This same floor may also serve as a Rehab Division. Space will be needed for all the additional equipment being brought up as well as the crews that will be assigned to the Resource Division. Space also needs to be taken into consideration. The officer needs to determine if floor conditions are good enough for crews to be staged without being exposed to the products of combustion for extended periods of time.
Resource floorĪrriving two floors below the reported fire floor, the attack team leader will quickly scout the floor for two purposes: A blind shaft elevator that only serves the floors above the fire floor is the preferred choice. If elevators are being utilized to transport a roof team or Rapid Ascent Team (RAT), locate an elevator that does not serve the fire floor. It is also a good practice to stop five floors below the reported fire floor to check elevator operations, then proceed to two floors below the fire floor. The attack team leader should proceed to the elevators, ensure the elevator operator is comfortable in the operations of the elevator, check the elevator shaft for signs of smoke, fire or water, and then proceed to two floors below the reported fire floor. In mid-rise buildings, it’s best to use the elevators only for moving equipment later in the operation. In mid-rise buildings, I do not recommend using the elevator for the attack team, as you are only going four to five stories at the most, and the elevator can become affected by fire products much sooner. In high-rise buildings, elevators are an essential component of moving firefighters and equipment to upper floors. The lead company officer should also inquire about the use and ability to pressurize the attack stairwell at this time. Lobby Control will provide the attack team leader with alarm panel information, building information, the recommended stairwell for attack, building keys, phones, and directions to the elevators if not within view of the Fire Command Center (FCC). The attack team will initially assemble in the lobby. All communication about the attack team will also flow through or from this officer as well. While there may be several officers among the group, only one can be the lead officer the other officers need to understand and respect this fact and the decisions made thereafter. Two to three companies are necessary for transporting and advancing the 2½-inch hoseline that is required for most standpipe operations. The attack team is made up of two to three separate companies that initially travel and function as one. The initial attack team should be composed of six to nine members. Success will be determined by your understanding of your department’s guidelines, your company-level training and your ability to maintain the discipline of several companies under hostile conditions. It’s not as simple as connecting to the standpipe and opening a valve. If the attack team botches this operation by not having a practiced plan, crowding the stairwell, abandoning equipment, poorly flaking out the hoseline, propping open doors or simply failing to make it to the preferred standpipe, the likelihood of success will be marginal at best. It is where we set our discharge pressure prior to entering a hostile environment.ĭuring high-rise and mid-rise fire operations, the success of operations hinges on the stairwell. The stairwell is a remote command post for the division officer or attack team lead officer. Simply retreating and closing the door can provide the protection a crew needs to escape a bad situation or restart the attack after being overtaken by rapidly changing fire conditions.
It is also a place of refuge when things go bad. It can be a staging area for the backup crew or second line.
It is, many times, where the water source is located and where the fire attack will be initiated. The stairwell is many things to firefighters.
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