By Michael N. Ciampo
Walking into the firehouse and seeing the spare apparatus in the bay, I knew that my tour was already off to a bad start. We’ve all been there: We get so accustomed to our own apparatus and where our equipment is located, and all of a sudden we have to refocus and start looking for things. Jumping up into the cab and glancing around, I saw where the gas and carbon monoxide meters were; the thermal imagining camera (TIC) and flashlight were both in their chargers with red lights glowing, meaning they were charging; and the important access keys to certain buildings and locations were hanging in place on the master clip. Feeling more at ease now that the introduction period was over, I crossed my fingers that this spare apparatus would ride and operate smoothly.
As the tour proceeded, we were having an average night with the typical runs. Just as dinner hit the table and we sat down, the bells went off; now, the stuffed meatloaf with mashed potatoes would have to wait.
We entered the building and were hit with a light odor of smoke as we trudged up four flights. Knocking on the door and trying the doorknob of the reported location led nowhere; as a firefighter put the halligan tool into the jamb and pried down, brown smoke (a good indication that structural members are involved in fire) began seeping from the crack. Forcing the door open and lying on the floor to look under the smoke, we saw that the hallway went in about seven feet and then all visibility was lost. The engine stretched a line, and the truck entered the apartment to locate the seat of the fire.
A member held the TIC overhead to ascertain if the fire was in the ceiling above and then scanned ahead trying to pick up any heat sources, currents, or the direction of the fire location. We were frustrated because we didn’t feel any heat using our own senses and didn’t pick up any heat levels on the camera or source of the fire in the apartment as we moved deeper into the flat. Luckily for us, the windows had been ventilated and the smoke in the apartment had lifted quite a bit, but it was still hanging about mid-body.
We were using the TIC at a slower pace to pick up any fire that was in the walls, floors, or ceilings when it shut down. Pressing the on button in hopes that it was accidentally shut off did nothing; the battery had died.
We quickly had to revert to some older methods of operating, such as poking inspection holes with the butt of the hook into numerous ceiling and wall bays looking for the fire. (Using the butt is often easier to make quick inspection holes in multiple bays than using the larger head assembly. Just remember, when you look into any inspection hole, remove the insulation that could be blocking an advancing fire above it!) Meanwhile, others were running their hands across the walls to feel for a heat source and looking for any paint discoloring or melting off the walls.
The truck on the floor above reported that there was a light haze in the apartment and the camera wasn’t picking up anything. A few members were ordered to check the apartments on the floor below while we checked the adjoining apartments on the presumed fire floor. As this took place, the landlord of the building informed us that plumbers were there earlier in the day repairing pipes in the bathroom of the apartment. Immediately, we opened the doors under the sink and saw some orange ashes. We made inspection holes above and through the ceramic tile backsplash, and fire began emitting from all the locations. Two firefighters were sent into both adjoining rooms to open the walls and ceilings to check for extension (the one adjoining room was in the adjacent apartment).
Unfortunately, when the members began pulling open the walls in the apartments, they ran into the reinforced metal mesh intertwined with the lath and plaster. This mesh strengthens the bond of the lath and plaster and can run either vertically or horizontally. In this apartment, it ran horizontally in eight-foot sections and was very hard to open up since it was attached to the studs every 16 inches. Even with two firefighters attempting to pull with their hooks, the walls were difficult to open up. The engine immediately dispersed water into the small inspection holes to knock down some of the fire, but we still needed to open up the walls and ceilings for the engine to extinguish the remaining and extending fire.
A firefighter using an ax was beginning to cut relief cuts through the material to assist in opening up. However, this would take time and a lot of energy. Recalling a past operation, we called for the battery-operated reciprocating saw. The saw had an all-purpose demo blade on it; we used it to cut the walls into manageable sections, permitting the firefighters to pull down the lath, plaster, and mesh quicker and in larger chunks.
Always remember when opening up walls or ceilings to first shut off the electrical circuit breakers to reduce the chance of electrical shock or electrocution. At this operation, we used the reciprocating saws to help us open the mesh-reinforced walls and also to reduce personnel’s exertion level. In a few cases, the blades needed to be changed, and because a piece of rubber inner tube is wrapped around the tool to hold extra blades in place, the change out was quickly expedited.
Battery-operated tools are extraordinary items for firefighters to use, but only as long as their batteries are charged. We must always rely on knowing how to use our hand tools and senses-they are the greatest gifts of all.
MICHAEL N. CIAMPO is a 27-year veteran of the fire service and a lieutenant in the Fire Department of New York. Previously, he served with the District of Columbia Fire Department. He has a bachelor’s degree in fire science from John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City. He is the lead instructor for the FDIC Truck Essentials H.O.T. program. He wrote the Ladder chapter and co-authored the Ventilation chapter for Fire Engineering’s Handbook for Firefighter I and II (Fire Engineering, 2009) and is featured in “Training Minutes” truck company videos on www.FireEngineering.com.
