Doing More With Less People

The Engine Company

Part 1

By Lt. David Polikoff

I recently had the pleasure of attending a seminar that focused on back to basic skills. The seminar was fantastic, and there was plenty of information to be shared from our speakers. I sat there feeling jealous after hearing how their department runs like a well oiled machine. Please don't get me wrong I have no doubt their department runs very well, they practically wrote all the books on firefighting. I listened for two days as each speaker talked d about his area of expertise. I think I took 12 pages of notes. Like I said there was a lot of information to be shared. At the end of the seminar I started thinking how could my department benefit from what I have learned? Then it hit me. My department does do the same thing as the department that hosted the seminar. There is only one catch my department is forced to do all the jobs on the fire ground with only three people. When I say three people I mean: Three people on the Truck Company, three people on the Engine Company, and three people on the Rescue Squad. The department that hosted the seminar gets 5 on an Engine Company, 6 on a Truck Company, and 6 on a Rescue Squad. On a structure fire my department will get 4 Engine companies, 2 Truck Companies , 1 Rescue Squad, and 1 ambulance. This will total 23 people. 23 people to cover all the jobs that must be done on the fire ground in the initial stages of the fire. I am not going to go into all the jobs that need to be done. I am only going to focus on the job of the first due Engine Company operating with only three people.

Nozzles. Before the bell rings for a call, there are a few things you must have established. First you must establish what kind of nozzle you want to use. This is an area where you should do a lot of testing. There are 3 basic types of nozzle that I will talk about: Automatic fog, Low-Pressure fog, and Smooth bore.

Automatic fog nozzle. The Automatic fog nozzle has been around for about 40 years and was designed to maintain a const ant nozzle pressure and to maintain a perfect pattern regardless of engine pressure. It quickly became more popular than the adjustable gallonage nozzles that would require a firefighter to dial up the desired GPM. The automatic fog nozzle requires 100psi to operate correctly. The downfall is high psi this means a lot of nozzle reaction (nozzle reaction calculation for a fog is 1/2 the GPM flowing 1). A common mistake made with the automatic fog is under pumping the nozzle. You may have a great looking pattern but you may not be receiving the appropriate GPM. This can be very dangerous; water is what puts fires out. The last thing you would want to do is t reduce the GPM. Most companies are taking the automatic fog nozzles that require 100psi out of their high rise bags and are replacing them with a nozzle that requires less pressure, but will give you adequate GPM. Automatic fog nozzles require a good deal of maintenance. They need to be lubed about once a month they must be kept free of debris to keep the spring inside free to move. A fog nozzle is designed to break the water into smaller droplets, which will absorb the heat and produce steam to put the fire out. But if you use too wide a fog pattern the particles that are produced are too small and the con version to steam becomes too rapid. We all know from Firefighter 1 that water expands 1700 times at 212 degrees F. It is easy to imagine what the conversion to steam would be in a simple room and contents fire where the ceiling temperature can reach 400 degrees F or more. That creates a lot of steam, and that steam has to go somewhere. Remember steam can and will burn you. There is still room for the Automatic fog nozzle on your fire engine, but when you are running with reduced staffing the better choice might be something that will reduce the nozzle reaction. If staffing is not a question then the Automatic fog nozzle might be the right choice for you department.

Low-pressure fog nozzle. Let's look at the low-pressure fog nozzle. This nozzle is gaining in popularity. One of the best things about this nozzle is that it requires as little as 75psi to receive 200 GPM. This nozzle reduces the nozzle reaction and makes it easy to operate, and also has the benefit of delivering 200 GPM (the nozzle reaction formula for the low pressure nozzle is 0.0505 x GPM x the square root of the nozzle pressure 2.) On the downside, this nozzle has the same drawbacks as stated with the automatic fog. If you are sold on the fog nozzle concept, this nozzle might be the replacement for the older Automatic fog nozzles that were discussed earlier in this article. Smooth bore nozzle.

The final nozzle I will talk about is the Smooth bore nozzle. This nozzle has been around for a long time - more than 100 years. For some reason shortly after the fog nozzle was introduced it was put on the shelf. To this day I do not know why. It is simple in design, and it is simple to operate. When pumping this nozzle at 50psi you will get a straight stream from the end. There are no screens in the nozzle for debris to get caught on. The nozzle reaction is not a problem because you are pumping the nozzle at 50 psi (the formula for nozzle reaction for a smooth bore is 1.57 x D2 x nozzle pressure 3.) There is also minimal maintenance, as it just needs to b e lubed once a month. A problem you may run in to when using a smooth bore nozzle is hose line kinking. I will discuss this later. When you use a smooth bore nozzle you are using a nozzle that can deliver a lot of water. This nozzle can give you up to326 G PM for a hand line, with reduced nozzle reaction when compared to the Automatic fog. The stream of the smooth bore can punch through the heat and hit the seat of the fire and make only minimal steam, meaning reduced chances of steam burns. If the fire is too hot to get near, this nozzle gives you the option to use an indirect attack and rain large droplets of water onto the fire. The large droplets produce less steam, but still absorb heat. The average reach of this nozzle is over 50 feet, meaning you do n o t have to be right on top of the fire to put it out. And I know what some of you might be thinking to vent out a window once the fire is out, use a fog nozzle. You can also vent out a window with the smooth bore nozzle. Just remove the tips and open up the gate half way and you get a wide pattern that will vent the area nicely. Try it! Remember that you are only going to have an officer and a nozzleman on the line. It is important that they have the best tools to start the job, and not be too fatigued to finish the job.

Hose Lines. Next you must decide what size hose line to carry as an attack line. I will discuss three: the 13/4-inch, 2 inch, and 21/2-inch.

13/4 inch line. The 13/4-inch line was introduced to replace the 11/2-inch line and the 2-inch line. Many fire departments across the country are using 13/4-inch attack lines. The 13/4-inch attack line is a good starting point. This line is easily maneuvered into a structure because it is lightweight and 2 people can handle this line. If you are running this line with an Automatic fog you will only be able to get 200 GPM out of this line with reasonable pump pressures, and you will have to fight with 100lbs of nozzle reaction. If you were to run with a Low-pressure fog you could reduce the nozzle reaction due to the nozzle being pumped at 75psi. If you were to use a smooth bore nozzle with a 1 inch tip you would receive 200 GPM (209 GPM if you want to be perfect). The advantage to the smooth bore nozzle and the Low-pressure fog is that you only need to pump it at 50lbs-nozzle pressure for the smooth bore and 75pressure for the low pressure- fog.

2 inch line. The 2-inch line, like the smooth bore nozzle, has been put on the shelf. I feel that with the introduction of the 13/4 inch hose line companies feel that there is no need to drag the heavier hose (2 inch) throughout a burning structure this hose is stilled carried on the apparatus but hardly ever gets used. Keep in mind it is the type of nozzle you are using that will determine how hard it will be to maneuver a hose line in a structure. If you are using an Automatic fog, the hose may be hard to maneuver in a structure. By switching to a Low-pressure fog or a smooth bore nozzle, you will find that the old 2-inch hose is not so bad. A plus with using a low-pressure fog or a smooth bore nozzle with a 2-inch hose is you can get 250 GPM out of that line, with less nozzle reaction. How's that for fire fighting punch! You can still get 250 GPM out of 2- inch with an Automatic fog, but again you will have to deal with nozzle reaction.

21/2 inch line. The final line I will discuss is the 2 1/2-inch line. This line should be considered your blitz line. It is best used in situations where you have a lot of fire and you want to obtain a quick knock down, as well as to keep the fire from spreading to other exposures or other areas of a structure. This line is perfect for long reach and penetration to the seat of the fire. This line can be handled by 2 firefighters the key here is to use a low-pressure or a smooth bore nozzle and team work. (The largest tip that should be used with only 2 firefighters is the 1 1/4-inch tip. Your company should practice using this line before ever trying to use it in a real fire situation.) It is important to keep in mind that this artic le is based on working with reduced staffing on an engine company. Anything you can do to make the job easier is going to pay off when it is time to go to work!

Kinking. People find that when a line is pumped at lower pressure there is a greater risk of kinking. This is true. One of the officer's jobs is to be the back-up person this means that he/she must insure that the line is ready to be put into service. They must make sure that all the kinks are out of the line from the front door to the fire area. The driver must make sure that all the kinks are out of the line from the engine to the front door. This takes practice and discipline. All the duties of the engine crew will be discussed next month.

The final consideration should be what type of hose pack should be used for your attack lines. The key is speed. You should ask yourself "what type of hose load will allow me to get from point A to point B in the quickest amount of time?" There are many types of hose loads to use; this is research you will have to do to get the answer that will work best for your company. I will give you one bit of advice - keep it simple. Make sure it is not too complicated to pull or repack. If the hose load is simple, it will be a safe bet that it will be repacked the same w a y every time. The "Essentials of Firefighting Third Edition" has great examples of hose loads. The best thing to do is look at your neighboring companies and see what they are using. Give their system a try, and if that works for you, use it! If not, keep looking. There are no patents on hose loads so feel free to copy.

What I have shown you are the things you need to take into consideration when running and Engine Company staffed with three people. It is important to select the nozzles, hose lines and ho se loads that best suit your department. You must go out and do some research and lots of testing before you make a decision to change the way your department operates. I have given you a lot of information to think about. Next month I will discuss the duties of the three-person engine crew during the fire.

1. Pump Operators, Manual Montgomery County Maryland

2. Elkhart Brass MFG. Co., Inc

3. Pump Operators, Manual Montgomery County Maryland

Last month we talked about things that need to be considered before the bell rings for a call (nozzles, hose lines and hose loads.) This month I will discuss fire ground operations in single family dwellings with reduced staffing (3 personnel). There are many duties that the Engine Company must perform on the fire ground to ensure a safe operation. I will break down the duties of each position on the Engine Company.

Driver. The driver is one of the most important persons in the crew. From the time the alarm is received to the time you back into the station the driver is always moving. A good driver will know his/her first due response area as well as special targets hazards. I have had the pleasure of working with drivers that know their entire first due and second due streets, every hydrant and every connection on all buildings. Having that knowledge is what separates the good drivers from the best drivers. All engine drivers must have and maintain complete knowledge of pump operations. There is no acceptation to this rule. The driver must know the proper pressure for each line for each given GPM. This information must be committed to memory. Under the direction of the officer the driver makes the connection to the hydrant, and then proceeds to the dispatch ed address. It is important to remember, leave room for the Truck Company. The driver will make all appropriate connections to the pump to ensure a continuous water supply. The driver must also ensure that the attack line is ready to be charged (hose flaked out and kink free). The line is then charged at the direction of the officer either by hand signals or via radio. Once the pumps are set the driver should pull a second line or back up line and leave it at the front door uncharged. This line will be for the next Engine Company yes this means the driver will have to have gear on. If there is no Truck Company on the scene the driver of the engine should throw a ground ladder to provide a second means of escape. The driver must maintain communications with his/her crew in the structure and relay information to the incident commander if necessary. If your department has access to a second portable radio leave it for the driver, this way he/she does not have to be chained to the pump panel.

Officer. Lets look at the role of the officer on the Engine Company. Once on the scene of an incident the officer must perform a size-up. The size-up should include at least the following: Water supply, apparatus placement, building construction, type of occupancy, what you have showing, exposures, what does side 3 (the rear) look like, accountability and conditions inside. Those are the most important factors of the initial size up for the engine officer. There are other components to the size-up, but the above are the mos t important. For more information on size -up refer to the September 1997 Fire Engineering article "Simplified size-up and action plan" By John Tippett.

Tactical Decision. The officer must decide what type of attack to use on the fire. By performing a thorough size-up you will be able to make the appropriate choice for the initial attack. Your choice of attack will be interior or exterior. If you choose an interior attack, then you must consider the fire conditions, this will dictate the diameter of the h o se line to use in the attack. It is a good idea for your company to have a minimum GPM on every fire. In my opinion 150 GPM should be the lowest GPM when considering an interior attack. If your initial attack is to be exterior the exposures should be your major concern. You may have to write off the structure involved and concentrate on the structures that are threatened by the fire. It is better to loose 1 townhouse than the whole row or 1 house than 2.

Tools. I have had many discussions with fellow firefighters and officers about what tools to bring to the fire. Full PPC (personal protective clothing) SCBA, hand light, portable radio, these are common sense items that you must bring on every fire. Other tools the officer should bring are forcible entry tools (Axe, Halligan bar, Rabbit Tool or Hydro Ram). The engine might be the first unit on the scene; it does not make sense to wait for the ladder truck of the rescue squad to arrive so you can gain access into the structure. Think about bringing a 4-foot hook as well. The hook can be used to ventilate as you make your way to the fire area. The hook will also assist you with search and rescue of the fire area. The truck and or the rescue squad will search the rest of the structure. It is the job of the engine officer to search the fire area. If possible this search should be done before the fire is knocked. If someone is trapped in a room they have a better chance for survival before the steam and the heated products at the ceiling fall to the floor. It is a good idea to always think "never an empty hand" That means you should never get off the apparatus with out an appropriate tool in your hand. Once the officer makes entry into the structure his/her duties multiply.

As the officer your duties in the structure will include where to place the line for attack what type of attack (direct or indirect), interior conditions (heat, smoke and firefighting progress). The officer might have to be the forcible entry person. As discussed earlier it makes no sense to wait on the scene for a truck or a rescue squad to force entry for you. The officer will also be the back up person. This job means the officer is the 2nd person on the line. He/she must assist in the initial flaking out of the hose line. The officer must assist with the advancement of the hose line, and provide support to the nozzle person to absorb the nozzle reaction produced by a flowing nozzle. The officer must also be the doorman if the need arises. This means he/she will have to pull hose through the front door making sure the couplings do not get caught in the doorway (if the hose line goes through a door then chock it open). If the hose line goes around a corner the officer might have to feed the line around the corner to prevent the couplings from being caught. If your department uses low-pressure fog or smooth bore nozzles then the officer will have to pay close attention and ensure the hose line is free of kinks. As stated in the size-up the officer needs to be aware of the fire conditions, the smoke color, heat levels, most important where in the structure he/she is at all times. This is most important if in the unlikely event he/she has to call mayday. Finally communicate all information to the incident commander for this will help him/her make additional tactical decisions.

The final Person on the three-person engine crew is the Lineman. The lineman's job is not as simple as you may think. Any person riding this position must know the diameter and length of each line carried on his/her apparatus, also he/she needs to know how to pull and repack each line. All this information needs to be committed to memory before the first alarm comes in. The lineman might have to assist the officer with forcible entry, so he/she must have a working knowledge of forcible entry techniques. Once the officer orders a line to be pulled, the lineman must ensure that the line is able to get to the desired point. He/she must have at least 50 feet of hose at the point of entry (my company has 100 feet at the point of entry ) . The lineman must not loose control of the nozzle while donning his/her face piece of the SCBA. That nozzle is one of the tools you have to protect you when you enter a burning structure. Once the line is ready to be charged you must have a firm hold of t he nozzle. Once the line is charged it must be bled down and the pattern must be checked. This is done because, 1. To remove all air in the line 2. To ensure you have a continuous water supply and it is maintained at the same pressure 3. make sure that the pattern is set to no more than 30 degrees (this is not necessary if you are using a smooth bore nozzle). Once in the structure the lineman and the officer work as a team and advance the line to the seat of the fire as quickly and safely as possible. Once the fire has been knocked and all visible fire is out aim the nozzle out of a window to begin ventilation of the fire area. For best results use a 60-degree pattern with your fog nozzle, or if you are using a smooth bore nozzle remove the tips and open the nozzle up half way. You should be about two feet away from the opening, and your pattern should cover 80 to 90 % of the opening

Once the fire is out the engine crew should back out of the room with the hose line and exit the structure. Once outside remove you gear and rehab and hydrate yourself. Allow the Truck Company to do their job. Remember your job is to put out the fire. I have seen engine companies put out the fire then stand up and start pulling ceilings then start salvage. You must exit the building and go to the rehab area and rest, get your heart rate down. It is not worth over working yourself, or getting hurt due to fatigue.

When the incident is over and you return to the station it is important to get your apparatus and your equipment ready for the next alarm.

I know this is a lot of information to digest. I am not saying that this is the only way to fight fires with reduced staffing. You need to go and do your homework. Find out what will work for your department. Above all safety is the number one concern. You must mold your tactics around being safe, and you must abide by the current laws that pertain to structural firefighting. Be safe and good luck.

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