Firefighting 101                                                         by:  Dan Howell

Preparing for Entry

Firefighting is inherently dangerous and consists of many ultra-hazardous operations. One of the most dangerous of these operations is entering the burning structure. Even still, entering the burning structure is often necessary to accomplish many of the fundamental priorities of the fire service. As a result, it is imperative that firefighters take all necessary precautions to help ensure their safety. These precautions include the gear they wear, the decisions they make, and the actions they perform.

The foundation for firefighter safety is their personal protective gear. This gear includes the proper boots, bunker pants, coat, hood, gloves and helmet. This level of protection is the minimum for any fire ground operation. In order to perform operations inside the structure or within the vicinity of the fire, the protection is expanded to SCBA with operating PASS. This may seem too basic, but even in this period of the modern fire service, firefighters are still found inside burning structures without SCBA. Not only is it essential for this gear to be worn, it must also be properly maintained. Bunker gear should be kept clean and repaired or replaced as necessary and SCBA should be checked and serviced on a regular schedule.

Beyond the gear that must be worn, preparing for entry into the structure begins with many critical fireground decisions.  Once the incident begins, size-up is the beginning of the decision making process and will determine fireground priorities. It is important that these priorities be communicated to everyone involved with the incident to avoid life-threatening disasters such as opposing hoselines. Furthermore, before entry can begin, the correct decisions towards firefighter safety, rescue, ventilation and fire attack must be made. If these fundamental decisions are neglected at the beginning of the incident, their implementation later may be too little, too late.

Another important aspect of being prepared to enter a structure is for firefighters to have the necessary tools ready for immediate use. These tools include axes, hooligan tools, pike poles, sheet rock tools, hand lights and at least one radio for each crew. Even when resources are limited, at least one tool should still go in with the crew in addition to radio communications.  The remaining tools can be placed at the point of entry, thus making them more available to the interior crews.

Despite the value of these tools, the hoseline is the most important tool the interior crew will have at its disposal. It is crucial that the hoseline is properly prepared before entry into the structure is initiated. When the hoseline is stretched it should deployed so that the slack is near the point of entry before the line is charged. This will make it easier to pull the line into the structure. If the line is a preconnect, all of the hose must be clear of the hose bed or serious accidents can result when the line is charged. Once the line is charged it should be bled of any air and the nozzle checked for the correct GPM and pattern. Also, any kinks in the line should be removed to prevent attack flows from being reduced. Furthermore, the point of entry should be examined for obstructions that could prevent the hoseline from being easily stretched into the structure. In addition, the hose should be aligned so that snagging at the door will be minimized. Finally, the value of a firefighter at the point of entry to help feed the line into the structure cannot be overestimated. Unfortunately, personnel shortages could make this position a hard one to fill.

A final consideration for the safety of firefighters preparing to enter a structure is two-in/two-out. There has always been a fundamental need to provide firefighters working on the interior, with back up on the exterior. For this reason two-in/two-out has existed in the fire service for many years. Now, thanks to OSHA, it is the law. Two-in/two-out can no longer be ignored, the safety of firefighters must be augmented with a back-up crew on the exterior of the structure. Furthermore, as interior conditions are expanded, two firefighters standing by outside will no longer be sufficient. At this time every effort should be made to expand the two-out into a fully staffed Rapid Intervention Team. This operation will require strict discipline by everyone on scene and can only be accomplished if fully supported by departmental personnel, training and SOP’s. It must also be remembered that any department will be hard pressed to perform fire suppression duties and provide an adequate Rapid Intervention Team. For this reason, departments should not hesitate to request the necessary mutual-aid to provide the extra personnel needed.

As a final note, two-in/two-out is not intended to rob firefighters of the abilities to perform rescue operations. When there is someone trapped inside, or suspected of being inside, compliance with two-in/two-out is optional until the rescue situation is resolved. This does not, however, give departments the freedom to ignore two-in/two-out as they choose.