High-Rise Operations Manual PDF

SECTION TOPICS Arriving at the Resource Floor The Hose Advance The Floor Below the Fire The Hose Stretch The Fire Floor and Floors Above The Control Firefighter SECTION OBJECTIVES Describe the initial actions taken when arriving at the resource floor Identify the team positions on the fire att...

SECTION TOPICS Arriving at the Resource Floor The Hose Advance The Floor Below the Fire The Hose Stretch The Fire Floor and Floors Above The Control Firefighter SECTION OBJECTIVES Describe the initial actions taken when arriving at the resource floor Identify the team positions on the fire attack hose line State the groups that may be located on the resource floor State the proper pressures and flows for high-rise hose Understand the characteristics of residential high-rise floor construction Identify proper trouble-shooting procedures on the fire attack team State why the initial ladder company recon is so important for the Fire Attack Group State basic techniques for advancing high rise hose Discuss floor layout safety concerns when entering a commercial high-rise Identify additional groups that may be needed as a large incident progresses Second Edition 01/11/22 75 OVERVIEW The resource floor is two floors below the fire floor All crews riding elevators will exit two floors below the fire floor, onto the resource floor The Resource Group will operate on the resource floor Extra equipment will be stored on the resource floor o SCBA bottles o Hose packs and standpipe kits o Hand tools o Lights, electric cords, and electric fans o Search ropes and RIT packs The Resource Group Supervisor shall keep a unit activity log (ICS 214) STAGING Interior crews will stage on the resource floor o Operations Chief could be located here o Operations Chief will move between the resource floor and the fire floor REHAB Rehab of firefighting crews will happen on the resource floor o The EMS Supervisor is in-charge of rehab and the Casualty Collection Point (CCP) o One Medic crew will be assigned to rehab CASUALTY COLLECTION POINT The Casualty Collection Point (CCP) will be set up on the resource floor o One Medic crew will be assigned to the CCP o The USE Group will bring any victims to the CCP o EMS triage of victims will start at the CCP The Resource Floor is the hub of operations above the lobby during a high-rise fire Second Edition 01/11/22 76 OVERVIEW The Fire Attack Group begins their operation on the floor below the fire. Forward accountability is also located here. This is where the second accountability board and second passport are used The Fire Attack Group consists of the first two engines and the first ladder Engine companies stand-by on the floor below while the ladder recons the fire area Ladder company searches for the fire and determines which stairwell is best for fire attack o Rope and TICs should be used during the search o If victims are found, remove them to the CCP o Once the fire is found, tell the engine companies the best location to stretch from The shortest hose stretch is the best stretch By waiting for the recon report, the engine companies can relocate to another stairwell if it provides better access to the fire location Ladder company designates the Attack stairwell and the Evacuation stairwell o All companies need to hear this radio message, including the I/C o Ladder company clears the stairwell above the attack entry point o Civilians need to be removed from the attack stairwell because the attack stairwell will become a vent point when firefighters advance onto the fire floor The USE Group will move victims down the evacuation stairwell. The USE Group will use the evacuation stairwell as the main avenue of travel for both search and victim removal recon efforts, a member of one of the engine companies should recon the floor below the fire. That member should be looking for additional stairwells in case the engine companies need to relocate to a different stairwell RESIDENTIAL HIGH-RISES In residential high-rises, the floor layout on other floors will be the same as the fire floor Residential high-rise buildings are built to utilize common building utilities Room numbers and unit features are similar from floor to floor Apartment #705 will be directly below apartment #805 Counting the doors to apartment #705 will give firefighters an idea how far the stretch will be to apartment #805 This photo shows a layout common in residential high-rises. If you were to turn around, the view would be nearly identical in the opposite direction Second Edition 01/11/22 77 The image on the left shows an overhead view of the general floor plan found in most residential high-rise buildings. Residential high rises will generally have a center hallway, and they will be more compartmentalized than the layouts found in commercial high-rise buildings COMMERCIAL HIGH-RISES If the high-rise building is commercial, the floor layout will most likely be different from one floor to the next o The elevators, stairwells, and utility chases will be the same o Tenants can outfit their floor however they choose, which creates a different layout from floor to floor The photo on the left shows a common office floor plan found in commercial highrise buildings. This open area would generally be filled with cubicles to maximize work space. The open space design of this layout leads to unobstructed fire progression throughout the floor The image on the right shows a floor plan layout for a commercial floor similar to the photo above. Stairwells and elevator shafts compose the center of floor plans in this center core style of high-rise Second Edition 01/11/22 78 OVERVIEW Once the fire has been located and the Attack stairwell has been designated, it is time for the Fire Attack Group crews to stretch the line and go to work. The Fire Attack Group should consist of seven to nine firefighters based on the time of day. Prior to 2000, seven firefighters; after 2000, nine firefighters. THE TEAM POSITIONS Fire Attack Group Supervisor The IC will designate one of the engine officers to be the supervisor o Assigns hose team positions o Communicates for the group to the I/C o Monitors the conditions and the crew during the fire attack Nozzle Firefighter Usually is the firefighter that carried the hose pack up Unpacks the hose and prepares the two halves for the stretch Stretches the nozzle half of the pack Operates the nozzle on the fire floor Back-up Firefighter Follows the hose line up, removing kinks and pushing hose to the outside Moves hose from the fire floor stairwell into the fire area Primary job is to absorb the nozzle reaction for the nozzle firefighter Door Firefighter 1 Assists members with removing kinks and pushing hose to the outside Positions on the landing between floors and moves hose up the stairs onto the fire floor Travels between the floor below and the fire floor moving hose Door Firefighter 2 Assists members with removing kinks and pushing hose to the outside Positions on the fire floor landing Usually is a ladder company firefighter Opens and chocks the door for the hose advance Moves hose from the fire floor stairwell into the fire area Control Firefighter Positions at the standpipe outlet Acts as the remote pump operator Operates the hose outlet Flakes out remaining hose on the floor below Click to view a video on Deploying the 2 1/2" Single Stack/Deploying 2" to the Fire Floor Door Click to view video on Deploying the 2 1/2" Twin Donut/Deploying 2" to the Half Landing Above Second Edition 01/11/22 79 IDENTIFY The first step in the standpipe hookup is to determine whether there is a PRD or a PRV present. Firefighters must be able to identify which type of PRD or PRV is present in order to remove or adjust the device. Pressure Reducing Device If a PRD is found, firefighters shall remove it Pressure Reducing Valve If PRVs are encountered, the Fire Attack Group Supervisor should be notified Factory Pre-Set Non-Adjustable PRV For a factory pre-set non-adjustable PRV, firefighters will not know if the valve is set correctly until they complete the entire hook up and begin flowing water to set the pressure. If the valve is improperly set, firefighters may find that there is not enough pressure to achieve an effective fire stream. At this point, firefighters should try a different valve. If the valve on the floor below the fire is found to be inadequate, firefighters must now go two floors below the fire floor and try that valve. Another option is to try a valve in a different stairwell, but using an alternate stairwell for attack would need to be coordinated with Incident Command. There is no way to increase pressure in a factory pre-set non-adjustable valve. Whatever pressure is obtained when the valve is fully open is the maximum pressure the valve will be able to supply. Trying to increase the pressure by having the FDC engine take over for the fire pump and supply more pressure to the standpipe will not work. The valve will continue to reduce the pressure to whatever pressure it was pre-set to at the factory. Field Adjustable Valve If a field adjustable valve is identified, things have just gotten much better for the operation if firefighters are familiar with these devices. There is no need to adjust a field adjustable valve until the hookup is complete and water is flowing. Most of the valves will be set correctly. If there is inadequate flow when setting the pressure, firefighters can then adjust the valve as needed. Giacomini Second Edition 01/11/22 Zurn Urfa 80 CONNECT STANDPIPE APPLIANCES Gate Valve to flushing the system. The purpose of the gate valve is to make the operation easier and take the hand wheel out of play during the operation. Most of the hand wheels on standpipes have not been opened in years. Therefore, these hand wheels may be very difficult to operate. With the gate valve in place, open the hand wheel on the standpipe fully. From this point on in the operation all adjustments will be made from the gate valve. Flushing the standpipe and dialing in the flow pressure will be accomplished much more efficiently with the gate valve than with the . The less the hand wheel is used the better; this means less chance of breaking the hand wheel off and having to open the standpipe with a pipe wrench. Click here to view Vector Solutions video on Connecting to the Standpipe Flush Prior to any hookup, a proper flush of the system must be performed. Open the standpipe valve enough to remove any debris from the system. The water in the system will be nasty! A 3-5 second flush per floor above the lobby should be performed For example, the 12th floor would get approximately a 30 second 1 minute flush The water will clear up some, but the main purpose of the flush is to remove any scale in the system (small pieces of rust inside the pipe). In a wet system, the only debris that should be present is scale. Other debris such as bags, gloves, cans, etc. should not be found as there is no place to introduce them into the system. Firefighters will find such debris in dry pipe systems such as a parking garage. Dry pipe systems can be a nightmare because of this debris; special caution should be taken. Flush the dry pipe system longer if needed. The photo on the left shows how improper flushing could cause debris to make its way to the nozzle. Note the color of the water (photo on right) from the standpipe without a proper flush. Second Edition 01/11/22 81 45° Elbow with Bleeder Valve The elbow should be placed on the gate valve. It is designed to make a gradual turn toward the direction in which the hose line will be placed. In situations where the connection is being made in a hose cabinet, it may be necessary to place the elbow directly on the standpipe to provide the clearance needed to hook up the gate valve. In-Line Pressure Gauge The inline pressure gauge should be placed AFTER the elbow whenever possible. Partially opening the gate valve creates turbulence in the water just after the gate valve. Placing the inline pressure gauge after the elbow allows the turbulence to be reduced before it reaches the gauge. This provides a more accurate gauge reading when setting the flow pressure. Attach the Attack Hose Once the standpipe has been properly flushed and all appliances are attached in the correct order, the hoseline may now be attached to the in-line gauge. Wait to charge the line until the hose team has laid out the hose appropriately and is ready for water. Once water is called for, open the gate valve slowly and allow the hose to fill with water. Once the hose is full, open the gate valve completely and prepare to set the pressure. The photo above shows the proper way the control firefighter should be making the standpipe connection. Second Edition 01/11/22 82 SETTING THE PRESSURE When the nozzle team opens the line and flows it in the stairwell, the control firefighter sets the pressure on the line by slowly closing the gate valve until the desired pressure is reached on the in-line gauge: 1/ o 16 SB requires 90 PSI while flowing If an additional section of hose 1/ o 16 1 o /16 Crews should consider the following if additional hose is needed for the stretch: o The extra 2 requires an additional 5 PSI for friction loss, but it may limit mobility o The s an additional 15 PSI for friction loss, but it is more mobile The photos here help to illustrate the importance of setting pressure while flowing water. The pressure on the left is with the standpipe outlet and the gate valve open and the line fully charged while not flowing. (Static) The gauge shows approximately 150 PSI. The photo on the right shows the pressure with the line open and flowing prior to adjusting the gate valve. (Residual) The gauge shows approximately 90 PSI. Click here to view Vector Solutions video on Setting the Pressure/Urfa PRV Adjustment TROUBLESHOOTING Firefighters can take the following steps if unable to reach the target flowing pressures: Inform the Fire Attack Group Supervisor of the situation How much pressure is lacking? Is a PRD or adjustable PRV present? o The supervisor will radio down to the I/C and the FDC engines and request them to start pumping o This may require communication back and forth until the desired pressure is achieved. In a perfect world, this will solve the problem If it does not, the Fire Attack Group Supervisor will make the call to either advance the line as is, or call for additional lines to be stretched from a different stairwell and riser o Placing a choker tip on the nozzle can make a huge difference o Instead of the 1 1/16 a 15/16 o Flow will be less, but reach and back pressure will improve Second Edition 01/11/22 83 Lt. Andy Fredericks (FDNY, LODD on 9/11) Clear the Attack Stairwell one last time of civilians, then chock the door open Open the nozzle fully: o Let the reach of the stream and the GPM do their job o 240 GPM is hard to quantify, but four gallons per second is easy to imagine o ; it does not need to be whipped violently Let the power of the stream remove the ceiling tiles Sweep the floor to move falling debris out of the way ADVANCING Communicate with the team while the nozzle is fully open o Tell the back-up firefighter how far you want to move forward Using distances makes it easier for the team behind you to move hose: o Five feet or ten feet are common distances to use; relay that distance to every member on the line o Move slowly and controlled. Stay in balance and only move as far as the distance you asked for The goal with the o If crews become fatigued or if conditions allow, they can gate the bale down halfway. This reduces nozzle reaction and helps firefighters advance forward Once at the next position, let the back-up know you are going to fully open the nozzle Doing so allows them to transition from a moving position to a bracing position to handle the nozzle reaction WHILE THE NOZZLE IS FLOWING IN A STATIC POSITION The hose team is gathering hose for the next move Each member will identify areas that hose can be pre-loaded Each member will communicate needs to the team and work together to pre-load their areas WHILE THE NOZZLE IS MOVING FORWARD Each team member is advancing hose up to the next team member, and that team member is doing the same Every person behind the nozzle team is working to advance hose during the movement phase or is pre-loading hose during the static phase At no time is there a rest phase! CONTINUE MOVING AND PRE-LOADING UNTIL The fire is out The hose supply is exhausted The team gets relieved by replacement crews Click here to view Mt Carmel High Rise Training Moving and Flowing Second Edition 01/11/22 84 OVERVIEW There will be times when the hybrid hose package have enough knock down power for every fire that firefighters may face. Examples could include a fully involved commercial style high-rise with an open floor plan, a residential high-rise fire that has overtaken the common hallway, or possibly a wind driven fire. Every engine company coming in on the initial assignment will be bringing their high-rise equipment to the resource floor. This will provide three complete high-rise packs and standpipe bags upstairs during the initial stages of the incident. In the event that such a fire is encountered, firefighters will need to have a plan to deliver more than the 240 GPM that the current high rise hose package delivers. In such cases, it . The increase in hose diameter will help reduce friction loss, and the larger tip sizes will provide the higher GPM necessary for these types of fires. ELKHART ST-185Indy Stack Tips 1 1/8 (328 GPM at 50 PSI NP) Carrying these Indy Stack tips in the standpipe bag gives firefighters the option of using either tip with 1 1/8 50 PSI 266 25 PSI 98 LBS Standpipe Discharge Pressure 75 PSI 50 PSI 266 30 PSI 98 LBS 80 PSI Hose Length Nozzle Pressure GPM Friction Loss Nozzle Reaction 50 PSI 328 35 PSI 121 LBS Standpipe Discharge Pressure 85 PSI 50 PSI 328 45 PSI 121 LBS 95 PSI Hose Length Nozzle Pressure Second Edition 01/11/22 GPM Friction Loss Nozzle Reaction 85 MQA/RAM up the possibility of using an MQA or RAM. Each of these devices is capable of delivering up to 500 GPM; they are ideal for commercial fires with an open floor plan or untenable residential hallways that are beyond hand-line control. Remove any stream straighteners on the MQA or RAM during high rise operations. Stream straighteners can become clogged with standpipe debris. The tables below show the appropriate standpipe discharge pressures for MQA Tip Size 1111- Nozzle Pressure 80 80 80 80 55 GPM 266 336 415 502 496 Friction Loss in 15 25 38 55 55 Standpipe Discharge Standpipe Discharge 100 115 135 165 165 110 130 155 190 190 RAM Tip Size 1- Nozzle Friction Standpipe Discharge Standpipe Discharge GPM Pressure Loss in 80 505 55 165 190 *Appliance will have roughly 9.5 PSI of friction loss at 500 GPM Even if the standpipe does not have enough pressure available to pump the MQA/RAM at the desired pressures shown in the charts above, an under pumped MQA/RAM is still a powerful weapon that is still worth using as long as there is a usable stream. This type of operation is not going to happen often, but when it does firefighters need a plan to bring the bigger line into weapon needed to fight such a fire. Another factor to consider on larger, more involved fires like these is the potential need to add a second hose line onto the same standpipe. See the link below for more information. Click here to view Brass Tacks and Hard Facts video on Adding a Second Line off the same Standpipe, starring Lt. Robertson Second Edition 01/11/22 86 THE FIRE FLOOR Life safety is still the primary goal; the fire floor is no exception During hose advancement and extinguishment, the members of the hose team will also be searching the fire area for victims Ladder company members can move off the line and search If victims are found, remove them to the CCP two floors below. The line may need to remain in one position until firefighters return from making the rescue THE FLOORS ABOVE The floor above and areas beyond will be searched by the USE Group The USE Group is composed of the first rescue and second ladder Ladder officer is the USE Group supervisor The USE Group travels using the evacuation stairwell Although SOP 02-03-04.04 states a specific order in which the USE Group will perform their search, a real high-rise incident will be a little more fluid. For instance, the Fire Attack Group should be checking the Attack Stairwell as they recon for entry onto the fire floor. Doing so frees up the USE Group to check the Evacuation Stairwell as they move to the floor above the fire. Once the floor above the fire is cleared, the USE Group will check the top floor, elevators, and other remaining areas When victims are located, remove them to the CCP two floors below the fire. If a protect The USE Group Supervisor will inform the IC of the conditions encountered Once an All Clear is given for areas above the fire floor, the USE Group can be reassigned to other functions There are many other groups that have not been discussed in detail. These groups are important groups in the High-Rise operational plan, but they are not immediately staffed by the first alarm companies or the working fire assignment. As the incident progresses, the I/C will add these groups in as needed. They will be formed from later arriving multiple alarm companies. Refer to the Division SOPs for details. Some of these other groups include the following: Resource Group Stairwell Support Group Medical Branch Rehab Group Ventilation Group Staging Area Manager This concludes the operational sections of this manual. This book can never encompass all the fire scenarios you might encounter in your career; the intent is to improve the base knowledge of CFD firefighters and provide a framework in which to operate. The next section of this manual will cover Stack Effect, stairwell design, and many other building features that can impact operations and hose deployment in high-rise buildings. Second Edition 01/11/22 87