This feature is intended to spark the sharing of ideas, information and techniques to make firefighters safer and more effective. The following video and discussion points must not be used to berate, belittle or criticize those firefighters. Rather, in the spirit of near-miss reporting, please use this feature as another teaching tool to help you better do your job. Please leave your comments below and use this material in your own department. I hope you find this Reality Training valuable; stay safe and keep learning.
Is there anything that burns hotter and faster than a fire involving a furniture store? The heavy fuel load — consisting of wood, textiles, synthetic fabrics, cardboard, and the like — combined with the arrangement of those fuels all combine to promote rapid fire development and spread. It’s kind of like a horizontal fire test crib, don’t you think?
The vast floor space provides plenty of ventilation to a developing fire and aids in the rapid interior fire spread through direct flame contact, convection of hot gases and radiant heat. Because fires in such occupancies often reach full involvement, they also present significant exterior exposure protection challenges as well.
Discussion questions
- What were the initial and ongoing scene-safety risks that the incident commanders had to manage?
- If this were your fire, what would be your water supply requirements?
- What were the fire stream management and water management challenges at this incident, and what do those terms mean to you and your department?
- How would you describe the incident command structure necessary for this fire?