EFPD Unofficial Training Site: December
Check it out: This
month, I am highlighting a serious and emerging problem concerning
firefighter safety. This is a problem that we likely cannot solve
without significant fire industry pressure, and one that eventually
will lead to a large number of firefighters loosing their lives. So
what's the problem? Light weight truss construction such as the one
seen here. These joists are commonly referred to as TJI or "Silent
Floor System" trusses.
So
why are these trusses more dangerous under fire conditions than many
other construction materials? First, it would appear from reports that
these joists often fail without warning. While it is obvious that
there is insignificant mass available to support a structural load
under fire conditions. Additionally, these are often found in
unfinished areas such as the basement, thus exposing them to direct
flame contact in a basement fire. According to NIOSH reports, we can
expect component failure within 4-6 minutes of direct exposure.
Obviously
a construction practice that puts firefighters at significant risk of
injury or death is not acceptable. However, if it is extremely
unlikely that we can prevent their use in our community, then we must
as ourselves what we can do. When our IC's perform their risk
assessments, they (and we) need to consider whether it is prudent to
even attempt to aggressively fight a structure fire where these types
of joists are involved. Check out the video clip to see why these joists are clearly dangerous to firefighters. Next
time you respond to a structure fire, be sure to consider the length of
time the fire has been burning, what structural components may be
involved, and ask one simple question. Should we even consider
fighting this fire offensively?
Please
be sure to congratulate Casey Holt, Jason Wunsch, Jeff Brown and Nick
Carnesi for successfully completing their Driver Operator II exams.
Their sucess represents both a significant accomplishment for each of
these firefighters,as well as a major step forward for our department.
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Loudon County VA Investigation If
you haven't taken the time to review this fire, you certainly should.
A number of firefighters nearly lost their lives, and several were
severely injured. But beyond what went wrong is what went right. While
it is apparent that there were a number of not so innocent mistakes
made, it is unlikely that you will ever hear a more professional radio
response during a crisis involving firefighters. This is not only worthy of running for an additional month based on its merits, but they have also released the written report on the lessons learned. Check out the written report by clicking here, and be sure to see the video.
Volunteer Fire Fighter Dies After Falling Through Floor Supported by Engineered Wooden-I Beams at Residential Structure Fire On
January 26, 2007, a 24-year-old male volunteer fire fighter died at a
residential structure fire after falling through the floor which was
supported by engineered wooden I-beams. The victim’s crew had advanced
a handline approximately 20 feet into the structure with zero
visibility. They requested ventilation and a thermal imaging camera
(TIC) in an attempt to locate and extinguish the fire.
The
victim exited the structure to retrieve the TIC, and when he returned
the floor was spongy as conditions worsened which forced the crew to
exit. The victim requested the nozzle and proceeded back into the
structure within an arm’s distance of one of his crew members who
provided back up while he stood in the doorway.
Without
warning, the floor collapsed sending the victim into the basement.
Crews attempted to rescue the victim from the fully involved basement,
but a subsequent collapse of the main floor ceased any rescue attempts.
The victim was recovered later that morning. Check out the rest of this report and the conclusions that were reached by clicking here.
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