So here's the deal. You are the officer on a nozzle team sent to find the fire in a light commercial structure (or large luxury residence). There is smoke pushing from every opening, but no visible flame from the outside. Being a creature of habit your 3-man nozzle team pulls a 200' 1-3/4" preconnect off the rig w/ an automatic nozzle and makes the front door. After you enter, within the interior of the building you encounter a large room 20'x20' w/ 12' ceilings (your lazer tape measure told you that at the doorway), this room is probably a work room (or large dining room in the residence). The point is it has a large fire load to fuel the full-involvement. What I am trying to get at is that the room is just large enough w/ enough fire that it is at the edge of your line's capabliliy. You are on a straight stream setting and you aren't making any headway. So what to you do?
A) Change the nozzle pattern to a fog setting between 30-40 degrees of spread and initiate a combination type attack (hit the ceiling, left-wall, floor, right-wall, ceiling)? This attack has the possibility of snubbing out the fire with the steam generated, upsetting the thermal balance, and cooking you too. Maybe an option.
B) Call for a bigger line and dig-in until it gets there, staying on your straight stream. This will probably keep you cooler and keep the thermal balance intact.
C) Go outside with your team and get a larger line and strech it in yourselves. This will give you time to cool down for a moment and tell the other guys what is in there. It also gives the fire time to build, so watch it when you go back in.
What I would like to know is if you upset the thermal balance and steam the joint with option A, but it doesn't work, how long will it take for things to straighten themselves out inside before you have to go in again and face doing it all over again. Short of venting the ceiling to roof and making things better, is it possible for the balance to recover? And things to be hospitible enough for entry again?
I know I am leaving a lot of information out, but assume that the structure is heavy timbers and its going to take a long time for collapse to be a problem. The jist of all this is I want to know if besides the steam problem, is upsetting the thermal balance a real problem? Can it restore itself if burning is allowed to continue? Oh, and I just thought of now if the balance is ruined at what point will it be impossible to vent the room because it cooled off enough that the gasses won't rise?
Just to show how possibly wrong I could be, I would have picked A and took my chances (while I called for a back-up line of course).
Thanks,
Lee
A) Change the nozzle pattern to a fog setting between 30-40 degrees of spread and initiate a combination type attack (hit the ceiling, left-wall, floor, right-wall, ceiling)? This attack has the possibility of snubbing out the fire with the steam generated, upsetting the thermal balance, and cooking you too. Maybe an option.
B) Call for a bigger line and dig-in until it gets there, staying on your straight stream. This will probably keep you cooler and keep the thermal balance intact.
C) Go outside with your team and get a larger line and strech it in yourselves. This will give you time to cool down for a moment and tell the other guys what is in there. It also gives the fire time to build, so watch it when you go back in.
What I would like to know is if you upset the thermal balance and steam the joint with option A, but it doesn't work, how long will it take for things to straighten themselves out inside before you have to go in again and face doing it all over again. Short of venting the ceiling to roof and making things better, is it possible for the balance to recover? And things to be hospitible enough for entry again?
I know I am leaving a lot of information out, but assume that the structure is heavy timbers and its going to take a long time for collapse to be a problem. The jist of all this is I want to know if besides the steam problem, is upsetting the thermal balance a real problem? Can it restore itself if burning is allowed to continue? Oh, and I just thought of now if the balance is ruined at what point will it be impossible to vent the room because it cooled off enough that the gasses won't rise?
Just to show how possibly wrong I could be, I would have picked A and took my chances (while I called for a back-up line of course).
Thanks,
Lee
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