420-01 FIRE ATTACK OPERATIONS.pdf

Palm Beach County Fire Rescue Standard Operating Guideline SOG 420-01 Fire Attack Operations Issue Date: 05/21/2...

Palm Beach County Fire Rescue Standard Operating Guideline SOG 420-01 Fire Attack Operations Issue Date: 05/21/2018 Effective Date: 02/22/2022 PURPOSE: To provide a framework for safe and effective fire attack operations. AUTHORITY: Fire Rescue Administrator SCOPE: This standard operating guideline shall apply to all Emergency Operations personnel. PROCEDURE: These guidelines provide a basic framework for most incidents. 1. Arrival Report a. An arrival report shall be communicated in accordance with SOG 210-01 Communications. The arrival report shall include “Working Fire” if a working fire is present. b. A “Working Fire” is defined as a fire that shall require the use of all of the first alarm units. c. The declaration of a “Working Fire” is intended to trigger additional actions by the Communication Center to include the following notifications: i. Administration ii. Investigator iii. District Chief iv. Florida Power and Light (FPL) d. Additional resources may be requested through the Communication Center. Examples include: i. Additional units ii. Additional Command Staff iii. Additional Alarms iv. Florida Public Utilities (FPU) v. Light and Air vi. Tender(s) SOG 420-01 Fire Attack Operations Page 1 of 7  vii. Special Operations viii. Red Cross ix. CARES Team 2. Water Supply a. When operating off tank water i. The Driver Operator must monitor GPM flows and water levels. ii. It is recommended that the Driver Operator should not flow more than 200 GPM unless utilizing a mounted deck gun for a quick attack, as appropriate. 1. Mounted deck gun use, without an established water source, criteria: a. Water source must be nearby. b. A hose line shall be (or be in the process of) being deployed. c. RPM’s shall be increased and deck gun aimed at the seat of the fire prior to flowing water. d. The deck gun should NOT flow more than 20-30 seconds. e. Shall NOT be used when the fire location is undetermined. f. Shall NOT be used when it may negatively affect survivability of victim(s). iii. The Driver Operator shall advise the Incident Commander and interior firefighters: 1. When the tank water level is at 50%. 2. To evacuate the structure if the tank water level drops to 25%. b. Hydrants i. Prior to laying supply lines and committing to a hydrant, the unit assigned to Water Supply shall ensure the hydrant is functional and the water supply is available. ii. When water supply from a hydrant is used, the Incident Commander may coordinate with the Fire Operations Officer to request increased pressure. iii. If the attack Engine is in an area with nearby hydrants, the Driver Operator should be responsible to secure the water supply. iv. A source Engine should supply the attack Engine if the LDH hose lay is greater than 500 feet. c. The Driver Operator is responsible for advising the Incident Commander as to the location and type of water supply. d. If there are no hydrants in the area, the Incident Commander should request a tender to support the water supply operation. When a tender is required (due to call type) or requested for supplemental water, dispatch will automatically assign a second tender to the incident. The Incident Commander should also consider assigning a Water Supply Officer (typically, a single unit resource). SOG 420-01 Fire Attack Operations Page 2 of 7  3. Offensive Mode a. As stated in SOG 200-02 Incident Command Sequence, Offensive Mode is an advance into the fire building by fire fighters with hose lines or other extinguishing agents to overpower the fire. b. All Fire Rescue personnel shall follow SOG 220-01 Personal Accountability and SOG 220-02 Two In-Two Out Rule. c. Initial Fire Attack i. After ensuring that no Rescue profile exists, the Incident Commander should select an Offensive Mode of operation when the fire is still in a controllable stage and there is no evidence of eminent structural failure or a hostile fire event. ii. The Incident Commander should direct the placement of hose lines to (refer to SOG 200-02 Incident Command Sequence for the tactical priority order): 1. Rescue (provide the best chance of rescue). a. Protect firefighters performing Rescue or Primary Search. b. Protect egress routes for occupants (i.e., hallways, stairways, etc…). c. On occasion water application from the exterior may increase the chance of survivability (see 3.d. below). 2. Exposure (protect exposures). 3. Confinement (Confine the fire). 4. Extinguishment (Extinguish the fire). iii. The tactical priority of extinguishment generally requires: 1. Most initial fires (i.e., one room of fire) may be controlled with: a. 1¾” hose line flowing a minimum of 150 GPM. 2. Larger fires (i.e., extended beyond room of origin) may be controlled with: a. 2½” hose line flowing a minimum of 200 GPM. 3. The Booster line does not provide sufficient GPM’s and therefore should never be considered for Fire Attack. iv. Often the initial Fire Attack hose line shall have the most impact on the outcome of the incident. d. Exterior Water Application during Offensive Mode i. Recent NIST and UL research show that the initial application of water into a fire compartment can: 1. Dramatically reduce heat within the flow path. 2. Improved occupant survival. 3. Create safer interior suppression conditions. ii. The initial application of water from the exterior during an Offensive Mode is NOT intended to extinguish the fire, but rather to cool the fire compartment. iii. There are several considerations that MUST be made to achieve the benefits of water application from the exterior during an Offensive Mode. SOG 420-01 Fire Attack Operations Page 3 of 7  1. The hose line should NOT have to be repositioned (the time delay to reposition a hose line must be avoided). 2. The water application must be deliberate and controlled. The wrong water application may cause the over-pressurization of the fire compartment and decease the chance of survivability. The water application should be: a. Directly into the fire compartment. b. Utilize a solid or straight stream without movement of the nozzle. c. Directed into the ceiling. d. For no longer than 15 seconds. e. Types of hose lines i. Fire Rescue utilizes the following types of hose lines: 1. Pre-connected a. 1” Booster lines (NOT to be used for Fire Attack) b. 1¾” Cross lay(s) c. 1¾” Front bumper line or Trash-line d. 2½” Blitz-line 2. Static Hose Packs a. 1¾” 100’ High-rise Pack (Coil Pack) b. 2½” Horseshoe Pack ii. Static Hose Packs are for hose line stretches that exceed the limitations of the Pre-connected hose lines. Static Hose Packs allow for rapid deployment. iii. In cases where the 2½” Blitz-line needs to be extended, a 2½” Horseshoe Pack may be used. f. Flow Path i. The flow path is the volume between an inlet and an exhaust that allows the movement of heat and smoke from a higher-pressure area within the fire area toward lower-pressure areas accessible via doors, windows, and other openings. ii. Operations conducted in the flow path place firefighters at significant risk due to the increased flow of fire, heat, and smoke toward their position. iii. Limiting flow paths until fire suppression water is ready to be applied is an important factor in limiting heat release and temperatures in a structure. g. Back-Up hose line i. The Incident Commander should ensure the Back-Up hose line is the same size, length and capability as the Fire Attack hose line. ii. The purpose of the Back-Up hose line is to protect firefighters performing Fire Attack, it is NOT a secondary attack line. h. IAP revaluation i. The Incident Commander shall re-evaluate the IAP according to 200-02 Incident Command Sequence. SOG 420-01 Fire Attack Operations Page 4 of 7  ii. An Offensive Mode should achieve a quick effect on a fire. The Incident Commander must predict where the fire is going and put crews in position ahead of the fire. iii. Additional Fire Attack and Exposure hose lines shall be ordered based on Fire Conditions and Progress Reports. iv. The Incident Commander shall permit ongoing operations based on evidence of structural failure, paying particular attention to truss and roof conditions. 4. Defensive Mode a. As stated in SOG 400-01 Incident Command Sequence, Defensive Mode is the conducting of suppression operations outside the fire structure; these operations feature the use of large-capacity fire streams placed between the fire and the exposures to prevent fire extension. b. The Incident Commander should select a Defensive Mode of operation when fire conditions have advanced to the point where there is (any of the following): i. No chance of saving a life. ii. Little chance of saving property. iii. Insufficient resources available to implement and sustain an Offensive Mode of operation. c. When operating in Defensive Mode: i. Firefighters should be outside the collapse zone (1½ times the height of the structure). ii. The Incident Safety Officer should ensure the collapse zone is established and firefighters are excluded from it. iii. The tactical priorities should be aimed at protecting exposures and confining the fire rather than extinguishing it. d. The tactical priority of Exposure control generally requires: i. Initial Exposure hose lines with a: 1. 2½” hose line flowing a minimum of 200 GPM ii. Exposure protection with: 1. Ground monitors 2. Mounted deck guns e. Ground monitors or mounted deck guns offer the greatest flow and safety to firefighters. f. Ground monitors can be left unattended if in a collapse zone. g. The Incident Commander may utilize elevated streams when the building (or portion of the building) is considered a loss and large volumes of water are required. h. When elevated streams are deployed, firefighters shall NOT operate inside the structure. i. The Incident Commander shall re-evaluate the IAP according to 200-02 Incident Command Sequence. SOG 420-01 Fire Attack Operations Page 5 of 7  j. Additional Fire Attack and Exposure hose lines shall be ordered based on progress reports. k. The Incident Commander shall NOT permit any interior operations until the structure has been evaluated for failure and deemed reliable. Particular attention should be given to the truss and roof evaluations. 5. Control Zones a. The marking of formal Control Zones may not occur at every fire incident. All personnel should be aware that Control Zones still exist even if not marked. b. Research has shown modern day fires produce harmful toxins (which may include Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH), Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC), Carbon Monoxide (CO), Hydrogen Cyanide (HCN), etc…). It is important to remember that many of these toxins are colorless and/or odorless gasses (refer to SOG 320-03 Atmospheric Monitoring). c. The following control zones shall be defined on all fire type incidents: i. Exclusion Zone 1. Any area were risks outweigh the benefit. 2. Nobody is allowed to enter this area, regardless of PPE, due to extremely dangerous conditions. Nobody means nobody; no Fire Rescue, no Law Enforcement, no ISOs, no civilians, and no media personnel. ii. Hot Zone 1. Any area with high risk. 2. Any area within the immediate perimeter of any fire or products of combustion (which include smoke and soot). iii. Warm Zone 1. Any area with little risk. 2. The area not in the immediate vicinity of any fire or products of combustion. iv. Cold Zone 1. Any area with no risk. 2. Any area outside of the hot and warm zone, ideally uphill and upwind. SOG 420-01 Fire Attack Operations Page 6 of 7  6. Overhaul a. Overhaul is the action taken to expose hidden fire and to assure complete extinguishment. b. Overhaul should follow the Incident Priorities of Life Safety, Incident Stabilization, Property Conservation, and Evidence Preservation (refer to SOG 200-01 Incident Command Sequence). c. All precautions should be taken to preserve property and prevent further damage from occurring. d. Overhaul should include total extinguishment of all smoldering fires and checking for and extinguishing all hidden fires and extension. e. A Thermal Imaging Camera (TIC) is useful during overhaul. f. Blown-in cellulose insulation presents a major rekindle hazard. Consideration should be given to thoroughly checking attics with blown-in cellulose insulation. g. Mattresses and over-stuffed furnishings, after exposure to fire, should be removed from structures completely. Supersession History 1. SOG #1710, issued 07/01/2005 2. SOG #1710, issued 09/01/2009 3. SOG #1710, issued 10/01/2012 4. SOG 420-01, clerical 04/01/2018 5. SOG 420-01, issued 05/21/2018 6. SOG 420-01, clerical 8/13/2019 7. SOG 420-01, revised 02/22/2022 SOG 420-01 Fire Attack Operations Page 7 of 7