Fire Studies: Overhauling and Salvage – Part 1

A report of a dwelling fire with people trapped was dispatched for the 13th Battalion around 7 P.M. Almost simultaneously, my station phone rang and the dispatcher informed me the fire response was for a firefighter’s home. Dispatch was told by the caller that the firefighter was working that night on overtime, but didn’t know at what station. The dispatcher also said he received numerous additional calls for the fire.

I listened intently as the initial report stated visible fire in the basement of a two-story townhouse with medium smoke on the upper floors and a report of people still trapped. I immediately responded and while enroute continued to monitor the fireground channel for additional information. The first-due engine company officer reported a young woman was holding a small child on a first-floor rear roof the firefighters had accessed by climbing out of a second-floor bedroom window. The engine captain called for the truck company to bring a portable ladder to that location.

While I was responding, the dispatcher called me on my cell phone and told me that immediately after the assignment was dispatched, a call was received from the firefighter who lived in the house and had heard the call being dispatched while working miles away in the Ninth Battalion.

I could not imagine what would be going through my mind if I had been in the firefighter’s shoes. You certainly want to hope for the best, but a firefighter with many years of experience would have had the sad task of removing too many occupants who had been unable to escape fires within the sanctity of their own homes.

Putting myself in his position, my thoughts would have considered who could be home in the early evening? Where would they be in the house? Would they be thinking of the fire drills we had practiced over the years and what they should do in the event of a fire occurring? In reality, I would be tormented until I knew that everyone was safe.

Progress reports from companies stated they safely removed the people on the rear roof and were making a direct attack on the basement fire. Truck companies performed horizontal ventilation and entered the first and second floors to perform a primary search.

As I arrived on the scene, the first-due engine was reporting that all visible fire had been knocked down and they were opening walls and ceilings to check for hidden fire. Truck companies had given an all-clear on their primary search and found no extension of fire to the upper floors. They were initiating a secondary search. I conferred with Battalion 13 and he placed the fire under control. The firefighter’s daughter and grandchild, who had been removed from the rear roof, were being tended to by the medics and did not appear to require additional assistance.

Within 10 minutes, a car pulled up to our location. The firefighter who lived at the house had arrived and was quickly greeted by his wife and brought up to date on the safety of his family. We had worked together early in our careers and he had an outstanding reputation. As he approached me, he was visibly shaken and relieved that his family was safe. We discussed what I knew about the fire. It had started in the basement in the vicinity of the washer, dryer and natural gas water heater. The fire marshal would make the final determination of the origin and cause, but the initial investigation found combustible material near the water heater that ignited and spread to its surroundings. Fire had gotten into the ceiling directly above the water heater, but was contained to that area. All overhauling was stopped until the fire marshal could initiate his investigation.

A quick determination was made and the necessary overhauling began. Water damage made it necessary to remove some furnishings along with burnt debris. An important consideration is that salvage demands minimizing additional damage and protecting whatever we can. In this case, there were many photo albums and photo negatives to be protected. In this current age of digital photos, we must not forget that people still rely on old photos and negatives as family heirlooms.