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| The actions of the first due engine company have a great impact on the out come a fire . A well disciplined, self sufficient company is key to success. |
A wise battalion chief and greatly
respected personal mentor once said, "If we put the fire out, everything
gets better". This recently rang true once again.
Our 24-hour tour was a fairly standard
one; a mix of medical calls and fire alarms filled the crisply lined page of
the company logbook. Around 0130 the "long tone" hit.
"Finally!" We moved down the spiral stairs with haste and donned our gear, the dispatchers
voice crackled over the house page " attention engine 7, engine 1, engine
10, ladder 3, ladder 2, rescue 1, the rescue squad and battalion 1: an
alarm of fire has been transmitted...". “First due!" I thought, as I slung my flashlight over
the top of my SCBA and the pumper raced the 10 or so blocks.
As we turned into the block it was
very apparent this wouldn’t be "meat on the stove". The officer reported over the radio "engine 7 arriving,
signal 30 ( working fire)". A quick exchange of "200' top
floor?” -"Yup" was made prior to leaving the rig. As the
stretch of the nozzle length off the pumper commenced, the boss was talking to
an occupant who informed him that there were still additional occupants in the
rear bedrooms on the fire floor. He relayed this information to the additional
companies.
After chocking the door from the front
porch open, and proceeding to the top of the apartment stairs. I dropped the
nozzle, we donned our face pieces and the boss called for water. As
the line filled with water the captain of rescue 1(a two man paramedic unit)
alerted us that they would be going ahead of the line to search the rear
bedrooms for the occupants.
The line was bled and we
started our push in the door to the left where the main body of fire was.
As the boss chased kinks, I
started to cool the thick black velvet like smoke above us. Moving in about 10
more feet we found the main body of fire located in a small "bump
out" and front porch. Using the reach of the stream, we started to knock
down the bulk of the fire from the porch doorway. As we operated the line,
rescue 1 reported they had removed both occupants via the interior stairs. At
this point the main body of fire was knocked down. As additional companies made their way to the fire
floor, the task of checking for extension and "opening up" began.
After an hour or so the extensive overhaul was complete and we started to
break down the ice-covered hose and shortly returned to quarters where dry
clothes awaited.
All in all this fire was a "home run" due to the efforts of all members involved. The first and
second due engines worked together on advancing a line. The first due chauffeur
established a positive water source, the trucks threw ladders and opened up and
TWO OCCUPANTS
WERE SUCCESSFULLY RESCUED.
Talking to a brother about this job a
few days after the fact. He stated, "Wow, you guys still stretched a line
even with reported entrapment". At first I wasn't sure what angle he was
going for so I had a puzzled look on my face. He elaborated, " Most guys
would go for the grab and leave the line". My puzzled look continued.
The job of the first due engine isn't
especially glamorous on the list of fire ground tasks but one of absolute
necessity. Without water on the fire in a quick and efficient manor, the rest
of the priorities come to a screeching halt as conditions become untenable.
The fire service as
a whole just reflected on the 10-year anniversary of a fire that spiraled out
of control in a split second and lead to the loss of three brothers. Our goal
is to never repeat this and we've undoubtedly made many advances in the arena
of "personal safety". Let's try to keep up in the arena of
"personal discipline".
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| Shortly after the main body of fire was knocked-down(Photo by Ralph David Spence) |
