SOG 9-13

Metal Fires

• Aluminum Powder Fires:
  • Best extinguished by sand, salt, talc, special proprietary compounds, or other dry inert materials applied gently to smother the fire
  • Guard against dust explosion when ringing a pile of powder with sand
  • Water, foam, and carbon tetrachloride are not effective extinguishing agents
• Magnesium Fires:
  • Solid pieces will melt faster than they burn, so guard for steam explosions when water hits molten metal
  • Large fires involving castings can be brought under control with large streams of water
  • Magnesium scrap cannot usually be put out with water, but produces explosions and spattering of chunks and particles
  • Sheet magnesium and small diameter pieces can be extinguished using TMB Trimethoxyboroxine) followed by a cooling water spray
• Alkali Metals:
  • Burn at low temperatures and some ignite when moist
  • Decompose water violently to produce hydrogen, causing its ignition; caustic fumes are also given off at the same time
  • Fine dry sodium chloride (table salt) is a good extinguishing agent for sodium fires; graphite, dry soda ash, and special compounds can also be used

Open Burning of Yard Waste and Tree Cutting Debris

• Open Burning of Yard Waste:
  • Does not require authorization
  • Burn must be ignited after 9:00 am, and extinguished one hour prior to sunset
  • No burning shall be conducted during windy conditions
  • Approved yard waste/trash includes vegetative matter generated from landscaping, yard maintenance operations, and other such routine property cleanup activities
• Open Burning of Tree Cutting Debris:
  • Prior to conducting the open burning, the person responsible for the burn must contact the Florida Forestry Service regarding the planned burning activity
  • Burn must be ignited after 9:00 am, and extinguished one hour prior to sunset, without visible flames by cutoff time
  • No burning shall be conducted during windy conditions
  • Tree cutting debris consists of trees, tree stumps, and tree limbs resulting from a tree removal or tree trimming operation
• Open Burning of Land Clearing Debris:
  • Prior to conducting the burn, the person responsible for the burn must contact the Florida Forestry Service regarding the planned burning activity
  • Burn must be ignited after 9:00 am, and shall have no visible flame one hour prior to sunset or any time thereafter
  • Open burning is restricted to the site where the land clearing debris was generated
  • If an air-curtain is used, it must meet specific guidelines

Vehicle Fires

• Initial Response:
  • Consider safety hazards prior to arrival on scene based on information provided by dispatch
  • Park apparatus 100 ft from vehicle, upwind and uphill from the fire if possible
  • Wear full personal protective equipment (PPE) including SCBA while extinguishing vehicle fires
• Scene Management:
  • Ascertain if there are any injuries or smoke inhalation victims
  • Determine the need for evacuation (tanker fire, haz-mat incident, etc.)
  • Decide on means of extinguishment based on the type and size of the fire
  • Control fuel and oil spills with absorbent materials carried on fire apparatus
• Extinguishment Techniques:
  • Many small vehicle fires can be quickly brought under control with a dry chemical extinguisher
  • For larger fires, a preconnect line will be deployed and used to put the fire out
  • Consider foam if appropriate
  • Disconnect vehicle battery, negative side first, followed by the positive
  • Control fuel and oil spills with absorbent materials carried on fire apparatus
• Special Considerations:
  • Be aware of the dangers of hydraulic bumpers/shocks involved in fire
  • Tires can be explosion hazards
  • Be aware of the dangers of front and side air bags
  • Be aware of existing dangers from hybrid vehicles (High voltage lines, lithium ion batteries, etc..)### Log of Daily Charging Times
• A log of daily beginning and ending times of charging must be maintained on site.

Incinerator Operation

• Incinerator must be attended at all times while flames are visible.
• Excessive visible emissions are not allowed, except between the first 30 minutes of operation each day.

Ash Management

• Ash must not be allowed to build up to the point where it impedes good conduction.
• Ash must not be higher than 1/3 the pit depth.

Pile Burning

• Piles and windrow (large, long compost piles) burning must be ignited after 9:00 am.
• There must be no visible flame one hour prior to sunset or any time thereafter.
• Except, in smoke-sensitive areas as determined by the Florida Forestry Service.
• Pile burning must be set back:
  • 100' from any paved public roadway.
  • The prevailing winds will direct the smoke away from any occupied building (other than the landowner) or roads.
• Pile burning for paved public road maintenance and widening is exempt from the 100' set back, as long as the visibility on the roadway is not reduced to less than 1000'.
• Pile burning must also meet one of the following requirements:
  • Residential, and Agricultural/ Silvicultural pile burning must be set back 300' or more from any occupied building other than that of the landowner and 50' from any wildlands, brush or combustible structure.
  • Non-residential pile burning without an Air Curtain Incinerator must be set back 1000' or more away from any occupied building and 100' from any wildlands, brush or combustible structure.

Open Burning of Animal Carcasses

• Allowed, provided the department of agriculture and consumer services has determined that the need for destruction of such carcasses constitutes an emergency requiring the use of open burning.

Open Burning of Storm-Generated Debris

• Consists of only vegetated debris and untreated wood.
• Must be conducted under the authority of the municipal or county government responsible for clean-up activities following the storm.
• Such burning using an air curtain incinerator will be conducted under the authority of the Florida Forestry Service.
• The fire must be attended and adequate fire extinguishing equipment available at all times.

Bonfire or Recreational Burn

• Must be for recreational purposes, or ceremonial occasions, or outdoor non-commercial preparation of food, or for the warming of outdoor workers on cold days.
• Must be attended at all times.

Waste Pesticide Containers

• The Florida Forestry Service is notified of the section, township, and range of the burn and a permit number issued by the Florida Forestry Service.
• Waste pesticide containers may be burned in open fields by the owner of the crops, the owner's authorized employee or caretaker, or by commercial pesticide applicators hired by the owner or caretaker.
• Containers must be the original container provided by the pesticide manufacturer or formulator and be for the specified product.
• Containers must meet specific requirements, such as being classified as Group I containers and bearing label instructions stating that small quantities of the containers may be burned in open fields by the user of the pesticide when open burning is permitted.

General Guidelines

• This policy complies with Florida Administrative Code Chapter 62-256 F.A.C., and Chapter 51-2 F.A.C.
• All St. Johns County Fire Rescue personnel will be courteous and non-confrontational when dealing with the public in explaining the rules of legal burning.

Open Burning

• Responding apparatus will respond to the incident in a non-emergency response mode (Code 1, unless structures are endangered).
• Upon arrival on scene of a burn, responding personnel shall determine if the burn meets state statue and county ordinance.
• A County "State of Emergency" or Florida Forestry Service "Red Flag" must not be in place.

Dumpster Fires

• St. Johns County Fire Rescue is responsible for the containment and extinguishment of any fire located in trash collection receptacles.
• All personnel responsible will follow the Standard Operating Guideline for dumpster fires.
• Responsibility falls on all personnel to properly manage dumpster fires in such a manner as to minimize property loss as well as injuries.
• Personnel will consider personal safety as well as the safety of the general public when responding to such fires.

Initial Response to Dumpster Fires

• Consider safety hazards prior to arrival on scene based on information provided by dispatch (haz-mat, exposures, location of fire, etc.).
• Consider apparatus exposure when parking your unit.
• Park unit up-wind/up-hill if possible.
• Perform a scene survey and call for additional response, if needed.
• If possible, try to determine what is burning.
• Consult with owners or employees, if available.

Scene Management

• Remove all bystanders from the area and away from the smoke.
• Consider water supply.
• If dumpster is a wheeled unit, it may be possible to move it away from affected buildings or other exposures.
• Secure the power to compacting type dumpsters.
• Never enter a compacting type dumpster without first securing the power and following "lock out-tag out" procedures.
• Consider the use of class-A foam as a penetrant.
• Run off may be a problem. Diking and plugging may need to be used for control.
• If excessive hazardous materials are present, consider notifying Special Operations and/or State Warning Point.

Extrication Techniques

• It is recognized that the traumatized patient's recovery from injuries is directly influenced by the pre-hospital care and time taken to get that patient to a designated trauma center.
• Personnel called to these incidents must use careful, efficient means to accomplish the following in a timely manner.
• The initial actions include:
  • Establish command.
  • Check for and control hazards.
  • The Incident Commander and the extrication officer should develop an extrication Incident Action Plan for safely accessing, freeing, and removing patients.
  • Ensure that proper rescue tools are on scene or en route.
  • A determination must be made concerning what additional resources may be needed and notify Fire Rescue Communications.