We arrived on scene for a two-story single family dwelling [...]]]> On December 26, 2009 (approximately 4 hours after getting off my 13.5-hour non-stop flight from Seoul, South Korea) I managed to hop on Truck 106 on a call for a house fire at fire box 7216.
This would be my first working house fire call.

We arrived on scene for a two-story single family dwelling with flames showing on the Alpha side of the first floor.
First and second due engines deployed the primary and secondary attack lines and made entry from the front door on the Bravo side, where they attacked the fire in fully involved living room.

The incident lasted well over an hour, with the incident commander striking a second alarm and calling in Light and Air 103 and Canteen 106.

A couple of points worth mentioning from this call:

– The 28′ extension ladder is a pain to carry by yourself, but is doable. I had to carry the thing to the Charlie side of the structure to ventilate the second floor window. That being said, firefighters should practice and develop a sense of what ladder you would need, and how much you have to extended before deploying it to a building. They say this comes with lots of practice and experience. And as always, CHECK FOR OVERHEAD OBSTRUCTIONS!!!

– The structure appeared to be of Type III construction, with brick walls on the exterior and concrete floors on the first and second floors. While it is not impossible to breach the brick walls in order to escape from the structure, the task is obviously much more difficult than in a Type IV or V. Assessing building construction upon arrival on scene would go a lot way in preparing yourself before entering the building (i.e. what tools do you need? what hazards do I need to look out for? How would it affect my tactics inside the building?)

– The call involved a hoarding situation at the residence. Hoarding can create dangerous conditions for firefighters as the excess contents are literally fuel just waiting to be burned, causing rapid development and spread of the fire.

– Hoarding can also creates numerous obstacles and causes problems for advancing and retreating attack lines, as well as search and rescue. The photos below shows just how much stuff had to be pulled out for overhaul. The pile on the front door was just part of a larger pile still in the living room.

– Hoarding can also cause some disorientation, especially in sensory-deprived environments. Piles and piles of junk could change how the room and the floors are perceived by firefighters and cause confusion while conducting search and rescue. This could lead rescuers to get lost, stuck, or even crawl out a roof, thus prompting a subsequent mayday and RIT activation .

– Red hats have a lot of external work to do on the fire ground! (Nuff said.)

Two-story single family dwelling at box 7216. The living room was fully involved upon arrival on scene.

Two-story single family dwelling at box 7216. Notice the pile of household items in front of the front door.

This was part of a larger pile in the living room, which measured about a foot high from the floor.

ACFD firefighters on Truck 106 after completing overhaul operations at Box 7216

Engine Company had all the fun…