Ch. 14 - Fighting Fires In Resaurants

Question 1

What are the two main problems with restaurant fires?

Answer 1

Life safety and rapid fire spread. Rescue operations may prove difficult.

Question 2

What is the cause of many fires in restaurants?

Answer 2

Deliberately set by owners intent on collecting insurance money.

Question 3

What can be said about patron in a restaurant fire?

Answer 3

Panic can be a factor an d they usually only know one way out - the way they came in.

Question 4

What is meant by the fire may only be the catalyst tha tfuels the a more pressing problem at restaurant fires?

Answer 4

Patrons may be terrified,they may converge on a single exit, creating a bottleneck. Firefighters may be denied entrance, they may be mobbed and left for dead, they may be trampled.

Question 5

What factors affect the the potential for loss of life in restaurant fires?

Answer 5

1. The size of the establishment.
2. The time of the fire.
3. The construction features.
4. The presence of automatic sprinklers.
5. The size of the department.
6. The level of training of the firefighters.

Some of the most serious loss of life fires have occurs in restaurants.

Question 6

What is the IC’s main concern (expressed as a question)?

Answer 6

Can we simultaneously put out the fire, vent, and search for patrons, or should we defend in place?

Question 7

What Re the six principal elements that will determine the strategy of a restaurant fire?

Answer 7

1. Character of the fire.
2. Size of the restaurant.
3. Number of patrons.
4. Ability of the patrons to rescue themselves.
5. The size of the responding forces.
6. The level of training of the department.

Question 8

When should defend in place be in order?

Answer 8

If the fire is sizable and the victim-to-rescuer ratio is at all lopsided (say three to one or greater).

Question 9

If, on arrival, you’re torn between search, ventilation, and other operations, what should be done?

Answer 9

Put the fire out! This is especially true if staffing is a concern.

Question 10

If you foresee using flows of more than 200 gpm, what line should be pulled?

Answer 10

2 1/2” hose as initial line. If staffing is low, take it in dry.

Question 11

How can you estimate the number of people in a restaurant?

Answer 11

Expect an average of 1.5 people per car in the parking lot.

Question 12

On average, how long will 30 minute SCBA bottles last?

How big an area can be searched in that time?

Answer 12

15 minutes, though warning bells have gone off in as little as 10 minutes after deployment.

Average firefighter can search 1000-1500 sq ft within that 15 minutes.

Question 13

What is the seating capacity in one of the modern chain restaurants?

Answer 13

They can range from fifty or so to several hundred.

Question 14

In heavy smoke conditions, how long will we probably have to locate liable victims?

Answer 14

Probably no more than fifteen minutes.

Question 15

What is the best search method?

Answer 15

Oriented search method using hose line as a reference. Searchers should move laterally twenty crawls, once at full extension, each moves as quickly as possible back to the hose and the oriented man. The searchers then move three or four feet back towards the door and repeat the process.

Question 16

How do you search around a table with chairs?

Answer 16

When you hit the first chair, lay it down, work your way around the table until you come back to the chair you laid down. Leave the chair on the ground and move on to the next table.

Question 17

What should be done when a victim is found during a search?

Answer 17

Post a rescue group to respond. The oriented man is the one who should call them in.

Question 18

Where should the backup crew be located if the fire is one the first floor?

Answer 18

The nozzle of the backup line should be about two-thirds of the way between the point of entry and the attack team.

As with a lumberyard fire,the officer may want to ask for additional members to be placed every fifty feet along the line.

Question 19

Where should the backup line be placed if the fire is in the second floor?

Answer 19

Again, position the backup nozzle behind the attack nozzle, approximately two-thirds of the distance beyond the threshold to the second floor.

Question 20

Why can RIT rally have there hand full at a working fire in a restaurant?

Answer 20

Fires in these occupancies are often underestimated for their potential.

Question 21

What should RIT personnel never have to do?

Answer 21

Handle a hoseline themselves. If you don’t have help, get it.