NFPA Journal - Fall 2021 - 85

that they suspect the family is still
inside, since they don't see them in the
yard.
During a 360-degree survey, the
incident commander (IC), who is the
first-arriving engine officer, notes a
significant volume of fire in the cellar,
observed through the small cellar
windows located at ground level. As
firefighters force open the front door
and attempt entry, they are met with
a blast of high heat and thick dark
smoke. Unable to advance through
the door because of the high heat,
the first-arriving engine officer uses
a thermal imaging camera, or TIC, to
try to determine the relative location
of fire and heat source. She discovers
that there seems to be a hot gas flow
from an opening on a wall to her left
near the rear of the home. As the first
uncharged handline approaches the
front door, the second engine and
first-due ladder company arrive on the
scene.
In response to her rapid size-up and
knowledge of immediately available
resources, the IC must make an immediate
strategic decision which will
result in the application of applicable
tactics: should firefighters adopt an
offensive or defensive strategy? That
decision immediately triggers a series
of questions regarding the appropriate
next steps considering the potential
of trapped occupants, firefighting
effectiveness, and firefighter safety.
They include: Should the first hoseline
enter the front door and attempt
an attack via the interior cellar stairs?
Should a solid, straight, or fog stream
be used during fire attack? Should the
IC direct the implementation of a transitional
attack, possibly via the cellar
windows? Should all windows on the
first floor be vented immediately?
How and when should second-story
windows be vented? When and how
should a search be initiated?
The conventional, old-school practice
of many departments would
dictate the application of an offensive
strategy by stretching the first hoseline
to the front door to make every
effort to cool the atmosphere to permit
a push down the interior cellar stairs,
located on the left towards the rear
of the first floor. At the same time, a
firefighter might be ordered to vent
all the windows on the first floor to
dissipate the smoke and heat on the
first floor. Search teams would be
directed to attempt entry via the interior
stair to the second floor. Other
firefighters might be using portable
ladders to vent, enter, and search the
second-floor bedrooms.
Following operations, the hose
would be repacked and firefighters
would return to quarters for a cup of
coffee. Or they might be assigned to
another incident during travel back to
quarters.
Compare that to an NFPA
1700-informed approach, where the
guidance includes strategic and tactical
considerations informed by an
accumulated understanding of fire
dynamics within compartments,
synthetic fuel packages, fire development
characteristics, potential
for structural collapse, flow paths,
and the application of water for fire
attack, information that could have an
important impact on the outcome of
this fire.
An offensive strategy is undertaken,
defined in NFPA 1700 as the
plan for the actions and movements
of arriving fire department units
to control the fire, effect rescues,
begin searches for occupants, and
extinguish the fire with the intent
to commence operations inside the
fire building. In this case, firefighters
would also implement a transitional
attack, which is the application of
a fire stream from the exterior of
a structure to improve conditions
prior to interior fire control; here,
the first hose line would be directed
to use a solid or straight stream to
initially control the heavy volume
of fire evident in the cellar. Following
control of fire, this line can be
rapidly advanced through the front
door and down the stairs to further
control and ultimately extinguish the
fire. Alternatively, if a second hose
line becomes available, that crew can
advance inside the building concurrent
with the effort to control the fire
from the exterior. Early fire control
will improve conditions inside of
the house and enable and speed the
search process.
Horizontal first-floor ventilation
would require coordination with fire
attack/control. As such, windows
should not be ventilated until confirmation
that water is controlling the
fire and that the flow path created
will not further aggravate exposure
to trapped occupants and firefighters
working above.
Firefighters could perform vent,
entry, isolate, & search (VEIS) via
portable ladders as a rapid and effective
means of locating and removing
trapped occupants from the second
floor. Following ventilation and entry,
firefighters should make every effort to
close open bedroom doors prior to initiating
searches. Controlling the flow
path to the bedroom being searched
enhances tenability and hampers the
ability of fire spread to that space.
Upon relief, units should be
directed to exit the hot zone, safely
remove contaminated PPE, and initiate
personal decontamination and
rehabilitation efforts. Following the
on-scene gross-decontamination of
PPE, apparatus, and other equipment,
members should return to quarters
to complete personal decontamination
by showering, donning clean
station-wear, and laundering contaminated
uniform items.
As this old school/new school comparison
demonstrates, NFPA 1700 is a
valuable resource for change agents in
any fire organization, regardless of size
and staffing profile, to bring an up-todate
understanding of fire dynamics to
structural firefighting procedures and
training curricula. As research into
fire dynamics and other areas continues,
so will the evolution of NFPA
1700. Considering the diversity of
the firefighting spectrum-prevailing
occupancy and building types, water
supplies, staffing, PPE, available firefighting
equipment, and more-it is
essential that the scientific foundation
provided by NFPA 1700 continues to
grow. Together, we can advance the
art of firefighting through science by
informing what has become accepted
practice with knowledge gained
through accepted research.
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NFPA Journal - Fall 2021

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