This must be determined from the size-up, and communication is key. In some instances, it may be more appropriate to make access to the basement from an exterior access to directly attack the seat of the fire while a search crew makes the floor above. We have a responsibility to search for victims whenever there is any question about the occupancy. With fire below you, the subfloor, padding and carpet can show much lower temperatures than what actually exists. Studies show that the camera will only read the ambient temperature of the room and materials. Use your experience and best practices.ĭon't rely totally on a thermal imaging camera to determine if you have fire below you. If you feel that something different needs to be done to be successful, then do it. Don't get caught up in a "cookie-cutter" mentality. Your tactics will depend on what your operational guidelines are and based on what you find during the size-up. In addition, daycares use basements to separate the living space of the caregiver and the daycare itself. We also need to consider the fact that the basement could contain commercial operations that would not normally be found in a residential home. These are not the only considerations during the size-up, but there are no limits to what you may see that indicates a basement fire and/or victims in the basement. Is there an exterior access that we might be able to use to get to the fire?.Are there signs of heating devices like woodstove pipes coming from the basement?.Do we see curtains in the basement windows?.Is there a bulkhead charged with smoke?.
#Fireground sizeup windows#
This also makes it tough for us to get ourselves out those same windows. These homes weren’t built to have basements with bedrooms and living spaces in them, so the windows typically do not meet current codes for egress. Older homes with basements also tend to have smaller basement windows. Further, we may need to take extra care going down the stairs. In addition, the older homes typically will have steeper and narrower stairwells. In older homes, the basement may not have an exterior access point or it may be in the garage. Stop by the subdivision and take note of how new homes are being configured and the location of basement access points. This will require you to get out and look around. It is our responsibility to know if they are traditional, legacy construction or if they're newer with low mass, engineered construction. It is paramount that we understand what type of building construction we are dealing with in our areas. FSRI conducts a basement fire experiment.
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