202.04 Fire Control

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Fire Control Policy

• Policy Name: Fire Control
• Policy Number: M.P. 202.04
• Date Implemented: 12/2022, Review Date: 12/2028

Principles of Fire Attack

• The most fundamental job of the Phoenix Regional Fire Departments is implementing an effective fire attack
• Size up, risk management, and rescue profile drive the strategy
• Determining the complexity of compartments, flow paths, and exposures is necessary to gauge possible fire attacks

Residential Fires

• Defined as any structures that our community typically resides in
• Includes mobile homes, houses, multi-family residences, apartments, and any buildings that are lived in
• Firefighting should be done with a thorough size-up of life safety potential
• Search and rescue efforts should be performed simultaneously with fire attack

Fire Suppression Techniques

• Understanding the principles of fire behavior is necessary to execute fire control
• Effective fire suppression techniques include:
  • Interior surface cooling with water
  • Water application to burning fuels/contents
  • Effective hose line deployment with hose lines of adequate length and size for desired water flow
  • Utilizing transitional attack involving water application from the exterior to change conditions prior to making an interior attack

Commercial Fires

• Defined as any structures that our community typically conducts business, manufacturing, storage, or typically non-residential in nature
• Commercial fires are more complex, involve large areas, and large content loads that can produce intense, severe fire conditions
• Firefighting strategies for commercial fires differ from those for residential fires
• NFPA 1710 target flows should be the minimum for commercial fires

150 Foot Rule

• No fire companies should operate on the interior of any structure, during firefighting operations, beyond their ability to retreat to an area of safe refuge prior to their low air alarm going off
• The maximum distance any company should advance and operate inside a structure with smoke and fire conditions is 150 feet
• Variables that can limit the reasonable maximum distance include:
  • Smoke and fire conditions
  • Building construction or layout
  • Occupancy type
  • Interior obstacles
  • Physical effort required to advance into a building

Fire Attack from Standpipes

• Critical keys to consider when initiating a fire attack from a standpipe include:
  • Ability to provide adequate water supply
  • Ability to provide high pump discharge pressures
  • Ability to provide adequate water pressure
  • Ability to determine adequate flow at the nozzle
  • Ability to flow NFPA 13E and 1710 recommended GPM

Fire Attack Equipment and Standards

• The Phoenix Fire Department has a flexible set of hose and nozzle packages to execute an effective fire attack

• Standard water flows from hose lines and appliances are:

  • Residential: 150 GPM
  • Commercial: 250 GPM, 500 GPM, or 600+ GPM

• Hose and nozzle packages carried on Phoenix Fire Engine Companies include:

  • 1 ¾” hose line with automatic nozzles
  • 2” hose line with smooth bore nozzles
  • 2 ½” hose line with smooth bore nozzles
  • Blitz Monitor with solid bore or peripheral tips### Fire Control and Water Supply

• In the Phoenix Fire Department, an uninterrupted water supply is crucial for effective and safe fire attack, with a few exceptions.

• A first due Engine Company with at least 450 gallons of onboard water may not establish a hydrant supply line in certain situations, such as:

  • Fires with unknown location or route to the location
  • Fires in high-rise buildings
  • Fires with a known rescue situation requiring immediate action
  • When an Incident Commander has calculated the need for a rapid-fire attack before an initial supply line can be established

Incident Commander's Responsibility

• The Incident Commander is responsible for ensuring adequate, uninterrupted water supplies in all critical tactical positions to support effective fire attack operations.
• The Incident Commander must define the Offensive/Defensive Strategy based on the position in the risk management plan.

Strategic Level Considerations

• Factors to consider when addressing fire control include:
  • Rescue profile of occupants
  • Fire/smoke volume
  • Fire extent
  • Structural conditions
  • Structural ingress and egress
  • Smoke conditions and ventilation profile
  • Available resources

Offensive and Defensive Strategy

• Offensive Strategy:
  • Exterior and/or interior fire attack from inside the hazard zone
  • Support work to create and maintain tenable spaces in conjunction with search operations
• Defensive Strategy:
  • Fire attack on the fire structure/occupancy from the most advantageous positions outside of the hazard zone
  • Reducing fire extension into exposures, when possible, from the most advantageous positions

Operational Information

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 (e.g., ventilation, forcible entry)
• 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
• Work to support the needs of a high-volume fire attack (necessary water supply, pumped water, etc.)
• Ensure adequate resources to support the operation fully
• Address fire extension, life safety, and loss control and property conservation in exposures if risk management and strategy will allow
• Evaluate actions and revise strategy and tactics as necessary