As it appears in this video, my first line would probably head to the rear door in an attempt to make a less punishing advance down the interior basement stairs. That is a great move and with minimal manpower to stretch and advance the first line, it is probably the best option.My second line however would be stretched to the front door and charged. That line would be responsible for protecting anyone operating on the first floor or any members proceeding to the 2nd floor to search the bedrooms (main priority). If there is no line in the front and the fire started to light up as it did, any members operating on the second floor would be trapped above until the line could be repositioned and knock the fire down.My third line if available would back up the first line in the rear. Back-up lines are important, but I would opt to cover the members searching above before backing up the first line.
A few comments:
1) Does it appear that a dry line is chocking the outward swinging front door in the middle of the video? I don’t know if they were operating and lost water or if they were in the house with a dry line. If they never had water or had a known water issue, venting the front picture window was not a good idea. As you saw, the influx of air caused the fire to intensify and drove them from the building. Coordinate venting with the application of water.
2) I don’t believe that the first floor “fire phenomenon” was a flashover. It was definitely a rapid fire progress and on it’s way to a flashover, but they caught it before it actually flashed over. Keep in mind that the orange you see lapping out of the front door is also more rapidly making it’s way up the interior stairs and towards the bedrooms. Any members searching above will need portable ladders or the fire to be knocked down to escape. That is my justification for a hose line through the front door.
3) Did you hear the radio traffic reporting “holes in the floors”. That was a heads up move to alert all members operating on the first floor of that hazard. If there are small holes in the floor an interior door can be removed from a bathroom or closet and placed over the holes so no one will get hurt.
4) Many departments declare that a building is “fully involved” when a window or two of fire is showing. When I hear the term fully involved, in my mind there is fire pushing from every opening in the building and no one is going to be alive in the structure. There are most certainly areas in this building that a victim could still be rescued after our arrival. In my opinion, every area with the exception of the direct fire area (room) in the basement could have housed a viable victim.
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