The Present-Day Firefighting Strategy - Essay Example

Firefighting Strategy Introduction The present day firefighters are highly skilled professionals and they possess immense experience and competence in addressing a vast array of incidents and dangerous situations. Fire officers and firefighters comprehend what is possible and safe, primarily on the basis of their experience. Nevertheless, the function of the fire service is undergoing a change. Firefighters have to respond to terrorist threats, contemporary structures and materials have changed significantly and this has made it possible to construct taller and wider buildings; the clothing and equipment of firefighters has altered; and the very personnel have changed, as there are a sizeable number of female firefighters[Nor12]. An issue of crucial importance is the duration for which firefighting work can be sustained under diverse operational conditions before there is a significant deterioration in performance. This research work deals with important issues relating to fire dynamics with a special focus on fire extinguishing methods and suppression tactics. Firefighting Fundamentals Firefighting strategy consists of certain fundamental procedures. These are; first, arriving at the scene of the fire, in the shortest time possible. Second, estimating the nature of the fire, its extent and intensity, the nature of the fuel and the quantity in which it is present, the danger involved in entering the area of the fire, and the optimal procedures for putting out the fire. Third, detecting and saving the people imperilled by the fire. Fourth, preventing the spread of the fire by shielding the flanking areas. Fifth, ensuring adequate ventilation to the fire area, in order to facilitate the escape of toxic gases and heat. Sixth, extinguishing the fire[Col151]. In addition, a dry substance that liquefies and spreads over burning material, thereby eliminating air, is very useful against all types of fire. With respect to fire in materials that react dangerously with water or other extinguishing agents, it is the practice to employ nitrogen, argon or some other chemically inert gas[Col151]. As such, it is incumbent upon the fire and rescue authorities to examine the available options, accept and defend decisions and convey such developments to their local authorities. The Chief Fire Officers undertake a certain amount of self-censorship on the basis of their conviction that members will not be in favour of closure of fire stations or alterations in crewing arrangements at specific fire stations. The preference is for achieving savings via frozen recruitment and natural wastage. However, this approach is incomplete, as it does not provide control over who leaves and generates substantial work to rebalance the crews, fire stations and areas[Kni13]. Incident Command System The incident command system is utilised by organisations that are required to respond swiftly to crisis or emergency situations. These include the police and fire services. The incident command system owes its origin to the necessity to promote and preserve the control and efficiency advantages of bureaucracy, whilst precluding the issue of sluggish response to crises. The adoption of this mechanism has improved the response time of several organisations with respect to new opportunities, unanticipated threats from the competition or organisational crises. The incident command system is founded upon the notion that organisations can transition effortlessly between highly formalised and hierarchical structures that are effective during stable times and a tractable and informally organised framework that can respond efficiently towards challenging and unforeseen environmental conditions[Daf101]. The NFPA 921: Guide to Fire and Explosion Investigations is a document that provides crucial information to the entities that are vested with the responsibility of investigating and analysing incidents involving fire and explosion and providing opinions regarding the origin, cause, responsibility or prevention of such incidents. In addition, this document aims to provide guidelines and recommendations for conducting safe and systematic investigation or analysis of fire and explosion incidents[Int151]. Such investigations and analyses make it possible to circumvent future fire incidents. Strategic Training Firefighting organisations, in general, include individuals with varying levels of knowledge regarding the use of foam in extinguishing fire. The training process should commence with the substitution of misinformation and myths with the latest knowledge and data. With respect to foam education, it is necessary to realise that all personnel have to be provided with such information. It would be highly beneficial to impart such training via an external professional trainer. Such trainers should be well versed with this process and should have adequate practical experience in the use of such technology[Col132]. These trainers should answer the questions raised by the trainees, on the basis of science, facts and personal experience. With regard to foam application tactics, this is especially true. As such, firefighters require practical answers to their questions, and theoretical advice does not provide them with same extent of guidance. It is incumbent upon the external professional trainer to describe the operational decisions and alternatives, in a structured manner, which have to be contemplated upon by the departments intending to deploy foam[Col132]. In order to recognise the differences in responding to a fire, it is necessary for all the members to be provided with education and training in positive pressure. In the past, structures had been pressurised and there would be a 14 minutes gap between the time of activation of a smoke detector and the room would flash and the fire would proceed through the structure rapidly[Kri12]. On the other hand, contemporary structures take less than four minutes for the fire to flashover. This has been primarily attributed to the fact that modern structures are chiefly constructed from synthetic materials. The fire loads in modern structures can produce in excess of 15,000 BTUs of energy per pound. However, the fires of the past, when structures incorporated ordinary combustible materials, would generate around 5,000 BTUs per pound. Furthermore, the combustion products of the past were not as lethal as those of the present day era[Kri12]. All the same, the best fans employed by fire departments, a quarter century ago, had a rating of 5,000 cubic feet per minute (cfm); whereas, the present day fans operate at 20,000 to 30,000 cfm. In conjunction with adequate exhaust, coordinated pressure attacks provide firefighters with the capacity to remove huge quantities of energy and lethal gases. As a consequence, victims trapped in burning structures have a better likelihood of survival[Kri12]. General Principles of Fire Suppression The presence of operational cooperation between Fire and Rescue Services and Water Companies, in order to identify the actions necessary to secure and provide firefighting with water, is a general principle. On the other hand, the expertise of the Water Companies is crucial for assessing and forecasting the extent to which the distribution system can provide water for firefighting[Loc07]. Water Several substances are presently employed to extinguish fire. However, water continues to be the most commonly used material for extinguishing class A fires. This latter class of fires occur most frequently. As such, water reduces the temperature of the burning material and also smothers it. With regard to quenching small fires in solid materials, the simplest procedure is to use buckets of water. When greater efficiency is desired, then fire extinguishers that possess the capacity to direct a stream of water can be employed. The utilisation of wetting agents or detergents causes the water to penetrate to a greater extent into the material on fire. This has been seen to be especially true of mattresses, cotton bales and other such objects[Col151]. Foams The class B fires cannot be extinguished with water, unless the latter is sprayed as a fine mist upon the fire. This is due to the fact that the inflammable liquids, in such fires, tend to float on the water and thereby spread the fire. In general, foam is the preferred extinguishing agent for such fires, especially with respect to the oil fires[Col151]. Water, as well as foam conduct electricity. This precludes their use in class C fires. The exception is when a fog nozzle is used, as this device generates minute droplets that explode and create a smothering envelop of steam. Carbon dioxide and halogen compounds prove to be very effective in quenching class C fires. These substances can also be employed for extinguishing fires in flammable liquids and small fires in solids[Col151]. Chemical Agents The dry chemical extinguishing agents, including fine sodium bicarbonate, can be utilised upon class B and class C fires. All the same, they are best suited for use against class B fires[Col151]. It is essential to undertake the venting of a structure at the precise time. This provides the firefighters with a proper environment to work in. There should be proper coordination between the fire attack team and the venting. As such, venting should not take place in the absence of adequate line placement to prevent the spread of the fire[Mof15]. Dry Powders Dry powder extinguishes fire in the following ways. First, by producing a cloud of minute particles over the fire’s surface. This prevents the fire from drawing in oxygen. As a consequence, the fire is subjected to a smothering effect. Secondly, dry powder derails the chemical reaction between oxygen and the vaporised fuel. This bring the process of combustion to a rapid standstill. In combination, these effects of dry powder upon combustion, extinguish the fire swiftly[Int03]. Overhaul Overhaul, in the context of firefighting, denotes the opening of ceilings, partitions, voids, and walls in order to locate fire extension during the pre-control and post-control stages of firefighting operations. The pre-control overhauls lasts until the fire can be brought under control; whereas, post-control overhaul transpires after the fire has been brought under control. Firefighters, at the site of the fire, tend to be very active and they remain in that state until the fire has been extinguished, rescues made, and the fire has been brought under control. Subsequently, the post-control overhaul stage begins[She112]. Fire Fighting Disasters During a fire that broke out at the Salamanca Tower in Lambeth, on 15 July 2011, four firemen were seriously injured and had to be hospitalised. These firefighters had used the lift instead of the stairs, thereby breaching a fundamental fire safety rule. The lift stopped working, and these firemen had to be rescued from it. This fire, in the 17-storey building erupted on the fourth storey, and it took around two hours to bring it under control. As such, 75 firemen had to be deployed at this location, in order to extinguish the fire[Mai11]. With regard to success of fire operations, it has been observed that some firefighters develop a sense of invincibility. Moreover, some firefighters perceive that it is acceptable to die in a structure fire. In addition, some firefighters believe that they will not be destroyed in a fire. Furthermore, some of these individuals refuse to entertain such thoughts or remain oblivious to them. As such, no single cause can be attributed towards the death of firefighters, in the line of duty. The reports emanating from the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health make it evident that fatalities among firefighters are the result of a combination of factors. The entire firefighting exercise commences with the officer who arrives first at the fire site. This is usually the company officer, and this individual can determine the extent of damage resulting from the incident[Pri15]. Conclusion The firefighting process involves a balancing act between what could be required and what may be available, and thereafter addressing the lacunae in such balancing process. The potential incidents that possess the greatest risk and could require substantial resources to address, should be accorded specific attention. Furthermore, allowance has to be made for the risk posed to the safety and health of firefighters by the physical and environmental demands of such activity. As such, the Fire and Rescue Service personnel should be adept at evaluating and planning the actions to be undertaken to quench fires, under any circumstances. References Colletti, D., 2013. A Gain of strategy. Fire Chief, 57(3), pp. 4-6. Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th Edition, 2015. Fire fighting. New York, NY, USA: Columbia University Press. Daft, R. L., Murphy, J. & Willmott, H., 2010. Organization Theory and Design. Hampshire, UK: Cengage Learning EMEA. Inter Fire, 2015. NFPA 921: Guide to Fire and Explosion Investigations. [online] Available at: [Accessed 3 December 2015]. International Fire Training Centre, 2003. Fire Extinguishing Media - Dry Powder. [online] Available at: [Accessed 1 December 2015]. Knight, K., 2013. Facing the Future. [online] Available at: [Accessed 1 December 2015]. Kriss, G., 2012. Go Ahead — Blow Smoke. Fire Chief, 56(4), pp. 34-40. Local Government Association and Water UK, 2007. National guidance document on the provision of water for fire fighting. [online] Available at: [Accessed 1 December 2015]. Mail Online, 2011. Four firefighters trapped inside lift after refusing to use stairs during flat blaze. [online] Available at: [Accessed 1 December 2015]. Moffit, A., n.d. Basics...the important key to successful structural firefighting. [online] Available at: [Accessed 1 December 2015]. Norman, J., 2012. Fire Officer's Handbook of Tactics. 4th ed. Tulsa, OK, USA: Fire Engineering Books. Prizborowski, S., 2015. The Fire Officer's Role in Reducing Firefighter Line-of-Duty Deaths. Fire Engineering, 168(7), pp. 55-60. Sheridan, D. P., 2011. Overhaul and Extension. [online] Available at: [Accessed 1 December 2015]. Read More