© 2010 Delmar, Cengage Learning Instructor Resources for Lesson E Managing the Risk

© 2010 Delmar, Cengage Learning

Instructor Resources for

Lesson E

Managing the Risk



Building Hazards

• Factors leading to “bad building behaviors”– Deficiencies in construction– Poor building maintenance– Fire’s long-burn time– Extension into concealed spaces– Exposure to unprotected, lightweight structural

members



Firefighting Risk Management

• “Acceptable losses”– Are to be expected for buildings– Are never acceptable for firefighting forces

• Mistakes– As human beings, we make mistakes– As firefighters, we need to avoid the serious ones



Predictions of Structural Failure Due to Fire

• Buildings with hazardous features– Will continue to burn and fail

• Residential occupancies– Will continue to have greatest number of fires/fire

fatalities

• Large-loss fires– Will continue to occur in buildings that lack:

• Automatic sprinkler systems

• Compartmentation in large-volume attic areas



Predictions of Structural Failure Due to Fire (cont’d.)

• Unreinforced masonry buildings (URMs)– Will continue to be one of the most hazardous

buildings

• Building industry– Will continue to design/build lightweight engineered

structures and elements

• Engineered structures– Will have more “disposable” structural elements after

fire impingement or failure




• Incidents of failure will increase– In Type III and Type V buildings with lightweight wood

trusses and I-beams

• Some arriving officers– Will not provide an adequate size-up or a good report

on conditions• Can result in poor fire-ground risk management




• Some firefighters– Will continue to make misjudgments about burning

buildings and time monitoring• Causing exposure to near misses

• Adverse outcomes expected at structure fires with:– Hazardous building features– Poor fire-ground risk management and decision

making



Courtesy of Craig Allyn Rose



Preventions for Line-of-Duty Deaths and Near Misses

• Provide prevention of fire and life safety education and training – For building occupants

• Enforce code requirements through regular inspections– For automatic sprinkler and detection systems

• Propose local ordinances:– For residential sprinklers– To retrofit large buildings with automatic sprinkler

systems



Preventions for Line-of-Duty Deaths and Near Misses (cont’d.)

• Modify codes to require one-hour fire-rating protection– For all lightweight wood floor and roof systems

• Compartmentalize large concealed spaces– To increase draft stopping requirements

• Require prefire analysis documentation– As part of the building permit process




• Develop department-specific policies and guidelines

• Train company officers and incident commanders on:– Fire-ground risk management, decision making, and

supervision

• Discipline for infractions that needlessly endanger firefighters’ lives

• Provide personnel with ongoing, realistic training




• Educate firefighters to become more “building literate”

• Utilize knowledge/technical skills to improve safety and performance– Local architects, structural engineers, and general

contractors

• Ensure that standard operating procedures match resource availability/capability

• Perform critical task analysis for buildings




• Anticipate – Increased levels of acceptable losses to buildings and

contents– More defensive operation firefights

• Ensure that fire companies:– Operate within predetermined risk-management

guidelines– Do not operate outside safety boundaries for non–life

saving incidents




• Anticipate– Extension of fire into concealed spaces or voids– Failure of walls

• Unprotected steel structural members exposed to fire

– Failure of unprotected steel bar joists• Impinged upon by fire

– Failure of unreinforced masonry walls (URMs)• Floor and roof systems fail




• Anticipate – Deficiencies and alterations in buildings in poor

condition– Earlier roof failure in structures with:

• Lightweight, combustible, prefabricated trusses and I-beams

– More “disposable” buildings and elements• In areas where performance standard codes are in

place




• Establish appropriate collapse zones and/or hazardous feature areas

• Reduce oversights and mental errors by:– Estimating fire spread and extension– Monitoring time– Identifying building and fire hazards

• Have control measures and mitigators to:– Limit firefighter exposure to unnecessary hazards

• Request regular updates from officers




• Rescue operations– Limit exposure by:

• Putting the least number of firefighters at high levels of risk for the shortest amount of time




• Rescue operations (cont’d.)– Prevent poor rescue outcomes by:

• Initiating search in areas with highest probability of live victims

• Anticipating time and air awareness

• Supporting the rescue operation properly

• Protecting avenues of egress

• Providing timely ventilation

• Securing avenues of escape by laddering

• Other appropriate actions



Summary

• “Acceptable losses” for firefighting forces are never an acceptable loss

• Buildings with hazardous features will continue to burn and fail

• Residential occupancies will continue to have:– Greatest number of fires– Greatest number of fire fatalities



Summary (cont’d.)

• Train company officers and incident commanders on:– Fire-ground risk management, decision making, and

supervision

• Provide all fire personnel with ongoing, realistic training

• Reduce oversights and mental errors• During rescue operations:

– Limit exposure and prevent poor rescue outcomes

Documents

© 2010 Delmar, Cengage Learning Instructor Resources for Lesson E Managing the Risk