Vacants Flashcards
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Vacant building markings
Use lime yellow reflective paint
Place an X inside of a square
Marking is 18” X 18” with marking lines 2” wide
Where should you put the primary marking?
Alongside the front entrance at a height in line with the area directly over the front entrance
What if the building has multiple entrances or other means of access?
Then make additional markings at rear or side entrances, fire escapes, roof bulkheads
Should you mark sealed doors or windows?
No
What’s does RO mean, and where does it go?
“Roof Open”
Directly over vacant building marking
What does “FO” mean?
“Floor Open”
Place it directly underneath the vacant building marking
Marking vacants
Mark vacants when first identified. This may be during BISP.
Any unit may place vacant markings at time of discovery, then notify admin company.
Place all vacants into CIDS
The most important concern during size-up is
Protection of life
The highest priority during risk assessment is
Member safety
Unsealed building
Greater chance for structural instability and possibility of fire extension
Sealed building
Make search operations extremely risky as they restrict egress for FFs
Diesel Fires
Begin slowly, progress rapidly, have high heat for long duration, ignite more combustibles in the fire area and increase the fire severity
Keep significant risk to members
Limited to potential life saving situations
Is any risk acceptable to members?
NO risk is acceptable to members if there is no possibility of saving life or property.
At large or advanced vacant fires
The primary attack strategy should focus on exposure protection, however, the IC may vary from this in critical situations involving life hazards.
If possible, take a position that protects exposures and enables stream to hit the main fire
If a vacant is heavily involved on arrival
Place hose streams between the involved building and the most severe life exposure
If life is not endangered in any exposure
The first stream should be positioned to protect the Greatest amount of property
Exterior operations and hose lines
TLs should be placed in front of vacant buildings.
Exterior lines stretched for a purely defensive position should be 2 1/2”
Hose line stretched to exposures to operate on the vacant building shall be 2 1/2”
Consider using a 1/2” OST during “wash-down” to reduce the amount of water weight
Primary searches on the fire floor of a vacant should generally be conducted
After all visible fire has been knocked down and the IC has completed a size up and risk assessment. However, members may vary from this is confronted with a known life hazard
Primary searches on the floors above at vacant fires
Shall not be conducted until all visible fire has been knocked down and the IC has completed a size up and risk assessment. However, members may vary from this is confronted with a known life hazard
Climbing stairs at a vacant
Lace the middle of your foot above the step riser and step as close to the supporting wall as possible
If stability of a stair is in doubt
Place an extension ladder over the stair. Ensure that a header beam at the top of the stairs supports the ladder
When climbing U-return stairs with cracked or broken landings
Hug the newel post while stepping around the landing, not placing any weight on the landing itself
