Hartsdale Firefighter's Make Great Save

[16fire5 693]

A couple of thoughts here.

I really have no knowledge of how the HFD operates aside from what I read here. What it sounds like is the Chief turns out first since he doesn't dress and gets there first and does the 360 as the other apparatus is entering the block. So he or she isn't really a viable option for running in and making a grab. In the FDNY everywhere I have ever been the Chief lets the companies out and closes the doors for everyone and then trails all the apparatus. In fact if we are responding and come upon the chief 9 times out of 10 they pull over and let us by.

As for the conundrum of what to do when faced with a known life hazard upon arrival with limited staffing I see no hard fast answer. Our procedures are quite clear that an engine should not abandon stretching a line to address life hazards aside from extreme conditions. Now this was one of those things I used to fight in my mind when I would first read it but along with many others I now come to realize the genius of those sharp lads who wrote this stuff back in the day. The reality is if there's a fire bad enough to trap someone the situation is probably getting worse by the second. If we forgo stretching the line the fire will get bigger. That's not to say that in some situations you may need to go for the life hazard but it's one of the ultimate judgement calls. Putting out the fire makes lots of problems go away while letting the fire grow makes new problems by the second.

As for the 360 if you're not doing it you should start right now. Do it on everything to make it second nature (CO, Gas, AFAs). The amount of information that you can gain with it is immense. In that private dwelling fire a major part of it is ruling out the basement fire which is critical and not always apparent-think balloon frame. If you look back at a lot of LODD country wide over the last 20 years you see plenty of incidents where something that could easily have been determined by the 360 killed members.

[hfdlt216 9]

A story that was relayed to me by a Chief up county was that their dept. responded to a structure fire in a 2 1/2 story, type V, platform construction, residential occupancy. On arrival, a female on scene was screaming "My baby, my baby. My baby is inside". The Chief then initiated a search team to conduct a primary search. The results of that search were negative. The woman continued to claim her baby was trapped inside the house. The Chief then sent in a second team. The subsequent results were negative. The fire at this time had been going and conditions were starting to deteriorate quickly. The woman was inconsolable and still claimed her child was inside. The Chief sent in a 3rd search team. With identical results. Long story short, not only was the woman intoxicated on PCP, she didn't even live in the home.

As for 360's & IC. In the military we call it RECON/INTEL and the establishment of Command & Control; and further, a term which has been creeping into the fire service is situational awareness. Intelligence is gathered, disseminated, and then implemented. There are clear delineation of roles, development of overall strategies and the resources & tactics necessary to accomplish them. There is no deviation. Fire Service specific, overall strategy is 1. Life Safety 2. Incident Stabilization 3. Preservation of Property/Environmental. Tactics are contigent on available resources. Of course ad hoc accomodations must be made as the situation warrants. Further, to be NIMS compliant as per established by NRF (NRP) & carried out via HSPD-5 & HSPD-8 the establishment of the Incident Command System is integral. It is mandatory for federal agencies. I also believe if you recieved federal grant money, i.e. SAFER, it is also mandatory. Without it some attorneys could come in and establish negligence as it is considered a standard. In most depts it's addressed in their respective SOP/SOGs. The role of the IC is very specific. It's analogous to the head of a snake. Without it nothing moves.

http://www.fema.gov/implementation-and-compliance-guidance-stakeholders

Edited May 16, 2014 by hfdlt216

[wraftery 1,275]

The 360 is not a newly instituted part of tactics, and it is not necessarily done by the IC himself, but by a subordinate who is assigned by either the IC or assigned by a SOP. Part of the roof man or OV man's responsibilities is to check the rear and report. Chiefs that are lucky enough to have an Aide will often send the Aide to do the 360. Of course, the IC can elect to look for himself.

[CFI609D 119]

Kudos to the HFD for a job well done, especially given their limited resources. The first-due crew and IC made an excellent size-up, and succeeded initiating an effective attack AND rescuing one of the occupants. Once again, the HFD's culture of training aggressively and often paid-off.

To the Monday-morning quarterbacks who have posted above, I was there and this was a text-book operation. Well-trained and combat-ready FFs & officers went above and beyond, which resulted in a life being saved.