Firefighters continued extinguishing flames at the 1.3-million-square-foot Walmart distribution center in Plainfield Thursday.
The fire broke out Wednesday at the facility where 1,000 people work. All employees escaped without injury, and no firefighters were injured. The fire will take at least another day to extinguish to make the building safe for entry.
Plainfield Fire Chief Brent Anderson said the alarm systems and fire suppression systems in the facility did work and helped delay the fire long enough for the occupants to evacuate.
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The focus is on four major skill sets needed to be successful at fires involving commercial occupancies, such as big box stores, strip malls, warehouses, and office complexes. These fires are becoming more common, yet many departments have not yet adjusted their tactics to address the size and complexity of fires in these buildings.
The skill stations include 2½- and 2¼-inch hoseline operations, roll-down door and security gate forcible entry, removal of window bar and chain link fence, and rope-assisted search. Each station offers skills not commonly taught at the local academy or individual company setting. Attendees rotate through each station, are given an overview and demonstration of the skill, and then perform the skills working in designated teams. Following each skill set is a quick question-and-answer period to review the skills.
We will conduct each skill station with the proper tools to accomplish the task as they would in the field. Our props are realistic. We will utilize roll-down doors, chainlink fence, heavy duty chain, and security gates found on these types of structures. Additionally, we will provide multiple types of rope search kits and give our students the opportunity to conduct searches under low visibility (but not in an IDLH atmosphere). Finally, we will demonstrate various hose loads and deployments proven to be effective on these structure fires. Our philosophy is that through demonstration and then student repetition we can provide each attendee with an increased awareness and skill level when asked to perform these tasks at a fire involving commercial buildings. Although time is limited, these skills will be clearly presented and afford the student the opportunity to absorb them and take them home to their department.
Learning Objectives
The learning objectives involve providing field proven tactics to accomplish each of the critical tasks required at a fire involving buildings. The ability to select, deploy, and operate a 2 ½” and 2 ¼” hose. We will show the attendees how to size-up and force multiple types of industrial and commercial doors. Including the use of rotary saws on roll-down doors & security gates. Our next objective is to boost the attendees’ confidence and ability to complete a rope assisted search.
