High-Rise Fire and Vehicle Extrication Procedures Quiz

Fire Department High-Rise Fire Procedure Manual

• The equipment needed for high-rise fires includes hand lights, portable radios, thermal imaging cameras, hand tools, entry tools, utility and search ropes, tools for breaching walls and ceilings, spare SCBA cylinders, pressurized water extinguisher, and high-rise kit.
• The initial fire attack should be performed by at least two companies, checking conditions on each floor while ascending to the floor below the fire floor via the attack stairway.
• If the lowest floor reporting fire or smoke is above seven stories, elevators should be used with caution; if reports are below the seventh floor, personnel should use the stairs.
• Lobby Control should be assigned to control access to the lobby and elevators, serving as point-of-entry control and accountability for all members operating below the Operations Area.
• Operational Staging should be established two floors below the fire floor and should serve as point-of-entry control and accountability, recording arrival and departure of members, units, etc.
• Base should be located outside the building, away from a collapse zone, and large enough to handle anticipated personnel and equipment, coordinating arrival and departure of rescue vehicles to designated transportation area.
• Tasks for high-rise fires include assigning units to continue evacuation for the safe exit of building occupants, search and rescue, ventilation and fire flow control, coordinating adequate self-contained breathing apparatus supply and refill capabilities, and setting up exhaust fans and portable lighting as needed.
• The Incident Commander (IC) should maintain communications between fire attack and suppression, search and rescue, evacuation, ventilation, and water supply to coordinate efforts.
• Fire attack is critical for mitigating the emergency, with water on the fire being of utmost importance.
• Lobby Control is responsible for controlling access to and from the building, ensuring elevators and building systems are managed or assigned to another officer, and assigning a Systems Control Unit Leader as resources allow.
• Staging should be established two floors below the fire floor in an open area, with all units ascending reporting to staging unless otherwise assigned by the IC.
• Rapid Intervention Crew should be positioned on the staging floor before personnel enter into an immediately dangerous to life or health (IDLH) environment.

High-Rise Fires and Vehicle Extrication Operations Procedures

• Post fire investigations in high-rise buildings should be established two floors below the lowest affected floor by fire or smoke.
• Prior to post fire investigations, the area should be properly ventilated and monitored using a 4 gas multi-meter with members in full PPE and SCBA.
• Standpipe considerations include pumping building FDCs accordingly, avoiding obstructions, and maintaining minimum pump discharge pressure of 150 psi.
• Universal practice for high-rise incidents involves early request for adequate resources and awareness of varying wind conditions and flow paths.
• Rehab should be set up on the staging floor away from ongoing operations and free from an IDLH environment, with potential need for multiple RIC crews.
• Law enforcement should not be used to search for or rescue trapped victims in any hazardous environment.
• If usable, elevators should be taken two floors below the fire floor for potential floor layout assessment by the officer.
• Vehicle extrication operations procedures involve the first arriving unit contacting dispatch, confirming dispatched units carrying full vehicle extrication tools and personnel, and establishing incident command.
• The incident command should designate fire suppression and extrication teams, establish the department personnel accountability system, and perform a 360 assessment to identify hazardous materials and other conditions.
• The 360 assessment should cover hazardous materials placards, hybrid or alternative fuel indicators, vehicle stability, number of victims, entrapped victims, and other conditions interfering with extrication operations.
• Involvement of a commercial vehicle requires reasonable efforts to locate the driver to determine the presence of hazardous materials and what is being carried.
• The text is copyrighted to Lexipol, LLC, and published with permission by the Coral Springs-Parkland Fire Department.

Test your knowledge of high-rise fire procedures and vehicle extrication operations with this informative quiz. Explore essential equipment, attack strategies, command responsibilities, staging considerations, and post-fire investigation protocols. Master the critical steps for mitigating high-rise fires and ensuring safe vehicle extrication operations.