No Stair Dwelling!

Go up them or get down them.  Seems like a simple concept, right?  It’s how I’ve taught my daughter to “operate” when changing locations within our house.  It’s how my parents taught me.  The bottom line: Go up or get down, but do not hang out on the stairs!

If it’s such a simple concept, why do some firefighters have such a hard time grasping it?  I’m sure it’s not a problem exclusive or unique to Northern Virginia and I’m sure it’s not a new concern.  I believe there are a handful of reasons that firefighters hang out on the stairs, unfortunately, none of which are good reasons. 

Some firefighters hang out on the stairs because they want to feel like they are part of the “action” on the upper, or lower, floor but do not want to commit fully to the floor. They like the idea that they were “inside and doing it”, forgetting the fact that they weren’t actually doing anything. That is, anything productive. 

Some firefighters stall out before making the floor and need that extra bit of encouragement.  Somebody has to rise to the occasion and keep the troops moving forward.  Conversely, somebody needs to step up and get the troops off the stairs if, for whatever reason, a company isn’t going to make the floor. In this job, if we aren’t gaining ground, we’re losing ground.

Other firefighters simply aren’t thinking.  They become so engrossed in the obvious situation, the fire, that they become oblivious to all of the other situations unfolding around them.  This is extremely detrimental and company officers need to keep a level head to see the “big picture”.

So why shouldn’t firefighters hang out on the stairs? Hanging out on the stairs places firefighters is an operationally compromising position, regardless of the company they are assigned to. 

In many detached, and attached, private dwellings, the stairways are stacked.  This means that the area directly below the upper stairs is the bottom stairs.  If this area becomes compromised during a fire and a collapse occurs, you basically have an open shaft from top to bottom.  A firefighter hanging out on the stairs increases the concentrated load on the stairs therefore increasing the probability of collapse if fire is burning beneath.  Also, keep the mindset that the fire is beneath you until proven otherwise.

Many new homes are being built with large, open foyers that also happen to be the location of the stairways.  Often times, there are large, decorative chandeliers or other ornamental pieces hanging from the ceiling in the open foyer.  These have been known to crash down from the ceiling during fires and could injure firefighters that are hanging out on the stairs.  Also, these homes often have multiple zones for their HVAC system, which often means a HVAC unit is in the attic.  These attic HVAC units are often found near the top of the stairs and can easily come through the ceiling and on to the stairs during an attic fire.

Firefighters hanging out on the stairs create an obstruction for companies operating at a fire.  The firefighters hanging out on the stairs may inhibit a company from reaching their desired area and carrying out their responsibilities or they may inhibit a distress or injured firefighter, or company, from exiting an area.  I have been to many fires where my company had to make the extra effort to get past stair dwellers so that we could go to work.  Two minutes prior to my arrival at one such fire, a good friend of mine was forced to jump down over the stair dwellers who wouldn’t move up or down.  This was after he had sustained third degree, excuse me, full thickness burns on his neck and back.  He received treatment and was back on the job after the burns healed, however his retreat from the second floor was definitely delayed due to firefighters hanging out on the stairs.

If my, now 3 year old, daughter can grasp the concept of going up or getting down stairs, surely a highly trained firefighter should be able to.  Often, firefighters need to do some self-evaluation to determine what types of bad habits they possess.  Think back to previous fires, were you hanging out on the stairs?  If so, were you doing something you couldn’t do from the top of the stairs or the bottom?  I’d venture to say you probably weren’t.  Changing habits like these will help keep us safer while remaining an effective firefighting force.