Basement Fire Tactics

For personnel assigned to the engine company, the most dangerous stretch you’ll probably ever have to make is down the steps into a basement that’s on fire; this is especially true if there’s heavy fire. At no other time do you attack a fire from the floor above and descend through the flowing path of heat and gases venting on the same route that you’re advancing a hoseline. In short, these fires are dangerous and need to be attacked differently than other fires. In this article, we’ll focus on basement fire attack concerns and the use of exterior basement access to control fires.

Building Construction
Often, the basement has exposed flooring systems, making fire spread and failure of these systems possible early on in the fire. These systems can be standard dimensional lumber (2 x 8, 2 x 10 or 2 x 12) or engineered flooring systems. Standard lumber is prone to complete destruction by fire and failure at the connection points. The engineered flooring I-beams are subject to rapid burn-through of the web member, while parallel chord trusses are subject to rapid connection failure.

Important: If the basement ceiling is finished and the flooring systems aren’t directly exposed to a contents fire, the possibility of failure still exists in the event of a fire. If the fire started or spread rapidly to the void space between the finished ceiling in the basement and the floor truss space, disastrous failure is still likely.  

The stairs leading to the basement are often exposed to the fire. They can be open-tread in older homes and closed-tread with enclosed sidewalls in newer homes; however, the underside is often completely vulnerable to fire exposure. Some newer homes also have lightweight stair construction, making them more dangerous to descend and use.

Basement Contents
Expect anything in a basement. Often, the building utilities enter the basement, so it’s not uncommon to see electrical service panels, gas appliances (water heaters and furnaces) and other building systems. Storage can be another issue, as people often store combustible materials in boxes and containers, along with various chemicals, paints and solvents that can sometimes be extremely flammable.

Basement Access
Access to basements is often limited, thus making fire control efforts and ventilation difficult. Sometimes, your only way in or out is via the interior stairs. But many homes have exterior access, either through a main door in a cut-out exterior stairwell, or the home was built on a grade, exposing more of the structure and making main door access easy.

Other homes have a below-grade garage entrance, making this another alternative for entry and ventilation. Many buildings in our city are built on grades; some have more than one level below or partially below grade.

2 Key Fire Attack Questions
A basement fire is dangerous because its main means for ventilation is the interior stairs of the home. This pathway allows for the free vertical flow of hot gases and fire into the structure. Controlling the vertical extension of fire is therefore extremely important in basement fires, and the positioning of a fireline rapidly to control vertical extension is an important initial consideration, even if you aren’t attacking the fire from the stairs.

When wouldn’t you attack from the stairs? When there’s heavy fire involvement, with smoke/fire showing from windows or openings upon arrival, or when there’s an exterior entrance. If there’s a heavy fire condition, consider coordinating efforts by initially knocking down the fire from the exterior entrance and then positioning hoselines to attack vertical fire spread and expose concealed fires. Remember: Putting water on the fire makes everything else better. If there’s basement access from the exterior, this is your preferred attack point.

How do you know if there’s an exterior entrance? You must do a 360-degree assessment of the structure to determine where the fire is and where it’s going. Sometimes it’s hard to tell if fire is in the basement, so break some glass or remove wood coverings to help you determine conditions. Remember from our article on balloon-frame construction that you should expect fire on lower levels upon arrival in balloon-frame construction, even if the fire seems to be presenting itself on an upper level only.

Safety Considerations
Make sure you’re cautious as you advance above a fire on a flooring system. Remember to use all your senses to determine stability of the system, and check for openings caused by the fire. Feeling the space with an extended arm, leg, tool or just listening for the sound of the hose stream on the floor are all good methods.

That said, the floor may still be intact if carpet or flooring systems haven’t failed–or an engineered I-beam has burned through web members and is waiting on the weight of 2—3 firefighters to cause the system to fail. Coordination of ventilation efforts is also important so fire isn’t drawn through the structure and onto crews that are advancing hoselines.

The Preferred Attack Method
Using the exterior entrance is the preferred method of attack for all basement fires when an exterior door is present, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s the first place you should position a fireline. You want to attack the fire and also limit vertical fire spread, so although putting out the fire makes everything better, your tactical decisions should be based on responding personnel in this situation.

If yours is the only engine company for some time on the entire fire and you have to initiate an attack, then the first hoseline should go through the exterior door to control and extinguish the fire. Once that’s accomplished, reposition to search for and control vertical spread.

If you work in a system that has multiple responding engine companies, all of which will arrive in short succession, then your tactics can change: Vertical fire spread must be controlled by placing a fireline on the first floor. This will protect the interior stairs and allow for control of vertical fire spread. This hoseline should then be advanced to the stairwell entrance; if a door is present, shut it.

A second hoseline should be deployed to attack the fire in the basement. Don’t worry about pushing fire up the steps or making conditions worse for those operating above the fire, because as we’ve noted, putting out the fire makes everything else better. In this scenario, back-up lines need to be placed for each fireline; in multi-story homes, another line should be positioned to check for extension on the second and or third floors, or attic spaces, especially if balloon-frame construction is present.

Lessons Through Tragedy
In our region, the Colerain Township Fire & EMS Department suffered a tragic loss when Captain Robin Broxteman and Firefighter Brian Schira were killed as they fell into a burning basement. These firefighters initially stretched through the front door to the basement and were driven back by conditions up the stairs. They then fell through the floor at the top of the steps.

The lessons learned from this tragedy were passed onto others through the department’s investigative findings: The initial companies failed to perform an adequate size-up and missed the rear exterior patio door entrance into the structure, which would have given them near-immediate access to the fire. Additionally, due to the conditions of the fire and time allowed for fire growth, the standard “exposed” dimensional lumber flooring members failed, allowing the firefighters to fall into the inferno. To read the department report on this incident, visit www.colerain.org/department/fire/lodd.

Conclusion
Given the danger level involved with basement fires, you must ensure that your procedures and training exercises involve scenarios for attacking them. While we focused on fires that provide access via exterior entrances, you must be prepared for those without exterior access as well. The goal is to rapidly deploy firelines to control the fire, limit vertical spread and allow for the rescue of those trapped above the fire.

If you have heavy fire conditions, the fastest way to control the fire is through an exterior opening (window or door). Don’t be afraid to put water on these fires from this position and then advance into finish it off in a controlled manner.

Also, ensure that you’re aware of all the latest tactical studies being performed by UL and the National Institute of Standards & Technology (NIST) on fire attack and basement fires. Their findings are starting to change some of our longstanding beliefs and mindsets, and should lead to a review of your operations and possibly tactical changes in the future. For more information, visit the UL course on basement fires at www.ul.com/global/eng/pages/offerings/industries/buildingmaterials/fire/fireservice/basementfires/.