steve Ferber
steve@thedanielislandnews.com
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| Firefighers take a moment to rest and cool down while fighting the Hooper St. blaze on June 25. These first responders faced temperatures of 1,100 degrees inside the Hooper Street blaze. The department employs a 15 minute cycle for firefighting, rotating firefighters in and out every 15 minutes.
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On the night of June 25, 2009, nearly a hundred island residents gathered as the City of Charleston fire department launched a full scale attack to extinguish the Hooper Street blaze. But amid the extraordinary rescue operations, some residents were quick to wonder why water didn’t flow sooner, why four firefighters stood immobile on the front lawn while the fire burned, and why the battalion chief remained inside his vehicle, instead of positioning himself front and center near the blaze.
We now know why. Last Friday, this reporter sat down with ten of the City’s finest – Deputy Chief of Operations John Tippett, Battalion Chief Wayne Schofield (who directed the Hooper operation), and eight firefighters and EMS experts who were on the scene that night. What emerged is an extraordinary tale of a dynamic rescue operation – the type that they live daily, the type that we encounter, if we’re lucky, but once a lifetime.
That evening, temperatures inside the Phillips’ home reached 1,100 degrees. Body temperature of the firefighters rose as high as 104 degrees. Cylinders carrying 45 minutes of air supply were lucky if the supply lasted 20. All the while, firefighters outside the home tracked the movement and conditions inside the home – to assure that no firefighter’s life was in danger, and to make certain that maximum efforts were being taken to bring the blaze under control.
It’s a dynamic series of split-second decisions, described in detail last week by Tippett, Schofield and colleagues. Here’s the flow of events, along with the why and wherefore.
Shortly after 6 p.m.
on Thursday, June 25, 2009
Summar and her two children, Miley and Pete, were across the street at Summar’s mother’s house (husband Peter was in N. Charleston) when it is believed that a lightning bolt struck their attic, starting an apparent slow burning fire (investigation as to the precise cause and initial sequence of events is still ongoing). Deputy Chief Tippett said estimates were that the fire was burning for up to 45 minutes before they arrived at the scene.
Approximately 6:45 p.m.
The dispatcher receives the call and, based on information from the caller (smoke coming from the roof), initiates a "full response" – four engines, a ladder truck and a battalion chief (in less extreme cases – say, a false alarm from a building with a history of false alarms, the dispatcher might send a single engine. Joe Williams, of the EMS team, pointed out that though some departments don’t go to every false alarm, it’s standard procedure for the DI battalion).
6:51 p.m.
The first crew arrives on the scene at 1417 Hooper St. Step one is to evaluate if there’s life at stake, trapped inside the blaze. If so, an immediate and full scale offensive attack is launched; if life is not at stake, the team moves into a more defensive posture, balancing the need to extinguish the fire as quickly as possible without putting the firefighter’s lives at stake. It’s a delicate balancing act, and all the decisions are made in seconds. Tippett explained that the risk assessment protocol has shifted in the last generation; 30 years ago, the philosophy was total offense, attacking the fire without regard for their own life; now, a generation later, they first assess if human life is at stake, and, if not, make a series of decisions in a more defensive style. Said Joe Williams, "From day one we’re taught, risk a lot to save a lot, risk a little to save a little." Captain Kevin Carter added, "Every situation is different, every house is different, it’s like a human thumbprint."
Before 7 p.m.
Schofield and his team, in rapid succession, take four critical actions: they set up the RIT team (rapid intervention team), call for backup (two more engines), send a team inside to knock down the fire, using water from the engine tanks, and connect to the nearest fire hydrant. Each step is crucial:
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RIT team – Those four men on the front lawn? That’s the RIT team, the rescue squad, regarded by those in the fire community as the most critical team of all – the men who monitor the action inside and, in a moment’s notice, are sent inside if one of their own is in trouble. Inside, those fighting the fire carry communications devices, motion monitors, heavy equipment and an air supply that lasts from 20-25 minutes. If it appears that a fireman inside has stopped moving, the RIT team will seek to make voice contact. If no word back, the RIT team is sent in, to initiate a rescue (it can take 12 men to get one man out). Inside temperatures at the Hooper blaze were near 1,100 degrees (typical, explained the firemen), and a firefighter’s internal temperature typically volleys between 103-104 degrees. Said Joe Williams, "This is a stressful job. We go from zero to 100 mph in an instant." Outside, the Accountability Board tracks the location of everyone on the scene so that chief Schofield knows, at any moment, where each of his men is located.
• Backup – Battalion Chief Schofield, within minutes of being on the scene, assesses the blaze and calls for backup, that is, a "second alarm" – two more engines, with accompanying crew, plus a battalion chief. As the blaze continues, Schofield calls for a second backup crew, and within 30 minutes there are six vehicles and some 30 firefighters on the scene.
• Controlling the blaze – Initially, Schofield bids to extinguish the fire from inside, as firemen begin to pull hose to fight the blaze, using water pumped from the engine. Monitoring inside conditions becomes critical. A series of technological tools supports the data flow. Is visibility improving? How much of the structure has been eaten away? Communication is critical, with firefighters employing the "CAN" method (conditions, actions, needs): What are the conditions like? What actions are you taking? What do you need?
Schofield then makes a gut call and switches the operation to up top – unloading 1,250 gallons of water per minute from the ladder. Explained Schofield, "You can’t initiate water from the ladder while men are inside . . . it’ll force the smoke down and be impossible to fight." So based on feedback from inside, he pulls the team out and starts the water flow from up top.
• In-car command – All this time, Schofield is sitting inside his vehicle, a technique that Deputy Chief Tippett explained they learned from the military. Explained Tippett, "Back in the days of the Civil War, the commander was out front. And if he was taken out, the entire operation was in trouble." Nowadays, the commander finds a location that allows him to gather all the requisite data from inside the building and from his backup teams. Standing outside talking to his crew won’t maximize his input.
• Hydrant proximity – Some residents on the scene wondered if the hydrant location was too far away. But firemen pointed out that, relative to other locations, it was closer than norm. The department measures distances in "sections," and in the case of the Hooper fire, "we had to go four sections to reach the hydrant." At times, firemen explained, they’ve had to go 32 sections, so all things considered, this was a short run for them.
• Why so many men? – Deputy Chief Tippett said fire departments today employ a much shorter cycle for firefighting – bringing people out every 15 minutes. It’s something they’ve learned from the British, said Tippett, who said, "The cooling process is critical" to bring down body temperatures. Plus, it gets more men involved, said Tippett, who added, "They’re here to fight fires, that’s what they do."
All told, the City of Charleston has 19 fire houses, grouped into four battalions (Daniel Island, the Peninsula, West Ashley, James Island/Johns Island). Crews work 24 hours on and 48 hours off, and on any given day, a combination of 90 firemen and associated personnel are on hand. The team on Daniel Island which took part in last month’s firefighting effort included Captain Kevin Carter, Captain Eric Elvis, Paramedic Joe Williams (Berkeley County EMS), Engineer JJ Winn Jr. and Firefighters Grant Belleau, Kristopher Conrad, Frankie Delesline and Christian Hallock.
