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Firefighters and the Risk of Asbestos Exposure – Mark Hall, Guest Blogger

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Firefighters and the Risk of Asbestos Exposure

Firefighters, policemen, emergency medical service workers and all other public servants put their lives at risk each day to protect and serve their local residents. For firefighters, certain risks and hazards exist that are often unknown, unseen and unexpected. One such risk is asbestos exposure.

Asbestos is a naturally occurring yet hazardous mineral that is found in thousands of industrial materials and products used in homes, buildings and consumer items. When asbestos-containing materials are disturbed, asbestos fibers become airborne and are easily inhaled because they are microscopic.

Exposure to this material has been linked to respiratory diseases like mesothelioma and lung cancer, often taking years to develop. Those who work around asbestos for many years are most at risk of developing a related disease. As a result of the duties associated with their work, firefighters are put at a higher risk of interacting with asbestos. Surprisingly, an exposure risk has even included their protective gear.

How and Where Exposure Occurs

The most intense moments of a firefighter's job involves eliminating fires and rescuing those in danger. When fires occur within homes, buildings and other structures, asbestos-containing materials can get damaged, increasing the likelihood that the fibers will be released.

The following is a list of household products could contain asbestos, endangering firefighters in the event of a fire:

  • Roofing materials
  • Cement
  • Vinyl flooring
  • Wall lining/gaskets
  • Piping material
  • Wiring insulation
  • Refrigerator/freezer
  • Recessed lighting
  • Attic insulation

The same threats from homes are applied to commercial buildings. One of the more well-known instances of asbestos exposure involving firefighters is the rescue and recovery efforts at the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. Dust from the destroyed buildings contained asbestos and other hazardous substances. Respiratory issues among public servants continue to linger as a result, including cases of mesothelioma.

Unfortunately for firefighters, the risk of asbestos exposure isn’t just limited to the location of the fire. In some cases, the risk follows them around. Fire equipment contained asbestos in earlier decades because of the material's heat-resistant characteristics. Equipment items included gloves, helmets and coats, all of which are considered staples of the firefighter uniform. Some of these items are still produced with asbestos, so be sure to ask your employer for information on the contents of your protective gear and how to keep the gear in good condition.

Firefighters, in addition to all first-responders, are encouraged to always wear protective gear during any hazardous environment. This should begin with ensuring that safety equipment is free of asbestos. Researching the materials and the manufacturer can help verify the status of the equipment.

Finally, it is highly recommended that all public servants conduct regular health checkups and screening for respiratory disease. Receiving X-Rays and communicating your occupational dangers can help your doctor detect the development of life-changing diseases such as lung cancer and mesothelioma. 

Bio: Mark Hall is a writer for the Mesothelioma Center. Between his interests in environmental health and his writing experience, Mark is committed to communicating relevant news and information regarding the dangers of asbestos exposure and breakthroughs in mesothelioma treatments.

Posted by on August 13, 2012 • Filed under: Building Alteration-Renovation, Training • Tagged:

Forcing Doors In Zero Visibility – By: Andrew Brassard

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Anyone who has ever forced a challenging door in zero visibility knows it can be one of the most difficult forcible entry challenges a crew will ever face, for those of you that have not… This challenge still awaits you.

Weather it is an apartment door on the fire floor of a garden apartment, the illegal basement apartment door in a private dwelling, or the door in a SRO on the floor above the fire the potential to need to force some tough door under arduous conditions is always present. The fact is that we as a fire service typically don't get much practice or direction on forcible entry techniques under favorable conditions let alone under zero or diminished visibility conditions. In this blog we are going to look at several different techniques for forcing entry under zero visibility conditions.

Size Up
Since we are unable to see size up is going to be tougher and normal and is going to be accomplished primarily by feel, both with your hands and the way the tool reacts on the door.

The first step is to feel the door with a gloved hand for any primary and secondary locks, bolt patterns, heat, etc. This will help establish a game plan of attack on the door. Remember you want to start with the highest lock first and work your way down so any heat or smoke behind the door will vent up and away from you.

After a rapid and thorough size up is complete you can begin forcing the door. You are going to GAP, SET, FORCE just like any other forcible entry operation, the only real difference comes from the setting the tool and more specifically the hitting techniques. We are going to look at 3 different hitting techniques that you can utilize to help you drive the halligan into the SET position.  

Double Tap Method
The double tap is more than just Rule 2 in Zombieland, it is a great method for forcing doors in smoky conditions. The double tap method works well in limited visibility situations but it allows a little to much margin of error for zero visibility operations to be an effective option. To perform this technique the axe firefighter lines up the axe with the halligan, he then taps the halligan lightly followed up right after by a more powerful hit. This small tap does a couple of things for both the firefighter holding the halligan and the firefighter hitting. First, it provides a small "practice" swing for the axe firefighter allowing him to build some muscle memory. Second, it gives warning to the firefighter on the halligan not to move because a more powerful hit is coming. Some firefighters like to use the double tap method all the time while forcing doors regardless of the conditions, it really comes down to preference.

Squared Off Shoulder
Most firefighters I talk to about the topic of zero visibility forcible entry say that they square the shoulders on their halligan forks off so that it will provide a striking surface without having the possibility of missing and striking the firefighter who is holding the halligan. This modification is not new to the fire service and I see firefighters modifying their tools like this all over North America, the problem is that if you are going to modify you halligan like this and then not practice the technique often and in realistic conditions then you might as well not even bother performing the modification in the first place. It can be challenging to perform this method and can take a tremendous amount of practice and patience. After the shoulders have been squared off the firefighter with the halligan can place the forks in between the door and the frame, with both hands on the back of the halligan the axe can be placed on the halligan shaft and slide it down to make contact with the squared off shoulder. Ensure that you keep a open palm grip on the back of halligan, if you have a firm grip on the adz or pike and the axe is brought back to far the blade of the axe could severely injury a finger… So keep a open palm grip. I like to keep the squared off shoulders for tight spaces or narrow hallways where you cannot stand behind the halligan to hit it.

One Handed Method
This technique in my opinion is the best method for forcing entry in zero visibility. The halligan firefighter takes their normal stance and hand position on the halligan with the exception of their hand closest to the adz, slide the hand closet to the adz more towards the middle of the halligan. The axe firefighter is going to take a kneeling position behind the halligan firefighter, the bottom hand on the axe is taken off and placed onto the halligan directly behind the adz. This hand is placed on the halligan to provide a point of reference for each swing of the axe. Remember to keep a loose grip on the halligan, your mission is not to impede or steer the halligan but to simple provide that point of reference. The next thing the axe firefighter can do to make life easier for them is to place the butt-end of the axe between their knees, this with help there swings tremendously by making the axe into a large pendulum. This pendulum action will help you deliver even and steady hits on target each time. Sometime with higher locks the firefighter will have to stand to swing the axe, the same steps are repeated with the exception of placing the axe between their knees.

 

 

 

 

 

Depth
How do you know when the halligan is in the set position? When you can see, we know that you want to drive it in until the crotch of the forks is level with the door stop but when we can't see we have to perform this by feel. An easy way to tell is by placing your thumb on the shoulder of the halligan then place three fingers along the side of the forks, the finger furthest away from your thumb should be level with the door stop. Slide your top finger forward and feel for the halligans orientation to the door stop. Not having the halligan set deep enough before prying is one of the biggest problems I see with zero visibility forcible entry, if the halligan is not driven in far enough it may pop out when it is pushed to the door.

The key to being able to force doors effectively in zero visibility and challenging conditions is to prepare for them through aggressive and realistic training. I recently talked to a close friend from a extremely busy urban department that just experienced a close call at a fire, one of the major problems that they experienced on the fireground was a delay of getting water on the fire due to a drawn out forcible entry operation. Crews were faced with a very difficult door in fairly horrendous smoke and heat conditions. After the fire crews talked about how they had never really been shown how to perform forcible entry operations under such strenuous and difficult conditions, the problem is that lots of firefighters tend to feel they don't need this type of training because they have never needed to force a real tough door under these conditions before. I use the analogy of RIT training, you only ever have to use it once on the fireground to make the training worth while.

I often get asked about injury while performing this type of training. I taught a recruit class for my department recently and I had the 10 recruits force hundreds of doors in zero visibility and in live fire conditions and never once did we even hurt anyones feelings. You need to ask yourself "what is the potential for a fireground injury if we DON'T do this training!"

Till next time stay safe!

Posted by on December 12, 2011 • Filed under: Building Alteration-Renovation, fire-rescue-topics, firefighter-safety-health, firefighting-operations, Forcible Entry, Ladder Company Ops, RIT or FAST Operations, special-operations, technology-communications-ems-topics, Training, training-development, training-fire-rescue-topics • Tagged:

Pressure Reducing Valves – By: Chris Collier

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Lack of water on the fire is a fire ground problem that seldom stands alone.  When water is not being applied to the fire at the proper rate we can all agree that things get worse on the fire ground.  When we look at fires where maydays or firefighter fatalities occurred we can often find reference to water loss or water problems.  One such fire is the one Meridian Plaza fire which occurred in Philadelphia PA on February 23, 1991.  This fire took the lives of three Philadelphia Firefighters.  One (of several) issues that plagued firefighters at this fire was improperly set pressure reducing valves.  These valves were set to allow 60 psi discharge pressure which was inadequate to operate the fire department's 1 3/4" hoselines and combination nozzles. 

Pressure reducing valves are found on many standpipe systems and there are dozens of types of these valves.  This blog post will show only a few so be sure to familiarize yourself with the ones found in your response area.  Pressure reducing valves are designed to regulate the pressure at a given standpipe outlet.  Pressures can be very high when dealing with fire pumps or gravity tanks.  These valves are intended to prevent over pressurization of components after the valve.  By reducing pressure flow is also reduced. 

The best and easiest way to deal with a pressure reducing valve is to remove it completely.  One style of pressure reducing valve threads onto the standpipe outlet.  When this type of valve is found, remove it with a spanner or pipe wrench and proceed as normal.  If the valve can not be removed you may have to go to the floor two floors below the fire and hook up there.  If you are unable to remove any of the pressure reducing valves, ensure the valve is in the full open position and proceed with caution. 

Some standpipe outlet valves have a pressure reducing device built into them.  Some of them can be adjusted with a screwdriver or allen wrench and others require disassembly of the valve and special tools.  These are the pressure reducing valves that firefighters must be intimately acquainted with before the fire to ensure a successful operation. 

Once we remove the pressure reducing valve we can control the pressure ourselves using the outlet valve and our inline pressure gauge.

Posted by on October 11, 2011 • Filed under: Attack Line, Building Alteration-Renovation, Engine Company Ops, fire-rescue-topics, firefighter-safety-health, firefighting-operations, special-operations, training-development, training-fire-rescue-topics, Water Supply • Tagged:

Electric Roll Up Gates – By: Andrew Brassard

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Not all forcible entry has to be forcible, in some cases a little knowledge and some finesse will get the job done quicker than some more traditional methods.

One such instance is Electric Roll Up Doors and Gates.  With a little bit of knowledge and a screwdriver entry into these gates can be very fast with very little force. Electric Roll up Gates are most commonly found in my area on loading docks, garbage rooms, and on the occasional roll up gate. These electric door openers are usually found mounted around 4' off the ground directly beside the door that it opens. There is a key way on the control panel.  This key way controls the door going up and down. The key way is often a standard mortise lock cylinder, on the back side of the cylinder. A large pivoting arm is bolted to the key way. When the key is inserted and turned the pivoting arm will twist and hit a limiter switch to either roll the door up or down.

 

 

 

Forcing entry
Forcing entry into the door usually does not require very much force at all, the only tool that you need is a screwdriver in most cases. The first thing you want to do is undo the screws in the four corners of the face plate. I have been told by friends that they have encountered security screws in these from time to time, I have never encountered these security screws. Most of the time standard Philips, Robertson, or Slot headed screws hold the face plate on. Once the screws have been removed the face plate will need to be pried off with a halligan or Rex Tool. The reason for this is that the pivoting arm on the back side of the cylinder hits small tabs on the  edges of the electrical box. The tabs are why it says on the front of the lock face that you must have the key in order to open the lock, when the key is inserted into the key way and it is turned the pivoting arm turns and is able to fit past the tabs on the electrical box. To pry the face plate off is not difficult, these tabs on the electrical box are light gauge galvanized metal that will bend quite easily with a little pressure with a prying tool.

Operating the gate
Once the face plate has been removed and pried out you can operate the gate. Directly behind the pivoting arm is a limiting switch with a simple button to operate the gate up and down, there is one button on each side of the lock cylinder. You can simply use your finger (or a pencil if it makes you feel more comfortable) to push the button and activate the door. If you look at the face plate you may be able to tell what side the limiter switch is for "Up" and what one is for "Down" by the words on both sides of the lock cylinder. If no words indicating what side is "Up" are present simply try pushing one side, if it does not work it means that it is the other side. Keep in mind that you are dealing with live electrical wires so extreme caution must be taken not to touch any wires, if you use the proper techniques and give any electrical component the respect it deserves than that should not be a problem.

Also remember to take a thorough look at the gate and properly size it up. If there are additional locks on the door such as traditional pin, hasp, and padlock assemblies, then these locks must be removed before this entry method can be performed.

In some instances these gates are also locked from the inside or the electrical switch no longer works, in these instances the gate or door will have to be cut with a power saw.

Also be sure to check with your departmental SOP's and SOG's before performing this entry method, some departments have policies against members touching an electrical equipment such as this.

This is an extremely quick and effective method for forcing entry and it causes very little damage. The best way to prepare for these types of forcible entry situations is to pay a visit to the company in your city or town that install these electric gate openers, ask them to run you through the most common types that they install in your area.

Till next time, stay safe!

Posted by on September 30, 2011 • Filed under: Building Alteration-Renovation, fire-rescue-topics, firefighter-safety-health, firefighting-operations, Forcible Entry, Ladder Company Ops, RIT or FAST Operations, special-operations, training-development, training-fire-rescue-topics • Tagged:

Cutting the Locks

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Brotherhood Instructors believes in having multiple plans in mind for any forcible entry situation.  A back-up plan for forcing an outward opening door can be cutting the locks.  We prefer to gap the door away from the frame and cut the throw of the lock as opposed to cutting the door, known as the "bird beak cut".  The bird beak cut seldom works since it is very difficult to cut completely through the door due to the door frame getting in the way. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you decide to cut the locks, gap the door away from the jamb using the halligan or axe.  Start the saw blade spinning at a low RPM to make a groove in the bolt of the lock and then throttle to full RPM to complete the cut.  This is an especially helpful technique when dealing with foot bolts.  Having the power saw set up in the outboard position will allow the saw to better cut the foot bolts.  Click here for our previous blog on foot bolts.  Be sure when cutting the bolt of any lock to cut as close to the door as possible.  This will ensure that the lock can not re-latch once the tool holding the gap has been removed. 

 

 

Posted by on July 29, 2011 • Filed under: Building Alteration-Renovation, fire-rescue-topics, firefighter-safety-health, firefighting-operations, Forcible Entry, Ladder Company Ops, RIT or FAST Operations, Search, training-development, training-fire-rescue-topics, Ventilation • Tagged:

Checking for Extension

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Firefighters assigned to the roof play a critical role in numerous fire ground tasks.  Vertical ventilation, building information, and checking for fire extension to the cockloft or attic space are just a few of these tasks.  Vertical ventilation and checking for extension can often be done together by taking a skylight and opening the skylight returns.  Click here to see our previous video on that topic.  When the roof is pitched or there is a void space along the parapet fire can easily extend through these spaces. 

Many times the roof is pitched downwards from the front of the building to the rear in order to allow drainage at the back of the building.  If there is a fire in the rear of the building and the roof is pitched downward from front to rear an inspection hole should be made towards the front of the building.  Throughout the operation monitor this inspection hole for heat, smoke, and fire.  If fire extension is found or expected, enlarge the opening and radio the findings to your company officer or incident commander.  This further illustrates the importance of checking for fire in the cockloft immediately inside the entrance of a commercial building if no one is assigned to the roof.

Roof void spaces are a common path of fire travel.  Firefighters assigned to the roof should place inspection cuts in void areas if there is any suspicion of fire in the cockloft or voids.  Triangular void spaces along the parapet are very common in residential and commercial buildings.  Usually these void spaces conceal structural members used to support the parapet.  If fire is found in this area be sure that no one is on the sidewalk below the parapet.  Here are a few pictures of this construction feature courtesy of Keith Morse from the Woodland Twp. NJ Fire Dept.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

See more from our Beyond the Academy: Ladder Company Operations class

Posted by on July 23, 2011 • Filed under: Building Alteration-Renovation, Ladder Company Ops, Roof Ops, training-development, training-fire-rescue-topics, Ventilation • Tagged:

Video – The Quick Louver – By: Jamie Morelock

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Check out the latest addition to the Brotherhood Instructors, LLC. Video Training Series.  Instructor Jamie Morelock reviews the vertical ventilation tactic known as the louver cut.

Posted by on July 19, 2011 • Filed under: Building Alteration-Renovation, fire-rescue-topics, firefighter-safety-health, firefighting-operations, Ladder Company Ops, Ladders, Roof Ops, training-development, training-fire-rescue-topics, Ventilation • Tagged:

Covered Skylights – By: Chris Collier

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We have done numerous articles about skylights, here is another.  These building features can be an asset to firefighters assigned to the roof as a means for quick ventilation.  Their location, many times above the interior stairs, makes them an ideal vertical ventilation location.  Relieving the interior stairs of smoke will help civilians evacuate, possibly increase visibility for the forcible entry team, and allow the engine to stretch to the proper location a little easier. 

Conversely, skylights can be dangerous to an unknowing firefighter, especially on a smokey roof.  Leaking skylights are many times replaced by removing the skylight and roofing over the area that was once the skylight.  If you are lucky this area of the roof will be raised and it will be obvious that this situation exists.  If not, the skylight can be covered over flush with the rest of the roof, increasing the danger. 

The quality of this patch job is where our concern lies.  If this area is properly framed out, covered with plywood, and then roofed over we are in pretty good shape.  Often these openings are covered with only a thin piece of plywood with no framing underneath and then covered with roofing material.  As you can see in this photo the once skylight has been framed out with 2×4" and then covered with plywood and rolled roofing. 

A few roof safety tips:

  • Be cautious of any area that appears to have been patched

Any patched area can be hazardous, not only roofed over skylights.  Patches normally indicate an area that was leaking.  The roof surface has been repaired to stop the leak but the water damage to the structural components beneath can not be seen. 

  • Avoid walking across roofed over skylights
  • If you can't see, crawl
  • Cross from building to building in the front

Other related articles:

Opening Scuttle and Skylight Returns

Parapet Walls

Coping Stones

Safely Traversing The Roof

Skylights

7-9-8 Ventilation Cut

Posted by on June 2, 2011 • Filed under: Building Alteration-Renovation, fire-rescue-topics, firefighter-safety-health, firefighting-operations, Ladder Company Ops, rescues, RIT or FAST Operations, Roof Ops, special-operations, training-development, training-fire-rescue-topics, Ventilation • Tagged:

“Chalk Talk” Forcible Entry Size-up – By: Andrew Brassard

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Growing up I played lacrosse, not the typical hockey that most Canadian kids played. I was fortunate enough to play at a very high level and had the privilege of playing for some great coaches.  They taught me not only about the game of lacrosse but great lessons about life that I carried over into the fire service. I had one coach that always said “you can’t learn this game in a book; you have to get out on the floor and play the game”. I could not agree more, to truly learn this job aggressive and realistic training along with experience is required. That being said my coach would also say “you want to be great at this game, be a student of the game”, I would see my Coach constantly looking at plays, statistics, equipment, etc. and he was a true student of the game and one of the best players ever to play box lacrosse. The point is that you need the knowledge and the understanding of what you’re doing to go along with your hands on training. We would practice some days until we would literally be throwing up on the floor, we would also spend some days in the class room in front of the chalk board going over plays. This was just as important to the development as us as lacrosse players and a team as going out and throwing the ball around the floor. We are going to look at a quick drill that you can do at your firehouse, this type of drill we call “chalk talk”.

Chalk talk drills are those types of drills that are great for rainy days, these types of drills are good because they often get great discussions going and it allows some of the senior members in the company to pass along their experiences and knowledge to the younger guys.  Some of the best training that I have ever done has been sitting at the kitchen table, around the tailboard of the rig, or sitting in front of a white board talking shop with a warm cup of coffee and the company of some great firemen. Not all training has to be blood, sweat, and tears, here is a good “rainy day” forcible entry drill that you can do with your crew.

 

Forcible Entry Size up Drill

A hard thing to practice and drill on is forcible entry size up. One thing I use to do was go out and take pictures of doors in our area, we would put them into a PowerPoint and then talk about methods for forcing entry into these buildings. It was great training and great discussions with guys.  We would talk about the different locks that they were dealing with and the methods and tools that they would use for getting in. Great debates, discussions, and arguments would steam from the slideshows. The problem with this method was that it was time consuming to go out gather the photos and then put the PowerPoint together, the training had great value it was just not something that could be done at the drop of a hat if the crew says “let’s do some training”. Also it does not take long for the guys to get tired of looking at and talking about the same doors over and over again.

To try to add some variety to the training and be able to put the training on I set out to make a series of props that would allow me to do quick, realistic, and optionless forcible entry size up training. I wanted to build a series of magnetic locks that could be stuck onto any regular metal door in the firehouse, out doing building inspections, etc. These locks would look exactly (or as close to it as possible) like their real lock counterparts. I took the basic type locks that me and the crews in my fire department would encounter during a forcible entry operation, these locks included:

  • Key in the Knob Locks
  • Tubular Deadbolts
  • Rim Locks
  • Rim Cylinder Guards 
  • Carriage Bolts (drop bars, slide bolts, etc.)

After I narrowed down the most common type locks that I wanted to simulate I made a trip to a local machining shop and had them mill out exact likenesses of a key in the knob lock and a couple of tubular deadbolts, because of the weight associated with making these locks out of metal PVC was used instead. On the backside of the locks a counter sunk hole was drilled and then a heavy duty magnet was secured into place using epoxy. To make the cylinder guards, 10 gauge metal plates were cut to the size of a standard cylinder guard. After the cylinder guards were cut ¼ inch carriage bolt heads were welded on the corners and then magnetic stripping was added to the backside of the guards. Finally, ¼ inch carriage bolts were taken and the threaded rod was cut off the back leaving just the heads, a hole was counter sunk into the back of the carriage bolt head and a magnate was held in place with epoxy. Having these magnet props allows you to gather the crew around any metal door in the firehouse and set up any forcible entry scenario your imagination can dream up. These drills at my firehouse have been invaluable; the guys at the station love it and get very engaged in the discussion about tactics and forcible entry size up.

The total cost of the magnet props was around $200, but if you are fairly handy or know someone who can use a machining lathe you could probably get them made for a lot less money.

This will be the first article in a series of articles that will give you great training ideas that you can do at your firehouse. If you want to train you can train.

Posted by on May 31, 2011 • Filed under: Building Alteration-Renovation, fire-rescue-topics, firefighter-safety-health, firefighting-operations, Forcible Entry, Ladder Company Ops, RIT or FAST Operations, training-development, training-fire-rescue-topics • Tagged:

“Slipping Through the Cracks” – By: Josh Materi

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Does this look familiar?  Have you been to a fire where companies failed to remove bars off the windows?  I am sure by now we all understand how important this is to the safety of our members operating inside, much less the occupants that are cut off by fire.  So what’s the problem?   

Is it a system or operational problem?  

How strong are your fireground SOP’s, do they cover this important fireground task?  

Does your Training Division and Company Officers address these challenges?

STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES

Without strong operational standard operating procedures (SOPs) how do we ensure critical tasks do not get overlooked?  SOPs function effectively because units are assigned specific tasks based on the occupancy and response order.  An example of a department’s SOPs states that one of the responsibilities of Truck Company  members assigned to position #4, Outside Vent firefighter (OV)  is to remove  bars off of the windows, this will ensure that this critical task will not get overlooked.  This also gives ownership of the important task to these specific members.  Communicating expectations will motivate the members to focus their training on their roles on the fireground.  If this member is unable to remove the bars for some reason it is his/her responsibility to communicate this to command.

TRAINING

Are the members of your department confident in their ability to successfully remove window bars in an efficient manner?  Or, is this an issue that tends to slip through the cracks?  This is a relatively easy task that is often overlooked when planning company drills. Take the time to develop props that will reflect the challenges you will face in your district.  Realistic challenges on the training ground will build confidence on the fireground, a confident firefighter is an aggressive firefighter and the fireground needs aggressive actions.

In the photo to the left you see a member standing next to a window on floor 1 at the rear of a multiple-dwelling apartment building.  The window bars are standing proud of the wall and are connected on two sides; they are also out of reach without a ground ladder.  This window will be attacked differently than a window that is recessed into brick and mortar connected on four sides.  The member going to the rear of this structure should have a metal saw, halligan bar, 6’Hook, and 24’ extension ladder.  Without the ground ladder this member would have a difficult time addressing the window bars, not to mention reaching the floor above for ventilation and rescue.  When providing horizontal ventilation, resist the urge to take the glass prior to removing the bars.  Operating the metal saw in smoke may choke out the saw and will obscure your visibility unnecessarily making the removal more challenging and may be delayed.

Failure to plan is planning to fail…

 

This is a great company drill; grab a hook, halligan bar, metal saw and walk around your district and discuss with the crew how you would attack different challenges.  Discuss multiple techniques; have a plan A, B, and C, make sure to include conventional techniques.  Never solely rely on one technique, especially when it requires the use of a saw.  On a side note, this is a great time to reinforce why we must run the saws at the start of every shift. 

When you get back to the firehouse bring out the new window prop you built on your days off and let the crew cut re-bar and flat stock in various positions both on and off a ground ladder.  This gives the crew a chance to handle the saw other than on the morning checks or on the fireground, for most of our members this is the only occasions we operate the metal saws.  Encourage your members to test some of the theories they discussed on the pre-fire walk.  Every company has that “idea guy”.  Give that member an opportunity to test some of those good ideas.

In this job the devil is certainly in the details. Discussing the plan with your members, laying out the expectations and giving them the opportunity to train repeatedly on what they are expected to accomplish is absolutely imperative for operating at a high level on the fireground.  Having a plan on who will be responsible for removal of the bars and repetitive task level training on the plan pays off.  It pays off for the citizens that we are sworn to protect and it will pay off for our members. 

Here is a great public service announcement from Miami Dade Fire Rescue that illustrates the importance of being prepared for the worst.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEoYt-4QqBI

Posted by on May 24, 2011 • Filed under: Building Alteration-Renovation, fire-rescue-topics, firefighter-safety-health, firefighting-operations, Forcible Entry, Ladder Company Ops, RIT or FAST Operations, special-operations, training-development, training-fire-rescue-topics, Ventilation • Tagged:

Building Construction Features – Cornices, By: Andrew Brassard

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I am sure if you talk to most fire service professionals about an area of basic knowledge that is lacking in today’s fire service it won’t take long to hear the topic of building construction surface.  Knowledge of building construction and how a fire reacts in that building is an area that is extremely under taught and misunderstood by today’s fire service.  It amazes me that we teach safety officers to spot a gloveless hand at 100 yards but we spend very little time talking about the hazards of balloon frame buildings, knee walls, fire spread issues, ordinary construction, etc.  With the changes in building construction nowadays and more and more emphasis of our training time on everything not fire related (ie. EMS, underwater HAZMAT, etc.) we need to teach building construction even more today than we ever have had to in previous years.

A cornice in architectural terms that describes a horizontal decorative molding that usually is found at the tops of doorways or building, for the purposes of the article we are going to look at them on the tops of flat roof buildings.

In the 19th and early 20th century, cornices were a very common place and most buildings were not complete without decorative cornice work adorning the top of the structure.  The functionality of the cornice was simple, to deflect and cause rain water to run off of the building and keep the water from running down the side of the brick work.  The intent was to save the brick work from the wear and tear of mother nature, essentially these decorative moldings were flat roofed buildings example of gutters or eves troughs.

Cornices came to favor in the 19th and 20th century but are in fact much older that that and have there roots all the way back to Roman times. Cornices as we know them in North America come in many different styles but the two most common types are wood and brick.  It is important to note the building construction material used in these cornices before it is too late; brick cornices will hold up much better than there wood counterparts to weather and fire deterioration.  Wood cornices are the more dangerous of the two types of cornices and for the purpose of this article we will talk about the hazards associated with only wood cornices.  Wooden cornices are generally not attached very well to the buildings facade, typically they have been nailed in when the building was first built and very little maintenance or thought goes into them until there is a problem.  Wooden cornices have been known to fall off buildings under snow loads and because of natural breakdown and deterioration of the wood and nails holding the cornice to the building.  When cornices start to become problematic for firefighters is during roof operations and if fire showing from windows starts to involve the cornices.

Roof Operations

When engaged in flat roof operations at one of these older style taxpayers or any other type of older building with a flat roof it is imperative that you take a quick second see if wooden cornices are present.  The reason for this is that in some cases the cornices are not on a parapet and are in fact flush with the roof.  In many they cases are completely tarred over, this will prevent you from knowing whether  you are standing on a solid roof or only standing on the cornice.  If you are accessing the roof via aerial ladder, it is vital that if you have to step off the aerial onto the cornice to aggressively sound the cornice area with a roof or rubbish hook before stepping on it.  Several firefighters have been injured and killed by cornices failing without ever being subjected to fire… they simply gave way under the load of the firefighter operating on them.

Fire Impingement onto Cornices

In building fires where the fire has vented out windows and the fire has started to impinge on the cornice an early and catastrophic collapse of sections of the cornice should be expected.  Also the wooden construction of the cornice can cause the fire to extend along the face of the building.  When dealing with a fire involving sections of cornices a collapse zone should be set up and respected.  During over haul the stability of the cornice should be checked, roof firefighters could attempt to remove it through traditional overhaul means or a from a tower ladder.  Also a stream from smoothbore nozzle could be used to attempt to knock the loose section of cornice off.  You want to try to control when the cornice will fail and not have it happen unexpectedly.

This is just one small building construction feature that firefighters often overlook the hazards of.  Francis L. Brannigan’s famous saying “know your enemy, the building is your enemy” holds even more true today, be sure to practice, train, study, (and most importantly) get out in your area and study building construction features common in the buildings in your district.

Cornice Collapse Video – Fast forward to the 6:25 min mark.

 

Posted by on April 28, 2011 • Filed under: Attack Line, Building Alteration-Renovation, command-leadership, Engine Company Ops, fire-rescue-topics, firefighter-safety-health, firefighting-operations, fires, Forcible Entry, Ladder Company Ops, Ladders, Roof Ops, Search, Stretching, training-development, training-fire-rescue-topics, Ventilation • Tagged:

Replacement Doors

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Replacement or insert doors can pose a challenge when forcing entry.  These doors come with a thin frame around them that is inserted into the existing door jam.  This alleviates the need to replace the entire door jam and is much quicker.  When forcing entry on these doors it is imperative that the tool be set between the door and the replacement frame (red arrow), not in the seem between the replacement frame and the door jam (white arrow). 

When gapping the door with the adz of the halligan be sure to place the tool to the door about 8 inches from the door jam and slide the tool along the door to the jam.  This will ensure that the tool is flat against the door and help ensure it is in the correct position.  If you learn to do this when conditions are good it will become habit and happen naturally when forcing doors in a limited vision environment.  The same procedure can be done with the fork end of the halligan after the door has been gapped. 

Posted by on April 19, 2011 • Filed under: Building Alteration-Renovation, firefighter-safety-health, firefighting-operations, Forcible Entry, Ladder Company Ops, RIT or FAST Operations, training-development, training-fire-rescue-topics • Tagged:

We Don’t Have Those Around Here – By: Chris Collier

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“We don’t have those around here” is a statement often heard when discussing Fox Locks in our forcible entry classes.  Just because you have never seen one doesn’t mean they are not around or aren’t on the way.

The Fox Police Lock Company started making this horizontal bar style lock known as the “Fox Lock” in the early 1900′s.  The company remained in business until 2002 selling these locks, among others.  The Fox Lock became popular because of its security, simplicity, and ease of installation.  These characteristics stand true today and make the Fox Lock sought after by property owners and a forcible entry challenge to firefighters.


The Progressive Hardware Company now makes an almost identical lock.  These locks are available on various websites, including eBay, for about $180.  All it takes to bring one of these locks to your area is a security conscious business or home owner with an internet connection.  These locks also come as an option on new pre-hung metal doors.

Both the Progressive and Fox models can be identified from the outside by the two sets  of off-set bolt heads and the lock cylinder in the center of the door with the heavy duty cylinder guard.  These locks cab be installed on both inward and outward swinging doors.





The best forcible entry method for these locks is through the lock.  To remove the lock cylinder you must first place the adz of the Halligan between the door and the cylinder guard and sheer off 3 of the bolts.  Once this is done you can spin the cylinder guard out of the way and pull the lock cylinder with your K-tool or Rex tool.  You will notice the stem on the back of the cylinder is square for the first 1/2″ (approx) and the rest is round.  The square base of the stem indicates that we need to use the 5/32″ square key tool that comes with the K-tool and Rex tool to manipulate this lock into the open position.








If you find yourself on the inside of a door with a Fox Lock be sure to pull the knob in the center away from the door when trying to unlock the lock.  The stem connected to the knob has a square shaft in the center of it that fits around the square stem on the back of the lock cylinder.  You have to pull the knob to pull the spring loaded stem away from the cylinder to allow it to operate from the inside.

Posted by on March 17, 2011 • Filed under: Building Alteration-Renovation, fire-rescue-topics, firefighter-safety-health, firefighting-operations, Forcible Entry, Ladder Company Ops, RIT or FAST Operations, training-development, training-fire-rescue-topics • Tagged:

Parapet Walls – By Chris Collier

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In a recent Brotherhood Instructors, LLC. lecture we discussed parapet walls and their hazards to firefighters.  Here is a little more explanation along with some photos to illustrate the point.  Parapet walls were typically brick or block construction but have changed over the years to incorporate other construction materials as well.  Regardless of construction type parapet walls are dangerous to UNKNOWING firefighters.  A little time spent researching and learning about parapet wall construction and past parapet wall collapses will make you a KNOWING firefighter and these construction features will be of little danger to you.  There are multiple methods of parapet wall construction, below are a few examples.

This photo is of a vacant/abandoned building in the Bronx, NY. Part of the parapet has already collapsed which gives us a nice view of the construction features that are normally concealed by the parapet. Towards the left side of the photo you can see the structural brick walls which continue up past the roof to create the parapet. To the right we can see the block construction with the metal I beam on top. The I beam spans the front of the store where the roll down gate and main entrance are located. Also visible are the “fire cut” roof rafters. The angled end of the rafters allows them to pull out of their pocket in the wall without acting as a lever and causing a collapse of the wall. This feature is sometimes effective and sometimes not. It is much less effective if the exterior wall has been tied back to the rafters at all. Another visible feature is the inverted or rain roof. These roofs are usually constructed of a 2×4″ frame which is held up by 2×4″ risers. The roof is slightly pitched to allow for drainage. The space between the ceiling and the roof is known as the “cock loft” and depending on the length of the inverted roof risers can be of considerable size.

This photo is of the other side of the building in the previous picture. You can again see the block wall extending past the roof to create the parapet and the inverted roof. Take notice of where the roof surface meets the parapet. This area, if not flashed or waterproofed properly can be a source of leaks. The water leaking into the building over time can freeze, causing expansion and weakening the structure. It should also be noted that metal expands when exposed to heat. This meta I beam, if exposed to fire, could very easily expand and push the masonry walls out of plum and cause a collapse.

This photo is of a newer style parapet wall. This building is of masonry and metal construction. The parapet wall has been added to make the building look much larger than it actually is. I believe this parapet wall to be metal framed with metal paneling over top. This parapet is significantly lighter than the masonry parapets per square foot but is still plenty heavy enough to kill members operating below it if it was to fall.

The following pictures show signs that are either on top of or attached to the front of parapet walls. Loads such as these need to be counterbalanced on the other side of the parapet for stability. The most common counterbalance method is to tie the parapet or the load back to the roof rafters. The tiebacks are lag screwed into the roof rafters. Deterioration from weather or fire can cause these tiebacks to become loose at their attachment points. When the tiebacks fail the parapet will either fail immediately or be extremely unstable until it does fail. Firefighters on the roof are in an ideal position to examine these building features and determine their stability. If there is any doubt about the stability do not be shy about notifying the incident commander and any members operating below.

Parapets can also collapse due to actions taken by firefighters. Parapets have been known to collapse after being hit with the stream of a master stream device or being bumped by an aerial ladder or tower ladder bucket. A general rule for defensive operations at a one story taxpayer (store) fire is to keep everyone off of the sidewalk. This beginning benchmark for a collapse zone is easy to identify and if done consistently will become second nature.

Quite a few firefighters have been seriously hurt or killed by parapet wall collapses.  Spending a little time learning about them may save your life or the lives of your brothers.  Construction is one of the most important topics for firefighters to be well versed in.  Any time spent on building constriction training or familiarization is time well spent.  If nothing else, google Francis Brannigan and Vincent Dunn and read everything they wrote.

Here are a few links for additional information:

Front Wall Collapse by Vinny Dunn. An excellent look at front wall construction features and hazards.

Basic Brick Construction by Quikrete. An illustrated look at brick construction features.

Video of San Francisco firefighters being crushed by a parapet wall collapse… hard to watch.

Video of a newer style parapet wall collapse. No injuries due to proper collapse zone setup for a defensive operation.

Video of a collapse in Marlborough, MA.

Posted by on February 18, 2011 • Filed under: Attack Line, Building Alteration-Renovation, command-leadership, Engine Company Ops, fire-rescue-topics, firefighter-safety-health, firefighting-operations, Ladder Company Ops, Roof Ops, training-development, training-fire-rescue-topics • Tagged:

Coping Stones – By Chris Collier

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Coping stones are a common feature on multiple dwellings and commercial buildings.  This simple construction feature can be hazardous to firefighters on the ground and those ascending to the roof if not understood.  These stones are held in place by mortar which can loosen up over time.  Water under the stones can freeze and expand which will also loosen the stones over the years.

When throwing portable ladders against the wall a small piece may break off and fall to the ground but rarely will the entire coping stone fall.  The real concern is when a firefighter ascends either a portable or aerial ladder to the roof and then goes to step off of the ladder.  These stones have a smooth surface which becomes very slippery when wet or covered with snow.  Also, these stones can have very fine cracks that are hard to see.  Once the weight of a firefighter is places on top of the stone it may crumble under the firefighters foot.  If the parapet wall is not very high it is best to try to step directly onto the roof surface to avoid slipping on the slick or broken coping stones.  If that is not possible be sure to hold onto the ladder tightly and check your footing before shifting your weight.  As always, when dismounting a ladder, drop your tools and equipment to the roof surface first.

When conducting your perimeter survey be mindful of loose coping stones as well.  Leaning over the roofs edge is necessary, just be sure not to knock loose stones off!

Posted by on February 13, 2011 • Filed under: Building Alteration-Renovation, fire-rescue-topics, firefighter-safety-health, firefighting-operations, Ladder Company Ops, Ladders, Roof Ops, training-development, training-fire-rescue-topics • Tagged:

A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing

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Things are not always what they seem, this door is a good example of that. This door is on a private dwelling on the side of the house. The door is hollow core metal and the frame is wood. What looks like a fairly easy door to take with conventional forcible entry techniques may cause some unexpected delays during forcible entry operations.

The interior view reveals that the door has been covered over with plywood and then drywall. Covering doors in private dwellings is nothing new but what makes this one different is the fact that they kept the window of the door present and are using it as an interior window. This door would still be very “doable” with conventional forcible entry techniques, but it may be tougher than you may think when you go to force it. This is a great door to show the firefighters that always say “just smash out the glass and unlock the door”.

This door is a great example of the fact that you can never take anything for granted, you must always be prepared to force the toughest door of your career every time you get off the rig at a fire because the day you are not fully prepared is the day that you will encounter a door that will test your skill, knowledge, experience, and preparation…….. and all of those things come back to your level of training!!

Posted by on January 30, 2011 • Filed under: Attack Line, Building Alteration-Renovation, Engine Company Ops, fire-rescue-topics, firefighter-safety-health, firefighting-operations, fires, Forcible Entry, Ladder Company Ops, RIT or FAST Operations, Search, Stretching, training-development, training-fire-rescue-topics, Ventilation • Tagged:

Flat-Roof Operations: Safely Traversing the Roof

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This is a series of photos resembles what you may see upon arrival.

Take a look at the last shot of the 4-side (d-side) at the roof level. The owners of this building sealed up the shaft at the roof what appears to be nothing more than a sheet of plywood. The weight of a fully geared firefighter would almost certainly fall through this if they stepped on this “feature of the building”.

Take a few seconds to give the building a look from the ground before heading to the roof. This dangerous feature would be invisible if looking at it on the roof. It will look like a substantial roof from front to rear, and you will have no way of knowing about the presence of the shaft on the 4-side.

One other tell-tale sign (not present in this photo) deals with the parapet wall. If a parapet wall runs front to rear, and there is a 10-15 foot opening in that parapet wall, this may be a sealed up shaft area.

Stay away from these areas while traversing the roof! They are deadly.

Stay safe!

Posted by on January 21, 2011 • Filed under: Building Alteration-Renovation, fire-rescue-topics, firefighter-safety-health, firefighting-operations, fires, Ladder Company Ops, Ladders, RIT or FAST Operations, Roof Ops, training-development, training-fire-rescue-topics, Ventilation • Tagged:

Forcible Entry Door Props – By: Andrew Brassard

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Forcible entry door simulators have been around in some shape or form since there was a need on the fireground to force a door. Most of these door props where spawned in the stuffy old basements of many firehouses, where most of these props still stand today. Props were built by welding the steel directly to the structural supports of the firehouse, where they were used to drill the firefighters in the true art of forcible entry, by challenging everyone who used them from the probie to the senior man. These props offered the most realistic training that could be provided without using an acquired structure.

Construction

Door props like this are very basic in construction, typically pieces of heavy gauge “C” channel or tube steel where used to create the door frame and a heavy piece of flat stock metal was welded on to create a door stop. The door hinges can be constructed in a variety of different ways, the key with hinges is that you make it very easy to change the doors that will be forced in and out of the frame. An easy way to construct a basic hinge set up is to weld a piece of ¼” sheet metal onto three standard door hinges. Drill rows of 1/4 inch holes into the sheet metal; this will allow you to screw the doors in at various heights and in various places to get around damage of the door, windows, etc.

To lock the door, use a piece of “C” channel and drill three evenly spaced out ¼ inch holes in one side and seven to nine  10/32 holes into the other end. The end with the 3 holes will bolt to the “C” channel frame using two or three 10/32 machine screws and other end will be screwed into the door using 1 inch self tapping metal screws. When building the frame, screw the same hole pattern that is on your “C” channel resistance bracket onto the door frame at various heights, this will allow you to place the “lock” at various heights and it will also allow you to lock the door in multiple different spots at the same time to simulate multiple locks on the rear of the door. Having the ability to lock the door at any level will also allow you to use the entire side of the door and get more evolutions out of each side of the door.

A Prop Variation

In my department there was absolutely no way that they would allow me to weld a forcible entry prop into the structural components of the firehouse so I set out to find a way to make a prop that would hold up to the abuse of constant forces and I also wanted to be able to convert it into a wall breech prop. I searched around on the internet, looked at different props that people had made, talked to people about different things they liked and did not like about ones they had made, etc. One of the biggest things that I noticed was that a lot of these portable door props that I saw where very flimsy and would be moving all over the place when you tried to force a door in them. I used channel steel and ¼ inch diamond plate to make the base. I then used 4×4 metal tubes to make the uprights and the header. One inch steel tubing was then used to make the braces that supported the “C” channel that made up the frame for the door.

Doors

The biggest complaints that I hear about this type of door prop is that it is very material and labor intensive, in this case both complaints are very true. This type of forcible entry training is requires a lot of material to put on. You will need a steady supply of doors coming in since you will only get about 10-15 forces out of a door, the best places to look for doors is at the following places:

  • Demolition Sites- Stop by and talk to the Forman, most of the time they are more than willing to give you any of the doors that they are going to be throwing away.
  • Door Factories- If you have a door manufacturing facility in your city or town pay them a visit and see if they will give you some doors the have “manufacturing defects”.
  • Door Instillation Companies- I you talk to the owner allot of the time they will be more than willing to help out with getting you some old doors.
  • Hardware Stores- Talk to the store manager and see if he will put aside all the doors that get scratched, dented, water damaged, etc. Most of the times these doors will be going into the garbage anyway they will usually be very happy to give them to the local fire department.
  • Scrap Yards- most scrap yard come by metal doors quite frequently, if you make the arrangements (case of beer) with the scrap yard manager they will probably put them aside for you.

This type of forcible door prop will require a large quantity of the self-tapping screws and machine bolts.  Consider purchasing these items in bulk from a wholesale distributor instead of from your local hardware or “big box” type store to save money.

Another big thing that I see with doors is the fantastic opportunity for forcible entry saw training. After both sides of the door have been used the door can be taken out of the frame and then used for forcible entry saw training.

Wall Breach Option

Another great option for having a very sturdy forcible entry prop is setting it up for a wall breach scenario for rapid intervention operations. You can utilize two hardwood skids bolted into the door frame secured in place with two long pieces of threaded rod (similar to a H.U.D. window) and depending on how difficult you want to make it, the pallets  could be covered by plywood and drywall.

There are many fantastic forcible entry training props on the market today but nothing will compare to forcing real doors if you have the resources to do so. Forcing doors with traditional forcible entry tools (axe and halligan) is a dying art, it is a skill like any other we posses it must be practiced often to remain sharp. The more realistic that we can make training for our members the more we can help to ensure that they will go home to their loved ones at the end of their tour.

Posted by on January 6, 2011 • Filed under: Building Alteration-Renovation, fire-rescue-topics, firefighter-safety-health, firefighting-operations, fires, Forcible Entry, Ladder Company Ops, RIT or FAST Operations, training-development, training-fire-rescue-topics • Tagged:

Class Announcement: March 2011 – Hands-On & Lecture Training in Lockport, Illinois

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Brotherhood Instructors, LLC and Firefighter Education Group, LLC are pleased to
announce a joint-training weekend in Lockport, Illinois
(click here or flier above for further details)

Friday March 11th, 2011 – Beyond the Academy: Forcible Entry Operations
Cost: $200.00 per member
Length: 8-hours, hands-on, open enrollment
Topic and detailed information in flier
This is a prerequisite course to the Beyond the Academy: ADVANCED Forcible Entry Operations course coming to the Illinois-area in the Spring/Summer of 2011

Saturday March 12th, 2011 – Building Construction Features & Tactics (Part I):
Cost: $75.00 per member
Length: 8-hour lecture
Topics:
- Balloon-frame Construction Features (Firefighter Education Group, LLC)
- Stopping Fires in Balloon-frame Buildings (Brotherhood Instructors, LLC)
- Platform Construction Features (Firefighter Education Group, LLC)
- Aggressive Search in Private Dwellings (Brotherhood Instructors, LLC)

Sunday March 13th, 2011 – Building Construction Features & Tactics (Part II):
Cost: $75.00 per member
Length: 8-hour lecture
Topics:
- Ordinary Construction Features (Firefighter Education Group, LLC)
- Fire Resistive/Non-combustible Building Features (Firefighter Education Group, LLC)
- Commercial Building Fires (Brotherhood Instructors, LLC)

Attend one, two or all three days

Sign up for ALL THREE days of training for only $325.00

Posted by on November 24, 2010 • Filed under: Announcements-News, Brotherhood Topics, Building Alteration-Renovation, Engine Company Ops, Ladder Company Ops, training-development, training-fire-rescue-topics • Tagged:

Know Your Area #2010-001 – Beacon, New York

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Photo #1: Exterior of a Type IV/Heavy Timber mill. What size and type of construction components would you expect to find in this type of building?

In our blog, we will have several sub-blogs.  The “Know Your Area” blog is one of those sub-blogs.  Here we will provide photos and a description of buildings that we have found in our travels.  While these buildings are PROBABLY NOT in your response area, perhaps a business owner, contractor or civilian is conducting the same renovations or alterations as we see in this blog.  We encourage you to jump in with your thoughts.  If you have photos of your own, that you would like to contribute, email us.  We will be happy to make you an author so you may contribute your photos as well.

We found these buildings, and worked in them at our Beyond the Academy: RIT/FAST Scenarios course that we held in Beacon, NY on Saturday November 6th.  In Photo #1 we see the exterior of a mill-type (Class IV, Heavy Timber), shows the exterior of the building. We would expect to find exterior walls made up of several courses of brickwork and the framing substantial beams.  We would expect to find a very heavy fire load, but we would not fear an early collapse (at least initially).  Roof teams working on these buildings should have a descent amount of time to conduct operations before they will either be driven from the roof by fire conditions or collapse becomes a concern.

Photo #2: Starting to see signs that the building may have been altered. Replacement windows have been installed that are not typical of "factory" or "warehouse" buildings

Photo #3: Another view of the replacement windows

These buildings are in the process of being converted from an old mill to what appears to be commercial occupancies with condominium units above.  There is an attempt nationwide to revitalize these dilapidated buildings to remove their “eyesore appearance” from the community.  In many cases, tax revenue from this type of revitalization can save a community.  These renovations will only become more popular as other cities succeed in revitalizing their old “industrial corridors”, and other cities follow suit.

As we move inside the buildings, and to the top floor, we can see that alterations and renovations that CRITICALLY COMPROMISE the building’s structural components exist.  See the photos and descriptions below:

Contractors/building owners have MIXED lightweight tongue $ groove I-beams (TGI) with heavy timber construction.

It gets worse: It is not a "localized issue". Lightweight TGIs support THE ENTIRE ROOF of this 300x600 mill.

Two soil stacks were observed cut off at the roof level. It is uncertain as to whether these pipes will be completely removed, or penetrate the top floor ceiling to the roof support system which will provide a route for fire spread.

It is EVERY firefighter and officer’s job to be on the lookout for such building alterations and renovations.  There is always a reason why a certain building component or building feature catches your eye.  Investigate it further, and make sure that ALL MEMBERS are aware of situations which can cause harm to us.  In this day in age of computers, emails and digital cameras and cell-phone photos, there is ABSOLUTELY no reason why every member of your department shouldn’t know about such an issue.  The photos outlined above, may not be illegal in Beacon, NY; but they can certainly cause injury or death to the members that respond.

If you have any photos that you would like to contribute, please email us.

Stay Safe!

Posted by on November 12, 2010 • Filed under: Building Alteration-Renovation, fire-prevention-education, fire-rescue-topics, firefighter-safety-health, firefighting-operations, Ladder Company Ops, RIT or FAST Operations, Roof Ops, training-development, training-fire-rescue-topics, Ventilation • Tagged: