Firefighting Operations in High-Rise and Standpipe-Equipped Buildings

394 Pages·2007·32.157 MB·English

by  McGrail, David M.

Firefighting Operations
in High-Rise and
Standpipe-Equipped
Buildings
D M. M G
AVID C RAIL
Disclaimer
The recommendations, advice, descriptions, and the methods in this book are presented solely for
educational purposes. The author and publisher assume no liability whatsoever for any loss or damage that
results from the use of any of the material in this book. Use of the material in this book is solely at the risk
of the user.
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
McGrail, David M.
Firefighting operations in high-rise and standpipe-equipped buildings / David M. McGrail.
p. cm.
ISBN-13: 978-1-59370-054-6 (hardcover)
1. Tall buildings--Fires and fire prevention. 2. Standpipes. 3. Fire extinction. I. Title.
TH9445.T18M38 2007
628.9’25--dc22
2006101652
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transcribed in
any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, without the
prior written permission of the publisher.
Printed in the United States of America
2 3 4 5 6 12 11 10 09 08
Foreword
One of our objectives as firefighters is to meet the challenges of a dynamic fire environment brought
about by ever-changing techniques of building construction, building materials, and new designs and
technology, by applying proven tactical methods of fire attack as well as newer methods.
Chief McGrail’s book is a comprehensive and fresh look at how to deal with a fire in high-rise, low-
rise, and other standpipe-equipped buildings. It is a book long overdue and one that promises to guide us
well into the 21st century.
Having worked for a fire department with a large number of high-rise buildings in its jurisdiction,
where standpipe operations are a daily event, I found that seeking information that might enhance our own
procedures was a never-ending task. Dave McGrail first came to my attention in 1992 when I read his article,
“Denver’s Polo Club Condo Fire: Atrium Turns High-Rise Chimney,” in the March issue of Fire Engineering
magazine. It was well written, insightful, and contained a number of valuable lessons learned, ones that
would apply to my own department. I knew then that I had just tapped into a gold mine of a resource, and
his subsequent articles proved this.
I had the opportunity to meet Dave almost 10 years ago while serving on the Educational Advisory
Committee for FDIC West, and over the years we have become good friends. This friendship has given
me the chance to watch his professional development as one of the leading authorities on high-rise and
standpipe operations in the country. As an international lecturer and instructor, Dave McGrail’s knowledge
has proven invaluable to thousands of firefighters. A number of fire departments, including my own, have
sought his advice and expertise when modernizing their operations.
It should be noted that Dave had a distinct advantage in his intellectual growth as a firefighter.
His father, a fire service icon in his own right, retired Division Chief of Operations for the Denver Fire
Department Pat McGrail, was no doubt influential in formulating Dave’s fire service philosophy and deserves
his own accolades.
This book is a unique contemporary resource written by a man with firefighting in his blood and
written from the perspective of someone in the field who isn’t afraid to get down and dirty with the troops.
It is a book that reflects years of experience, research, networking, common sense, and the integrity and
character that define Chief Dave McGrail.
Ted Corporandy, Battalion Chief (Retired)
San Francisco Fire Department
Introduction
Serious fires in high-rise and standpipe-equipped buildings are not an everyday occurrence. As history
has proven time and again, however, both minor and serious fires, as well as numerous other emergency
situations have occurred and do occur in high-rise and standpipe-equipped buildings. Most importantly, the
potential for a wide range of fire or various emergency events in these types of buildings is ever present, not
only in the large cities, but also many of the numerous small communities across the country. Operations in
these buildings may be low-frequency events, but they are also very high-risk events.
Long before the events of September 11, 2001, tragic evidence of this high risk was graphically
apparent when one took into account the numerous injuries and firefighter fatalities that occurred in high-
rise building fires. These tragic fires occurred from the East to the West Coast, once again, in both large
cities and small communities. Many of the fire buildings where these tragic fires occurred were very similar
to the types of high-rise and standpipe-equipped buildings that can be found in almost any city. If you have
these types of buildings in your city or fire district, you ultimately must be prepared for battle. This book is
designed to help you do just that: prepare for battle.
I spent several years contemplating writing this book. In fact, I wasted a lot of time just thinking
about it—valuable time that I wish had been spent writing. My reluctance revolved around my concern that
I am certainly not an expert in high-rise firefighting. In fact, what I do consider myself to be is a lifelong
student, not just of high-rise firefighting, but of structural firefighting in general. As a student, I spend lots
of time analyzing my past fireground operations, in an attempt to continually refine how I do business. In
addition, I dedicated countless hours listening to my mentors and those fire service icons who I consider to
be the true experts, in an attempt to learn from them and hone my skills as a professional firefighter.
During my long period of contemplation, I was actually expecting that someone else would write
a new “high-rise firefighting” book. In fact, I contacted many of those fire service icons, including Deputy
Chief Vincent Dunn, FDNY (retired), and inquired as to whether or not he was contemplating such a project.
I certainly didn’t want to step on any toes, but especially not those of someone of Chief Dunn’s extremely
high caliber. Chief Dunn is a true American fire service icon, with many years of high-rise experience, and
I wanted to ask for his advice. Chief Dunn gave me a green light and encouraged me to take the necessary
steps to move forward with the project. After that conversation with Chief Dunn, I decided to formally get
started with this monumental task. Many of the basic fundamentals and principles of this book are based on
what I have learned from many remarkable fire service leaders and experts in the field, including Chief Dunn.
These experts have all made a tremendous contribution to the development of this book.
Although I wouldn’t consider myself an expert, I am very fortunate to have been given the opportunity
to work for a very busy fire department in a large city, and have been assigned to some of the busiest
companies and fire districts in the city. Denver has a very diverse fire problem, with a wide range of different
buildings and occupancies, including over 350 high-rise buildings, and thousands more low-rise, standpipe-
equipped buildings. During my 25 years of fire service experience, I have responded to and operated at
numerous working fires in both high-rise and various standpipe-equipped buildings. Each of those events
was loaded with opportunity to gain experience, and with each one came mistakes and lessons learned.
[xxii] FirefightingOperations inHigh-RiseandStandpipe-EquippedBuildings
A large portion of my high-rise/standpipe firefighting experience was gained through vicarious
experience, that is, learning from the experience of other firefighters. From the very beginning of my career,
I have dedicated hours to the vicarious experience by reading many fire service periodicals, trade journals,
and books, as well as attending the countless seminars and classes presented by those whom I consider to
be the true experts. For me, the greatest expert of all is my father, retired Denver Fire Department (DFD)
Division Chief, Pat McGrail. He spent nearly 42 years on the DFD, and I still count on him to this day to
provide expert advice on a wide range of topics, including high-rise firefighting.
My affiliations with Fire Engineering magazine and the Fire Department Instructors Conference
(FDIC) have been some of the most significant events of my career. I wrote my first article about my personal
experience and the collective experience of my fire department at a serious high-rise fire that occurred in 1991.
While instructing at the FDIC, I have met and become friends with many of the greatest minds the American
fire service has even seen, among those the late Andy Fredericks (Lieutenant Andrew A. Fredericks, FDNY,
Squad Co. 18, made the supreme sacrifice on September 11, 2001). I have developed close friendships with
many fire service brothers from fire departments across this great country. They are the co-authors of this
book—true experts who continue to guide me through my career. Brothers, thank you all, very much.
For whatever reason, since the beginning of my career I have been particularly interested in high-
rise firefighting. I recall designing and building a new type of high-rise hose pack as a young firefighter
over 20 years ago. I spent hours on the apparatus floor building, rebuilding, deploying, and practicing with
that hose pack. Eventually I presented the new hose pack to my bosses, and it was quickly adopted by the
fire department.
My first good working high-rise fire became a career changing experience, as I realized just how
complex, dangerous, and overwhelming the entire high-rise operation can be. Over the past 25 years, my
experiences, research, and thoughts have grown to represent something I want to share with you, my fire
service family of brothers and sisters.
It is my fervent belief that firefighting operations should be the number one priority for a fire
department. Unfortunately, during the 1980s and 1990s, much of the American fire service was hypnotized
by the words, “customer service.” I am not anti-customer service, but I believe that during this bizarre
attempt to reshape the fire service, we truly lost sight of our original mission. In an attempt to provide better
customer service, I believe we actually forgot how to provide customer service period; that is, we forgot how
to provide good “emergency service.” A frenzied quest for new fancy logos and unique mission statements
replaced the critical, yet basic tenet of any fire service organization: to protect life and property from the
ravages of uncontrolled nature—fire.
While many individuals in fire service leadership positions preached that the occurrences of fires
were down and that we must expand our roles into other areas in order to survive, fires, in fact, continued, as
did the death toll for both civilians and firefighters alike. In fact, as we left the 20th century, it was on another
sad and tragic note: we lost 15 more of our brother firefighters in December of 1999 alone. The number
of firefighter deaths significantly increased from the previous eight years, and firefighter injuries had also
increased. Here we are, nearly eight years since the turn of the century, and we continue to see an average of
100 firefighter line-of-duty deaths each year. Many of those occurred at structure fires.
I believe that the families of those firefighters killed in high-rise and other building fires, as well as
the countless families of the numerous civilians killed or injured in fires, would not subscribe to the theories
of most of those individuals who make decisions behind desks in the comfort of air-conditioned buildings.
We firefighters must take back control of the fire service, which has been out of control and on a downward
Introduction [xxiii]
spiral for too long. The priority is and must always be centered on our ability to provide excellent emergency
service, especially that of fire suppression activities.
As I compile the countless mounds of material for this book, like many other brother firefighters
across the country, I still remained shocked and saddened by the events of 9/11. I plead with the fire service
professionals who have taken the time to read this book to keep in mind that our job is not getting easier and
safer, but harder and much more dangerous. We must not fall victim to the widespread complacency that is
the underlying foundation and literally the trademark of some individuals within the fire service, including
some in leadership positions. Once they’re finally gone, we will be left to clean up the mess!
As firefighters, we must always be prepared, both mentally and physically, for any type of emergency
operation. The high-rise building fire is an especially demanding operation that requires a tremendous amount
of preparation and training, as well as the appropriate equipment. There is a widespread belief that most
high-rise buildings are fully protected by built-in fire protection systems, namely, fully automatic sprinkler
systems. This may, in fact, be true in some newer cities and jurisdictions, however, in most jurisdictions and
many older cities, numerous high-rise buildings are not fully sprinklered.
Of course, most fire codes require that all new high-rise construction must include the installation
of full sprinkler protection throughout the building. A large number of high-rise buildings in this country,
however, were constructed prior to the full sprinkler requirement. Manual firefighting, therefore, performed
by a well-trained force of mentally and physically prepared firefighters, will be required in the event of a fire
in many of these buildings. Also, we must not overlook the countless buildings in most jurisdictions that
have standpipes, but are not considered high-rise buildings.
As you read through this book, I would ask you to keep in mind the following: this book was not
written by an architect, or a fire protection engineer, or a mathematician, or an extremely analytical research
scientist. It was written by a fireman from Denver. This is not a comprehensive dissertation about the
intricacies of various high-rise building components. I don’t refer to mathematical coefficients and various
factors to explain the effects of wind during a high-rise fire. There is very little discussion about sprinkler
systems and fire prevention activities related to high-rise buildings.
The high-rise firefighting tactics and standpipe operations described in this book are a compilation
of information intended to help firefighters, company officers, chief officers, and fire departments to safely
and successfully complete the high-rise and standpipe operations that they encounter. The heart of this
book revolves around the basic fundamentals of firefighting, and the basic equipment associated with those
fundamentals. Simple concepts, like good elevator discipline and selecting the appropriate weapons to
combat the high-rise fire, which are not the same ones used to fight a car fire, represent the meat of this
book. This book was written for firefighters by a firefighter.
The central theme of this book revolves around the most important component of any fireground
operation, especially those in high-rise and standpipe-equipped buildings, and that is, preparedness. Fire
service professionals must take the time to train and develop the skills associated with the use of basic
standpipe tools and equipment. A regular training program, even if it simply involves a short firehouse drill,
can make a tremendous difference. Please take the time to conduct quality training drills!
Contents
Foreword. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .xvii
Acknowledgments. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xix
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xxi
1 The Firefighting Mind-Set . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
The Last Alarm. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
The Dominoes of Complacency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
The Firefighting Mind-Set. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
The Full Service Fire Department . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
American Fire Service History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Dangers of Modern Firefighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
High Btu fuels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Early detection systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Full personal protective equipment (PPE) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Lightweight construction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Building the Proper Mind-Set. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
First gear: Daydreaming mind-set . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
Second gear: Conversational mind-set. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
Third gear: Preparation mind-set. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
Fourth gear: Life-or-death mind-set . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
Preparation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
Mental fitness and preparedness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
Physical fitness and preparedness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
Continual training and development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
Check and maintain your equipment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
Listen to the radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
Get prepared, stay prepared . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16
2 The High-Rise Building . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
History of High-Rise Buildings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
High-Rise Defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18
Practical Definition of High-Rise. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19
Usable Aerial or Ground Ladder Length. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19
High-Rise Building Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21
High-Rise Building Fireground Strategy and Tactics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22
High-Rise Building Construction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23
Four Generations of High-Rise Construction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24
First generation high-rise construction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24
Second generation high-rise construction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25
Third generation high-rise construction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25
Fourth generation high-rise construction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26
[viii] FirefightingOperations inHigh-RiseandStandpipe-EquippedBuildings
High-Rise Building Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27
Specific high-rise construction concerns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27
Fire detection and protection systems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28
Water supply . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29
Stairs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29
Elevators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29
Heating ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. . . . . . . . . .30
Utilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30
Fire Extension and Smoke Spread. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30
Poke-thru construction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31
Curtain wall gap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31
Auto exposure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33
3 Low-Rise and Other Standpipe-Equipped Buildings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35
Low-Rise Buildings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35
Low-rise multiple dwellings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36
Shopping malls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37
Warehouses. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38
Sports venues. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39
Parking garages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41
Educational facilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42
Medical facilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42
Other Standpipe-Equipped Structures. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43
Bridges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43
Tunnels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44
Water vessels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45
4 The Standpipe System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47
Water Supply Priority . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47
Lesson Learned . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48
Standpipe System Defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49
Classes of Standpipe Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50
Class I standpipe system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50
Class II standpipe system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51
Class III standpipe system. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51
Class IV standpipe system. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52
Types of Standpipe Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52
Automatic dry standpipe system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52
Automatic wet standpipe system. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52
Semiautomatic dry standpipe system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52
Manual dry standpipe system. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52
Manual wet standpipe system. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53
Standpipe System Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53
Fire department connection (FDC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53
Pipe and tube. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54
Contents [ix]
Standpipe system valves. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55
Hose connection valves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55
Pressure-Regulating Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56
One Meridian Plaza . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57
Pressure-restricting devices. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58
Pressure-reducing valves (PRVs). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60
Characteristics of PRVs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60
Terminology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61
Pre-Fire Planning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .66
Giacomini PRV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .66
New Elkhart Brass PRV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68
Identifying Pressure-Regulating Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68
False Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69
Fire Department Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71
5 The Problem Defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73
Logistics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .74
Elevators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76
Stairs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76
Reflex time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77
Standpipe system. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77
Exposures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .78
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .78
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79
6 Elevator Operations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .81
Elevators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .81
Elevator History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .81
Electric Traction Elevators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .82
Elevator machine room . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .83
Hoist-way . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .85
Elevator car. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .87
Hydraulic Elevators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .87
Elevator Banks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .88
Elevator Operations During Fires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .88
Fire service recall and control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .90
Recommended operational procedures for elevator use. . . . . . . . . . .90
Additional size-up considerations (for elevator use) . . . . . . . . . . . . .94
Elevator Rescue Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .94
Rescue or removal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .95
Removal procedures. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .95
Methods of Removal and Rescue. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .97
Resetting the system. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .97
Fire Service recall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .97
Hoist-way door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .97
Poling down . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Poling across . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
[x] Firefighting Operations in High-Rise and Standpipe-Equipped Buildings
Poling tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Roof hatchway door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Side emergency exit door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
7 Stairway Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Types of Stairs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Return stairs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Scissor stairs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Access stairs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Tactical use of Stairs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Attack stair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Evacuation stair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Stairwell Pressurization. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Climbing Stairs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Heat buildup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Carrying equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Teamwork. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Additional Logistical Techniques. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Stairway Support Unit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
8 Hoseline Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Hoseline Size. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
The War Years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Proper Weapon Selection. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
GPM versus Btu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
1¾-Inch Handline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
Realistic flow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
Guidelines for using 1¾-inch handline. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Hydraulic calculations for 1¾-inch hoseline. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
2-Inch Handline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Hydraulic calculations for 2-inch hoseline. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Advantages of 2-inch handline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
2½-Inch Handline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
ADULTS acronym . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Hydraulic calculations 2½-inch hoseline. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Reaction force formula for smooth-bore nozzles:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Reaction force formula for combination fog nozzles: . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Seven Keys to Success with the Big Line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
User-friendly apparatus and equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
User-friendly standpipe hose packs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Properly stretching the attack line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Proper operating pressures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Low-pressure nozzles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Unglamorous operating positions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Training, training, and more training. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138