Lets back up a minute Search Scenario

Comment

Comment by Kevin Dippolito on March 28, 2014 at 2:07pm

Skip,

There would be two of us and we would start with the bedrooms, conducting a right hand search. It's not uncommon for us to split up once we reached the bedrooms so that we could quickly search all 3 and both baths. We would meet back up in the hallway before proceeding toward the rest of the house. If we were familiar with the layout of this style home, we would most likely split up again, one of us would search the kitchen & dining room, and the other could search the great room, especially considering the Engine crew is nearby as well if we were to get in to a jam for some reason.

Stay Safe

Kevin

Comment by Skip Coleman on March 22, 2014 at 6:25pm

Great! This is what I am looking for. Those unsure of how it works can now visualize how to search specific areas.
The oriented person taking the position at the stairs after using the hallway for the sleeping area, allows him or her to maintain an awareness of the searchers and remain in their close proximity while still remaining oriented with the best means of egress (off the stairway assembly). I am proud of you. Take a break and see if anyone else has any other ( or the same) ideas. There is always more than one right way to fight a fire.

Comment by Justin Renner on March 22, 2014 at 5:38pm

Thanks sir, the oriented officer would best stage thier search from around the stairs leading back out. This would allow them to start a primary search of the great room while the kitchen area is being searched. As well best case senario one FF would search the dinning room hitting the closet spaces which would allow the second FF to move ahead into the kitchen area and all meating back up with the oriented officer at the exit point. As said before all depending on Attack crews status.

Comment by Skip Coleman on March 22, 2014 at 4:49pm

That's the kind of information that I am looking for,. Very good Justin. Would you send a firefighter in the dinning room and one in the kitchen simultaneously or more like you did the Master Bedroom? Also, where worth the Oriented person position him/her self while crews searched the living areas?

Comment by Justin Renner on March 22, 2014 at 9:12am

From the outside we are looking at nothing more then a MODERN style split ranch, so to start our search we are going to start a right hand search towards the sleeping quarters due to time and day. With a three man Engine crew (officer,2 FF) the officer would preferably stage his oriented search from the hallway after sweeping the great room with his TIC on his/her way through. The wide open floor plan would allow our search officer and Attack officer to get a preliminary all clear of the great room, dining room and kitchen. I'd like to see one FF take each bedroom and the Officer could sweep the bathroom from the hallway. Both FF's would search the master bedroom allowing one to hit the closet and master bath. The crew would then preform a proper primary search of the dinning room, kitchen and great room on the way out, most likely in that order. A face to face with the Attack crew could alter the route and search made of the "B" side of the house.

Comment by Skip Coleman on March 21, 2014 at 8:41am

Very good Charlie. I am assuming you will start in sleeping areas and keep moving right thru dining room and living areas. When you go into individual rooms such as the master Bed room, how would that room get searched? Would the two firefighters stay together or would one go left and one go right or would you use an Oriented search with one firefighter (the oriented person) in the hall at the door?

Comment by Charlie Nash on March 21, 2014 at 8:26am

I'd perform a right hand search of the fire floor . The hose crew I assume , would be heading to the kitchen area and can search along the way . We work on 2 person pieces , so in zero visibility we stay together . Once visibility and fire condition improves we can separate more has long as we can keep in contact . While more resources arrive the next crew searches the basement .

Comment by Skip Coleman on March 20, 2014 at 8:42am

I forgot to add that the first in engine company is working the fire advancing a line through the front door with a firefighter assigned to door control until there is water on the fire.