To complete this assignment, read the Introduction and Scenario 1: Single-Family Dwelling sections in Chapter 20 of the eTextbook.
For this case study, answer the following questions from an incident commander’s perspective:
What are the strategic goals and tactical objectives for this incident?
How will you address firefighter safety concerns for this incident?
As the incident commander, assign the fire and rescue resources from Table 20-1 from your eTextbook to address the following incident concerns:
Search and Rescue
Evacuation
Exposure Protection
Fire Confinement
Fire Extinguishment
Ventilation
Overhaul
Salvage
Post-Incident Analysis
Next, describe how the relationship between fire dynamics and the application of fireground strategies and tactics affected your decision-making when assigning resources.
Lastly, did the components of truss construction affect your application of strategies and tactics in any way?
Your case study must be at least three pages in length not counting the title and reference pages. You can include the eTextbook as a resource, as well as other resources, for at least two references. Adhere to APA Style when constructing this assignment, including in-text citations and references for all sources that are used. Please note that no abstract is needed.
Scenario 1 from textbook:
The first scenario involves a one-story single-family dwelling
Factors Description
Environment
Time 0300 hours on a Tuesday
Building construction features Single-family dwelling built of ordinary construction. Houses in this area were built approximately 15 years ago.
Weather 70°F. Wind is not a factor.
Height One story
Area 2300-ft2
Occupancy Residential
Access Road and driveway access on Side A. Sides B, C, and D are yards and do not provide access for fire vehicles.
Terrain Level
Resources
Personnel responding to initial alarm Engine 1 with 3 personnel
Engine 2 with 3 personnel
Engine 3 with 3 personnel
Ladder 1 with 3 personnel
Squad 1 with 2 personnel
Ambulance 1 with 2 personnel
Battalion 1 with 1 person
(17 total personnel on initial alarm)
Personnel needed Varies depending on the assignments
Apparatus responding 3 engines
1 ladder
1 squad
1 ambulance
1 battalion chief
Apparatus needed Varies depending on assignment
Water supply Hydrants are positioned throughout the area. The closest is 200 ft away and has a flow of 1000 GPM.
Built-in private fire protection None
Need for special extinguishing agents None
Response time The first engine and ladder will be on scene within 4 minutes. The balance of the first-alarm assignment will be on the scene within 8 minutes.
Conditions/Situation
Fire location Family room
Fire extension probability Internal exposures are present. External exposures are not likely. Houses are 50 ft from each other.
Type of fuel Common household
Fire condition on arrival Heavy fire visible out rear patio door; heavy smoke observed throughout the house.
Life hazard High, based on the time of day and presence of cars in the driveway
Property conservation concerns High
Estimated incident duration 1–2 hours
Strategic Goals and Tactical Objectives
In this section, the strategic goals presented in this text are applied to this specific incident.
Fire Fighter Safety
To accomplish the goal of fire fighter safety at this incident, several tactical objectives must be accomplished. It is presumed that department SOGs will provide instructions on the appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) needed, guidelines on how to implement an IMS, and accountability procedures. For the single-family house fire, the first-arriving engine’s driver will serve as the initial accountability officer. This driver will operate the fire pump, and other arriving units assigned to this hazard zone will give the driver their accountability tags. The IMS indicates that the first-arriving engine officer will assume command, but that officer will transfer command to the battalion chief upon the chief’s arrival.
The tactical objectives to be employed by assigned units to ensure fire fighter safety include the following:
■ IMS is in place; Battalion 1 serves as the incident commander (IC). A safety officer should be assigned as soon as possible.
■ Offensive fire attack will be the initial mode of operation.
■ A rapid intervention crew (RIC) will be put in place prior to interior fire attack unless the IC feels there is an imminent life-safety risk prior to the RIC assignment.
■ Attack and backup lines of appropriate size for this fire (1¾-in.) will be used.
■ Rehabilitation will be set up after the initial fire attack is complete. Because this type of fire should be relatively short and the environment factors are mild, rehabilitation may just be brief medical evaluation and fluid replacement.
Search and Rescue
Unless the occupants of the home are accounted for, an interior search must be conducted in this situation. Considering the time of day, the bedrooms and exit paths, as well as areas behind these zones (doors and windows), should be searched first. Search and rescue crews will be provided with thermal imaging cameras to assist in the search.
Evacuation
Evacuation of the fire structure is covered during search and rescue. However, there may be evacuation needs of surrounding areas if the fire is not controlled and the operation changed to a defensive mode.
Exposure Protection
Interior exposures will be protected during fire confinement and extinguishment phases. External exposures will become a factor if a defensive operation occurs.
Confinement
Fire confinement is critical to prevent fire from extending to the rest of the dwelling and to support search and rescue activities. In this situation, the first hose line should be stretched through the front door and positioned to hold the fire in the family room. This tactic not only supports the confinement effort, but it also supports and protects the means of egress for the search and rescue crew and provides fire fighter safety.
Extinguishment
Once the fire is confined, efforts are made to extinguish the fire. In this case, the same hose line that is in position to confine the fire is used for extinguishment. For a dwelling of this size (2300-ft2) and a 20 percent involvement, the needed fire flow using the National Fire Academy (NFA) formula is approximately 150 GPM. (See Chapter 8, Extinguishing Agents, for a refresher on the NFA formula.) This flow is easily obtained using a 1¾-in. hose line. Another 1¾-in. hose line should be positioned to back up the first hose line, further protect the means of egress, and support the search and rescue operation.
Ventilation
The fire has self-vented through the patio doors. Further ventilation should initially involve the opening of windows to support search and rescue by horizontal ventilation. As soon as possible, positive pressure ventilation (PPV) should be set up at the front door with exhaust control accomplished by closing interior room doors. The need for vertical roof ventilation is unlikely unless the fire extends into the attic space.
Overhaul
Overhaul is considered to ensure complete extinguishment of the fire. Once the visible fire is extinguished, crews should open the walls and ceiling in the family room. The area should be exposed until unburned material is apparent. The attic area should also be checked, either through the ceiling openings or by the attic access. The eaves outside of the patio door should also be checked for extension. Thermal imaging cameras should be used to help identify hotspots and areas of concern.
Salvage
Once the fire suppression efforts are taken care of, emphasis must be placed on salvage. In this case, covers and floor runners may be used to cover carpets and furniture in unburned areas. Removing smoke from the bedroom areas may help to salvage clothes and other personal belongings.
Company Assignments
To accomplish the strategic goals and tactical objectives just discussed, company assignments must be made. TABLE 20-3 depicts these typical assignments both initially and throughout the incident. The units are listed in order of arrival.
TABLE 20-3 Typical Company Assignments for Single-Family Dwelling Fire
Unit Initial Assignment Other Assignments
Engine 1 (E1) Advance a 1¾-in. hose line through the front door to the family room for fire containment and extinguishment. This line will be supplied from tank water until a water supply can be established. The company officer will serve as the initial IC and will complete a 360 of the house. The driver of E1 will serve as the initial accountability point. Once the fire has been extinguished and the crew has been through rehab, they will assist in salvage.
Ladder 1 Since there is no need to operate the aerial ladder, all three personnel from Ladder 1 are available for assignment. The company officer and one fire fighter will assist E1 by forcing entry. Once inside, they will begin a search of the priority areas. Once the hose line is in place, the driver of Ladder 1 will begin to horizontally ventilate the windows from the outside while checking for utility issues. Once the primary search is complete, this crew will begin overhaul operations and salvage.
Squad 1 Acts as the initial two-out crew. Once relieved by E3 (who will be assigned as RIC), the squad will set up for PPV and assist with overhaul and salvage.
Battalion chief 1 Assumes incident command.
Ambulance 1 Assists Ladder 1 with the search. Once the primary search is completed, the Ambulance 1 crew will set up a rehab area. Should a victim be found or another need for EMS occur, the Ambulance 1 crew will provide initial care, and Ambulance 2 will be called to transport if the need arises.
Engine 2 (E2) Reverse lays a supply line from E1 to the closest hydrant. The E2 driver makes the hydrant connection. The company officer and fire fighter from E2 advance a second 1¾-in. hose line from E1 into the structure for backup and support purposes. Once the fire is extinguished, the E2 crew will perform the secondary search.
Engine 3 (E3) Upon arrival, the entire E3 crew becomes the RIC. Once the need for the RIC is over, this crew will assist with salvage and overhaul.
Staff officers Safety is assigned to the first-arriving staff officer trained in this function. Other positions staff officers will be assigned to include:
■ Public information
■ Accountability
■ Residents’ needs
■ Assumption of command if the incident escalates
After the fire, a postincident analysis (PIA) should be conducted. As discussed in previous chapters, the PIA should focus on the incident and point out strengths and weaknesses of the operation.
This fire scenario was an example of a basic room-and-contents fire that fire departments across the country respond to frequently. The fire was handled appropriately with the first-alarm assignment of units and personnel. All of the necessary strategic goals and tactical objectives were accomplished while minimizing the property loss and having a high concern for fire fighter safety.
TABLE 20-1 is in attachments
Textbook is Firefighting Strategies and Tactic (fourth edition)
