Wind-Driven Walk-Up Fire with Visible Rescue
At 03:10 you arrive first as captain on Pumper 2 at a four-storey brick-and-joist walk-up. Fire is venting from a second-floor rear window and lapping the third-floor balcony; wind is from the rear at 18 km/h, gusting 35 km/h. A woman and a child are shouting from the third-floor balcony above the fire. The front entrance is open, with light smoke in the stairwell. You have Pumper 2 with a 1,800 L tank and Pumper 5 arriving behind; a 30 m aerial is five minutes out. The nearest hydrant is 90 m from the front, and police report several occupants may still be inside. Eight firefighters are on scene. A bystander has moved a car across the rear lane, blocking aerial access. You are the initial incident commander.
1. State your initial command, size-up priorities, and first three actions. Explain how you balance the visible rescue with fire attack and stairwell protection.
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Assume command and transmit a brief, decision-focused plan: fire second floor rear, four-storey walk-up, visible rescue on third-floor balcony, wind from rear, Pumper 2 attacking, Pumper 5 water supply, aerial en route. Life safety is the first priority, but the visible rescue does not justify an uncoordinated race above the fire. First, confirm a rapid 360 or directed size-up from the front and rear if a safe route exists. Second, send a ground-ladder crew to the third-floor balcony only if a placement away from the venting fire can be found; if not, tell the occupants to stay low and close the balcony door while the aerial responds. Third, stretch a charged line to the front stairwell to protect the only reliable means of egress and hold the fire on the second floor. Do not send search crews above the fire until the stairwell is protected and a charged line is in place. Request a second alarm early because the wind-driven rear fire, multiple possible occupants, and blocked aerial access exceed the initial assignment. This balances rescue with firefighter safety and avoids committing crews to a flow path that may be cut off.
2. Assign water supply and apparatus. At what point do you call for a second alarm, and what triggers it?
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Pumper 5 should take the hydrant and lay a supply line; Pumper 2 should keep its 1,800 L tank for the initial attack line and the ladder crew. At typical attack-line flows, 1,800 L is minutes of water, not a working supply, so the hydrant must be established immediately rather than after the tank runs dry. The 90 m lay is manageable but needs a clear route, so assign one firefighter to traffic control and keep the rear lane clear for the aerial. Call the second alarm as soon as the visible rescue and wind condition are confirmed, not when water or crews fail. A second alarm brings the aerial, an additional attack line, relief crews, and a safety officer, all of which are needed for a rescue above a wind-driven fire. If the hydrant is out of service or the lay is delayed, switch to a relay or tanker supply and reduce interior operations until supply is reliable. The trigger for escalation is not a specific minute; it is the combination of a known life hazard, wind-driven fire spread, and a single attack line protecting the stairwell.
3. How do you manage the rear-lane obstruction, exposure protection, and firefighter accountability during the rescue?
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With eight firefighters, command must sectorize without stripping the attack. Assign a rescue group to the ladder or balcony, a fire attack group to the front stairwell line, a water supply group at the hydrant, and a safety officer from the second-arriving crew if staffing allows; if not, the incident commander retains safety but conducts a formal risk check before each new commitment. Have police move the car and keep the rear lane clear for the aerial; the aerial is both a rescue platform and an elevated master stream if conditions deteriorate. Accountability is maintained by keeping crews together, using entry control, and taking a personnel accountability report when the aerial arrives, when the rescue is complete, and before any switch to defensive operations. Do not allow bystanders or police to attempt rescue into smoke. If the stairwell becomes untenable, withdraw interior crews, protect the rear exposure, and use the aerial for rescue and fire control. The safety officer must have authority to stop operations if smoke conditions, structural indicators, or wind-driven fire spread change the risk.