BY STUART GRANT AND LES STEPHENS
Below are some truck and engine company tricks that can make the job a little safer or at least easier.
LADDERS AT WINDOWS
In venting a window, we have been taught to completely clear the window frame of all materials to get rid of any obstructions-glass, mullions-that might impede ventilation, rescue efforts, or firefighter egress through that window. We suggest just a little adjustment to this technique for windows at the second floor or higher.
When taking the window out on these floors, leave the cross bar or sash in place across the middle of the window if a ladder is not at that window. Most of the time, the ladder will be set for a rescue (i.e., below the windowsill) and will not be visible from the inside. If there is a ladder set to that window, clear out the entire window. This indicates to the firefighters inside whether ladders have been placed at the windows on the floor on which they are operating. Crossbar in place, no ladder. No crossbar, a ladder is set. Be careful not to move ladders placed to buildings in this fashion. If you end up setting a ladder to a window that still has a crossbar, simply remove the crossbar once the ladder is set (photos 1, 2).
 1. Photos by author. |
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A LIGHT IN THE DARK
At some time in our careers, we have all entered a building through a window or have gone to the roof from a ladder and had trouble finding our way back to that window or ladder. It raises your anxiety and makes you breathe a little more quickly.
One simple solution is to place a light at the entrance point. It doesn’t have to be a multimillion candlepower light, just something that will let you know when you are close. Placing a small strobe light on the floor by the window or taping it to the beam of your ladder will help direct you back to that ladder or the window without blinding you.
Another option is to carry a small flashlight in your pocket specifically for this task and which you can also use also as an extra light in case your primary flashlight goes out. Some manufacturers have small LEDs on the back of their handlights that do the same thing. It gives the firefighter a reference point so that he doesn’t crawl around in circles or walk off the roof (photos 3, 4).
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NO TIME FOR KNOTS
Your company pulls up to a working fire. You are assigned to vent, enter, and search. You and another firefighter pull off a 24-foot extension ladder and proceed to the window. When you get there, you spend valuable time untying the double overhand granny knot someone had tied in the halyard.
But if the halyard is tied to the last rung of the bed section of the ladder at the heel, you can immediately start raising the ladder once you have positioned it. Your ladder is ready for a rescue situation anytime without your having to undo anything. Once the ladder is raised to the correct height and the pawls (locks) are engaged, the halyard can be tied off with a closed-loop tie. We deal in time; saving precious seconds is essential in critical rescue missions (photo 5).
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AERIAL NOZZLE PINNING
Time is of the essence in rescue situations. If we have the nozzle pinned in the ladder pipe mode, the ladder may not be able to be positioned so that it can be used for rescue.
Therefore, the nozzles on our aerial ladders should be stored and pinned in the rescue mode, which allows us to use our aerial ladder to perform a rescue or get to the roof without delay. If our operation needs to go defensive, we can simply retract the ladder and pin the nozzle into the ladder pipe mode as companies lay supply lines to the truck. Generally, the shift in strategies gives us the time to make this adjustment when a rescue effort or a ventilation task cannot be delayed (photo 6).
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AERIAL LADDER SPOTTING
Many times, the aerial operator’s positioning of the aerial comes up short or is too high for firefighters to get on or off the ladder. Usually, another member is not available to help spot the aerial ladder.
Simply tying an object to the last rung of the aerial’s fly section helps the operator spot the aerial at the right length and the right height. A tennis ball and two feet of nylon cord are all you need. Thread the nylon cord through the tennis ball, and leave 18 inches of cord hanging with a loop tied in the other end. Wrap the loose end around the last rung of the ladder, place the ball through the loop, and pull tight. This lets the ball dangle 18 inches below the end of your ladder. You can adjust as needed for your particular apparatus (photos 7, 8).
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BYPASSING THE STAIRS
Too often, firefighters lay their hose in the exact path they take to the fire-up the stairs and around landings-and we sometimes come up short. We can bypass the stairs, leaving them clear of hose and ensure that we have enough hose to reach the fire.
Using a pike pole on the upper floor, lower the pike end. The firefighter below hangs the nozzle on the pike by the shutoff handle, and the hose is hoisted to the upper floor. Now, the hose can be flaked out on that floor and readied for fire attack. As a bonus, you have your pike pole with you to check the ceilings for fire between the floors or in the attic space above you (photo 9).
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QUICK FOAM
The attack team often needs some foam to make the water penetrate better during an attack on a dumpster or vehicle fire or during overhaul to ensure that rekindle does not occur.
Instead of getting an in-line proportioner out and setting it up or putting foam in the line from the apparatus, use a one-gallon jug with foam in it. An old one-gallon plastic container with two caps works well. One cap has a hole in it and is attached to the jug with a twist tie. The other one is screwed on the jug to prevent spilling. When ready to use, remove the intact cap and attach the cap with the hole in it. Then squirt the foam into the water stream as it leaves the nozzle (photos 10, 11).
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PULLING HOSE
Engine companies pull their attack hoselines and arrange them in nice neat curves in front of the structure. As they enter the building, the firefighters move in, and the last firefighter is left struggling with pulling hose. All of the hose has to be pulled into the structure from the front yard.
If the firefighters grab the hose and advance into the front room, they can arrange the hose there and the pull inside the structure will be much easier. They will then be feeding the nozzleman from the front room instead of the yard. To determine if the attack team needs more hose, these members can run the hose up the wall into a big loop. When the attack team starts to move, the hose will sink down on the wall and the firefighter can push more hose up the wall (photos 12, 13). This is known as “feeding the wall.”
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SNAGGED COUPLINGS
Many times, as the attack team is moving hose up or down stairs, the couplings snag on the stair tread plates-a frustrating situation. An easy solution is to make a loop in the hose and stand it up. Once you do this, you can roll the hose up or down the stairs without the couplings catching on the stairs (photo 14).
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DUMPSTER FIRES
An easy solution to extinguishing dumpster fires is just to fill the dumpster with water. However, dumpsters have a drain hole in the bottom so they don’t retain water, which would make them too heavy for the dumpster truck to pick up. This works well for them, but it is a disadvantage for us.
You can solve this by using a plastic screw-in plug. Just screw it into the drain hole and fill it up. Once the dumpster contents are floating or are thoroughly saturated, remove the plug, let the dumpster drain, and keep the plug for next time. This is also a great opportunity to use the “foam in a jug” trick (photo 15).
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GETTING MORE WATER
Our supply line is connected to our engine, and we are pumping all the lines we can with our existing supply. We just wish we could get some more out of it. Many drivers just accept this as the way it is.
It isn’t! Add another line to your intake by placing a 2 1/2-inch valve on the hydrant as you make your initial hookup. Next, stretch out a 2 1/2-, three-, four-, or five-inch supply line from the 2 1/2-inch valve to one of your other intakes. Now, open the hydrant valve to supply the extra water to your engine. You should be able to pump an additional line or two or increase the gpm you are flowing out of your master stream device. If you don’t have a hydrant valve or did not put it on the hydrant, have another company bring you another supply line (photo 16).
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We hope some of these tips jogged your memory or made you look at things a little differently. Hopefully, they will make things a little easier for you and your company.
STUART GRANT, a 27-year veteran of the fire service, is a battalion chief with Dallas (TX) Fire Rescue, where he has served as academy commander, haz mat officer, paramedic, and rope rescue member. He is a certified master firefighter and fire instructor with the Texas Commission on Fire Protection. Grant is an instructor at Collin County Community College in McKinney, Texas, and at the Texas A&M University Municipal Fire School and has been a H.O.T. instructor and speaker at FDIC and FDIC West. He has a bachelor’s degree in fire administration and two associate’s degrees.
LES STEPHENS, a 15-year veteran of the fire service, is a captain with the Garland (TX) Fire Department and has served as his department’s training instructor. He is a certified master firefighter and an instructor with the Texas Commission on Fire Protection; Collin County Community College in McKinney, Texas; and Texas A&M University Municipal Fire School. He has instructed at FDIC and FDIC West and has an associate’s degree in fire protection from Tarrant County Community College.
