Re: April Size Up


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Posted by Mark Cohen on July 19, 1999 at 15:14:23:

In Reply to: April Size Up posted by John T. Vigiano on April 21, 1999 at 20:09:34:

: Tough for me to add anything to Captian Vigiano's comments at least content wise. But I have some observations which further support the size-up.
I believe the upper floors are storage and not apartments as sugested. The even layering of smoke on both of the top two floors sugests open storage area, not apartments where the odds are that there would be a closed door or some other compartmentation feature that would break up the distribution of smoke on each floor. Also, I'm not sure the fire autoexposed to the top floor, as the front windows on the third floor don't show fire in any of the pics. I believe communication up an open interior stair is more likely. The fire may even have communicated down an open stair or other shaft to the third floor, although less likely. As for the OV and his route to the rear fire escape, it looks to me as if he used the portable to get to the second floor and then crossed to the rear fire escape from there. The ladder is shown in several of the pics.
Just my opinions,
Mark Cohen
Bakersfield (CA) FD

: APRIL SIZE UP

: Another great shot by AD. Too bad there are not more like him around today. We can learn quite a bit from a simple photo.

: Fire Building appears to be commercial building. There is a Bargain Store on the first floor and a Dentist on the second floor. I doubt if the upper floors are anything more than storage for the first floor.

: The ãScissor Gatesä tell you that security may not be that difficult gaining entrance into the first floor occupancy; the store. The back entrance will be a totally different story. It will be well secured.

: It looks like the ceiling height may be 12 to 15 feet in the fire building due to its height proximity with the exposure 4 which is a 6-story tenement.

: The first floor occupancy could have ãanything and everythingä for sale. The proprietor needs someplace to store these goods and the upper floors would seem logical. (We had similar type building and occupancies in Brownsville / Pitkin Ave) Generally the security on the upper floors is quite good. The windows are usually secured from the inside by a variety of obstacles. Anything from gates to plywood over the windows. Tough to vent from the outside. The OV will not have it easy.

: The Dentist can be another major problem. Small rooms and many hazards to overcome if the fire gets into that occupancy. Dentists use compressed cylinders of a variety of gases.

: Exposure 2 is a 3-story commercial type building similar to the fire building. Difficult to be accurate with these shots.

: Question? Why would the truck attempt to make the roof through all that heat, etc by going up the aerial in front of the fire building? Well it shows a lot of determination and spirit for a well-trained unit. They also had no options. Exp. 2 is a story shorter and Exp. 4 is a story higher.

: The fire appears to have auto-exposed into the top floor. So we the two upper floors of a commercial building are going pretty good. Since this was a 2nd, I would have to believe the BC called this in immediately.

: Vent doesnât seem to be a problem. But we donât know about the rear from these pics.

: The OV would have the usual tough time making the rear fire escape through the exposure, but by going into the fire building and out the second floor he would be on the rear fire escape with little of not problems. He may have to force a couple of doors getting there, but it would be quicker and safer. He could also give a report of any fire ãdropping downä

:
: The chauffeur would have to make a tought decision about going above this job. If it is storage, I would think he would better off venting with aerial. If it is occupied as a tenement then he would have to try and make a move. With a four window front and it is occupied as a tenement then there would be apartments on both sides running front to rear.

: If these upper floors are used for storage, the floor area would be pretty well open like a loft.

: On the fire floor and the floor above, the trucks would have to use 10-foot hooks on the ceilings.

: The possibility of exposure 4 having openings on the fire side is there. Most of these tenements have a courtyard on each side. I doubt if the fire building had any openings on either side, but that would have to be report from the roofman.

: Today (1990âs) where units carry a ãScissor ladder mounted on the aerial (Ladder 176) this would have been a bit different. The chauffeur could have put his roofman on either exposure where he would have carry just a Halligan up the aerial. His normal vent tools (the hook and (axe if needed) along with the scissor ladder would be tossed onto the roof and used to go up or down as necessary.

: This modification has helped 176 climb the high bulkheads that seem to be very popular with the renovates. It is also used to scale the fences between occupancies at the roof level.

: Some OVâs will use it in the rear of brownstones, OLTâs and frames where there is a setback in the rear. (we had two Scissor ladders)


: John T Vigiano
: https://nyfd.com/comm/faq.html





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