Exposure Protection

[Eno305]

One of the folks on my crew is doing an assignment for her department back home on exposure protection. Funny enough, I've been through the site and I'm having some trouble digging up articles on the issue from respected sources.

Anyone got a line on any good information / articles regarding exposure protection on the fire ground?

Thanks for your input!

[jakesdad]

One of the folks on my crew is doing an assignment for her department back home on exposure protection. Funny enough, I've been through the site and I'm having some trouble digging up articles on the issue from respected sources.

Anyone got a line on any good information / articles regarding exposure protection on the fire ground?

Thanks for your input!

Can you be more specific? Building types? Occupancies? Attached? Detached?

It is a pretty broad topic.

[tnff320]

What exactly is it she has got to have? Because you could go on all day on protecting different exposures.

[Fokker416]

I don't go near anyone in a trench coat, especially in the summer. No exposure problems so far.

[Eno305]

Nice one lol.

"He's so lumpy... he's like a moose." (What movie is that from?)

When asked, she said "Basically I'm just looking for anything I can find on protecting exposures on the fire scene- whatever they are."

I figured with a description that broad there would be a ton of stuff out there I might be able to reference... but I suppose that's exactly why there isn't a lot of stuff. I was certain there'd be a webcast on it... but nothing there that I can see in the archive.

Specifically, she also volunteers in a small urban area that would have all your home-grown exposures. I suppose if I were to want to do research I'd want to know if there was anything written about when it's time to write off structures and start protecting others. Maybe I'd want to find some objective opinions on how much of your manpower you're going to throw at the offensive operation and how much I'd want to contribute to the transition back to the defense. Maybe there's something about how much water you need to put on propane bullets to protect them from BLEVE...

Maybe I'd even pick a fight by saying that you could use your RIT to deploy those defensive resources. Might be a good way to get familiar with the territory...

Anyways- I sort of wanted to float this out there in hopes that someone would go: "Oh yeah, I saw this great article / webcast / blog / streaker on such and such a page."

Thanks again,

[GTRider245]

It is going to vary by incident. NFPA 1142 has guidelines for needed water supply for a structure as well as how to add in needed water for exposure protection. I would start there.

[FyredUp]

I think this is far more simple than it appears.

Direct application of water to the affected exposure.

Don't ventilate in a manner to endanger an exposure.

[tnff320]

http://community.firevideo.net/video...17:Video:13120

I posted that video a while back. And one thing I would like to point out is, that everybody should be doing something on the fire ground. When you were asking when it is time to go from offensive to defensive, you made it sound like you are going to have 10 guys standing around, and I see to much of that all the time. You can have a offensive-defensive operation going on at the same time. You don't have to be strictly one or the other. So while you got the offensive-defensive strategy, you could have a crew inside (offensive) and one or two protecting exposures or auto exposure on combustible sidings (defensive). You should always have a crew ot two protecting exposures, even if they aren't really threatened at the time, assign them to it anyway. Because things could change real quick and you don't want to be caught behind. Lots of different senarios there could be. But if you are just trying to say you got a fully involved house and there are exposures on sides B and D, then a lot of people like to use a 2 1/2" with a smooth bore (for the reach so you don't put yourself and crew in the collapse zone and less pressure at the tip) or a fog nozzle will work, and switch from wetting down the exposure to the fire, and just keep switching back and forth.

And as far as manpower, that is one of the most important things to have on a fire ground. You should have enough manpower to be doing all jobs on the fire ground, with a crew standing by at the command post. And you can't be hesitant to strike additional alarms if you think you need it, because as soon as your guys start getting tired and you start running short on manpower, is when your going to get beat.