Fire Attack Strategies & Principles

• The standard operating procedure is to stabilize fire conditions with an aggressive fire attack.
• Initial attacks should overwhelm fire with well-placed water, from the most advantageous position.
• Transitional attacks should be considered when changing conditions on the exterior before entry.
• Fire attack must utilize adequate water volume for fire conditions, heat release rate, and structure size.
• Fire attack also protects victims/property, and prevents fire extension into exposed structures.

Principles of Fire Attack

• Implement effective fire attacks as the most fundamental job.
• Drive the strategy with size-up, risk management, and rescue profile.
• Determine the complexity of compartments, flow path, and exposures.
• Understanding fire behavior and water application mitigates hazards.

Residential Fires

• Residential fires include any structure where the community resides, such as houses and apartments.
• Thorough size-up of life safety potential is important for fighting fires in these structures.
• Perform search and rescue efforts simultaneously with fire attack for the best outcomes.
• Extinguishing the fire improves the possibility of savable property.
• Effective fire suppression includes understanding the principles of fire behavior.
• Interior surface cooling with water is the most effective tactic.
• An effective fire attack requires adequate water volume along with the fire area's size and volume.
• Hose line deployment requires adequate length and size for the desired water flow.
• Transitional attacks involve water application from the exterior to change interior conditions.
• Sizing up the fire structure and distances, which is a critical function of Company Officers.
• Interior fire attack is best when ventilation limited conditions are discovered during size up.
• Suppression efforts through interior flow paths are most advantageous.
• Water volume, effective hose stream patterns, and nozzle manipulation are critical for cooling
• Fire attack and coordinated ventilation provide greater survivability, safety, and property conservation.
• Coordinated ventilation exhausts heated gas and smoke, changing the flow path direction.
• Understanding air movement and interior pressures are evaluated when sizing up a fire attack.
• Fire suppression from the most advantageous position impacts thermal insult and pressures.
• Coordinated ventilation supports fire control.

UL-FSRI Tactical Considerations

• There can be survivable spaces on arrival.
• Nothing showing means nothing.
• Flow path and suppression must be considered together.
• Interior suppression with only smoke showing is a factor.
• The closest door should not dictate line placement.
• Attack exterior fires with the fire showing from the entry point.
• Initiate fire attack on the same level as the fire.

Commercial Fires

• Commercial buildings are for business, manufacturing, storage, or are non-residential.
• They vary in size and can be free-standing, connected, or multi-story, and can contain hazards.
• Commercial structures are less compartmentalized than residential ones.
• Commercial occupancies in the Phoenix area can exceed 1 million square feet.
• Residential fire tactics and flow rates are not used in commercial fires.
• NFPA 1710 target flows should be the minimum for commercial fires.
• Commercial building fires can have life safety potential.
• Ability to impact that life safety problem is the difference between commercial and residential building fires.
• Search operations in confined residential fires are easier than in large, complex commercial fires.
• Extinguish commercial fires as quickly as possible.
• Commercial fires require an understanding of fire behavior and involve large areas and loads.
• Overwhelm the fire conditions with a well-executed fire attack.
• Support building fire suppression systems as early as possible.
• Water volume and aggressive exposure protection are critical.
• Direct all resources to fire attack operations from the onset, unless a known rescue is present.
• Crews assigned to rescue must reassess the conditions, stability, and risk management plan.
• Support fire attack operations and manage the risk management plan.
• Attack the fire with large volume hand lines, flowing a minimum of 250 GPM.
• NFPA 1710 standard is a minimum of three hand lines with an overall volume of 500 GPM.
• Use a transitional attack from an exterior position until interior entry.
• Water application is done from interior or exterior to gain control of the conditions.

Ventilation

• Coordinate ventilation in commercial fires planned with fire behavior principles.
• The size of commercial buildings creates the greatest ventilation challenges.
• Consider the size of ventilation exhaust points to improve interior conditions.
• The use of windows and doors may provide better horizontal ventilation.
• Vertical ventilation challenges are creating a large enough opening for the building volume.
• The IC must determine the potential and available options to ventilate with Sector Officers.
• Coordination prevents rapid fire growth.

150 Foot Rule

• No fire companies should operate beyond their ability to retreat to a safe refuge.
• It defined as the maximum distance any company should advance and operate inside a structure
• This distance is 150 feet, determined by the standard lengths of attack lines and SCBA air.
• Variables limit this distance, including smoke, building construction, occupancy, and physical effort.
• It defined as maximum distance any company operates on the interior of mid/high-rise buildings.
• This is measured from any area of safe refuge to the end of the hoseline.
• Areas of safe refuge are stairwells, landings, or other areas protected by doors.

Fire Attack From Standpipes

• Phoenix construction requires building suppression systems.
• Firefighting personnel need understanding of firefighting equipment.
• Consider commercial and residential occupancies from 1 story to 40 stories.
• Standpipe firefighting has considerations based on building systems.
• Critical keys when starting a fire attack from a standpipe:
  • Ability to provide adequate water supply.
  • Ability to provide high pump discharge pressures.
  • Ability to provide adequate water pressure.
  • Ability to provide an external shut off.
  • Ability to determine adequate flow.
  • Ability to flow recommended GPM for initial and subsequent attacks.
  • Simultaneous ability to flow GPM from standpipes on multiple floors.
  • Knowledge and understanding of pressure reducing systems.
  • Ability to stretch hose lines from standpipe connections to the fire location.

Fire Attack Equipment and Standards

• The Phoenix Fire Department has flexible hose and nozzle packages.
• Firefighters are proficient in these tools.
• Company and Sector Officers determine the most effective fire attack operations.
• Incident Commanders determine fire attack requirements and provide direction.
• Residential water flow – 150 GPM with 1.75” hose lines with automatic nozzles.
• Commercial water flow – 250 GPM with 2” and 2.5” hose lines with fixed gallonage.
• Portable appliances water flow- 500 GPM.
• Deck gun or ladder pipe appliances water flow – 600+ GPM.
• Phoenix Fire Engine Companies carry:
  • 1 3/4" hose line with automatic nozzles (x2 minimum).
    • 150' crosslay
    • 200' crosslay
    • 100' to 150' front bumper line
• Automatic nozzle (75/45 psi nozzle pressure for 70 to 200 GPM)
  • 2" hoseline with smooth bore nozzles (x1)
    • 200' crosslay or rear mount depending on apparatus manufacturer
• Smooth bore nozzles with 1 1/16” tip (240 GPM at 50 psi nozzle pressure)
  • 2 ½” hose line with smooth bore nozzles (1 or 2 depending on apparatus manufacturer)
    • 200' rear mount (1 or 2 depending on apparatus manufacturer)
• Smooth bore nozzle with 1 3/16” tip (300 GPM at 50 psi nozzle pressure)
• Blitz Monitor with solid bore or peripheral tips (up to 500 GPM)
• Firefighters must operate specific hose and nozzle packages at the required water flows.
• Nozzle reaction is defined as the force exerted by the fire nozzle on the Firefighter.
  • The standard for single Firefighter operation: 70 lbs.
  • Anything above this requires additional Firefighters or operations from the fixed positions.

Fire Attack Hose Line Operations

• 1 3/4” hoseline w/ 75 psi automatic nozzle @ 150 gpm: 1 firefighter (65 lbs. nozzle reaction)
• 1 3/4" hoseline w/ 45 psi automatic nozzle @ 150 gpm: 1 firefighter (60 lbs. nozzle reaction)
• 2” hoseline w/ 1 1/16” solid bore nozzle @ 240 gpm: 2 Firefighters minimal operation (85 lbs. nozzle reaction)
• 2 ½” hoseline with 1 3/16" solid bore nozzle @ 300 gpm: 3 Firefighters minimal operation (110 lbs. nozzle reaction)
• Standard Phoenix Engine Company apparatus carry 500 gallons of water (+ or - 50 gallons).
• Establishing an uninterrupted water supply for declared working fires is critical.
• First due Engine Company will not always establish a hydrant supply line with at least 450 gallons onboard
• This include fires with an unknown location or route to the location in a neighborhood or apartment/business complex
• Fires in a high-rise building, fires with a known rescue situation are others when a hydrant supply will not be set up
• Ensure proper water supplies in all tactical positions.

Incident Commander Responsibilities

• The Incident Commander ensures effective fire attacks.
• The Incident action plan will depend on the incident size and strategy.
• Command must define Offensive/Defensive Strategy based on risk management and will consider:
  1. Rescue profile of occupants
  2. Fire/smoke volume
  3. Fire extent
  4. Structural conditions
  5. Structural ingress and egress
  6. Smoke conditions and ventilation profile
  7. Available resources
• Critical Command decision is the Offensive/Defensive Strategy:
  • Offensive Strategy: exterior/or interior fire attack with tenable spaces and search operations.
  • Defensive Strategy: fire attack on the fire structure from the advantageous positions outside of the hazard zone.

Basic Offensive Plan:

• Assume command.
• Incident size up and determination of critical factors.
• Initial fire attack from the most advantageous position with most appropriate water volume.
• Conduct a primary search in coordination with fire attack when possible.
• Provide coordinated support activities.
• Support fire attack from the next most advantageous position with appropriate water volume.
• Address loss control and property conservation.
• Evaluate actions and revise strategy and tactics as necessary.

Basic Defensive Plan:

• Assume command
• Incident size up and determination of critical factors
• Write off what is lost, identify, and protect savable exposures.
• Attack the fire from the most advantageous positions with most appropriate water volume.
• Support the needs of a high-volume fire attack.
• Ensure adequate resources to support the operation fully.
• Address fire extension, life safety, and loss control.
• Evaluate actions and revise strategy and tactics.