Structure Fire Policy

Introduction

• The purpose is to establish policy for personnel at working structure fires.
• Applies to all personnel performing tasks in the operational area.
• The Chief Deputy of Emergency Operations is responsible for edits and content.
• Definitions are further detailed in Appendix I.
• Underwriters Lab (UL) studies are available in Appendix II.
• Operational Modes of Attack are described in Appendix III.

Responsibility

• The first arriving company officer has 7 responsibilities
• Performing an initial size-up
• Transmitting the size-up radio report to the Los Angeles Communications Center (LACC)
• Developing an incident action plan (IAP) to determine the initial operational mode
• Determining operational mode for initial actions
• Taking initial actions consistent with operational mode, incident priorities, and tactical operations of the incident
• Ensuring appropriate water supply is established to support initial actions
• Establishing the Incident Command System (ICS)
• The Incident Commander(IC) is responsible for:
• Incident management
• Determining and/or confirming the operational mode and communicating it over the incident command and tactical channels
• Determining incident objectives
• Communicating the current operational mode and providing status reports to LACC over the Administrative Channel
• Establishing an appropriate incident command post (ICP) with ICP support as necessary
• Ensuring that a standby crew/rapid intervention crew (RIC) is in place for interior fire attack operations
• The incident safety officer is responsible for:
• Identifying and evaluating hazards based on the present operational mode, advising the IC in the area of personnel safety
• Altering, suspending, or deactivating any unsafe activity based on the current operational mode
• Investigating accidents and near misses involving Department personnel
• Company officers are responsible for 8 points
• Reporting automatic holding position on appropriate command channel
• Performing in the appropriate Incident Command System (ICS) role
• Ensuring all assigned sources are utilizing appropriate communications plan
• Knowing the current operating mode at all times and completing tasks consistent with incident objectives
• Ensuring an available thermal imaging camera, or equivalent, is used to search for victims and note temperature differences
• Ensuring appropriate water supply is established to support incident needs
• Maintaining company unity
• Providing safety briefings
• Chief officers are responsible for:
• Operating as IC, operations section chief, branch director, division/group supervisor, incident safety officer, or agency representative
• Ensuring the communications plan is appropriate for the incident
• Monitoring en-route radio traffic and giving direction via radio, as needed
• LACC must:
• Maintain radio communication with the IC and ensure all requests for resources and information are addressed
• Assign additional radio channels to the communications plan when asked by the IC, or as Department policy dictates
• Start an incident timer upon arrival of first resource involved on working structure fires and announce every 10 minutes, until personnel are no longer working in Immediately Dangerous to Life or Health (IDLH) environments

Policy

• Incident priorities for a structure fire are:
• Protecting life
• Incident stabilization through fire control
• Protecting property/environment
• Operational modes are:
• Investigation mode
• Offensive mode
• Transitional fire attack
• Interior fire attack
• Defensive mode
• Managing resources at structure fires uses the National Interagency Management System – ICS Operational System Description Policy and the FIRESCOPE California Field Operations Guide Policy.
• General emergency steps include:
• Incident Command Instructions
• Emergency Incident Policies
• Response to Alarms
• Code “N”
• Fire Investigation Request
• Mobile Air and Light Unit Placement
• Helicopter Drops on Structure Fires
• Rehabilitation/Medical Treatment Procedures
• Emergency “Class A” Foam Resupply, Storage and Use
• Facade Buildings
• Structural Fire Watch
• Occupant Support
• Following safety policies and procedures is critical
• Emergency Incident Safety Instructions must be followed
• Operational Retreat
• Personnel Accountability
• Two-in, Two-out, Rapid Intervention Crews
• Firefighter Emergency
• Electrical Incident Operations
• SCBA Air Management
• Elevator usage guidelines:
  • Do not use elevators for initial investigation/fire attack
  • Elevators should not be used as logistics until the IC deems it safe
  • IC is responsible for elevator use
• Following Resource use is vital
• Standard structure fire response follows Response to Alarms and Emergency Incident Policies
• Additional alarm requests must state staging/base location, staging manager and route of travel

Procedures

• When assessing the fire and limiting fire growth:
• Size-up, upon arrival, the first arriving officer/IC is responsible for evaluating fire conditions and relaying initial radio size-up report to the LACC; Evaluation of fire conditions include:
• Finding the fire and noting extent. Attempt to locate fire from exterior location;
• Determine flow path.
• Structure fire size-up report follows Incident Command Instructions:
• Fire Location via address
• Combustion products
• Floor height and occupancy type
• Special instructions
• Example of a working structure fire size-up report:
  • Initial size-up: "LA, Engine 7, 200 West Center Street, fire showing from Alpha-side window of a one-story single family dwelling."
  • LACC size-up:(Alert tone) “200 West Center Street, Engine 7 reports fire showing from the Alpha-side window of a one-story single family dwelling.”
• First arriving officer/IC is responsible for performing a 360 building assessment, even if someone else conducts it for them:
• Identify rescue situations
• Identify flow paths
• Locate fire extent
• Note size, age and construction
• Assess structural stability
• Identify other hazards
• Follow-up report: Company, or chief officer assuming command relays a radio follow-up report to LACC, including:
  • Geographic name
  • ICP Location
  • Pertinent info
  • Operational mode
  • Check-in location and routes
  • Confirm comms
• Example follow-up report:
  • “LA, Engine 7 is Center IC, command post is at Engine 7 on the Alpha-side of the structure, units operating in the offensive mode, can handle with first alarm resources
• Transmit names incident and operational mode and hazards.
• Manage flow path to protect occupants. Close windows and doors to limit airflow; Prioritize any readily accessible victims.
• Secure water supply.
• Cool space from best/most logical location and direct water to the fire or superheated space to reduce thermal threat to occupants/firefighters. Don't create additional flow paths.
• Change operational mode as needed and announce changes on all channels.
• Extinguish fire completely and IC must also ensure there is a RIC crew in place for interior attack operations.
• Tactical Actions of opportunity may occur at any time and include:
• Rescue. Think of rescue first. Assess if victims are survivable as life is the highest incident priority. Ensure the first available thermal imager (or equivalent equipment) is utilized and think of exterior water to cool fire to enable rapid interior attack and improved survivability. Limit potential for fire growth as it extends required time for rescue
• Exposure protection. Section chief/supervisor must develop an exterior (nearby structures) or interior (spaces in the fire-building not yet involved) protection plan to protect occupants. Ensure the following:
• Assess all sides of the structure
• Assess building structural integrity
• Assess potential threat to the area structures
• Coordinate actions with the fire attack and ventilation teams
• Request needed resources
• Secure appropriate water supply
• Coordinated ventilation. Manage openings to limit fire access to oxygen, while removing smoke, heat, and steam. Must be coordinated with suppression, search and rescue to extinguish and provide survivable spaces. If ventilation can't be coordinated, it may cause the fire to spread leading to dangers. Group leader responsibilty for making decisions must determine the type of ventilation op to be used.
• Communicate w/ fire attack personnel / supervisors.
• Don't perform ventilation if communication to interior suppression crews are lost. .
• Select ventilation techniques to improve, limit interior fire growth and communicate w fire attack units to note effectiveness
• Continually assess the ventilation's effectiveness, and note info received from division and group supervisors.
• Note that roof operations may not be possible, particularly if:
• fire is extending through roof, compromising ability to vertically ventilate, or
• IC or company officer determines risk outweighs the benefit, or -IC decided incident is in defensive mode and giving IC periodic status updates..
• Utilities (gas, electric, water) can all hinder suppression/rescue. Utility co must be requested to respond when utilities are disrupted.
• Salvage is the protection of building / contents; Salvage should be a concern during every phase
• Overhaul is looking for and putting out hidden fires while securing and preserving data and evidence, while ensuring the building itself is safe.
• Occupant support with additional resources
• Effective resource allocation is requried
• The IC should allocate resource, investigation of problems, establishing the ICS, rescue/ fire attack/property conservation, RIC, water, ventilation, security, and support.
• Deploy structure fire resources adheres to guidelines established in “assessing the fire and limiting fire growth” and “tactical actions of opportunity may occur at any time". Additional:
• First in needs to position so others can make entry
• Give size up on radio.
• Assume command or assign/pass command to a specified fire ground officer
• When performing search and rescue, ensure thermal is available
• First quints will use water and pumps early on.
• Secure water and consider a second supply line
• Second arriving company will do the following:
• Announce automatic holding location;
• Assume command; Communicate with crew members via radio.
• Ensure water is established and maintained and request more resources.
• Take any action that will assess and support actions.
• Additional companies automatic holding and supply water
• Give location for medical rehab areas. .
  • First in chief assumes IC
  • Ensures section IV and B are performed
• Ensures equipment is available
• Ensures water supply .
• Develops IAP unless something overrides it
• Additional chief officers and positions filled dependingsize of incident
• Depending, the incident could require the IC role to shift.

Appendix I - Definitions

• 360 building assessment:
• Finding rescue problems
• Finding the flow path of fire / gas Isolate location / extent of fire
• Building determine building size, type of building, construction, age
• Find other hazards ex. Electrical, Exposures, or accessibility.
• Coordination: Effective communication with incident command during fire ground in operational mode.
• Defensive mode: when the fire prevents interior attack using defensive tatics/ Door control ensure the structure is closed as much as possible in order to prevent theft or any further interferences.
• Fire confinement: Taking location and holding a fire preventing the spread of a fire into any uninvolved area(s).
• Extinguishment Following to extinguisher
• FIRE FLOW: The rate of water flow required to extinguish a fire.
• FLASHOVER: The near-simultaneous ignition of most of the directly exposed causing fire to spreading rapidly.
• FLOW PATH: The movement of heat and fire gasses from the higher pressure within the fire toward doors, window openings and roof.
• FLOW PATH CONTROL: The act of controlling or closing ventilation points, Limit intake and movement/ spread /heat.
• FUEL LIMITED FIRE: A fire in which the heat release rate and fire growth are controlled
• FULLY DEVELOPED STAGE: Peak fire where most untenable.
• GROWTH STAGE: The increase till is in place
• HEAT RELEASE RATE: Rate is generated from heat of burning
• HORIZONTAL VENTILATION: The process of opening windows ect.
• INCIDENT COMMANDER: command and control while establishing incident strategy.
• IGNITION STAGE: when fire is in the beginning
• INTERIOR FIRE ATTACK: Deploys personnel to charged hose line and from exterior or to area complete fire extinguishment
• INVESTIGATION MODE: Assesses the nature of the problem
• LEGACY FIRE: Fiber that uses cottons, wood, and wools while being low risk, while not compare to carbon.
• MODERN CONTENT FIRE: Uses nylon, ,rubber, or rayon ect. This is a high-risk fire
• OFFENSIVE MODE: mitigate the problem with attack, in the collapse zone.
• VENTILATION : Remove heat and smoke which with help to increase airflow
• PYROLYSIS: Is transformation material with heat
• ROLLOVER: Fuel oxygen and heat are together and flames spread
• SMOKE: Air bonded with solid particulates and liquid particulate which is very toxic
• TENABILITY: Able or suitable to be live / operate.
• TRANSITIONAL FIRE ATTACK: Water is applied to lower thermal rate

Appendix II - UL Studies

• UL Studies are present in the Training Services Sections reference:
• Fire Service Summary Report and Study of the Effectiveness of Fire Service
• Report on Structural Stability of Engineered Lumber in Fire
• Impact of Ventilation on Fire Behavior in Legacy and Contemporary
• Improving Fire Safety by Understanding the Fire Performance of Engineered
• Analysis of Changing Residential Fire Dynamics and Its Implications on
• Analysis of One and Two-Story Single Family Home Fire Dynamics and the Impact of Firefighter Horizontal Ventilation
• Study of the Effectiveness of Fire Service Vertical Ventilation and Suppression Tactics in Single Family Homes

Appendix III - Operational Modes of Attack

• operational mode when fire is select will determine incident priorities and communicate to resource
• IC assess will gather size up and 360 assessment:
• Location and extent of fire Fire is structural
• Survalibilty of Occupant/people Can fire fighter be access
• Coordinated Ventilation/sufficient resources The operational modes are
• INVESTIGATION Can the fire fighter get access
• OFFENSIVE Can transition the fire attack/interior fire attack.
• DEFENSIVE
• First in have the responsibility to investigate the scene. size up provides the information and the evaluation.