Since it was a frigid 40 degrees this morning in Florida, we realized that our brothers elsewhere in the world must be still dealing with quite a bit of snow. Snow loading is something we had never even heard of, let alone considered on any fireground down here. As a result, we are going to turn this post over to some folks who obviously know much more about this they we ever could: Deputy Chief Sean Toomey and Bill Greenwood. A special thanks goes out to them for allowing us to share this information.

Click here for an article written by Lt. Bill Greenwood from Keene (NH) Fire and FETC Services regarding roof snow loads. It discusses some tactical implications of operating under a snow loaded roof, and even explains the differences between warm and cold roofs.

Click here for an info sheet used by Concord (NH) Fire that includes instruction on how to assess and calculate a roof loads to determine collapse potential. This simple sampling and assessment process was developed by Concord’s Deputy Chief Sean Toomey, who happens to be a fire protection engineer.

The video below shows exactly how much of a hazard snow loads can be on the fireground.

Stay safe (and warm) out there in the snow brothers!

Tillerman Eric Wheaton from Winter Park Truck 61 sent in his “twist” on carrying a hook and ladder. This particular method allows the hook to not only remain in place on the fly section as it is extended, but also allows for the hook to remain in place if the ladder is rolled into a new position along the building. Rolling the ladder like shown in the video is an extremely fast way to move a ladder from one window to another when performing a VES operation.

In this method the hook is simply “hooked” onto the rung plate of the fly section on the inside of the beam. Eric has determined that hooking onto the 3rd rung plate from the tip seems to be the best location to ensure the hook remains in place while rolling the ladder. This method has been tested with a variety of different styles of hooks, and seems to work just as well regardless of hook preference.

Adding a small zip tie to the bottom of the hook may be an option to further secure it to the ladder if so desired. The idea behind the zip tie over a velcro or snapping strap is that a small zip tie will simply break away when the hook is tugged when being placed in operation. Another nice feature about this method of carrying a hook is that depending on the orientation of the ladder compartment on the rig, the hook may be able to remain stored in place all of the time since the hook rides on the inside of the beam against the rungs.

Here is a great video of a close call on the roof. Forest Park (OH) firefighters were performing a vertical vent on a residential fire, when the decking started to fail. The firefighter knew enough to spread out and was caught and SAVED by the trusses. Huh, imagine that, the decking is what failed, and the trusses are what saved him… Maybe those trusses aren’t so dangerous after all. Maybe the fire service should be mad at the cheap and thin OSB decking instead of the trusses… Kudos goes to Forest Park for getting the roof, and knowing what to do in case things go bad. Training made the difference!

Video from WKRC Local 12 Cincinnati

Sometimes we are not even sure what to say about some of the videos that get sent in to us. This video was sent in by an anonymous friend. It seems like a good follow up to our most recent post discussing The Lost Art of the Fire Service. The real fun begins at 1:55, be sure to put it in full screen mode so you can truly appreciate the madness.
http://www.vententersearch.com/videos/flv/garageentry.flv

Actually, we take that back, this isn’t an issue about not understanding the Art, this is an issue about losing focus on what our objective is. It’s one thing for the first guy to do what he did (even though he should have known better), but the second guy should have been able to see the bigger picture. He was remote enough from the lunacy he should have realized what was happening. We cannot ever lose focus… We need to remember to work smarter, not harder on the fireground. You almost can’t go wrong grabbing the rotary saw when there is fire in a garage…

By the way, nice touch by the IC at about 1:29, it almost got away from ya there…

One last thought… Just because you know how to start the saw does not mean you know how to use it!

Check out this interesting video about the ladder shop in San Francisco. We apologize for not giving credit to whoever sent this to us, for the life of us, we can’t find the email. Anyway, San Francisco FD is still making their ladders from wood, the same way they were made back in the day. Besides just looking great, these things are built to last! The one being repaired in the video is apparently 92 years old. It’s great to hear how they justify using the ladders because of powerlines, proximity of buildings, and wind conditions. Maybe we should all go back to wood…
http://www.vententersearch.com/videos/flv/sanfranladder.flv

It’s funny to hear that many people think that vertical ventilation is SO dangerous, yet the some of the same people believe PPV is the answer to everything. This video proves that there are dangers associated with PPV as well. It is unfortunate to point out that the reporter seems to know more about the hazards of PPV than some of the people who actually use it. Don’t get us wrong, we are not bashing the use of PPV, we are questioning the “use it on everything” approach practiced by some departments. We are not implying that the department shown in this video did that, we a simply using the video as the training tool they intended it to be. They should be commended for sharing this valuable lesson. Besides, listen to what was said at 3:48 in the video, because of what they experienced, this department changed the way they will use PPV in the future. Sometimes it’s more important to know when not to do something, then to know how to do something.
http://www.vententersearch.com/videos/flv/ppvmakesitworse.flv
Video from KUTV Channel 2

Lieutenant Nate Quartier from Ormond Beach (FL) Engine 94 sent in these photos of something the crew was discussing around the firehouse. One of the brothers, Jim Peter was telling the crew about a new residential security door he saw at the local home improvement store. So after a short discussion, the crew loaded up and headed to the store for some impromptu in-service training. (Which is a great idea, an amazing amount of training opportunities await us there.) At first glance the door appears to look like any other residential door, but the price tag alone should let you know it has something a little extra. (Of course the price won’t be known when we come across it on a structure.) The door is an outward swinging door with an extra lip over the jamb to cover the traditional gap, and the hinges are more substantial, more like hinges found on some commercial doors. Upon closer inspection, it becomes obvious what sets this door apart from the others. It basically has six deadbolts (4 in the middle, and one top and one bottom) that are all controlled by a single lock mechanism.

Below is a video for the product. Don’t mind the fact that it is a promotional video, it still has some good information about the construction of the door. We certainly question their forcible entry demonstration, but it seems that through-the-lock would be the simplest way to go on this one. Speaking of their forcible entry techniques… That is why it is important to train, study different doors, and lock mechanisms, and to identify and visualize when forcing a door. No one who ever wears our uniform should look that ridiculous when faced with a challenging door.

We are not trying to be overly redundant here. We know this video is all over the internet already, but we wanted to get a copy of it up here for the archive purposes. We also wanted to thank the numerous people who emailed us the heads up on this video. Apparently, Allen Bell from Dover Fire captured this video on his HelmetCam of a Randolph (NJ) firefighter having to perform a headfirst ladder bailout. Fortunately, the firefighter who bailed only suffered minor injuries.
http://www.vententersearch.com/videos/flv/randolphbail.flv
Head first ladder bailouts have always been a somewhat controversial topic in the fire service. It’s one of those things that you hope to never have to rely on, but nice to have in your bag of tricks if the time comes. It appears that this firefighter was attempting to perform the rotation or spin maneuver on the ladder in order to some down the ladder feet first. There are pros and cons to that. Hopefully someone can get us more details on the situation in the near future. Like everything else we have on the site, please use this video as a training opportunity for you and your crew.

…On a side note, there are a number of other things happening on the fireground that could also serve as learning opportunities also…

We hope the injured firefighter has a speedy recovery!

Captain Dale Pekel from Wauwatosa Fire (WI) and Elm Grove Fire (WI) sent in this informative video of a simple but effective training prop he has developed. The prop is simple to build, easy to set-up and break down, and doesn’t cost more than $200. The prop has a number of different configurations that allow it to be changed up to make some of the drills more challenging. Take a look at the video to see the various different techniques that can be practiced on this prop. This prop would be useful for performing quick drills around the firehouse that can be incorporated into more full scale drills at a later date. It would also be handy to have set-up at the firehouse during inclement weather that makes training outside a challenge.
http://www.vententersearch.com/videos/props/windowprop.flv

A friend from a Baltimore City Truck Company sent this video over to us from a Rapid Fire Event that happened in Baltimore on Friday. BCFD crews were operating on scene of a occupied row house where they had a well advanced fire upon arrival. We are simply calling this a Rapid Fire Event because we don’t want to cause any arguments over whether it was a Flashover, Backdraft, or something else. The terminology is not the important thing here. Watch the video, and wait for the detailed reports come out in the few months, LEARN FROM THEM. That’s what the post is about. (You may have to let the video load once, and click it again to actually view it, we are working on fixing that…)

From what we understand the first Truck Company on scene’s tillerman laddered & VES’d the second floor front while the roof man vented a few skylights, and reached over to pop the rear second floor windows. As the roofman began to come down the ladder, he described a sound of a “freight train coming through” when the Rapid Fire Event occurred. It caused venting out of every opening in the entire house including the second floor and skylights. It is important to point out that the first Truck Company on scene should have been the second due Truck Company under normal conditions. However, the regular first due Truck Company was closed as a result of rotating closures for manpower. It is tough to say whether or not this created enough of a delay in the performance of Truck Company functions to have contributed to the event from occurring. We only mention it here to highlight the significance of the need to perform Truck Functions early.

The fire appears to have started in the basement, which was also where the rapid fire event appears to have begun. Apparently the engine crew was delayed in making it into the basement and truly getting to the seat of the fire due to a large amount of contents in the basement.

Preliminary reports were that seven members were injured as a result of this event with mostly minor burns and a dislocated shoulder. We understand that the officer of the Engine Company is still hospitalized, but in stable condition. We wish all of the members a speedy recovery!