes
they secure the coupling to the pack
they provide quick identification of the coupling side
in order to respond effectively to a high-rise incident, you need to be able to identify
basic standpipe systems
combination sprinkler-standpipe systems
classes of standpipe systems
water sources
the CFD has access to two sources of municipal water in high-rise buildings
standpipe system
hydrant water
standpipe system
the standpipe system consists of a connection from the water mains, a building fire pump and standpipe connections on every floor
hydrant water
is often the preferred source of water because it is the most secure
advancing the hose to the fire floor
keep the primary attack line on the inside of the stairwell and the back up line on the outside of the stair well
flake the remaining uncharged hose on the landing above the fire floor
definition of a high-rise
CFD will consider any building 6 or more stories as a high-rise structure
building construction for high-rise structures
will fall under type 1 - fire resistive
High rise incidents
an officer is required for the direct supervision of the investigation team and must be present with the crew when proceeding to a floor
PPE at high-rise
Although initial duties may not necessitate this level of protection, Command may request a re-assignment at which time personnel could be directed to an Immediate Dangerous to Life and Health (IDLH) atmosphere.
If the level of protection is not immediately required (E.g., Panel Control) the PPE can be removed and kept in close proximity in the event it is required later
High-rise additional equipment includes
TICS
Drager
Irons (forcible entry tools)
high-rise appliance bag
high-rise hose packs
lockbox keys/access keys
size up
will start on arrival and continue as crews work their way up/down, towards the incident
size up should occur at three main areas
exterior on arrival
lobby area
interior staging level to the fire floor
interior staging floor
normally 2 floors below the fire floor
on arrival at the interior staging floor and enroute to the fire floor, size up should include
Conditions (CAN report)
check the floor below the prior to entering the fire floor, good indicator of the general layout
- identify suit number if given
- identify hose cabinet and standpipes
heavy smoke and/or limited visibility will indicate to command
the necessity to immediately request additional alarm(s), develop an IAP and expand command structure
white smoke could be an indication of
an extinguishing system (ex. sprinklers) being utilized
3 priorities of incident action plan
life safety
incident stabilization
property conservation
overall strategy - high rise
IAP will normally result in an offensive fire attack attempting to confine the fire to the area of origin, followed by extinguishment.
When a fire has spread beyond the area of origin, Command may decide in the IAP that a defensive strategy is initially required until appropriate resources can be gathered to mount an effective fire attack.
Rescue then becomes the priority which may result in the IAP focusing on evacuation rather than fire attack.
location of the fire
personal required and problems increase substantially with the higher number of floors there are able the fire
lobby control/alarm control (panel control)
this is an officer position
if initial resources are limited, command may staff lobby control to a non-officer until sufficient personnel are available
lobby control responsibilities
keys
main fire alarm panel/alarm control
public address system
elevator control
Stairwell assessment
HVAC/ventilation
building fire safety plans
fire phones
direct evacuation of occupants through the lobby
accountability
main fire alarm panel/alarm control
alarms can be acknowledged but should not be silenced until the area has been investigated or a full evacuation of the building has taken place
Public address system
The first arriving team or Lobby Control should make an announcement as soon as possible to occupants, stating that CFD is on scene, to remain in place if it is safe to do so, and to wait for further instructions
stairs should be used in alarms involving
5 floors and below
Elevator may be used at the discretion of command in alarms
6 floors and above
Elevator use
must have an officer inside the elevator car
a minimum of 3 personnel is required in an elevator for the first investigation team
one radio on each team should be kept on simplex
additional equipment to be taken with the initial team entering an elevator includes
TICS
Drager
irons (forcible entry tools)
high-rise appliance bag
high-rise hose packs
lockbox keys/access keys
each individual requires a portable flashlight
Use of elevator during a working incident
All personnel utilizing the elevator should have their facepieces pre-docked prior to ascent.
The elevator should be stopped halfway to the desired location to re-assess the elevator shaft for any smoke and then every five floors to check again
During a working incident an elevator might stall, as a precaution the following equipment should be stored in each elevator as soon as possible:
Tics
Drager
Forcible entry tools (iron)
fire extinguisher
one extra air cylinder for each person in the elevator - normally obtained from high rise support
additional portable lights
collapsible ladder (little giant)
heat fatigue and exhaustion
is a major concern
Prior to climbing the stairs of a tall high-rise, the team should take off their turnout-coat, flash hood, gloves and helmet
The SCBA is then worn over the shirt with the turnout-coat placed on top of the tank. The helmet is attached to the front of the harness with a carabiner. The flash hood and gloves are put in the firefighter’s pockets
working incident, command should consider the following
A working fire that is contained, or smoke developing where the reason is unknown; Command is to call a minimum of a second alarm and additional alarms as required.
When a working fire is not contained, Command is to call a minimum of a third alarm and additional alarms as required.
Develop IAP
fire attack in a high-rise building
is normally an interior attack with the initial goal of confining the fire to the area of origin and then extinguishment of all of the fire, thereby mitigating the hazard
crew rotations
as soon as resources allow, a rotation of three fire attack groups should be established
rotation of three fire attack groups includes
fire attack team and backup team (on relief these teams go to interior staging rehab)
two teams will be maintained at interior staging (They will relieve fire attack and back-up
when required.)
two teams will be maintained at interior staging rehab (These teams report to interior
staging when fire attack and back up are relieved.)
stairwells are generally designated by CFD as
fire attack
evacuation
scissor stairwells
consist of a design involving 2 sets of stairs interwoven in 1 shaft
On entering the stairwell, visually check directly up the stairs. If the next door is seen at the end of the stairs without reversing back, the building has scissor stairs
return stairs
have a landing at the halfway point
entrance/exit for this stairwell should be identical on each floor
upper floor assessment
The team assigned to check the upper floors should normally start in the fire attack stairwell. A quick assessment of the stairwells and floors above the fire floor is required. The normal procedure would be to check conditions on the floor below the fire, the fire floor and one floor above. If the floor above is clear, the team should proceed to the top floor and work their way back down the building, checking each floor. If conditions on the floor above the fire-floor have deteriorated, the team should continue checking upward, checking one floor at a time until it is clear before proceeding to the top floor. In all working incidents, the top floor must be checked for the presence of smoke.
Stack effect
The vertical, natural movement throughout a high-rise building caused by the difference in temperatures between the inside air and outside air
Is not caused by the fire however it can cause the smoke to spread throughout the building during a fire
positive stack effect
Significant in colder climates because of the greater difference in temperatures inside the building as compared to outside
Negative stack effect
Can occur on hot days in the reverse manner where smoke is pushed downward and the building air moves from the inner core to the exterior
Not normally as strong
stratification
more common in a taller high-rise with a fire on a lower floor, where smoke rises until it becomes cool and then settles on a particular floor
Mushrooming of smoke
although the fire can be on a lower level, smoke will often make its way to the top floor and then work its way back down
two highest priorities in a high-rise fire
fire suppression
evacuation
past history of high-rise fires shows that evacuating occupants in stairwells and corridors often
have the highest risk of injury and death, as opposed to remaining in place while the fire is being extinguished
defend in place
If a full building evacuation has not already been initiated prior to CFD arrival, the main strategy for command may be to defend in place, if it is safe to do so.
Is a strategy utilized by fire services based on the risk/benefit of keeping occupants in their location rather than evacuating
Is usually preferable if command determines that an incident can be contained
Evacuate: working incident
if incident command determines that designated floors require evacuation and a public address system is available, it is recommended that initially 5 floors be evacuated, if it is safe to do so
fire floor
2 above floors
2 below floors
Evacuation should concentrate on the highest risk
fire floor, 2 above and 2 below
floors above the fire (5 at a time, working to the top)
floors before the fire (5 at a time, working to the bottom)
interior staging
location is normally 2 floors below the floor in alarm
accountability
Command post – Red fire pass
Lobby – red fire pass (conditions where command is a considerable distance from the main entrance)
Interior staging – green fire pass
Staging – red fire pass
Rehab – green fire pass
Divisions – green fire pass
four types of smoke removal and ventilation options that are built into high-rise buildings are:
openable windows
stairways to roof
smoke shaft
building exhaust system
primary search team should have the following equipment
tics
drager
irons (forcible entry)
marking crayons
primary search
should be initiated in the area that is most threatened, writing a / (and unit number) on the door when complete
secondary search
thorough search of the area completed after the fire is declared under control, writing another \ (and unit number) on the door to create an X
three types of interior standpipe connections
class 1 (fire department use only - 65mm connection)
class 2 (occupant use only - 38mm connection)
class 3 (fire department and/or occupant use - 65mm and 38mm or 65 to 38mm reducers)
fire phones
are found near elevators on each floor, main fire phone should be at the alarm panel
are set-up on a party-line system so there may be several people on the same line
two or more safety teams as resources allow
Preferable as Engine crews.
Safety team personnel and equipment to be assembled in the lobby and then moved to the interior staging floor.
A second safety team maintained in the lobby area.
If a large scale evacuation combined with search and rescue teams is taking place on several floors higher than the fire floor, an additional safety team should be considered which would be staged at a different location than interior staging.
If a safety team on upper floors is utilized, a new safety team must be established
two or more incident safety officers
Lobby ISO watches over the lobby area and exterior operations including assessment of any dangers from potential falling debris (glass).
Interior ISO to be located at Interior Staging.
Incident Command should consider assigning an additional firefighter with the Interior ISO as there may be a need to go into IDLH atmospheres.
Assign additional ISO’s as required.
the following equipment is to be brought from the high-rise support to the elevator car and staged inside during fire operations:
TICS
Dräger X-am 2500
Forcible entry tools (irons)
Fire extinguisher
One extra air cylinder for each person in the elevator
Additional portable lights
Collapsible ladder (Little Giant)
Cell phone should be provided for elevator control
