Intresting fight....

[BLSboy]

This is NOT a Monday morning QB attempt. I was a member of two of the depts that responded to this fire. I am just interested in how/why it took roughly 8 hours and 20 min to get a SFD fire under control. If any of you have any experience with fires like this, speak up. For the record, the area is a well hydranted area, so water supply issues are out.

I will be attempting to get pics/vids/more info if I can.

MBarham, get yer *** over here, and lemme know what happened....

A two-story single family house in Egg Harbor Township was destroyed by a fire that started late Tuesday night.

Scullville Volunteer Fire Company Chief Mike Fiedor said the emergency call to 134 Leeds Lane came in around 10 p.m. Fiedor said the fire spread throughout the sub-floor and walls of the house.

About 75 firefighters from all five township volunteer fire departments, Somers Point, Mays Landing and Marmora spent nearly seven hours battling the blaze. Six firefighters were treated for exhaustion and smoke inhalation, Fiedor said. Other emergency workers from Atlantic County, the township fire department ladies auxiliary, and AtlantiCare Medical Center assisted on the scene.

The firefighters got the blaze under control at 6:22 a.m. Wednesday. The cause of the fire is still under investigation. Fiedor said the family that lived in the house stayed at another home in Brigantine. No one who lived in the house was hurt, although three cats and one dog that belonged to the family could not be found, Fiedor said.

Fiedor thanked all the firefighters and other workers who helped with the emergency. "My hats off to every fire company that assisted last night…. These guys did an excellent job of not giving up," he said.

To e-mail Michelle Lee at The Press:MLee@pressofac.comSee Thursday's edition of The Press for complete coverage.

[len1582]

Maybe the entire incident was that long. It could have taken an hour or so to knock the fire down. Then you have about another 2 hours of overhaul.(No reason to hurry if the building's a loss.) Probably balloon consrtuction so you have to check carefully. Now the local or County investigator comes in. Being a cold night there probably was ice all over so it's a slow go walking the building. A group discussion, press conference, coffee at the canteen truck, etc. Either that or they had a bad day on the fireground. It happens.

[Bones42]

why it took roughly 8 hours and 20 min to get a SFD fire under control

They kept throwing firefighter training manuals at it until they smothered the fire.

[BLSboy]

Maybe the entire incident was that long. It could have taken an hour or so to knock the fire down. Then you have about another 2 hours of overhaul.(No reason to hurry if the building's a loss.) Probably balloon consrtuction so you have to check carefully. Now the local or County investigator comes in. Being a cold night there probably was ice all over so it's a slow go walking the building. A group discussion, press conference, coffee at the canteen truck, etc. Either that or they had a bad day on the fireground. It happens.

Got some info from someone who was there.

It was under control at 0622. Under control. Not overhaul, or press conferences. Fire placed U/C at 0622.
It was balloon frame, so good call there. From what I was told, they were behind the 8 ball the start, with a delay in call/detection, and response times were longer, due to vol staffing, and it being so late of a call.

This is a textbook example, from what I hear, for smoke detectors, and why people need to call US first.

[volfirie]

Sounds like it wasn't an easy job.

Just out of curiosity, what defines 'under control' there? Here an 'under control' call means that there are enough appliances on-scene or on-route to handle the job. Nothing really to do with the state of the fire.

[BLSboy]

Under control means the fire is just about out. All thats left is a few hot spots, and over hauling.
At least here.

[mpullen32]

What was the fire load like? I have seen fires at sfd's with junk pilled floor to ceiling. Also fires where the owners was an avid car guy with alcohol and other racing fuels in the garage. Both took hours to extinguish. There are several factors that may have contributed to the lengthly suppression time.

[volfirie]

I like that definition.

Not Yet Under Control - more trucks needed
Under Control - no more trucks needed
Stop - what we've got is OK, anyone en-route can go home

To show the fire is out, it's when the control point closes and the last truck goes home. I think we could do with some better definitions, but my opinion doesn't count for much. Actually it doesn't count at all!

[BLSboy]

Alot of depts also use "Situation is under control with apparatus (appliances for you upside downers!) on scene. That is for any type of call, Investigations, MVCs, fires, whatever.

[volfirie]

Locating hot spots can always be troublesome - and that balloon construction must make it worse.

[firemonkey311]

Ballon frame is no fun. fire can be everywhere even if its just a basic basement fire.

[st42stephenAFT]

They kept throwing firefighter training manuals at it until they smothered the fire.

Throw one of the FF1 manuals on it and it'll burn for a week.

[ChicagoFF]

I don't know how it's possible to keep a house burning for 8 hours.

[DennisTheMenace]

What were the wind conditions like on Monday up there? I would say that is the biggest factor at most beach house fires and with ballon frame construction could keep a fire going for a good long while. 8 hours does seem extreme though.

One other thing, since the family got out, what do smoke detectors/alarms have to do with anything in this case,other than that they appear to have been effective? Are you implying that they should be all connected to a central alarm? We have enough false/activated alarms to deal with here in commercial buildings after hours, can just imagine the increased call volume if more homes had them for everytime some one burns their toast or popcorn.

[Remthedays]

8 hours does seem a bet long unless it was a mansion, 4,000+ feet. Then I can see 8 hours. Have had 2 SFD in the last few days, one occ. and one vacant. It took three hours max, which included over haul, rehab and cleaning the concrete pad off for the next house to built on site J/K

T.J.

[lutan1]

They kept throwing firefighter training manuals at it until they smothered the fire.

Maybe it was "thermometer firefighting".

Surround and drown and spray lots and lots of water until the water running down the gutter matches the temperature outside??