Firefighters love responding to working fires, but they are not as enthusiastic when responding to routine calls such as fire alarm activations, elevator incidents, and carbon monoxide (CO) leaks. The routine calls are truly the “bread and butter” of what we do as firefighters. They are the most common calls that we go on; for this reason, firefighters tend to become complacent when responding to them. Just when we think that we’re responding to “just another alarm malfunction,” we pull up to a fully involved structure fire.
(1) The busy streets of Hudson County, New Jersey. Fortunately, the police department responds and closes off one lane for fire department investigations, allowing the aerial to be placed in operation. (Photos by author unless otherwise noted.)
Depending on the size of your department and its response area, it may be difficult to conduct training exercises while on duty. Placing an apparatus “off duty” for training may necessitate relocating other companies to cover your response area during the training. On the other hand, performing certain training exercises while “on duty” may affect your ability to respond to calls, potentially placing lives at risk. Engine and ladder training exercises such as stretching handlines and raising the aerial may also make it necessary to close streets to vehicle and pedestrian traffic. If your response area is anything like the congested and busy streets of Hudson County, New Jersey, you can imagine the chaos that this may cause for traffic, especially during peak business hours.
Routine calls are the perfect opportunity to conduct small-scale training evolutions. Once the incident commander decides to downgrade an incident or he allows the first-arriving company to handle it, conduct some training exercises before command is terminated and companies are placed back in service. If it is routine for the police department to respond and provide traffic control, the street will already be closed, and no additional traffic disruption will be necessary.
Following is a list of quick training exercises that you can conduct during a routine incident and complete before the incident is terminated.
(2) Firefighters check and inspect the standpipe during a routine call. This is a good opportunity to become familiar with the location of the standpipe and practice the standpipe hookup.
Responding to Alarm Activation Calls
Establish a water supply and stretch handlines. The engine company “jumpman” should be ready to stretch the attack line at every call. Stretch an uncharged line to the front entrance of the structure, carrying an appropriate shoulder load while working out kinks as you go. You may be surprised to see some firefighters grabbing just the nozzle as they take off toward the structure without regard to how the rest of the line plays out. This is a good opportunity for a company officer to train members on how to stretch the handline by having them don their self-contained breathing apparatus while he performs a quick reconnaissance to determine the best avenue of approach for the stretch.
The pump operator must always ensure that the pump panel is operating properly. Place the engine into “pump” mode and observe the gauges on the panel. The pump operator should “spot” the nearest hydrant, open it to ensure that it is free of debris, and then connect to it.
Set up and raise the aerial device. Discuss with members proper apparatus placement based on objectives and overhead obstructions. Also, set outriggers and stabilizers and discuss overcoming possible obstacles such as parked cars and narrow streets. Raise the tip of the aerial device or the tower ladder bucket to the roof, a window, or a fire escape with specific objectives (rescue, vent, roof operations) in mind. Constantly raising the aerial device to various structures will help the ladder crew become familiar with the proper placement needed to obtain the maximum “scrub area” (the surface area of the structure that can be accessed by the bucket of a tower ladder or the tip of an aerial ladder) of different structures. This training will serve as the “aerial preplan” for proper placement.
(3) Raising the aerial during a routine call will help the crew become proficient with a quick and efficient aerial apparatus placement. This aerial “preplan” will also help the crew become familiar with its limitations and proper placement to obtain an optimal scrub area.
Building construction and tactics. Classify buildings (i.e., Type 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or hybrid) and discuss fire/smoke spread and collapse hazards specific to each of the classes, line placement, and hoseline diameter needed depending on occupancy type (residential, commercial, mixed use).
Fire escapes and occupant egress restrictions. Look for fire escapes and ensure the safe operation of drop-down ladders. Visually inspect defects compromising the stability of fire escapes and pay close attention to railings, steps, and the gooseneck leading to the roof. Also, look for security or child safety bars on windows and discuss with members how to remove them.
Fire alarm panel and auxiliary appliances. Determine the location of fire alarm annunciator panels. Some alarm systems have a panel near the front entrance, with a main panel in a separate area. The main panel may be the only way to reset the system after fire personnel have cleared the building. Become familiar with operating different fire alarm panels; know how to scroll through the memory, silence the alarm, bypass a zone, and reset the system. The panels may also require a security or fire alarm key to reset the system. Also, locate the fire department connection (FDC), and make sure that it is free from rust and debris and that the swivels move freely. Last, determine if the FDC serves a standpipe system, a sprinkler system, or a combination of both. Members should be familiar with the recommended pounds per square inch required to feed each type.
Elevator Incidents
Many times, we respond to a report of “a person stuck in an elevator.” Usually, that person has already been removed prior to the fire department’s arrival. Other times, we extricated the occupants from the elevator by either resetting the power or by recalling the elevators by placing them into “Phase 2 Fire Service.” These calls are considered incidents—not emergencies—and are a perfect opportunity for training.
(4) Training at routine calls will improve the operational readiness of firefighters during real emergencies. (Photo by Ron Jeffers.)
Become familiar with the location of the elevator keys; they will most likely be in a security key box or in the possession of a 24-hour concierge or building representative. Once you have secured the elevators for fire department use and removed the occupants, practice using the fire department elevator drop keys to open the elevator car door. Different elevators have different key types.
Determine the type of elevator system, and become familiar with its general operation and inherent dangers. You can classify elevator systems as “gearless traction,” “geared traction,” “machine-roomless,” or “hydraulic piston.” Become familiar with all elevator types in your response area so that you know the location of the controls, hoist mechanisms, and power supplies.
Gas Leaks and CO Calls
As with all gas leaks and CO calls, position all apparatus in a safe, defensive area. Clear the front of the building, position to establish a water supply, and keep all apparatus away from manhole covers and storm drains. Doing this at every call will ensure firefighters are kept safe in the event of an explosion because of a gas leak.
Once you determine that the area in question has been deemed safe, a company officer can show firefighters how to operate and read gas meters while walking through the structure. For safety reasons, we limit personnel who are performing the investigation while the remaining firefighters are outside the structure awaiting orders. These firefighters may not get many opportunities to be involved in the interior operations, so use this time to get them involved.
Some of the training exercises mentioned here will be covered during preincident planning. However, keep in mind that not all firefighters may have been involved in the preplan process. The information obtained in the preplan process is valuable, but it must be disseminated to all personnel and be up to date. Working this into your training evolutions ensures that all personnel are aware of important preplan information.
You can conduct these exercises at every call and in a short time with fire companies rotating and taking turns performing them. By doing so, you will improve the operational readiness of fire companies.
These exercises are also a good opportunity for fire officers to identify training deficiencies or areas of weakness that they can immediately address and improve. After a while, it becomes second nature and, hopefully, will prevent, or at the very least, limit complacency on the fireground. As the saying goes, “If you train like you fight, you will fight like you train.”
ALIDER PRATTS is a battalion chief with North Hudson (NJ) Regional Fire & Rescue, where he serves as the department’s chief of rescue services. He is also a New Jersey state-certified fire instructor and teaches at the Monmouth County (NJ) Fire Academy.
