Spring Fire Department - Fires In High-Rise Buildings PDF

**[PURPOSE]** To establish a guideline that will mitigate emergencies that involve in high-rise structures. **[SCOPE]** This guideline applies to all personnel within the Spring Fire Department. The high rise guideline will be utilized when a fire is reported in any structure, which has four or m...

**[PURPOSE]** To establish a guideline that will mitigate emergencies that involve in high-rise structures. **[SCOPE]** This guideline applies to all personnel within the Spring Fire Department. The high rise guideline will be utilized when a fire is reported in any structure, which has four or more floors above grade. This guideline will allow the incident commander to establish control and coordination during a high-rise fire. **[RESPONSIBILITES]** High-rise fires are the most challenging incidents that Fire Departments respond to. It is difficult to establish a standard operating procedure to fit all situations. This guideline will assist in controlling a high-rise incident and is **not intended to limit the Incident Commander (IC) from deviating from this guideline** in order to achieve the desired outcome. This guideline will follow the National Incident Management System. Tactical Priorities: - Rescue Occupants - Protect Exposures - Fire Confinement - Fire Extinguishment - Property Conservation **[ASSIGNMENTS]** - Capturing all elevators and ensuring they are in Phase I. - Each firefighter will control an elevator for the fire attack teams. Two elevators should be captured and in Phase II control. Their radio designations will be "Elevator I" and "Elevator II." - Issuing out elevator and building access key rings. - The Lobby Control Unit Officer will split the key rings. An elevator key ring will be given to each firefighter operating an elevator. A building access key ring will be given to the Fire Attack Group leader. The remaining building access key rings will be retained by the Lobby Control Unit Officer. If the incident expands additional building access key rings will be given to: Crew Staging, Rescue Group, and one set to each of the Rapid Ascent Teams. The Lobby Control Unit Officer will retain the elevator key rings for later use if additional elevators are put in service for firefighting operations. - The Officer will identify what floor the initial alarm was activated on via the alarm panel. - The Officer will account for all companies that pass through the lobby. - The Officer will direct personnel to the appropriate stairways/elevator for assignment and direct evacuees and exiting personnel to safe areas or routes from the building. - **Rapid Ascent Teams** -- The responsibility of these crews is to ensure that stairwells are cleared of all building occupants; all stairwell doors are unlocked and closed. The roof hatch will be unlocked by the RAT, but remained closed to assist with pressurizing the stairwell. It is their job to inform the Incident Commander which stairwell has the roof hatch. - **Crew Staging:** Two (2) floors or lower below the fire is essential for a sustained attack. A general rule of thumb, for every company engaged on the fire floor at least an equal number of companies will be established in Crew Staging. - **Resource:** In the early stages of the fire, this requires the commitment of at least one company to stockpile equipment and air bottles in Resource with additional companies assigned as practical at or near Crew Staging. - **RIT:** Will be established at every high-rise incident and in the event of a working fire a consideration should be made for the establishment of a RIT Group/Branch. The RIT will survey a floor for lay-out, and then move to the closest tenable position to the Fire Attack Group as determined by the RIT Supervisor. If number of companies allows, a second RIT should be established. - **Lobby Control reinforcement:** While Lobby has already been established, due to the extreme need and work assignments required, Lobby should be reinforced with an additional engine company. - **Floor above the fire:** The most common way fire spreads in a building is by lapping out the windows, up the side of the building and into the floor above. Well-placed hose lines on the fire floor and the floor above should be used to confine the fire to the original fire floor. The floor above is the next highest priority area for rescue next to the fire floor. - **Ventilation** - **Fire Attack Group reinforcement** - **Rescue** - **Property Conservation** - Crew Staging - Evacuation - Lobby Control - RIT Group - RAT Groups - Safety - Rescue - Property Conservation - Ventilation - Water supply - The Apparatus/Operators from the first and second arriving apparatus will create the water supply group and hook up to the FDC. - An uninterrupted water supply will be established to the supply engine. If the hydrant is a long distance from the supply engine the Incident Commander should be notified. This will allow the Incident Commander to consider sending an engine back to the hydrant to supply a higher pressure to the engine at the FDC. - The standard hook up to the FDC will be a minimum of (2) 3" lines. These lines will remain uncharged until advised by the Incident Commander to charge the FDC. The engine should lay from the building to a safe location. - Sprinkler systems will be charged to 150 PDP. - Standpipe systems will be charged to 150 PDP + 5 PSI per floor. - Combination systems will be pumped at 150 PDP. - If a pre-determined pressure is noted on plate near FDC, follow the building operating pressure. - If the building has a zoned fire protection system, it's the responsibility of the water supply group to ensure that the correct system(s) is pressurized. The water supply group should check with the Incident Commander and confirm the location of the fire prior to charging any of the buildings FDC's. - Triage - Treatment - Transport - Rehab #### **[BUILDING INFORMATION]** - Public Address System (PA). - Provides one-way communication to the building occupants. - May be used to address selective floors or the entire building. - Stairwells may or may not have PA speakers. - Two-way communication: consists of plug-in telephone handsets (FF phones) that provide communication between the FCC and various points in the building. - Typical locations for the plug-in jacks: - Elevator lobbies on each level. - Alarm pull-stations beside stairwell doors (age of the building dictates which side of the door). - In the elevators of newer buildings. - The two-way FF phones operate as follows: - When a phone is plugged in, it activates an audible alert and a light on the control panel in the FCC. - In the FCC, the person receiving the call will flip a switch or push a button to open the circuit. - Using a regular telephone handset at the panel, the member has two-way communication with the person who has plugged into the system. - Members will unplug phones when finished talking. Failure to do so can prevent the audible alert from sounding when other phones are plugged in. - These systems usually support the use of no more than 4 phones at one time. - The plug-in phones provide a valuable alternative to fire department radios. - Elevator position and status panel, recall switches, elevator door open switches, and selector switches for choosing which elevators to operate on emergency power. - Controls for unlocking all stairwell doors simultaneously in newer buildings. - Controls for operating the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system in newer buildings. - Public service telephone. - Fire Department Boxes will be found in the FCC. The boxes will either be unlocked or have a Knox Box next to them with an access key inside. These boxes are required to have: - Elevator and building access key legend card that is color coded and identifies each key and the function of that key. - Five (5) sets of elevator and building access keys on five (5) separate split key rings, with each key having an attached color-coded plastic tag that identifies that key. - Each set of keys will be on a separate split ring to allow separation of the two (2) rings. One end of the split key ring will have a ring that contains building access keys, with each key being on a smaller ring with a corresponding plastic identification tag. The opposite end of the split ring will have a ring that contains all elevator keys. Each one of these keys will be on a smaller ring attached with a corresponding plastic identification tag. This separate split ring arrangement will allow fire crews to separate the two rings. One ring with elevator keys can be in the possession of the member designated to operate the elevator and the opposite end ring of keys can be taken by the Fire Attack Group leader to access the building after exiting the elevator. - The end of the split ring with the building access keys will have each applicable key labeled as follows: - Building Sprinkler & Standpipe Lock -- Blue background - Stairway Door keys -- White background - Roof Access in stairwells -- White background - Mechanical, Electrical and Elevator Room -- White background - The end of the split ring with the elevator keys will have each applicable key labeled as follows: - Fire Service Phase 1 -- Red background (recalls elevator) - Fire Service Phase 2 -- Red background (in car operation of elevator) - Fire Service Phase 1&2 -- (Combined Fire Service Phase 1 & 2) - Elevator Car Door -- Red background (opens car doors after elevator has recalled in phase 1 and the doors have opened and then closed) - Elevator Inspection On/Off switch -- Yellow background (can be used to stop an elevator in an emergency when there is no emergency stop/run switch in the elevator) - Elevator Emergency Stop/Run switch -- Orange background (allows for stopping the elevator at any point in the elevator shaft) - Elevator Car Access Panel -- Orange background (opens a panel that may contain an emergency stop/run switch, an independent service switch and/or an inspection on/off switch) - Elevator Car Emergency Power Selector switch -- Green background (allows the selection of which elevator car will operate under emergency power). **[ELEVATORS]** - Members should not use elevators if the emergency is below the fifth floor. The stairwell is the preferred method to advance. - Elevators will only be used while under the control of the fire department in fire service mode. - Use the building elevator key to capture the elevators. This key should be found in the fire box in the FCC. You can either capture the elevators using the key switch in the FCC or in the respective elevator lobby. This is called placing the elevators into "Phase I." Phase I operations recall the elevators to their pre-determined floor where they will remain with the car doors open. To get the elevator to move you will need to use a building elevator key inside the car and place the car in fire service (Phase II) operations. The elevator will be operated by the firefighter from the lobby control engine whose radio designation is either "Elevator 1" or "Elevator 2." - Prior to using the elevator, the officer should use a flashlight to check the hoist way for any signs of smoke, fire or water. The elevator will not be used if any of these are found. - The elevator will be taken to 5 floors below the fire and the following will be checked to ensure correct elevator operations: - Door Close - Door Open (Open door 6"-8" and then release finger from button. The doors should shut.) - If any of the elevator controls do not function correctly, the elevator will be abandoned and not be used by the fire department. - All firefighters will be in full PPE including SCBA. The face piece should be readily available to don if smoke is encountered. - If all elevator operations work appropriately 5 floors below the fire floor the elevator can be rode up to no more than 2 floors below the fire floor. - The doors should be opened slowly incase smoke is encountered. **[FIRE ATTACK]** **[Setting Up:]** - Don the high-rise equipment so that it is equally distributed for weight and so that you are able to grab a handrail when ascending the stairs. - Observe building exterior when entering the building for indications of the fire location and its path of travel. - Obtain access keys, building plans, firefighter phones from the lobby control unit. Assemble as a group in the lobby and determine if both crews can go in one elevator or if both elevators will be needed. - Obtain information from Lobby Control regarding fire and rescue priorities, fire location, and alarm panel indications and so on. - Verify the route to the fire (elevator car number or stairwell designation) with Lobby Control. - The Fire Attack Team must give frequent reports to the IC/Operations Division Officer regarding their location, conditions encountered, actions taken and resources needed. - It is highly recommended that if a stairwell climb is necessitated that crews climb without the face mask in place until the smoke condition necessitates the use of SCBA. - Do not use service or freight elevators or any cars without Phase II service unless they have been verified safe for use and are not subject to malfunction because of fire, smoke, or water exposure. - Perform recon of the floor two levels below the fire floor for clues as to the layout on fire floor, hose cabinet positions, and relative stairwell locations. This should be rapidly done by the crew leader as the other firefighters are hooking up in the stairwell. Attempt to determine whether three or four lengths of hose will be required to reach the seat of the fire. Utilize four lengths of hose when in doubt. - Confirm with the IC/Operations Division Officer which stairwell will be used for attack and which will be used for evacuation. - Travel to the fire floor landing in the attack stairwell. - Request that the fire alarm in the fire area or zone in alarm be silenced from the Fire Command Center. - Search stairwell above the fire floor for evacuees or obtain a "stairwell clear" report from RAT crews before entering the fire floor during working incidents. - One of the crews should search for the fire using the search tag-line and a Thermal Imaging Camera. Crews working from the stairwell and following fixed guideline to the fire area can facilitate the quick movement of the heavy attack line by the engine crews. Dragging the charged 2 inch line from area to area in search of the unknown fire will quickly exhaust crews. - If at all possible, the attack line should be connected and stretched so that the stairwell door does not remain open, flooding the stairwell with smoke. This might possibly be done by punching a hole in the stairwell wall and feeding the attack line through the hole. If this cannot be avoided, it is critical to clear the stairwell above the fire floor of escaping occupants. This function is assigned to the RAT Teams or must be carried out by the Fire Attack Group. Coordination with the IC is required**.** - Assist fellow crew members with doffing high-rise equipment. - Report stairwell location, floor level and extent of the fire to IC/Operations Division Officer. - Connect the hose to the standpipe connection on floor below the fire floor. The decision to hook up on the fire floor is situational. If the fire is in an unknown location or of significant size, hooking up below the fire floor is advisable. - Each attack crew should carry two high-rise hose bundles (75') up to the floors above and flake downward to the standpipe connection, ensuring the door remains closed while firefighters are flaking the line. Place the nozzle on the fire floor landing. - Utilize the third and fourth section of hose if it is needed to reach the fire, based on the size-up on the floor below. - Flake the line out to remove kinks and open the standpipe valve. - Purge the line of air before moving into fire area - Position the crew at corners to move line efficiently. If it is safe to do so, position the line before charging it. - Force entry on the fire floor if necessary while maintaining control of the door to control smoke travel. Insure that the stairwell has been pressurized prior to initiating fire attack. - Move into the fire area using the thermal imager to identify the fire area and fall hazards. - Stay close to a wall while moving towards the fire, probing the floor ahead with a pike pole. This is of vital importance when operating in atrium type buildings. - Use clues gained from the recon of the floor below to travel to the fire area. - Probe the overhead space to check for extension of fire as the crew progresses to the fire area. It is very common to become outflanked by extending fire traveling in the overhead HVAC plenum. - Beware of fire overtaking the attack crew from behind as it moves forward. The situation might require the placement of a second line to protect the advancing team's flank from the "donut effect" or the circular movement of fire products around the connected hallways. - Utilize the door straps and door wedges to facilitate the search process. Once a door is opened or forced, the straps can keep the door lock from re-engaging while the door is kept closed to prevent fire or smoke extension. - A common way to mark doors during a search is to place the door strap around the door strike during the primary search. Following the primary search, let the strap hang from the outside so show that the room has been searched. - Following the secondary search, the strap is doubled back on itself on the outside handle to show that the secondary search has been completed. - Prepare the attack line for rapid movement by pulling extra slack and positioning crew members at critical pinch points and corners in advance of entering the fire compartment. - Use a direct attack on fire when ever possible. - Attack the fire indirectly through holes made in walls if a direct attack is not possible. Knock it down and then move in for final extinguishment - Maintain the integrity of interior doors to provide limited control of fire and smoke travel. - Give frequent progress and position reports to IC/Operations Division Officer. - Rescues in High-Rise structures means evacuation or protection in place. - The most endangered are those on and immediately above the fire floor, the top floor and in stairwells that have filled with smoke. The next level of endangerment is the floors in the same ventilation zone as the fire floor, if the building does not have a smoke control system. - The building's public address (PA) system should be used to inform occupants of the correct actions to be taken (evacuation, or shelter-in-place). Commcenter can be given information from IC that can be relayed to building occupants when they call 911. - Occupants that self evacuate may become trapped in smoke filled stairwells. Stairwells require searching as soon as personnel are available. - Evacuation of high-rise structures is generally conducted through stairwells; when possible at least one stairwell must remain smoke-free until evacuation is complete. The importance of keeping stairwell doors closed cannot be over-emphasized. - Open stairwell doors increase the stack effect, and/or negative stack affect (the phenomena of natural vertical air movement) in the building. An open door at the bottom of a stairwell tends to pull smoke down to the lower levels. These doors must not be propped open or evacuation efforts may be compromised. - Rescue efforts may be accomplished in firefighter-operated elevators, with the elevator in the Fire Service Mode. It is preferable for rescue elevators to be in an elevator bank that does not serve the fire floor. **[Sprinkler Systems:]** - Firefighters will not turn off the sprinkler system to the affected floor until the fire can be verified to be out. - Once the Operations Division Officer has given the order, the company assigned to turn off the system and open up the drain valve will stay with the valve until confirmed there are no flare ups. - Sprinkler cut-off valves are usually in the stairwells. If not in the stairwells, they usually can be found in the ceiling above the ceiling tiles in the corridor outside the stairwell door. **[Stairwells:]** - It is the responsibility of the Operations Division Officer to determine what stairwell will be used for: - Fire Attack - Ventilation - Rescue - If the building has an HVAC system this will be used to pressurize the stairwells. The controls for this system will be found in the FCC. If no HVAC is found, it will be the responsibility of the fire department to pressurize the stairwells with PPV fans. **[Ventilation:]** - Ventilation must be a coordinated effort. If equipped the use of the individual floor blowers and ventilation system is ideal for smoke removal. If you are unfamiliar with the system do not use it. Get assistance from the building engineer who should be familiar with the systems use. If the building is not equipped it is the responsibility of the fire department to provide ventilation. - Pre incident fire plans should be utilized to determine which stairwell has direct roof access for ventilation purposes. If one is not available the RAT should be able to provide to the Incident Commander. **[Property Conservation:]** - Priority should be made to rooms with high valuable items such as, computers, documents and highly expensive electronics. - Because of the large amounts of water discharged by a sprinkler system, a minimum of 3 companies will be assigned per floor to control water run-off. - The primary site for de-watering the building is the restroom. The water service to the toilets should be turned off and then the bowl can be removed. This will expose an adequate drain size. - Additional de-watering sties are: - Mechanical Rooms - Janitorial closet floor drains - Stairwells - Elevator shafts shall not be used to de-water the building.