Ch. 15 - Fighting Fires In Churches Flashcards
What are the three types of church in use today?
- Old, traditional gothic variety.
- Modern traditional.
- Conversions.
What is far and away the biggest problem in fires in the old, gothic, cruciform variety of church?
Why?
Ventilation.
The rooflines can be beyond the reach of aerials, and even if accessible, the pitch of it may be more than 45 degrees.
What can be said about topside ventilation in old, gothic style churches?
Topside ventilation may be difficult to impossible. There may be a window up high, but think before you take out any stained glass. A church is not the place for PPV if the fire has entered the nave.
What about overhaul in old, traditional, gothic churches?
Hydraulic overhaul of the rafters may be the only option.
What about water flow in old, traditional, gothic churches?
There’s so uh that is irreplaceable, to flow water needlessly is virtually a sin.
What if fire breaks out in the basement of an old, traditional, gothic church?
There may be slim hope for saving the building.
What about ventilation in modern churches?
Some have very ornate, geometric roofs that may be difficult to ventilate.
What about collapse in old-style gothic and modern churches?
Early collapse is not usually a concern. They tend to give p,entry of warning.
Churches are known for large loss of life fires.
True or false?
False.
If you plan to save the structure in a church fire, what must you do?
You must make every effort to maintain interior operations. They are not prone to early collapse and they do offer many places to operate in relative safety, but if the fire is attacking the structure, and time has ticked past ten to twenty minutes or so, you as the IC must consider withdrawal and collapse zones.
If you absolutely can’t open up the roof, what should be done?
Apply as much water as necessary to cool the interior and simultaneously extinguish the fire. No excuse for any line smaller than a 2 1/2”. Total flow of 1000 to 1500 gpm is needed.
What three qualities should suppression operations have?
- Speed.
- Strength.
- Simplicity.
Where are the prime places to search in old-style and modern traditional churches?
- Chancel.
- Vestiary.
- Nave.
- Foyer.
- Choir loft.
- Basement.
- Classrooms and meeting rooms of adjoining structures.
What can be said about searching churches?
The chancel can be swept by one or two searchers be fore moving to the side isles. Oriented speech method is best for most areas.
What about backup line in church fires?
They are essential. If attack line is downstairs, the backup line should be long enough to reach the far end of the basement. As always, the backup nozzle should be two-thirds of the way between the stairway and the attack crew.
