Reading the Pre-Incident Plan
A pre-incident plan for a 4-story garden-style apartment building reads: 'Construction: Type V wood-frame with brick veneer. Standpipe: dry, FDC on A side, two 2.5-inch inlets. Occupancy: 48 units, 96 residents, several mobility-impaired. Access: A side driveway 12 ft wide, dead-ends at rear. Hydrant: 150 ft north of A side, 55 psi static. Alarm: local only, no central station. Notes: attic is a common cockloft running the full length of the building.'
1. Using only the plan text, list three facts that would change your tactics and explain each.
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- Type V wood-frame with full-length cockloft - fire can travel horizontally above the ceiling across the entire building, so vertical ventilation and checking the attic are critical; a fire 'contained' to one unit may already be in the cockloft.
- Dry standpipe, two inlets on A side - the pumper must supply the FDC to pressurize the system; crews cannot count on water at the outlet until charged. Two inlets means use both for volume.
- 12 ft dead-end driveway - apparatus access and egress are constrained; a second-in engine may not be able to pass, so placement must be planned and the dead end flagged to incoming units.
Also relevant: local alarm only means no automatic aid notification - someone had to call it in, so delay is likely; and mobility-impaired residents raise the priority of a coordinated search and evacuation plan.
2. The plan says the hydrant is 150 ft away at 55 psi static. What does that tell you, and what does it not tell you?
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Tells you: the water source is close (150 ft, a short lay) but the static pressure is modest (55 psi), so the supply may be limited - you should plan to use the hydrant but verify flow with a gauge and consider a second source or relay if demand is high. Distance is favorable; pressure is the question mark.
Does not tell you: the residual pressure at flow (the number that actually matters), the hydrant's flow capacity in gpm, main size, or whether the hydrant is in working order. Static pressure alone cannot confirm the hydrant will support fireground demand. The plan is a starting point, not a guarantee.
3. A newer firefighter reads the plan and says 'Type V means it's lightweight truss, right?' Correct him using the plan alone.
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The plan says Type V wood-frame with brick veneer - it does not say lightweight truss anywhere. Type V describes the construction classification (wood-frame), not the specific structural members. Assuming lightweight truss from 'Type V' is an unsupported leap; it may or may not be present, and the plan is silent on it. The correct read is: wood-frame construction, brick veneer exterior, full-length cockloft noted. If truss construction matters tactically, that must be confirmed from the building or a better source - not inferred from the classification. The tested skill is separating what the document states from what a reader assumes.