you are officer in charge

[hotboy]

Its 3:15 in the morning your company is dispatched for a house fire in your town along with 2 other companies(Mutual Aid). Enroute to the fire you become aware that 3 other units are also enroute. Your 1st engine,a ladder truck,rescue squad,and another engine.
Half way to location fire radio informs you that they are now getting calls reporting subjects trapped. There are 2 hydrants within 700 ft. of the house. 1st hydrant is approximately 600 ft from the burning house on the same street opposite side, 2nd hydrant just around the corner(nearest cross street)about 700 ft from house. you have a eight man crew on your 1st engine. 2 officers,1 driver,5 firefighters.


Do you stop and lay a straight lay supply line?
Do you drop of manpower at scene and lay a reverse lay?
Do you proceed to location,start search and rescue,have that 2nd engine lay into your 1st engine?

R we all on the same page?
subjects trapped

[Adze39]

How far behind is the next engine?

What is the water capacity of your engine?

What if there is a accident and the next engine never arrives?

These are all things that need to be considered. You don't need to kill yourself just because there is someone trapped. Even if you leave someone behind at the hydrant, that still leaves you with 6 people for interior operation (assuming the driver stays with the rig).

Depending on how far behind the next engine was and how big your tank is, I would either wrap the hydrant and have the firefighter get back on the rig, leaving the next engine to hook up the hydrant or I would wrap the hydrant and have my firefighter hook it up.

As far as which hydrant, I would hit the one that is on my way, making sure I lay the line down the side of the street as to not block future apparatus. I would then have another engine come in from the opposite side and take the other hydrant.

[RescuHoppy7]

Following our plan of attack First engline lays line and makes the attack, 2nd due lays line, ladder takes the front of the house to vent, and Rescue goes off to the side of the road and goes in with the TIC.

[TWEJFD]

You follow your departments established procedures. (In the case of my current department, we hit the plug on the way in. Other departments I've been on, the first engine goes straight in, the second establishes water supply.) Whatever way has been working for you up to now will continue to work for you today. Now is not the time to add confusion by deviating from what people expect to do. And if you wrote your procedures for any situation EXCEPT when you have to make a rescue, then you need new procedures.

[E229Lt]

I don't pass up a servicable hydrant.

[Eng34FF]

The first thing I do is recount, especially since we have a 6 man cab. :D

Actually, we have a 1000 gallon tank, so I would drop the line at the hydrant on my way in, and have the FF get back in. Once at the house, I would attack the fire. Like I said, I don't normally have enough people to consider splitting up my crew, but I would have to make the evaluation. My first priority is putting the wet stuff on the red stuff since that makes life better for all involved. Assuming that there is immediate danger to the trapped subjects (trapped does not necessarily mean in immediate danger), I would send 3 members to Search and Rescue and the other 3 on the attack line. The next engine in picks up my line and we make assignments from there.

[Dave1983]

Our county SOG is second engine is water supply, but the first in CO has the option to lay his own line if fire showing. So if I had fire showing, I would take advantage of the extra manpower and lay my own line leaving one FF at the hydrant. Once on scene, senior ofiicer takes IC, the other officer along with 2 FFs enters for search/attack, driver pumps, the other two FF's would set up for PPV then stand by as RIG. The hydrant man would join the RIG after the hydrant line is charged.

Dave

[Dalmatian90]

Assuming Ladder's coming in the same way, with that much manpower, secure a water supply. Hit the hydrant, lay up the wrong side of the road so the Ladder doesn't have to cross it.

[CrossBro1]

Our departments SOP is:
1st in Engine is the attack company
2nd in Engine is water supply (officer's choice), we typically lay-in to the attack company.

[Weruj1]

here first due takes the plug and we try and pull all lines from one engine (if possible) if not then someone else needs to also bring in another plug.

[MalteseMonster]

Here the first in gets the fire, Second hits the plug. Depending on the building construction, Extent of fire, life hazard (in this case known), And occupancy, As to what we would really do. There is no sense in risking your a$$ for a body.