FireEMS Blogs: Operational Considerations for Residential Basement Fires

Basement fires in both residential and commercial occupancies are one of the most challenging tactical operations that present numerous risk factors requiring the highest degree of situational awareness, training skill sets and continuous incident monitoring and assessment to gauge building structural integrity, fire behavior and fire dynamics and corresponding crew integrity and performance.

The predictability of performance in buildings on fire in residential occupancies varies based on building vintage (age), methods and materials of constructions and structural support components, assemblies and systems that when under duress by fire within the basement compartment create definable risks, limited operational time periods and the need for well coordinate tactical deployments managed under incident and command time compressions that are concurrently impacted by degrading building and systems resiliency and declining material integrity- which lead directly to compromise and collapse conditions.

The recent events at a residential fire in Macon, Georgia that involved a basement fire and subsequent floor collapse, numerous fire fighter injuries and reports of a firefighter line-of-duty death continues to bring to light the operational challenges and risks facing companies in safely assessing and conducting fire suppression and support deployments at similar residential occupancies and structures.

Preliminary information coming forth from Georgia and a review of county tax —building records indicates the single story residential building with a ranch design and configuration was constructed in 1962 of Type V Conventional Wood frame construction with approximately 1460 SF of area.

Read More of “Operational Considerations for Residential Basement Fires” from Fireground Leadership