By John B. Tippett Jr.
Published Sunday, January 1, 2012
| From the January 2012 Issue of FireRescue
The new year is a good time to initiate discussion about vacant/abandoned structures. We often see an increase in fires in these structures during the cold months, as the homeless seek shelter and warmth, but are sometimes careless with their flame and fuel. Additionally, unscrupulous building owners seek to escape tax liability, and neighbors get fed up with blight, leading to many intentionally set fires in these structures.
Incidents in vacant/abandoned structures have resulted in thousands of firefighter injuries, multiple fatalities and, according to the ConocoPhillips Marine Safety Pyramid, approximately 3,000 near misses for each fatality. One way we can reduce the hazards at abandoned structures is to focus as much on the near misses as we do on the fatalities. After all, a review of 50 near misses shows patterns from which we can learn important lessons about fighting fires in such dangerous structures. Following are two examples.
Report #10-651
“Units arrived on scene and found an abandoned/vacant building that was boarded up (first floor only) with the exception of the side door (side B) that was open. Units observed the front second-floor bedroom on fire, with heavy smoke and fire coming from the front windows and the gutter line. An engine crew entered the structure and advanced a handline to the second floor. After being inside the house for fewer than five minutes, they reported that they were backing out and ‘this was a loser.’ Operations acknowledged and advised other units to go defensive. The crew made it out. Approximately 8 to 10 minutes went by and crews were permitted to re-enter the structure and advance to the second floor. One of the firefighters fell through the floor in a spot where the floor was burned out. Interior fire attack crews reported the unstable floor and the holes in the floor, and advised other crews on scene not to enter the front room on the second floor due to the unsecure floor.”
Report #10-1078
“Upon arrival, we found heavy smoke coming from an abandoned commercial building. My crew cut a 4 x 4 hole through a 4 x 8 sheet of plywood with a partner saw. Once inside the building with a 2½" hoseline, I observed heavy smoke with visibility less than 10 to 15 feet. After taking approximately five steps toward the fire, I fell into a hole that was approximately 12 feet deep. There was so much radio traffic after I fell that it was difficult to communicate with anyone.”
Preparation
Following are important considerations and lessons related to operations in vacant/abandoned structures:
- Identify abandoned/vacant structures during preplanning. Many jurisdictions have adopted ordinances to expedite the demolition of abandoned structures and marking systems that restrict firefighters to defensive operations.
- Determine what you’ll risk for an abandoned structure. Both reports’ “Lessons Learned” sections call for a risk/benefit assessment with emphasis on whether an abandoned structure is worth any firefighter’s life.
- Ask yourself, “What is the structural stability of a building that is abandoned?” and “How will smoke and fire move through a building with vandalized walls and ceilings?”
- Identify your department’s culture of fire attack. Using the same mindset on the abandoned structure that you do for an occupied residential structure is a recipe for disaster.
In Closing
Abandoned. Vacant. Boarded up. Dilapidated. Distressed. Run-down. Ramshackle. In disrepair. When these terms enter our vocabulary to describe a structure, we should know to immediately change our mindset about operations from one of aggression to one of caution. When we make a “great stop” via an aggressive attack on that abandoned structure Friday and the demolition equipment is on scene tearing down the “great stop” on Monday, it should be clear why the risks are unwarranted. We should be cognizant that the “great stop” may have been more luck than skill—and luck, as we know, is short-lived.
Training Resources
Deputy Chief Tippett shares some of his favorite training resources
Professional Development
Fireground Strategies, by Anthony Avillo, and Fire Officer’s Handbook of Tactics, by John Norman: These two strategy and tactics books offer solid recommendations and explanations of how fires should be fought.
Crew Resource Management for the Fire Service, by Randy Okray and Thomas Lubnau III: The first book on this topic directed at the fire service, it gives readers a good primer on what CRM is and why you should be using it.
Legal Considerations for Fire and Emergency Services, by J. Curtis Varone: Whether the issue is employee relations, discipline or roles and responsibilities on the street, everything we do is bound in some way by laws and standards. Varone’s book is an essential volume for any fire service leader’s library because it speaks specifically to the law and the fire service.
Personal Improvement
It’s Your Ship and Get Your Ship Together, by Michael Abrashoff: These two books, written by one of the Navy’s most successful commanders, offer leadership lessons that any officer will find helpful.
The Anatomy and Physiology of Leadership, by Alan and Nick Brunacini: The Brunacinis dispense leadership information in an insightful way that makes sense—and from an insider’s perspective.
To Sleep With the Angels, by David Cowan and John Kuenster: This account of the tragedy at the Our Lady of Angels School Fire in 1959 provides a window into the time leading up to the event as well as the tough decisions made by the first-arriving officer—and the fallout from those decisions.
Cigars, Whiskey and Winning: Leadership Lessons from General Ulysses S. Grant, by Al Kaltman: Kaltman delivers some of Grant’s best examples of leadership that any fire service leader can adopt and adapt in order to become a better leader.
Young Men and Fire, by Norman Maclean: Maclean’s account of the 1949 Mann Gulch Fire, which claimed the lives of 12 of the U.S. Forest Service’s elite smokejumpers, delves into decision-making and the consequences of human error.
Given Up for Dead: America’s Heroic Stand at Wake Island, by Bill Sloan: The story of the U.S. stand at Wake Island during the opening days of World War II for America is a must-read for officers interested in exploring the process of making decisions under fire.
Report from Engine Co. 82, by Dennis Smith: Smith’s first book tells the quintessential story of firefighting in the South Bronx during the gritty “War Years.” He captures all of the elements of being a firefighter that still ring true today.
Web-Based Resources
National Fire Fighter Near-Miss Reporting System (www.firefighternearmiss.com): The site provides first-person accounts of near-miss events, capitalizing on the value of teaching and learning without having to live through the pain yourself.
www.YouTube.com: Here you can find a seemingly endless supply of fire-related topics, from raw footage to training videos and clips for today’s visually driven learner.
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John B. Tippett Jr.
John Tippett is the deputy chief of operations for the City of Charleston (S.C.) Fire Department. He previously worked for the Montgomery County (Md.) Fire and Rescue Service. Read Full Bio
