Austin Fire Department Commercial Structure Fires PDF Training Manual

AU S T I N FI RE DEPAR TME NT C O MME R C IAL S T R U C T UR E F IR E S TRAINING MANUAL SUPPLEMENT TO AFD POLICY AND PROCEDURES: A101 Standard Operating Guideline: Fireground Operations A107 Standard Operating Guideline: Commercial Structure Fires E F F E C T I V E D AT E 0 7 - 2 5 - 2 0 2 2 Table o...

AU S T I N FI RE DEPAR TME NT C O MME R C IAL S T R U C T UR E F IR E S TRAINING MANUAL SUPPLEMENT TO AFD POLICY AND PROCEDURES: A101 Standard Operating Guideline: Fireground Operations A107 Standard Operating Guideline: Commercial Structure Fires E F F E C T I V E D AT E 0 7 - 2 5 - 2 0 2 2 Table of Contents: 1.0 Incident Management System..................................... 3 2.0 Definitions.................................................................... 5 3.0 Safety ………….......................................................... 6 4.0 Strategy and Tactics................................................... 7 5.0 Size-up……………………........................................... 8 6.0 Risk Management....................................................... 9 7.0 Modes of Operation…………………………………….. 10 8.0 Tactical Functions………………………………………. 11 9.0 Accountability…………………………………………….. 14 Page 2 1.0– INCIDENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: BATTALION CHIEFS 1ST ARRIVING BATTALION CHIEF COMMAND 2ND ARRIVING BATTALION CHIEF ASSIGNED BY COMMAND 1ST ARRIVING SAFETY CHIEF SAFETY LADDER/QUINT/RESCUE COMP ANIES 1ST ARRIVING LQR COMPANY INSIDE DIVISION / INSIDE TRUCK WORK 2ND ARRIVING LQR COMPANY OUTSIDE DIVISION / OUTSIDE TRUCK WORK 3RD ARRIVING LQR COMPANY LEVEL 1 STAGE ENGINE COMP ANIES 1ST ARRIVING ENGINE COMPANY FIRE ATTACK 2ND ARRIVING ENGINE COMPANY BACKUP 3RD ARRIVING ENGINE COMPANY LEVEL 1 STAGE HYDRANT 4TH ARRIVING ENGINE COMPANY LEVEL 1 STAGE HYDRANT 1. Geographic considerations and the normally large area encompassed by commercial occupancies, necessitate early dividing of the fireground by Command. Divisions and Groups should be established as soon as possible. When dividing the fireground in a commercial structure that involves multiple occupancies, these occupancies, not involved in the fire, are considered exposures. These exposure occupancies should be identified by the side of the structure they are on compared to the fire occupancy. The number assigned to an exposure occupancy increases the farther away it is from the fire occupancy (e.g. B1, B2, D1, D2), as seen in the following figure. Page 3 2. When arriving on scene of a commercial structure, especially a strip mall, with evidence of a working fire, a second alarm should be considered. A fire in these types of occupancies may require tactical assignment of more companies than normally responds on the initial alarm. Page 4 2.0 – DEFINITIONS 1. Opened Structure - An opened structure has windows or doors of sufficient number and size to provide for prompt ventilation and emergency evacuation. 2. Enclosed Structure - An enclosed structure is one in which there is an absence of windows or doors of sufficient number and size to provide for prompt ventilation and emergency evacuation. 3. Prolonged Zero Visibility Conditions - Prolonged zero visibility conditions are heavy smoke conditions lasting longer than 15 minutes. Page 5 3.0 – SAFETY 1. Life Safety is always the number one incident priority. Occupant life safety in a commercial structure is usually dependent upon the time of day and the nature of the business. Although most occupants will be able to self-evacuate, AFD must make every effort to ensure all occupants are out of the building. An entire warehouse or shopping center must be evacuated if there is a working fire in any part of the structure. After normal business hours, the risk factor for occupant life safety is low while firefighter safety needs remain critically high. 2. After assessing incident priorities and addressing the Life Safety of civilians, the most common strategy to be employed is to confine the fire to as small an area as possible and to protect exposures, both internal and external. Page 6 4.0 – STRATEGY AND TACTICS 1. Command will develop an Incident Action Plan based upon achieving the incident priorities while considering risk vs. benefit of fighting a fire in a commercial structure. 2. Fire load and fire flow need are normally great at commercial occupancies and must be taken into consideration by Command when formulating the Incident Action Plan. Master streams and large water supply sources deserve careful consideration. 3. Roof ventilation may be a high-risk operation but is often the best method of venting a commercial structure fire. Roof construction and conditions should be assessed early in the incident so that roof operations can be undertaken when the risk/benefit analysis clearly indicates the need. 4. The loss of a large warehouse or a strip shopping center has a direct economic impact on the community. Based on the Incident Commander’s initial and ongoing risk assessment, AFD will attempt to protect the structure and contents by putting out the fire and controlling water damage. The Operations Section Chief and the Officers performing truck work should coordinate efforts to cover and salvage building contents. While aware of the economic impact to the community, AFD will not risk lives to save a structure that cannot be saved. 5. Due to the size and potential for complicated ventilation and evacuation needs at some large commercial structures, consideration should be given to utilizing mid-rise procedures as described in AFD SOG A202 Mid-Rise Fires. This provides for preassignment of an Evacuation Group, Ventilation Group, and Water Supply Group. Page 7 5.0 – SIZE-UP 1. Company Officers and their personnel shall strive to be aware of the location, arrangement, contents, and fire protection features of commercial structures, including warehouses and strip-shopping centers, in their assigned territories. 2. Arrival at a reported fire in a commercial structure requires recognition of the need for additional information for subsequent action. a. Life safety potential – civilians endangered or in need of evacuation. b. Fire protection features – FDC location, if present. c. Size and type of occupancy – number of separate occupancies; access problems associated with size. d. Construction features – identifying if the structure is opened or enclosed and hazardous commercial construction features such as overhangs or awnings (see figure 5-1). Figure 5-1 e. Fire load – including the presence of hazardous materials. f. Fire and smoke conditions - stage and potential for rapid fire progression. 3. Thorough reconnaissance should be undertaken with at least one company reporting to the rear of structure, usually the second arriving aerial apparatus. This is especially important in the case of large commercial structures and strip shopping centers. Page 8 6.0 – RISK MANAGEMENT 1. Nationwide, residential structure fires account for the majority of firefighter fatalities but commercial structure fires account for the majority of multiple firefighter fatalities. There are many hazards inherent to commercial occupancies. The construction techniques associated with these buildings vary with age. The potential for collapse, localized or catastrophic, appears to be greater than that found in residential structures. External construction features such as mansard overhangs, parapets, large signs, and false fronts also pose hazards not frequently encountered by firefighters. Be aware that false fronts can hide legacy construction features such as bowstring trusses. Solar panels are also becoming more common with newer construction and should be identified. 2. Internal features present additional hazards for firefighters. There are often wide-open spaces with roofs supported by lightweight construction materials (metal bar joists, engineered trusses). Typically there are drop ceilings with void spaces, and there exists the possibility of entanglement from collapsed grid work or helical spiraled ductwork. The potential for high piled, high BTU output and possibly hazardous materials is great. Flammable roofing materials have been known to produce an interior overhead rolling roof fire. All of these building features are dangerous to firefighters and demand heightened awareness and a deliberate risk/benefit analysis. 3. Commercial structures may have fire protection features such as sprinkler systems, fire alarms, fire doors and fire walls. The presence of these fire protection features, however, can be problematic. Firefighters can be lulled into a false sense of security, as these systems may fail due to an absence of needed internal systems, inappropriate systems for the application, a lack of maintenance, or improper response by the occupants. 4. Of all types of structures, fighting a fire in an enclosed commercial structure is one of the most dangerous. The lack of openings in a structure confines the smoke being produced by the fire. The large space of a commercial structure contributes to the time to locate the fire. These factors combined can expose firefighters to prolonged zero visibility conditions. Studies have proven that these circumstances can lead to firefighter disorientation and ultimately firefighter deaths. Page 9 7.0 – MODES OF OPERATION 1. If the offensive mode is declared by Command at a commercial structure fire, additional fireground decisions should be considered. If there is evidence of a working fire in a commercial structure, the offensive mode may need to be modified by a cautious interior assessment or a short interior attack. Especially in the event of low visibility due to smoke in a large commercial building such as a “big box” store or warehouse, these modifications to the offensive mode should be employed for firefighter safety. a. A cautious interior assessment is a process whereby the fire attack team enters the structure with a thermal imaging camera and charged handline and then attempts to locate the fire without penetrating deeply into the structure. Before the fire attack team enters the structure, the backup team should be established and in place to protect the fire attack team as they enter. After the fire is located, the fire attack Officer will, based on interior conditions, recommend to Command whether to make an aggressive interior attack, reposition and make a short interior attack from a different part of the structure, or switch to the defensive mode. When the interior distance to the fire is excessive, the arrangement or amount of contents is hazardous and occupant life safety is not an issue, it may be safer to initiate a Short Interior Attack in enclosed commercial structures. b. A short interior attack involves advancing handlines to the seat of the fire using the shortest distance from the exterior. This may involve using existing windows or doors or using wall breaching techniques. Initiating a short interior attack increases firefighter safety by minimizing the distance between the exterior and the seat of the fire to maximize efficiency of air supply, prevent handline separation, disorientation, and avoid exposure to flashover, backdraft or collapse. When using a window for fire attack, the size of the opening should be adequate for emergency egress of firefighters. If it is not, the window opening should be enlarged before utilizing it as an attack entrance. If there are no existing openings and wall breaching is not safe or cannot be accomplished in a timely manner, a defensive attack should be considered. 2. Due to the size and construction of large commercial buildings, it may be possible to operate in the defensive mode while still assigning firefighters to positions inside the structure. This most commonly occurs at strip malls where the fire occupancy is being attacked defensively while the adjoining occupancies are being protected by inside cut-off lines. When operating in the defensive mode at a commercial structure fire, Command should clearly communicate if and where entry into the structure is allowed. Page 10 8.0 – TACTICAL FUNCTIONS 1. Fire Attack a. If a commercial building is equipped with a sprinkler system, one of the most effective steps that can be taken towards incident stabilization is pumping water into the FDC to supply the building sprinkler system. If Command determines that the fire can be controlled in the incipient stage, it is acceptable to delay augmenting the sprinkler system. b. After sprinkler supplementation, confinement to an area inside the occupancy of origin is the preferred strategy, if a deliberate risk/benefit analysis indicates a safe offensive interior attack can be undertaken. c. A common confinement tactic is the deployment of cut-off lines in order to stop the spread of fire through concealed spaces. Firefighters should use 3" hose and bundles or 2½”-hose for cut-off lines. Companies tasked with the responsibility of deploying a cut-off line should select an entry point based on shortest travel distance within the structure and place the exposure lines based on the intensity of the fire and the probable rate of spread. d. If possible and timely, a solid or straight stream should be used for a blitz attack. This tactic can often quickly extinguish or slow the growth of the fire. This is usually a brief operation followed by an evaluation of the results. e. When a significant fire is suspected but its seat unknown, one option may be to direct the stream from the RAM or handline from the doorway into the ceiling space prior to entry. This technique accomplishes the following: i. If a metal truss is present, the stream will cool the metal and delay or prevent collapse. ii. If a drop ceiling is present, the ceiling tiles will be dislodged by the stream allowing access into the void space and could prevent the collapse of the wire framework onto interior crews. A visual reference should be made with the TIC before, after, and during this attack method to gauge progress. 2. Water Supply a. The pumping apparatus assigned the water supply function should consider several factors to determine the best method for supplying hydrant water to the scene. The factors include: i. If the building has a sprinkler system and if it has been supplied yet. ii. If a defensive mode is likely, thereby necessitating a large water supply which is best facilitated by a reverse lay and pumping from the hydrant to the scene. iii. The location of hydrants with consideration to the water mains. Often, commercial structures will have a “looped” water main around the complex which means that connecting to a hydrant on the loop will reduce flow from another hydrant on the loop. In this situation, locating a hydrant on another Page 11 water main is the best option for additional water supply. This water main will most likely be located on the street and not in the commercial complex. 3. Inside Truck a. An aerial apparatus assigned Inside Truck should normally position in front of the structure and in a place able to utilize the aerial ladder to get to the roof from the front of the structure. If a Rescue assumes Inside Truck, the two aerial companies and Command must ensure that adequate aerial coverage of the front, rear and sides of the structure is attained in the appropriate order as incident needs dictate. b. Of the truck work that must be done by the Inside Truck at a commercial structure fire, forcible entry is usually the top priority especially after business hours. The Inside Truck should ensure that firefighters can enter the structure, advance to the fire location and have secondary means of egress out of the structure. c. Searches of the large open spaces often found in showrooms, warehouses and other commercial structures, in low visibility or deteriorating conditions, are high risk operations and should be conducted utilizing personal search lines tethered to hose lines or main search lines. These lines facilitate egress and help to prevent firefighters from becoming lost. 4. Outside Truck a. The aerial apparatus assigned Outside Truck should normally position to utilize the aerial ladder to get to the roof from the side or rear of the structure. For this reason, the Officer should consider leaving the Driver with the apparatus to begin raising the aerial ladder when possible. The two aerial companies and Command must ensure that adequate aerial coverage of the front, rear and sides of the structure is attained in the appropriate order as the incident needs dictate. b. Utility control at a commercial structure can be difficult, especially electricity. Often, electrical power cannot be shut down by breakers on the exterior of the structure. Firefighters should never pry open electrical boxes in an attempt to shut down electrical power. If electrical power must be shut off at a commercial structure fire, the electric utility company should be notified. If a commercial structure is equipped with solar panels, electrical systems may still be energized even if power from the utility company is confirmed shut off. c. Of the truck work that must be done by the Outside Truck at a commercial structure fire, additional forcible entry is usually the top priority. This is normally accomplished by the Outside Truck personnel immediately opening the rear doors of the structure. Because this will often require the use of power tools, saws should be taken along with forcible entry tools when leaving the apparatus. When creating openings in any structure fire, considerations should be given to the effect on ventilation especially if positive pressure is being utilized. d. As soon as possible, the Outside Truck should assess the roof construction, roof conditions and the need for vertical ventilation. These finding should be reported to Command early in the incident. Page 12 e. If vertical ventilation is performed, all safety precautions should be taken. Due to the large open areas of some commercial structures, for safety reasons it may be preferable to open the roof near a wall instead of directly over the fire area (see figure 8-1). Figure 8-1 5. Exposure Protection a. When preventing fire from spreading in a strip mall, along with hoseline protection, a PPV fan may be used to “pressurize” the uninvolved area and slow fire spread. b. When protecting an interior exposure at a defensive fire, firefighters must be aware of and remain out of the area where defensive operations are occurring. Page 13 9.0 – ACCOUNTABILITY 1. When multiple firefighters are operating at a large commercial structure fire, firefighter accountability is especially important. Accountability is maintained by each firefighter knowing who they report to and each supervisor knowing who reports to them. This also includes Company Officers knowing which Division or Group Supervisor they report to and each Division and Group Supervisor knowing which companies report to them. For additional information concerning the importance of firefighter accountability at commercial structure fires, refer to the NIOSH death in the line of duty death report titled “Career Fire Fighter Dies of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning after Becoming Lost While Searching for the Seat of a Fire in Warehouse.” Page 14