Essentials of Fire Fighting,

1

• Essentials of Fire Fighting,
• 5th Edition

Chapter 15 Fire Control Firefighter II
2
Chapter 15 Lesson Goal

• After completing this lesson, the student shall
  be able to attack Class B fires and coordinate
  interior attacks following the policies and
  procedures set forth by the authority having
  jurisdiction (AHJ).

3
Specific Objectives

• 1. Summarize considerations for hoseline
  selection.
• 2. Discuss stream selection.
• 3. Discuss suppressing Class B fires.
• 4. Explain why bulk transport vehicle fires are
  difficult incidents.

(Continued)
4
Specific Objectives

• 5. Discuss control of gas utilities.
• 6. Discuss command at structural fires.
• 7. Extinguish an ignitable liquid fire. (Skill
  Sheet 15-II-1)

(Continued)
5
Specific Objectives

• 8. Control a pressurized flammable gas container
  fire. (Skill Sheet 15-II-2)
• 9. Establish Incident Command and coordinate
  interior attack of a structure fire. (Skill Sheet
  15-II-3)

6
Hoseline Selection Factors

• Fire conditions
• Fire load, material involved
• Volume of water needed
• Stream reach needed

(Continued)
7
Hoseline Selection Factors

• Number of firefighters available to advance
  hoselines
• Need for speed, mobility
• Tactical requirements
• Ease of hoseline deployment
• Potential fire spread

8
Stream Selection

• Dictated by fire situation, capabilities of
  nozzle being used
• Solid-stream nozzle projects water in
  more-or-less solid mass

(Continued)
9
Stream Selection

• Combination (fog) nozzles project water in range
  of patterns
• Straight and solid streams
• Combination fog nozzles

10
Converting Water to Steam

• Critical to heat absorption
• Excess steam production can obscure vision,
  inflict steam burns
• Appropriate water application methods critical

11
Class B Fires

• Those that involve flammable and combustible
  liquids, gases
• Flammable liquids Flash points less than 100ºF
  (38ºC)

(Continued)
12
Class B Fires

• Combustible liquids Flash points higher than
  100ºF (38ºC)
• Divisions of flammable, combustible liquids
• Hydrocarbons
• Polar solvents

13
Actions and Precautions

• Avoid standing in pools of fuel/runoff water
  because there may be fuel floating on top of
  water
• PPE soaked with flammable/combustible liquids
  must be removed from service until cleaned

(Continued)
14
Actions and Precautions

• Unless leak can be stopped, do not extinguish
  fires around relief valves/piping
• Try to contain pooling liquid until flow can be
  stopped

(Continued)
15
Actions and Precautions

• Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapor Explosion (BLEVE)
• Applying foam is most often used for flammable
  liquid fires

(Continued)
16
Actions and Precautions

• Class B fire fighting techniques also needed for
  fires in gas utility facilities/highway incidents
  involving fuel tankers
• Water can be applied in several forms

17
Using Water to Control Class B Fires

• Water alone ineffective extinguishing agent
• Using water as cooling agent
• Using water as mechanical tool
• Using water as crew protection

18
Bulk Transport Vehicle Fires

• Follow preincident plans
• Techniques of extinguishment similar to fires in
  flammable fuel facilities
• Major differences in vehicles transporting
  flammable fuels, storage facilities

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Traffic Guidelines

• Close at least one lane of traffic in addition to
  incident lane during initial emergency operations
• Avoid using road flares because of possible
  ignition

(Continued)
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Traffic Guidelines

• When law enforcement personnel unavailable,
  firefighters should be assigned to direct
  traffic, control scene access

(Continued)
21
Traffic Guidelines

• Position fire apparatus uphill, upwind

(Continued)
22
Traffic Guidelines

• Exit apparatus, work from the side away from
  traffic as much as possible
• Turn wheels of vehicles parked to protect
  firefighters so apparatus cannot be pushed into
  them if struck by another vehicle

(Continued)
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Techniques

• Be aware of possibility of vehicle tires failing
• Know status/limitations of water supply
• Protect trapped victims with hose streams until
  rescue
• Determine exact nature of cargos

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Control of Gas Utilities

• Firefighters should have working knowledge of
  hazards, correct procedures for handling
  incidents involving natural gas, liquefied
  petroleum gas

(Continued)
25
Control of Gas Utilities

• Natural gas or LPG used for cooking, heating,
  industrial processes
• Natural gas used as fuel for buses, motor vehicles

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Natural Gas

• In pure form is methane flammable, nontoxic
• When delivered to customers, may contain trace
  amounts of ethane, propane, butane, pentane
• Lighter than air

(Continued)
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Natural Gas

• Nontoxic, but an asphyxiant
• No odor of its own, but odor added
• Distributed from gas wells to point of use by
  pipes
• Explosive between 5-15 percent in air

(Continued)
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Natural Gas

• May be compressed, stored, shipped in cylinders
  marked as compressed natural gas (CNG)
• Shipped, stored as liquid (LNG) and subject to
  BLEVE in this form
• Emergencies involving natural gas

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Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG)

• Bottled gas
• Refers to fuel gases stored in liquid state under
  pressure
• Two main gases in this category Butane and
  propane
• Propane

(Continued)
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Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG)

• About 1.5 times as heavy as air
• Explosive in concentrations between 1.5 and 10
• Shipped from distribution point of usage in
  cylinders and tanks on cargo trucks

(Continued)
31
Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG)

• Stored in cylinders, tanks near point of use
• Supply of gas may be stopped by shutting valve at
  tank

(Continued)
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Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG)

• LPG leak will produce visible cloud of vapor that
  hugs ground
• Cloud of unburned gas may be dissipated by fog
  stream
• All LPG cylinders, tanks can BLEVE

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Flammable Gas Incidents

• Incidents involving both CNG, LPG distribution
  systems most often caused by excavation equipment
  striking underground pipes, causing a break
• Contact utility company immediately

(Continued)
34
Flammable Gas Incidents

• Approach from, stage on upwind side even if gas
  not ignited
• First concerns are evacuation of area immediately
  around break, evacuation of area downwind,
  elimination of ignition sources

(Continued)
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Flammable Gas Incidents

• Check surrounding buildings for odor of gas
  because service connections near break may have
  been damaged
• Follow departmental SOPs regarding crimping off
  gas line to stop leak

(Continued)
36
Flammable Gas Incidents

• If gas is burning, flame should not be
  extinguished
• If necessary, use hose streams to protect
  exposures

(Continued)
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Flammable Gas Incidents

• In many structure fires, an important task is
  locating gas meter and turning off gas supply to
  involved building
• In some industrial, institutional occupancies,
  critical equipment and processes depend on
  uninterrupted supply of natural gas

(Continued)
38
Flammable Gas Incidents

• In most homes and businesses, meter is located
  outside building and often visible from street
• If the gas meter involved in fire, firefighters
  assigned to turn off gas should be protected by
  hoseline set on wide fog pattern

(Continued)
39
Flammable Gas Incidents

• Flow of gas into building can be stopped by
  turning cutoff valve to closed position, which is
  set at right angle to pipe

40
Company-Level Fire Tactics

• Standard tactical priorities Life safety,
  incident stabilization, property conservation
• Order of priorities same, but actions taken on
  fireground may/may not be performed in that order

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Command First Due Engine Company

• Company officer will conduct rapid initial
  assessment of situation
• Assessment determine further actions taken by
  first-due engine company

(Continued)
42
Command First Due Engine Company

• If by taking immediate action company can save 1
  lives, will do so even if not enough firefighters
  on scene to form rapid intervention crew (RIC)

(Continued)
43
Command First Due Engine Company

• If no obvious, immediate life-safety concerns,
  and fire threatening to extend to another nearby
  structure, officer may order lines pulled to
  apply water to exposure
• Officer may call for more resources

(Continued)
44
Command First Due Engine Company

• Given a small interior fire, company officer
  usually assumes Command of incident

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Command Other Companies

• Second-due engine company
• Fireground support company
• Rapid Intervention Crew (RIC)
• Chief Officer/Incident Command

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Summary

• Attacking fires early in their development is an
  important aspect of a successful fire fighting
  operation. Likewise, selecting and applying the
  most effective fire attack strategy and tactics
  are also important.

(Continued)
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Summary

• Failing to do any of these things can result in a
  fire growing out of control, an increase in fire
  damage and loss, and possibly in firefighter
  injuries.

(Continued)
48
Summary

• Firefighters need to know how to use the fire
  fighting tools and techniques adopted by their
  departments.

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Review Questions

• 1. What are three factors to consider in
  hoseline selection?
• 2. When would combination fog nozzles be used?
• 3. What is a boiling liquid expanding vapor
  explosion (BLEVE)?

(Continued)
50
Review Questions

• 4. What are the major differences in fires in
  vehicles transporting flammable liquids and fires
  in storage facilities?

(Continued)
51
Review Questions

• 5. What questions does the company officer of
  the first-due engine company ask when conducting
  a rapid initial assessment of the situation?