DIVISION 7 TRAINING AND SAFETY NEWSLETTERMay 2015

TIP OF THE HELMET TO: The members who participated in the 25th Anniversary ceremony of the “Happy Land” Social Club Fire.

To: Fr. Jerry Maxwell L-56, Fr. Chris O’Brien L-56 and Fr. Brian Smith L-44 who organized the wreath laying ceremony for the 59th Anniversary of the 3rd Avenue Collapse. 6 FDNY members were killed at this fire and 12 were seriously injured. This fire is still the largest life loss event of Firefighters in the Bronx.

To: Fr. David Ritchie L-27 for his “Class A” award, Fr. Jose Cruz L-36 for his “Class B” award, and to Engine 79, Engine 42, and Ladder 34 for their Unit Citations. Well done!

To: The Firefighters who operated at Bronx Box 2-2-3373 on 3/25/2015 at 0308 hours. The building was at 570 East Fordham Road, the corner of E. Fordham Road and Hoffman St. The fire was blowing out a window on the 2nd floor on the exposure 4 side. The fire was auto-exposing a 3 rd floor window

and a heavy ornamental cornice. During the overhauling stage of the fire, the roof sector announced that the cornice may be compromised. Engine 45 was ordered to set up a collapse zone on the entire exposure 4 side. It was taped off. Within minutes of setting up the collapse zone, the ornamental cornice collapsed in a wave. The debris filled up the entire collapse zone. This collapse was a non-event because everyone at the box stayed clear of the collapse zone. Respect the collapse zone!

200 EAST7TH STREET, MANHATTAN

On the night tour of January 16, 1992

at 0003 hours, FDNY units were

dispatched to Box 432 for a reported

fire on the 5th floor of 200 East 7th

Street, between Avenue B and

Avenue C. While units were

responding, the Manhattan Fire

Dispatcher advised Battalion Chief

Richard Rittmeyer of the 4th Battalion

that 3 Engines, 3 Ladders, and the

Rescue were responding to this fire

due to numerous phone calls.

Engine 28 arrived 1st due. Nothing

was visible in the front of the

building. There was a wind blowing

from front to rear. However, there

was a strong odor of smoke and evacuating people told Captain Vinny Romeo E-28 that there was a fire

upstairs. Captain Romeo transmitted a 10-75 at 0007 hours.

Captain Romeo E-28 made his way to the 5th floor and fire was already in the hallway. Engine

28 started a “well-hole” stretch by themselves. The stretch was efficient and rapid. Ladder 11 was the

first due truck. Their forcible entry team went to the 5th floor as well. Ladder 18 was the 2nd due truck.

Lieutenant Dan Butler, Fr. Al Gonzalez, and Fr. Pat McKenna (L-45 Det.) comprised the forcible entry

team. As Ladder 18 was climbing the stairs, an evacuating person told Lieut. Butler that there were

people on the top floor.

Fr. Ted Jankowski was the OV Firefighter for Ladder 11. Upon arrival, he went to the rear of the

building. When he got to the rear yard, he saw fire coming out of every rear window on the 5 th and 6th

floors. He dropped the fire escape drop ladder and returned to the front of the building to bring the

saw to the roof.

As Lieut. Butler L-18 arrived at the 5th floor, Capt. Romeo E-28 told Lieut. Butler that they didn’t

have water yet. Lieut. Butler decided to go above the fire, possibly thinking that there were people

trapped on the top (6th) floor. Ladder 18 made their way past the fire which was venting upward

towards the stairway.

Fire was now venting heavily into the hallway of the 5th

floor. Engine 28 got water and they started their

advance into the rear apartments. Ladder 18’s Forcible

Entry Team began forcing entry to the rear apartment

which was directly over the fire. The fire had already

extended to the 6th floor and this floor was getting

hotter by the second. Their efforts were thwarted on

the first door they tried because it was nailed shut.

There was little space for them to operate. In their

frantic efforts to force entry into the adjoining rear

door, both Lieut. Butler and Fr. Gonzalez lost their

helmets. The heat became unbearable for the

members on the top floor. Conditions were worsening

rapidly. Suddenly, the ceiling in the hallway on the top

floor lit up. Ladder 18’s forcible entry team was in dire

straits. They were being burned in the hallway on the

floor above at this rapidly expanding fire.

(Historical Note: In 1992, The Personal Protective Equipment was Turnout Coat, Pull up Boots, and a

Helmet. The SCBA was a Scott 4.5. Bunker gear was not standard equipment until after the Watts

Street fire which occurred on March 28, 1994. That fire claimed the lives of Captain John Drennan L-5,

Fr. Chris Siedenburg E-24, and Fr. James Young E-24.)

At the roof, heavy fire was venting out of the stairway bulkhead, over the parapet of the air and

light shafts and over the rear parapet. Fr. Bob Annunziato L-11 (Roof Firefighter) and Fr. Pat Mulligan

L-18 (Roof Firefighter) were cutting with the saw while Fr. Jankowski L-11 (OV), Fr. Gary Bulger L-18

(OV) conducted vertical ventilation.

On the floor above the fire (6th floor), it was

now a fight for survival. The members of Ladder

18’s forcible entry team were scrambling to find a

way out of their predicament. Under extreme

heat, Fr. Gonzalez positioned himself at the front

apartment door. He was able to force open the

front apartment door and guide the members of L-

18’s forcible entry team into the safety of the

front apartment. All three members were burned.

They made their way through the front apartment,

to the front fire escape, and down to the street.

Members operating inside the building didn’t

know that L-18’s forcible entry team made their

way to the fire escape.

Engine 5 was the second due engine. They

were having difficulty stretching the 2nd hose line.

Fire was now rapidly expanding on the top floor.

Deputy Chief David Corcoran 1st Division arrived at the fire. He received a briefing from B.C.

Rittmeyer Bn. 4. D.C. Corcoran sent B.C. Rittmeyer to supervise operations on the fire floor. B.C.

Rittmeyer made it to the 5th floor and he called for another hose line. Engine 28 was ordered to re-

position their hose line to the top floor to try to gain control of the fire there after they gave the fire on

the 5th floor a quick hit with the hose stream. Ladder 9 went to the top floor as well. After crawling on

the floor of the top floor, they found a burned helmet, Lieut. Butler’s helmet. The discovery of a

Firefighter’s helmet is a universal indicator that a member is in distress.

Rescue 1 arrived on the top floor. They were commanded by Lieutenant Patrick (Paddy) Brown.

He made a search of the hallway of the top floor. Thinking a

Firefighter was still missing due to the discovery of the burned

helmet, he was searching under extreme conditions. The fire

was advancing enough that D.C. Corcoran was telling B.C.

Rittmeyer that he wanted to change strategy and start using

Tower Ladders. B.C. Rittmeyer told D.C. Corcoran that we have

missing members and to hold off on using the Tower Ladder.

B.C. Rittmeyer made his way to the top floor and told Lieut.

Brown that he had to back down to the 5th floor. Lieut. Brown

argued to stay on the top floor to search for the missing

members. Both B.C. Rittmeyer Bn. 4 and Lieut. Brown R-1 were

on their stomachs to try to avoid the intense heat as they

searched.

Battalion Chief Peter Rice of Battalion 6 was on the roof

supervising operations at this critical sector. B.C. Rice hearing on the radio that Lieut. Butler L-18 was

missing, grabbed Fr. Gary Bulger, the OV from L-18. He told him that they cannot find his officer on the

top floor.

Engine 5’s hose line made it to the top floor and the line was charged. Engine 28 was then able

to drop back down to the original fire floor and continue their extinguishing efforts there.

The Forcible Entry team of Ladder 18 made their way to the ambulance for treatment. Word

was finally transmitted over the handi-talkie that the missing members were accounted for. The

search for the missing members was suspended.

Deputy Chief David Corcoran transmitted a 2nd alarm at 0019 and a

3rd alarm at 0028 hours. Hose lines were stretched to exposures 2 and 4 to

attack the fire in the rear of the building.

FDNY units operated at this box for 5 hours. Lieutenant Dan Butler,

Firefighter Patrick McKenna and Firefighter Al Gonzalez were all taken to the

Cornell Burn Center. Firefighter Al Gonzalez was awarded a Class I award,

the James Gordon Bennett Medal and the Dr. Harry M. Archer Medal for his

actions on January 16, 1992.

Thanks to D.C. Richard Rittmeyer (Ret.), D.C. Ted Jankowski (Ret.), Capt. Vincent Romeo (Ret.),

Lieut. Albert Gonzalez (Ret.), Fr. Pat McKenna (Ret.), Fr. Bob Athanis R-3, Fr. Chris Roberto E-48, Fr.

Gary Bulger L-18 and D.C. Vincent Dunn (Ret.) for their contributions to this essay.

RANDOM THOUGHTS ON OPERATING ABOVE THE FIRE:

Operating above a fire can be an extremely dangerous position.

Fire can extend to the floor above via stairways, voids, or via auto-exposure.

In addition to the dangers of the heat, the smoke condition can be extreme and toxic. If a Firefighter runs out of air on the floor(s) above at an advanced fire, his/her life is in peril.

Do not go above the fire without your Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) being worn properly. If your PPE is compromised and conditions become severe, you will no longer be forcing entry, or conducting searches. You will be in a fight for your life.

Use your helmet chin strap.

As is true with every operation on the fire ground, size-up is vital when preparing to operate above the fire. Check the conditions on the fire floor before going above. Is the fire confined by a closed apartment door?

Is the hose line on the fire floor in place and charged? If the fire does not appear to be able to be controlled by the hose line in place, do not go above it.

What type of stairway does the building have? The most dangerous type of stairway is an open and unenclosed stairway. These type stairways are common in private dwellings, Old Law Tenements, New Law Tenements, Row Frames, Brownstones, and “H-Type” Multiple Dwellings. The next safest type of stairway is an enclosed stairway which is common in fireproof housing projects. The safest type is a smoke proof fire tower which is found in older high rise office buildings.

What are your options for escape? Can you go down the interior stairs? If fire is coming up the stairway, you cannot use it for escape. You must know if there are fire escapes and where they are in relation to the fire. If you feel you need a ladder placed to a window, call for it.

What type of building construction is it? The construction type that poses the greatest danger to Firefighters operating above the fire is wood frame. The second most dangerous is brick and wood joist construction.

TYPE OF CONSTRUCTION DEGREE OF DANGER

WOOD FRAME CONSTRUCTION MOST DANGEROUS

BRICK AND WOOD JOIST (ORDINARY)

HEAVY TIMBER

NON-COMBUSTIBLE

FIRE RESISTIVE LEAST DANGEROUS

Before going above the fire, contact must be made with the officer of the Engine company who is about to attack or is attacking the fire. This officer must know that Firefighters are going above. Possessing this knowledge, it is incumbent on this Engine Officer to notify the Incident Commander if they lose water or their attack is not progressing well. This should be an “URGENT” message. This officer must tell the Incident Commander of the plight of the members on the floor(s) above. If contact cannot be made with the Engine Officer on the fire floor before going above the fire, leave a member on the fire floor to alert this unit if their hose line attack breaks down.

When climbing or descending the stairway above a fire, stay close to the wall. The fire will travel via convection currents away from the wall.

At serious fires when arriving at the floor above, before operating in the apartment directly above the fire, force an area of refuge. This area of refuge should not be over the fire. Keep the area of refuge door closed, but unlocked. If necessary, force an area of refuge on every floor above the fire.

When entering an apartment above the fire and flashover of the stairway, hallway or apartment is a real possibility, penetrate into the apartment to find the secondary means of egress FIRST! Once the fire escape or portable ladder is found and access is assured, then the primary search can begin.

The old saying: “We risk a lot to save a lot” applies to operating above a fire. We are not expected to put our lives in extreme danger to make the floor above. If flashover conditions exist, it is dangerous to go above the fire for vague reports of people trapped or the mindset “we must make the floor above at all costs because we are the 2nd due truck.” If you have good knowledge of someone trapped, then you risk a lot to save a lot. Sometimes, it is more prudent to wait a few seconds until the first hose line starts attacking the fire.

Depending on the severity of conditions, the best way may be to make a quick primary search of the area above the fire may be via ladders or fire escape. Communication with the OV Firefighter is essential if the Forcible Entry Team of the 2nd due Ladder Company cannot pass the fire floor.

If you have transmitted a “Mayday” and the situation becomes resolved, make sure the Incident Commander is notified. The members involved in the distress call should be identified to make sure that the recovered member is the member that transmitted the “Mayday” message.

Resources: “Safety and Survival on the Fireground”, by Vincent Dunn; Firefighting Procedures Ladder Company Operations Tenements; Training Bulletin Search 1.

Deputy Chief Jay Jonas, Division 7