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Posted: Aug 1, 2018

Fire Apparatus Big Flow Operations

BY PAUL SHAPIRO

Part 1 (May 2018) discussed how options exist for fire departments to get big flows with existing pumpers in their fleets—specifically out of pumpers with 1,250- or 1,500-gallon-per-minute (gpm) pumps.

It also described quick-attack units with large-flow monitors. Part 2 describes the steps involved with supplying the large flows to a super pumper or quick-attack unit.

SETTING UP THE PUMPER

I believe there is a place for this type of unit for a city department with some modifications in the unit itself as well as the water delivery operations required to support it. Let’s take a look at how this can be done.

I would make this unit capable of running as a regular engine company assigned to its own station and district with the few modifications previously mentioned to make it a high-flow pumper. The super pumper should have at least a 1,250- to 1,500-gpm pump.

Both sizes of hose will work in a 3,000-gpm evolution; however, with four-inch hose, you basically have to work twice as hard. Two four-inch lines equal approximately one five-inch line hydraulically. Other than that, the unit can be designed and equipped as a standard engine company to run the standard calls.

If there is a big fire that requires this unit to go into the high-volume mode, it can be special called for the incident if not already assigned. As mentioned above, the unit would need multiple supply lines to develop a 3,000-gpm stream. If five-inch hose is used, I recommend a minimum of three supply line evolutions from three separate hydrants set up in a relay pump operation no matter how close or far away the hydrant may be from the super pumper. We attempted four flow tests using two hydrants, five-inch hose, and two pumpers. Basically, we could not get enough water from the hydrants and we ran out of throttle. The third pumper with a third hydrant made a difference. The extra pump reduced the overall revolutions per minute (rpm) for the other two engines, making the operation more efficient and doable.

If the hose being used is five-inch, most likely three hydrants would also be needed, with two of them set up in a dual four-inch relay line and one in a single relay operation. If single supply lines are used instead of duals, plan on using up to five hydrants because of the extra friction loss in the supply hose. The super pumper operation itself would probably qualify for an extra alarm just to set it up, so it may need to be put in as a special callout procedure if the super pumper is needed. The pumpers hooking up to the hydrants for the relay operation should hook up a minimum of two soft suctions to get maximum flow from the hydrant, and both of them should be large-diameter hose (LDH). The 2½-inch port on the hydrant can be adapted to LDH to connect to the intake of the engine. In fact, if you think the hydrant is strong enough, I would go ahead and make a three-line hookup to the hydrant for maximum flow if the unit is equipped for three lines.

It’s very important to know your hydrant systems and what they are capable of. This should include the grid system and the size of the mains for the hydrant you might choose. A water main map is a must for this type of operation.

Finally, when using a master stream, the stream itself needs to be moving to cover the entire fire area it is responsible for. Just setting up a master stream and leaving it in one position does nothing m

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Posted: Aug 1, 2018

Yakima Fire Department looking into several suspicious fires

Just this past year, Yakima firefighters have responded to over 65 structure fires, and 43 of those are still under investigation. Fire officials say there is quite a bit of material that has to be looked through until a cause can be determined for many of those fires. Because of that, many of these fires are still being considered suspicious.
- PUB DATE: 8/1/2018 10:51:28 AM - SOURCE: NBCRightNow.com
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Posted: Aug 1, 2018

Active Shooter/Hostile Events and the Fire Department

Robert Tutterow

Veteran firefighters likely did not realize when they signed up for the job that they would have to train and possibly respond to incidents where there are multiple victims from acts of hostility. Most typically, these acts can involve gunshot wounds, improvised explosive devices, vehicle assaults, knife attacks, and chemical incidents.

Robert Tutterow

We have entered an era where these events are becoming more frequent, and there is no indication the frequency will subside. There is no specific venue that is the target of these events, although schools seem to be the most prominent. These events have also occurred at concerts, nightclubs, churches, sporting venues, malls, and basically anywhere people gather.

Bulletproof vests are quickly becoming standard issue as a means of firefighter personal protective equipment (PPE). How many of us who joined the fire service more than 20 years ago ever thought we would see the day we would have to wear bulletproof vests for our own protection? How many of us thought we would have to train for such events?

One common denominator in almost all the events, unfortunately, is the lack of coordination among the multiple responding and recovery agencies. This leads to a very hazardous environment for firefighters. There have been incidents where law enforcement has been on one side of a building and the fire service on the other side, and neither side could communicate with each other. The agency turfs and boundaries must be blended to provide a safer environment.

NFPA 3000

The standard addresses the following areas:

  • Risk assessment
  • Planning
  • Resource management
  • Organizational deployment
  • Incident management
  • Facility readiness
  • Finance
  • Communications
  • Competencies for law enforcement
  • Competencies for fire and EMS
  • PPE
  • Training
  • Community education
  • Information sharing
  • Readiness of receiving hospitals
  • Recovery

So, what i

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Posted: Aug 1, 2018

Are All Rescue Incidents Created Equal

Richard Marinucci

In the not-too-distant past, many organizations called themselves “fire departments.” But, a trend emerged where the word “rescue” was added to provide emphasis to the most important aspect of the work.

Richard Marinucci

This also helped in identifying the expanded role of “fire departments” to other emergency services including emergency medical services (EMS) and technical rescue. One might say it was a shift in branding to help promote all the services provided and remind the general public of the ever-increasing responsibilities added to the job description. Whatever the logic or reasoning for the change, the importance of rescue cannot be understated. As such, the need for proper training, policy, and application is a constant.

One could debate the various approaches to rescues and the differing viewpoints with respect to rescue profiling. By this, I mean that when a building is on fire, firefighters spring into action, almost acting on autopilot. But, if someone is caught in an unknown hazardous materials cloud, I would bet most firefighters would take a second look and slow down their approach.

We could look at a variety of calls: If a hot wire was on someone’s car or in close proximity, a similar approach would be taken. Regarding rescues from injury accidents, assessments with respect to survivability of wrecks come into play, and an evaluation of the hazards faced by the firefighters will affect strategy. For special rescue responses, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) rules and applicable standards dictate which approach to take.

Different Rescue, Different Approach

“So what?” you might ask. The real question is, “Why do we take a different approach to various rescues?” The answer may be a combination of things. One aspect could be our history with each type of rescue and our culture. We have been conditioned to work quickly in fire situations. Since the days of Ben Franklin, firefighters have been portrayed as racing into fires to search and rescue victims. Pop culture movies like “Backdraft” reinforce this image. Another reason could be our familiarity with these events and our training. From basic training to field training, we are conditioned to respond as quickly as possible to fires starting from the time of notification. In most organizations, the turnout time for a hazmat incident is slower than for a structure fire. Another consideration is that we have the proper protective equipment for the event and have enough “safety” to skip some steps if a rescue is even remotely possible.

In cases where the typical fire department is sent to a chemical spill, the same approach probably is not taken. The crews, depending on their training and available safety equipment, would take a much more methodical approach and would slow down. This could be because these incidents are not as frequent, and the same comfort level does not exist. More than likely, the crews would identify that the incident involves a chemical, probably unknown, and would request a specially trained team. If a human life was in the danger zone, there would still be a slower approach.

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Posted: Aug 1, 2018

Nozzle Reaction Helps Determine Nozzle Selection

By BRIAN BRUSH

“Arguments for and against the use of various nozzle designs often become nullified on the fire ground as crews find they cannot safely operate lines which exhibit high nozzle reaction forces.”—Captain David P. Fornell

NOZZLE OPERATING PRESSURE

The smooth bore nozzle may be viewed by some as “dated,” but if you take a little deeper look at history, you can see some very sound reasoning in the smooth bore nozzle. The operating pressure of the smooth bore is a range from 40 to 60 pounds per square inch (psi), with 50 psi as optimal. This was important to our forefathers in the fire service, as early pump systems were primarily lower pressure and could see significant fluctuations with more than one line being supported simultaneously. The solid stream and long tip provided accurate delivery of the fire stream at a great distance for firefighters with limited personal protective equipment.

As technology advanced, our pumps were able to provide higher and more consistent pressures. Lloyd Layman and various others brought the fog nozzle into the American fire service, vendors started to develop automatic nozzles, and before we knew it there was a shift from a 50-psi fire service to 100 psi.

Over the past 15 to 20 years, an increasing number of firefighters and departments are beginning to question what has been gained by doubling our nozzle operating pressures. In many cases, it is being discovered that, for the most part, the only true gain has been nozzle reaction, which simply equates to more work on the nozzle firefighter.

There have been several studies done over the past 20 years into nozzle reaction and how it affects hoseline operations. The goal of these studies has been to identify how much nozzle reaction firefighters can comfortably handle while still being able to effectively advance and manage a hoseline. A study by Paul Grimwood outlined three working limits: one firefighter [60 pound-force (lbf)], two firefighters (75 lbf), and three firefighters (95 lbf). I have been fortunate enough to work with firefighters across the country on hoseline operations, and I can tell you that with good technique, practice, improved fitness, and continued work, firefighters can easily operate lines with nozzle reaction forces beyond the above working limits. However, these working limits are very accurate for the majority of firefighters and the median level of training.

Nozzle reaction is the resultant lbf of pushback from the combined volume and pressure leaving the nozzle. The only way to alter nozzle reaction is to alter the volume [gallons per minute (gpm)] or the pressure (psi). Many people have used a variety of methods to demonstrate nozzle reaction like fish scales and rope, but the actual force is calculated using the nozzle reaction charts. As a rough rule of thumb, the lbf of nozzle reaction for a 100-psi nozzle is half of the gpm.

On the nozzle reaction charts, you can see the amount of nozzle reaction associated with four very common 1¾-inch nozzles. You can also see the side-by-side comparison of a 150-gpm-at-50-psi fog nozzle with a 100-psi automatic fog nozzle. Flowing the same gpm, there is a nozzle reaction difference of 21 pounds at 100 psi; at 150 gpm, the nozzle reaction of 76 pounds is at the working limit of two firefighters. Here is where you need to question if your department sees this as necessary or unnecessary pressure.

With good practices and techniques, firefighters can work beyond the outlined nozzle rea

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