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Our department just had FDNY Chief Jerry Tracey (ret.) come down for a 3-day symposium on high-rise firefighting and wind driven fires. What a great program he put on! I look at 10 mph. windy days in a whole different perspective and take more precautions on not only where the fire is venting but how it is venting. Is it blowing out or into the structure? Will we be creating the ventilation path if we use the wrong ventilation method. My thanks go out to Chief Tracey and the entire NIST/BFRL team for their outstanding research.

What are your thoughts on wind driven fires?

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It's as important a part of your size up as the building construction, fire load and burn time.
What are your thoughts on verbalizing the venting on the radio size-up? i.e. "E-1 is on scene, 2-story residential structure with fire venting to the 2nd floor interior on the B division."

Larry Lasich said:
It's as important a part of your size up as the building construction, fire load and burn time.
Trey Smith said:
What are your thoughts on verbalizing the venting on the radio size-up? i.e. "E-1 is on scene, 2-story residential structure with fire venting to the 2nd floor interior on the B division."

Larry Lasich said:
It's as important a part of your size up as the building construction, fire load and burn time.

Charlie Delta side, second floor is fully involved. The windows have failed and fire is being pushed into the structure. Protection line to the stairwell, primary search of the second floor if the door to the room is still intact. If the fire is into the second floor living space, search the floors below the fire and get out.

If I had good info that no one was inside, I wouldn't even consider sending crews inside.
I'd get big water ready on the Charlie side, get a knock and consider going in after that.

If the fire was on a lower floor (living space above the fire floor) I'd REALLY have to think about sending crews above the fire unless I got a knockdown from the outside.

This is a good question and one that we should consider because wind driven fire will cause extreme fire behavior inside the structure and we have had LODDs from these conditions..
I would encourage everyone to order a copy of the NIST/BFRL study on wind driven fires that were conducted in Chicago and on Governor's Island in New York City.

Checkout the links:
Capt. Ratchford talked to our volly dept about this at our last meeting at New Hope. The link isn't showing up, could you try it again. Thank You Capt.

Larry Glover

Trey Smith said:
I would encourage everyone to order a copy of the NIST/BFRL study on wind driven fires that were conducted in Chicago and on Governor's Island in New York City.

Checkout the links:
Trey,
thanks for placing this link.
Larry

Trey Smith said:

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