Emergency Response Scenarios for Engineers

Study Notes

Engineers may need to think and act independently and outside of their skillset in situations like correcting errors with the apparatus or operating an aerial in a high-rise rescue.
Practicing all the skillsets of the Engineer position is critical to successful incident mitigation.

The purpose of a pump chart is to provide pump operators with a shortcut to calculate the total Pump Discharge Pressure (PDP) needed for effective firefighting.
The pump chart takes into account factors like friction loss in a hose line, which varies based on manufacturing processes, materials, temperature, wear, and age.

The pump chart provides values for pump operators to calculate PDP, including friction loss and elevation.
The single most important skill to master is learning how to read a table to find values.
The curriculum includes examples and best practices from St. John's Fire District operational guidelines.

The replacement of the Chief Fog nozzle with the 7/8" smoothbore nozzle on attack packages.
Changes to standpipe hose (2.25") and accompanying smoothbore nozzle of 1" and 1-1/8".
The addition of elevation, including head pressure loss/gain per floor and per foot, to account for head pressure issues within a building or in elevated terrain.

The Pump Chart includes a section on high-rise operations, with an abridged set of rules for pumping into a FDC (Fire Department Connection) for standpipe-equipped buildings.
When supplying an FDC or standpipe, the apparatus should position as close as possible to the connection, preferably within 50 feet.

The Pump Chart Defensive Operations section provides a single value for apparatus-mounted master stream devices.
The Deck Gun and Aerial Waterway utilize an established appliance APPL pressure of 100 psi.
The flow of these devices is predicated on available hydrant flow in conjunction with nozzle tip diameter.

The Pump Chart includes a section on offensive operations, with different nozzle sizes and corresponding flow rates and nozzle pressures.
The chart includes friction loss values for different hose sizes and lengths.

The establishment of water supply is an integral component of effective mitigation.
Engine companies are encouraged to factor hydrant location into their apparatus placement and either stop short or pull past the fire building.

Plan B: Reverse Lay - if the first-due engine is unable to spot within hand-stretch distance of the hydrant, it defers water supply completion to the second-due engine.
Plan C: Forward Lay by Second Engine with optional Booster Back-up - the second-due engine lays from the hydrant and proceeds to the scene, sharing its booster tank water with the first-due engine.
Plan D: Forward Lay by First-Due Engine - the typical water supply tactic utilized by the District, but delays the arrival of the first-due engine on scene to assess for life safety considerations.