Chapter 4: Positioning Fire Department Pumpers Flashcards
what will the operator will determine the best placement for the first arriving and later arriving pumpers on the fireground
- Local policies, the company officer and the driver/operator
- A fire department pumper’s: primary function
on the fireground is to provide water directly for fire streams or to support other pumpers or aerial apparatus
Positioning for fire attack
- Incident scene size up determines
the most advantages position for the attack pumper
- The driver/operator of the first arriving apparatus must
observe conditions and determine the best apparatus position based on initial attack strategy and department policy
what will set the scene at an incident
- The position of the initial company, local operating guidelines and orders from IC will set the scene
When positioning the apparatus, the driver/operator should:
o Pull past the front of the building: this position allows personnel on the apparatus to view 3 sides of the building
o Consider the best acess point for personnel and equipment entering the occupancy when parking the apparatus, this will allow personnel efficient acess to the building
o Remain with the apparatus in the event connections for water supply or FDC need to be made or to assist in pulling attack hoselines and operating the pump
Rescue situations
postion the apparatus to facilitate the most efficient deployment of ground ladders
Exposures:
position the apparatus so that fire streams can be deployed to protect the exposure if the fire has the potential to threaten exposure
o Consider the apparatus an exposure- avoid placing the apparatus in a location that may subject it to high levels of radiant heat, falling embers or other products of combustion
Water supply
if a confirmed fire is located in an area of limited access, such as narrow driveway or alley, the personnel of the first arriving pumper should consider laying their own supply
o Supply lines should be laid where they are accessible to later arriving apparatus
- Method of attack
determine the positioning of the apparatus. If handlines or portable master streams are to be used, the pumper must be positioned in close proximity to the building or incident scene to allow effective water supply
Hose line deployment
position pumpers to better support the deployment of hoselines for fire attack or supply lines to fire department connections
- Wind direction
attempt to position the apparatus upwind of an incident whenever possible
- Terrain:
park apparatus on hard surfaces whenever practical
o When operating at an incident involving hazardous or flammable liquids, an uphill position eliminates the chance of a hazardous liquid flowing underneath the apparatus
- Roadway response
block lanes of the road where firefighters are operating as well as an additional lane for a safety zone
o When laying supply hose into the fire scene, lay the hose to the side of the street
o LDH is almost impossible to move once charged
- Structural collapse
apparatus and personell should remain out of the collapse zone of at least 1.5x the height of the building
- The corners of the building are considered the safest
- Preincident planning:
- Overhead utility lines
- Falling debris
- Preincident planning: aids in identifying buildings with a high potential for collapse
- Overhead utility lines: dangerous especially in bad westher
- Falling debris: depending on the incident, apparatus equipemtn etc, the base of a high rise fire may need to be protected
- Ability tpo remove portable equipment: park somewhere all the doors can open
Positioning to support aerial apparatus
- Pumpers may arrive before aerial and must park somewhere good for them but also yield an optimum position close to the building for the aerial
- Inside/outside method
used to position aerial and pumping apparatus at a fire scene
o If the bulding is less than 5 floors tall, the attack pumper(s) are postioned on the side of the street closest to the building and aeriel is placed on the outboard of the pumper(s) as it should be long enough to reach over the pumper
o If building is greater than 5 floors the attack pumpers take the outside position to allow the aerial apparatus maximum reach to the building
Positioning to support fire department connections
- A pumper should position as closely as possible to the water source
- Fire hydrant is located in close proximity to the FDC this allows the pumper to connect to the FDC and chaieve water supply from the hydrant with relative ease
- Driver should not cross contaminate
- Driver should not cross contaminate a nonpotable (nondrinkable) water source and a portable water supply
- Fire department connection
: point at which the fire department can connect into a sprinkler or standpipe system to boost the water pressure and flow in the system
o Consists of a clammpered Siamese with two or more 2 ½ inch intakes or one large diameter intake
Relay
to shuttle water between a source and an emergency scene using mobile water supply apparatus
- Drafting
process of aquiring water from a static source and transferring it into a pump that is above the sources level
- Drafting operations are required when
a pumper must be supplied from a static water supply source such as a dry hydrant, storage, lake or stream