Searching Without A Line

We are fortunate that the "information age" provides us with knowledge, facts, and opinions of folks from all over the fire service.  While we may not always agree with the information disseminated, it is beneficial to hear what other folks are thinking and see how they're doing business. I recently read an editorial stating: "because of the fires we are fighting today, Trucks and Rescues will no longer be able to operate independent of a hoseline." I, very respectfully, disagree with this mindset and feel it's indicative of another widespread epidemic within our fire service, but I will talk about that some other time.  While contrary to the way I think, it seems more folks are subscribing to the idea that Trucks and Rescues cannot operate independent of a hoseline in the 21^st century.  In my opinion, this mindset will lead to Trucks and Rescues becoming less effective.  Trucks and Rescues can still operate without a hoseline, however this operation must occur in a precise, and mindful, manner. 

Studies have shown us that fire loading and building construction are different than those that generations before us faced and, in turn, we need to acknowledge this to remain effective on the fire ground.  With that said, it doesn't mean we stop going in to fires or we change the incident objectives of the fireground. It means that we should use this information to influence our decision making on the fireground.  The 2010 UL study,

Impact of Ventilation on Fire Behavior in Legacy and Contemporary Residential Construction, provided the fire service with a lot of great information that we must acknowledge.  Unfortunately, some folks are failing to acknowledge key components of the study.  One of these key components is the effect of "well ventilated, compartment fires" on interior doors.  Three doors were studied and all three doors took at least five minutes to fail while being exposed to a "well ventilated, compartment fire".

So what does this mean to us?  In my world, five minutes is a pretty significant amount of time on the fireground.  The simple act of closing a door can buy us a lot of time to do a lot of important work.  If a Truck or Rescue Company arrives before the Engine Company, immediate efforts need to be made to locate and confine the fire.  This is nothing new, or it shouldn't be anyways, however the UL study truly demonstrates the time we gain by confining the fire with a door.  If the fire is confined, our searches can be carried out in a safer manner and we have reduced the potential of ventilation flow paths being created.

Next we need to get our search done.  A lot of folks have been taught to chock doors as they go through them and this is great, if you're operating as part of an Engine Company with a charged hoseline.  However, if you are part of a Truck or Rescue Company, chocking the door provides a ventilation flow path for the fire to cut you off or overtake you.  Instead, close the door behind you when you enter a room to search.  Closing the door will isolate you from the fire and allow you to search a room with confidence that fire will not enter the remote compartment you have created.  Should fire take possession of the corridor you entered from, the door should provide you with approximately five minutes of refuge.  Five minutes may allow you to exit safely from a window, breach a wall to an area of safety, or allow the Engine Company to move in and extinguish the fire.  Either way, it's five minutes you didn't have before.  

One concern that folks have with closing doors behind them is that it will lead to disorientation and difficulty in locating the door.  I feel this is a legitimate concern as I too have been temporarily disoriented while searching large, or cluttered, rooms.  A method I have developed to combat this concern involves using a MN8 Fox Fire illuminating helmet band.  When entering a room to search, I place the helmet band over the door knobs.  This accomplishes two things: it serves as a point of reference for the member searching the room in limited visibility conditions and it also lets folks, on the other side of the door, know a member is in the room.  A picture of this method can be seen below and I am working with the good folks at MN8 to determine if a better product, similar to the black door straps also seen below, can be developed and if it would be a marketable product.

Using our brains, coupled with using doors, will allow Truck and Rescue companies to operate independent of hoselines in 21^st century fire buildings.  Proper actions taken by Truck or Rescue companies operating independent of a hoseline may limit fire progression and save lives.  Blanket statements, or creating policies, that prevent Truck or Rescue companies from performing important fireground tasks will compromise the effectiveness of these companies.  Instead, effectiveness can be maintained by performing these tasks in a precise, and mindful, manner.