Command and control ics chapter 11. Small Hotel & Boarding House Construction

• A small hotel or boarding house is defined as a building providing short-term housing for under 100 people, typically with fewer than eight floors.
• These occupancies range from modern, fire-resistive buildings to historic buildings of balloon-frame construction converted into bed and breakfast inns.

Construction

• Construction varies based on age, design, and building codes.
• They may be ordinary (masonry, wood-joist), fire-resistive, or noncombustible.
• Some buildings may have mixed construction types due to remodeling or expansion.
• Current codes typically require fire-resistive or noncombustible construction.
• Small hotels are generally well compartmentalized on individual floors.
• Vertical compartmentalization relies on protected shaft enclosures, which can fail if fire enters stair or elevator shafts.

Fire-Protection Systems

• Alarm systems range from nonexistent to state-of-the-art, with maintenance often lacking.
• Hotel staff sometimes delay reporting fires.
• Sprinkler systems are effective but mainly found in newer structures or retrofitted in specific areas.
• NFPA® 13E offers recommended practices for fire department operations in sprinklered properties.
• Standpipe systems are usually Class II (11⁄2-inch) with low pressure and minimal water supply, requiring fire department backup.
• Class I standpipe systems (21⁄2-inch) are for fire department use and may be wet or dry.

Life Safety

• Preplanning is essential due to the potential for life loss.
• Seven civilians die per 1,000 dwelling fires, compared to 18 per 1,000 small hotel/boarding house fires.
• Occupants are often transients unfamiliar with the building, exits, or fire-safety instructions.

Access

• Access depends on the building's design and code requirements, with at least two means of ingress/egress typically required.
• Access for fire apparatus may be hindered by landscaping, parking lots, or narrow driveways.
• Access to the fire area can be delayed by smoke, heat, horizontal distance, and hose requirements.
• Ground-level obstructions and utility lines can complicate ladder placement.
• Newer buildings may have inoperable windows.
• Designate stairways for fire attack, ventilation, and evacuation, noting that not all stairs may reach the roof.
• Open stair shafts are dangerous due to rapid fire and smoke spread.
• Elevators should not be used until deemed safe, with departmental procedures in place.

Water Supply

• Water supply usually comes from hydrants providing adequate flow.
• A tender shuttle operation may be needed in rural areas without hydrants.

Fire Development and Behavior

• Fires typically are confined to a single room, but open doors can cause significant problems.
• Vertical lapping can lead to fire extension on multiple floors.
• The rate of vertical extension depends on fire volume, glass type, and window-frame material.

Additional Resources

• A small fire may be handled by the initial alarm assignment, while larger, rapidly spreading fires require additional resources.
• A Medical Group/Medical Branch may be needed for multi-casualty incidents, including triage, treatment, transportation, medical supply, and morgue units.

Incident Management

• Working fires in small hotels often require simultaneous tactical operations like fire attack, search and rescue, and ventilation.
• Coordination of these operations is crucial for personnel safety and effective fire control.
• Failure to coordinate can lead to mixed attack modes, ventilation issues, and untenable conditions.

Strategy and Tactics

• Incident priorities: life safety, incident stabilization, and property conservation.
• Size-up should identify problems both outside and inside the building.
• Strategic and tactical solutions should be developed based on identified problems.
• Initial-alarm resources should be assigned based on which actions will have the greatest impact.
• Immediate fire attack and evacuation of occupants in the most danger are ideal.

Fire Attack

• Attack the fire from a direction that avoids pushing it into unburned areas.
• Position a separate hoseline to limit fire extension.
• Confined fires typically require 13⁄4-inch hoselines, with a backup line also positioned.
• Search and rescue personnel should have a protection line.

Search and Rescue

• Primary and secondary searches should focus on areas most affected by fire, like the floor of origin and floors above.
• Occupants should be directed to designated evacuation routes.
• The decision not to evacuate may be based on fire conditions and the control of fire and smoke.

Smoke and Heat

• Simple horizontal ventilation can remove smoke and heat from confined fires.
• Stair shafts with roof exits can be used to exhaust smoke.

Salvage

• Salvage operations involve removing water and smoke from the building.

Personnel Safety

• Backdrafts are rare but possible, so use caution when opening doors.
• Flashover potential always exists; cool the area with hose streams before entry.
• Fatigue can be a factor; use periodic reliefs and rehab areas.

Summary

• Experience and training are what help with using cues about occupancy types, fire-protection systems, fire development, water supply, access, and life-safety issues to develop a coordinated plan.
• Additional resources, such as a medical group, are likely to be necessary on large hotel fires.
• Strategies and tactics that focus on the three main priorities will use cue-based predictions and incident management cues in the planning aimed at reducing injuries and death.