Firefighter Near-Miss

Hot Smoke

When we arrive at a fire scene, visible indicators sharpen our initial

OKC FD size-up. Construction styles can provide clues about how fire can spread, but the smoke and flames give us an indication of the fire’s progress, and in some cases, what may be generating the most flame. Being able to read smoke indicators can add a new level of understanding. My question is, what are the properties of smoke we need to know about for situational awareness? Smoke is full of particles that carry fuel and heat. While the structure can dictate how smoke is contained, other properties in this fire lead the charge for what happens next. The featured article shares the dangerous potential of smoke and how it could have changed this event. As you read, consider how you may have approached extinguishment and what factors would have added to your decisions.

Smoke Explosion At Structure Fire

Published: 2/24/2016 http://firefighternearmiss.com/Reports?id=6406

Event Narrative

Initial Size Up: Working fire in a two-story brick residential structure.

Event Summary

The Chief arrived on the scene with the size up and conducted a 360. Fire was visible on the “D” side of the house on the exterior. We pulled a 1 3/4inch hand line for extinguishment. A personal acquaintance with the family told us that they were out of town on vacation, so rescue was not an issue. The fire was knocked down but extension into the attic via the soffit was evident. The line was repositioned to the front door to enter. The door was forced and a crew of two entered with the hose line and Thermal Imaging Camera (TIC). Smoke was moderate and heat was low. The TIC was used to advance the line into the area adjacent to the exterior fire. The TIC indicated that there was fire in the attic. We had an open door to the “D” side and the entry door was open. We started to pull ceilings and apply water.

With these conditions in mind, consider the following: • If you were leading this interior operation, would you have different strategies for assessing extension into the structure? • What safeguards would you have employed with this type of attack? (Discuss your department’s policy on backup crew vs RIT). • Are there additional tactics you would have assigned to ensure cohesive fire ground operations? (These tactics may have been used at this incident but were not included in this report). • Search “reading smoke” on the internet for examples to add to your daily drills.

Details from this report are examples of the potential smoke can have on a fire event. In this instance, crews entered the structure to investigate extension on the D-side. Conditions were described as moderate smoke with low heat. They entered on the ground level and moved to the right with a TIC. While pulling ceiling the unexpected happened. The event narrative continues.

Event Narrative (continued)

There was no warning of increased heat. We were standing to pull the ceilings and flow water. Suddenly, I noticed fire all around my upper body that lasted just a few seconds. At the same time, an explosion was felt on the outside that blew the frame of the window in the front door approximately 50 feet out into the front yard. No one saw the explosion, but it was felt. I ducked down to get out of the flames and the nozzle man dropped down and adjusted the nozzle to a fog. A second crew that had entered with us, evacuated through the front door when the explosion occurred. We continued to flow water for a few more seconds, then we were ordered out to get PAR and check personnel. It appears that a smoke explosion occurred from the heated smoke and gases that collected in the ceiling area of the living room. This was a highpitched ceiling that opened to a loft on the second floor and into the living room on the first floor.

Lessons Learned

• Ensure radio communication on assigned operations channel. The radio is equipped with a keypad lock to ensure your radio doesn’t accidentally get switched to a different zone. Command could not reach the interior crew due to the radio being on a different zone. • Ensure radio safeguards are checked to ensure you maintain radio communications with command. • Situational awareness: There was no heat increase to indicate a pending explosion. • PPE- wear it completely as it is designed. There were no injuries due to personnel wearing their PPE properly.

From this report, we see that smoke was not the only issue. High seasonal temperatures and communications became a significant element in this nearmiss. Without neglecting these issues, I wanted to focus on the smoke’s effect on this event. It is easy to see how a loft area could be overlooked upon entry, especially if the home has void spaces behind knee walls in the lower portion of the attic. Research has shown that we can’t reliably assess thermal conditions through floors, walls, or roofing with a TIC. Visibly inspecting is the most successful way to determine extension. Other factors that seemed to have an impact were forcing entry into the structure. Door control has been identified as a significant factor in ventilation-limited fires. Once a door is opened and fresh air is introduced into the structure, fire attack crews are on a short clock to locate the fire and complete extinguishment. This is very difficult when the fires are in hidden void spaces or areas like an undiscovered loft over the living room. Even when no fire victims are expected, assigning a search crew will confirm no one is in the home, and identify fire situations to command that went unnoticed. Coordinating these efforts with ventilation and fire attack is vital. Additionally, current research from U/L Lab’s Fire Safety Research Institutes (FSRI) confirms how heat is transfered through smoke. Several experiments found that in a window where the vent was unidirectional, window components were heated to extreme levels. Changing the flow path to create an inflow through the window cooled the components significantly in just a few seconds. While these FSRI studies focused on rescue techniques for unprotected fire victims, the indications of the thermal properties of smoke reinforce the need to coordinate ventilation, fire attack, and search on every fire. The first in a series of reports from FSRI, Part 1 - Bedroom fires involves search and rescue tactics with research that includes heat transfer and victim survivability. Other reports involving tactical considerations and identifying fires that originate in other home areas are available. These report findings are provided free of charge through grant funding and are excellent resources. Sharing events that happen in the fire service are motivators that drive research in our industry. The National Nearmiss Reporting System is a recognized resource for promoting this type of analysis. Consider sharing your nearmiss event today at www.Firefighternearmiss.com.

Weinschenk, Craig (2022) Analysis of Search and Rescue Tactics in Single-Story Single-Family Homes Part I: Bedroom Fires, FSRI-U/L is available free of charge from: https://dx.doi. org/10.54206/102376/DPTN2682