TB 156 - Hillside Home Structure Fires

Question 1

How many hillside structures in the City, including platform homes, multistory pre-fabricated homes, custom homes, apartments and commercial buildings are there?

Answer 1

Over 400,000

Question 2

Successful firefighting operations in hillside homes require:

Answer 2

SOP
Strong Command
Continuous size-ups
Well communicated strategy 
Effective firefighting tactics

Question 3

Firefighters can encounter challenges related to what?

Answer 3

Extended response times
Narrow streets with limited access
Water supply
Laddering
Unusual building construction 
Extreme fire behavior 
Restricted ventilation
Ultimately fire suppression

Question 4

Three categories of hillside homes:

Answer 4

• Descending
• Ascending
• Cantilever

Question 5

Descending Hillside Homes are built to provide opportunity for ____ and built on the _____.

Answer 5

Multiple floors, Downslope (descending side the roadway)

Question 6

What is the minimum amount of stories for a descending home?

Answer 6

Two stories

Question 7

Descending homes have multi-levels, what are they?

Answer 7

One full story at street level and at least one story or more below grade

Question 8

What kind of access do homes have to access lower levels?

Answer 8

Interior/exterior

Exterior staircase offer portals of entry on multiple sides

Question 9

What design features do these descending homes commonly have?

Answer 9

Large picture windows

Cantilever balconies off lowest level and even walkout basements

Question 10

Why are descending homes most dangerous?

Answer 10

Entry from the grade level into the structure could place firefighters above the fire if it originates on a lower floor

Question 11

Ascending Hillside Homes are built into the what?

Answer 11

Upslope side of the roadway

Question 12

Ascending Hillside Homes, access to the first floor does not present the hazards unless what?

Answer 12

Entry is made from an upper floor

Question 13

On larger properties of ascending hillside homes, what can you find leading up to a flat pad?

Answer 13

Long Driveways

Question 14

Ascending hillside home are usually multi-story with the garage located where?

Answer 14

Grade level representing the first floor

Question 15

On ascending homes, how are there alternative portals of entry available on each side?

Answer 15

By exterior staircases

Question 16

When were cantilever hillside homes originally built?

Answer 16

Early 1900’s

Question 17

What is a alternative name for Cantilever hillside homes?

Answer 17

Stilt Homes

Build on steep vacant hillside lots and perched precariously on the side of the hill

Question 18

Cantilever original homes were one story and utilized wood construction with ____ supports tied to the original foundation

Answer 18

Heavy Timber Wood

Question 19

In later generation stilt homes, what was used for the foundation and how many feet was it cantilevering out over the hillside

Answer 19

Concrete or wood foundation, utilized steel poles to support entire home
Cantilevering out as much as 50 to 75 feet over the hillside

Question 20

Modern architecture of cantilever homes utilizes what kind of material and how many floors over the hillside?

Answer 20

Concrete, steel, corrugated metal, fiberglass (concrete pilasters buried deep into the hillside)

Multiple floors hanging over hillside

Question 21

Changed in construction styles and methods have permitted larger homes, often occupying the entire square footage of the property called what?

Answer 21

Mansionization

Question 22

What is one of the biggest challenges with hillside homes?

Answer 22

Access to lower floors from grade level

Question 23

is imperative that every attempt is made to conduct a 360 degree survey to determine the fire extent and floor of origin and to clearly communicate this information to other resources before

Answer 23

initiating interior firefighting operations

Question 24

the first arriving resource shall:

Answer 24

-Give a comprehensive size-up
stating the size, number of floors and specific type (Ascending, Descending, or Cantilever)
-Prior to advancement of any hose lines, complete a 360 degree survey
Type of hillside home
Number of floors (above or below grade)
Floor and side of building where initial fire attack lines will be deployed

Question 25

If a 360 survey isn’t possible due to steepness of the grade, size of the building or other factors, the first arriving officer will attempt to ?

Answer 25

visualize as much of the building as possible and ascertain all of the required information prior to communicating a subsequent size-up

Question 26

If the building features make it impossible to attack the fire at or below the lowest level of fire involvement, concerned officers should consider:

Answer 26

“transitional attack,” with limited and focused application of water from the exterior, directly through windows only when visible fire is showing

Question 27

tactic of applying a stream of water from the exterior shall only be utilized prior to

Answer 27

companies initiating interior operations.

Question 28

Multi-story Cantilever Hillside Homes that have no doorway access from subfloors, require a risk assessment of how long the fire has been burning. The fire attack team shall provide a

Answer 28

risk versus gain tactical analysis on an offensive fire attack from a floor above the fire or a defensive
attack with water through an opening (such as a window) from the exterior at the identified fire floor

Question 29

If an offensive attack is considered as the only means, then it is imperative that a backup fire attack team has a

Answer 29

hoseline in place before descending the interior stairwell

Question 30

It is the LAFD practice that any hillside home that has one or more floors below grade with access, be attacked whenever possible from a

Answer 30

Portal of entry at or below the origin of the fire

Question 31

Location of the fire, coordination and communication with fire attack about the conditions of the interior are the highest priority in determining placement of an initial heat hole to accomplish

Answer 31

vertical ventilation

Question 32

heated fire gasses are not released they will accumulate and begin to bank down and spread laterally

Answer 32

mushrooming

Question 33

It is crucial that fire attack and ventilation be coordinated, as premature ventilation may create

Answer 33

undesired flow path

Question 34

If the fire is on the street level or grade level floor, then an offensive heat hole can be established above the

Answer 34

origin of the fire with coordinated fire attack from the first floor

Question 35

If the fire is below grade and the only entry to establish fire attack is from the first floor, what other type of ventilation should be considered?

Answer 35

Horizontal Ventilation

Question 36

A ventilation hole over the interior stairwell should only be initiated after the fire attack team has

Answer 36

descended the stairwell to the fire floor and communicated the progress of the attack

Question 37

One of the most overlooked effects of natural ventilation on hillside home is the

Answer 37

Diurnal wind influence

Heating and cooling of the mountain slopes create diurnal winds

Usually change directions twice per day

Question 38

upslope, up-valley winds generate just after

Answer 38

sunrise

Question 39

downslope, down-valley winds generate just before

Answer 39

sunset

Question 40

Careful consideration should be given to opening the front door on grade level, why?

Answer 40

additional flow path created by natural ventilation

Question 41

It is o=important to the success of the incident to determine the best placement of apparatus based on :

Answer 41

Safety
Hydrant Location
Access to the home
Responding resources

Question 42

It is imperative for first arriving companies to position the apparatus in a way to allow for other resources to have the full benefit of being as close to

Answer 42

physical address as possible

Question 43

Additional arriving Truck companies should consider their assignment and determine the need for tools and equipment over apparatus. Consideration should be given to staging the Truck and

Answer 43

staffing the 200 Series Engine when access is a challenge

Question 44

Resources that will not be used based on the type or tools they carry should

Answer 44

stage on adjacent or intersecting streets as to not create a bottleneck

Question 45

Ambulance should be placed at intersections allowing for

Answer 45

egress for expedited transportation of patients to the hospital.

Question 46

One of the most important tactical watchouts in a multi-story hillside home is the ability to perform

Answer 46

A 360

Question 47

A complete 360 might not always be possible on a hillside home; however, identifying a portal of entry (Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta) at or below the fire is the

Answer 47

highest priority

Question 48

When engaging in fire suppression on a Descending Hillside Home, fire attack, backup fire attack and additional resources shall make an attack from a

Answer 48

common portal of entry until water can placed on the seat of fire.

Question 49

A normal response for a hillside, single or multi-family dwelling is a

Answer 49

“C” assignment

vary depending on the square-footage of the occupancy and the location of the dwelling

Question 50

Due to hillside homes residing in canyons and hilltop brush areas, additional consideration should be given to ordering

Answer 50

water dropping helicopters or airships for aerial observation when there is risk for the brush as an exposure