What Is A Firefighter Worth?

I admit, I am somewhat of a geek sometimes. I read newspapers online from all over the place. Not just in America, but mostly. I came across this recently, out of Lincoln, RI. The Valley Breeze to be precise.

http://valleybreeze.com/node/32297#.T6Lgl6VrbPF.facebook

It's a letter written to by a firefighter's wife. I think it makes a profound statement. For those of you who follow my posts who are firefighters, well, we already know this. For my non-firefighting followers, well, it gives us something to think about.

Thanks for reading.

Stay safe, and God bless.

Ken

Firehouse Innovations

So this evening I meandered into the apparatus bay and found FF Nick Beck practicing with the water rescue throw ropes. He is taking an advanced swiftwater rescue course, and is brushing up for an upcoming session.

Recoiling the rope after the first throw, getting ready for the second throw.

Preparing to re-load the bag.

Here is the evolution on video: (the goal is two 50' throws in under 20 seconds)



He had a frustration, however - repacking the ropes was taking longer than he felt it should. What does he do when he is frustrated by a problem? He comes up with a solution! I enjoy having Nick on my company. He's a good man and a good fireman. He a problem solver. AND, he is quite the practical joker!

He took a coffee can - well, as I often refer to them, a coffee plastic. Yeah, that shows my age, as I remember when a coffee can was A CAN! Anyway, he cut down a side and then cut out the bottom. He rolls it around the rope and into the rope bag. Then, he simply hand+over-hands the rope into the bag, using small motions. When the rope clumps in the can, simply push it down into the bag.

Putting the rope in the can...

... putting the can in the bag...

... and loading the rope!

Close up of loading the rope.

After quickly reloading the rope bag, Nick quickly deploys the rope!

We practiced it behind the bay and found it to be quite a time saver. My genuine thanks to FF Nick Beck for: most importantly, showing us this technique, & for allowing me to photograph, video, and write about his little adaptation.

Thanks for reading.

Stay safe, and God bless.

Ken

Pump Operator Math, Part 2

The other day, I posted a blog about Pump Operator Math. It has occurred to me that I didn't cover as much as I should have, and for that I apologize. I freely admit that I got busy and that I prematurely (keep your mind out of the gutter) posted it before it should have been.

Ok, so the other day I listed several factors:

hose size

length of hoselay

needed fire flow

nozzle type

nozzle flow rating

nozzle operating pressure

friction loss

elevation pressure loss OR gain

appliance loss

standpipe friction loss

sprinkler connections

But I didn't cover them all. I stopped at friction loss.

Oops. My bad.

So, let's talk about Elevation Loss (or gain) which in the formulas is represented by EL. Science has proven that for every ten feet of elevation, there is a pressure difference of 4.34#, but in the fire service, we like to try to keep things simpler, so we rounded up to 5#/10ft. If you are pumping up a hill, you will loose five psi for every ten feet of elevation. Conversely, if you are pumping down a hill, you will gain five psi for every ten feet of elevation. Fairly simple, isn't it.

Now for street applications. For this example we are pumping a 2.5" line that is 200ft flowing 250 GPM through a standard fog nozzle which operates at 100 psi, so the standard pump pressure is 125 psi. The house is on a slight hill, and is about ten feet above the roadway. We'll need to add 5 psi, so we're now pumping at 130psi. Say this fire is on the second floor of the house - we'll need to add another 5 psi, so now we're up to 135 psi.

What if that house was down the hill? I'd ask how far down. Say, for example, the house is 30 ft below the road we parked our pumper on, but the fire is on the second floor. Ok, 125 psi - 15 psi + 5 psi = 115 psi. Not too confusing, is it.

Ok. Let's move on to Appliance Loss (AL in the formulas). Appliance losses are caused by using varuios appliances in your set-up. They cause additional turbulence within the appliances themselves that rob flow by increased friction. Wyes, siamese connections, and water thief valves are common examples. Other appliances are master stream devices (deck guns, fly-pipes, and portable monitors).

• AL for Wyes, Siamese, & Water Thief's: Flow < 350 GPM, AL = 0
• AL for Wyes, Siamese, & Water Thief's: Flow > 350 GPM, AL = 10 psi
• Master Stream Applilances: AL = 25 psi

Ok, so, now we are told we have to pump a fly-pipe. At my FD we have simplified it: for the aerial's water pipe system, the elevation, friction loss, and appliance loss is 80 psi. This was figured at full elevation. We don't reduce it if the aerial is not at full elevation. What's the worst thing that'll happen - with no EL, more GPM will flow and the fire will go out faster - I'm good with that! So, we add the nozzle pressure (80 or 100, depending on the nozzle that is on the pipe) to the 80 and pump it at either 160 or 180 psi. That's not counting the friction loss from the pumper to the inlet; we'll hafta add that in, too.

For sprinker systems, at my FD, our SOP is we pump them at 150 psi at the panel. Period. We don't have any high-rise buildings, but do have several mid-rises. The prescribed 150 psi will handle anything we have. If any readers out there have experience pumping sprinkler systems in high-rise buildings, please leave a comment on how your FD covers this.

On standpipe systems, we need to do a little more thinking. For starters, what is the expected flow rate that you'll need to support? You'll need to pump your supply line(s) properly to overcome friction loss for that flow. For the standpipe system itself, at my FD we figure 25 psi for the friction loss. I was told in a class many moons ago that this figure comes from the "propeller-heads" and to accept it. Ok - who am I to argue? ;^) If the crews are operating above ground level, we'll need to remember to add 5 psi for each floor above the ground. (Standpipe PDP = FL (to the connection) + FL (standpipe system) + EL + FL (attack hose) + NP).

Did I miss anything? Probably. But, I feel better now, having covered more of the basics.

FWIW, here's are the coefficients for the most common sizes of fire hose:

• 3/4"   =  1100
• 1"      =    150
• 1.5"   =     24
• 1.75" =     15.5
• 2"      =       8*
• 2.5"   =       2
• 3"      =       0.8**
• 4"      =       0.2
• 5"      =       0.08

(* - 1.5" couplings; ** - 2.5" couplings)


Remember, we need to know the flow desired before we can figure friction loss. Fog nozzles have their flow ratings stamped on them.

The formula to figure GPM for solid tip/smooth bore nozzles is GPM = 29.7 x d² x sqrtNP. The 29.7 is another propeller-head constant; the d² is the square of the diameter of the nozzle tip; and the sqrtNP is the square root of the nozzle pressure. FWIW, the three common nozzle pressures are 100, 80, and 50 psi. Their square roots are 10, 8.94, and 7.07, respectively.

While I am practically giving you the answers to a lot of this, I want you to work SOME of it out! At least I'm giving you the tools!

 While it may LOOK intimidating, it really isn't. Remember, these things are built by people. You can do it! I have faith!

Pump Operator Math

As is tradition at my FD, we just completed another round of annual promotional exam testing for positions of Captain, Engineer, and Inspector. Every year we study, cram, take classes, what ever, all for the chance at scoring good enough to get on the promotional list.

This got me to thinking...

I've been an Engineer at CJC for several years now; six years since being permanently promoted, nearly seven if you count the nine months I was temporarily promoted. I've also had experience operating pumps and aerials at St. Joe Fire and at Camdenton Fire, as well as a few part time fire department jobs I worked at over the years. I think I get the job done - well, at least I haven't had too many complaints for over- or under-pumping a line. (The one under-pumping complaint I can think of as I write this was attributed to a kink in the line, which I handled shortly after the attack began.)

I actually have been studying pump operations since I was about ten or eleven years old, when my dad was a fireman on the Brookfield Vol. Fire Co. in Brookfield, CT. One Saturday after we got the yard work done I asked him how he knows what to pump the fire hoses at. He asked me if I wanted the short or long answer. I said to hit me with the short answer, and he said, "150 & pump." I guess I looked genuinely confused, cuz he was grinning when I asked exactly what that means. He then said it appears I want the long answer, and for that, perhaps a trip to the firehouse was in order. We spent the afternoon up there, and he taught me the theory of FL and why we need to know what we are going to flow, and even set up some demonstrations for me using one of the pumpers and a pitot gage. I was hooked!

Over the years, I have had the honor of helping younger members study for the upcoming exam. Lately, the exams cover less of the math and more of the policies and SOGs at our department. I can't complain, although, in my less-than-humble opinion, knowing the math - by this I mean KNOWING IT COLD - is the bread and butter of pump operating. Yes, engineers do other jobs too, like running aerials and other support apparatus, however, this post will be confined to the general topic of pump operating.

Why is pumping a line at the proper pressure important? The answer seems simple enough - so you can supply the proper flow to the crew and they can then put the fire out in a quick, safe, and orderly manner.

While that answer is seemingly simple enough, there are several factors a pump operator must consider:

• hose size
• length of hoselay
• needed fire flow
• nozzle type
• nozzle flow rating
• nozzle operating pressure
• friction loss
• elevation pressure loss OR gain
• appliance loss
• standpipe friction loss
• sprinkler connections
• pumping an aerial fly-pipe (at my FD we pump it at either 160# or 180#, depending on which truck we are dealing with, due to their nozzle types)

Quite a lot to think about, ain't it - especially when you are the driver of a pumper arriving at a well established fire in a large apartment building at double-dark-thirty.

Hose size - by this I am referring to the internal diameter of the hose. Each size has its own friction loss properties. The length of the hose lay also effects the friction loss. So does the flow of water through the hose.

What type of nozzle are you pumping to? For handlines, a smooth bore is generally pumped at 50 psi; if pumping a master stream appliance with a smooth bore tip on it, you pump it generally at 80 psi. A standard fog nozzle operates at 100psi. However, there are several models of fog nozzles available now that operate at lower pressures, such as 80 psi, 75 psi, and 50 psi. Confused yet? It's ok, so am I sometimes. Just try to relax, remember to breathe, and think it through, one step at a time.

Ok, so now let's talk friction loss. The formula is: FL=CxQ²xL. "C" is the hose "Coefficient", also referred to as the "Constant" or the "C-Factor". It doesn't matter really, it is the same thing. It just depends on who is teaching the class you are taking. Basically we have to trust that the taped-glasses wearing, pocket protector using, propeller-head types know what they are doing (they do) and they have spent years coming up with this stuff. "Q²"is the GPM (flow, in gallons per minute) divided by 100. "L" is the length of the hose line divided by 100.

Wow... if THAT ain't a mouthful...

Ok. Now we need to know what we are flowing. The fog nozzles on my engine company are rated for 200 GPM @ 100 psi of nozzle pressure (aka: NP). The nozzles on my FD's truck company are rated for 150 GPM @ 50 psi NP. (Frankly, I wish we had those fog nozzles too, along with a good set of smooth bore nozzles, but we don't, not yet.) See what I meant about what type of nozzle and what operating pressure they work at? Just two different companies in the same department with drastically different nozzles. FWIW, there is another engine company at my FD that has the same nozzles my company does. Both pumpers are water pumpers. There are two other engine companies that are CAFS pumpers, and they have TOTALLY different nozzle types. We'll skip that for now.

Our SOG's call for an initial attack line to be able to flow 160 GPM. This is easily attainable with our 1.75" lines. Now begs the question, But Ken! You just said your engine company's nozzles are rated for 200 GPM @ 100 psi! How do you pump it for 160 GPM?"  I'm glad you asked. I simply figure the friction loss for the length of line for 160 GPM, then add 100 psi to it for the NP.

(For those of you keeping score, that means for 160 GPM I pump the 150' lines at 160 psi and the 200' lines at 180 psi. For the 200 GPM, I pump the 150' lines at 190-195 psi and the 200' lines at 210-215 psi. Both of my engine's 2.5" preconnects are pumped at 125 psi to start, which is 250 GPM.)

So, is this exactly 160 GPM? No, it's not. But it's worked for me for years when pumping this style of nozzle. I should note that where obvious larger flows are needed, I pump it at the higher pressure for the 200 GPM. If this doesn't work, then it's time to consider larger lines & master streams. You may ask, Well, Ken, how can you KNOW what you are flowing when you think you're flowing 160 GPM? We can hook up to a calibrated flow meter and then we will KNOW what we are flowing. We don't have one, though, so we're good with shooting from the hip.

Here is a chart of the FL in 1.75" hose for various flows:

• 100 GPM = 15.5 PSI/100 FT
• 125 GPM = 24 PSI/100 FT
• 150 GPM = 35 PSI/100 FT
• 160 GPM = 40 PSI/100 FT
• 170 GPM = 45 PSI/100 FT
• 180 GPM = 50 PSI/100 FT
• 185 GPM = 53 PSI/100 FT
• 200 GPM = 62 PSI/100 FT
• 210 GPM = 68 PSI/100 FT
• 250 GPM = 96 PSI/100 FT

Here is a rule for FL - in any size hose - that I want you to tuck away for potential future use:

WHEN THE FLOW RATE DOUBLES, THE FRICTION LOSS INCREASES FOUR TIMES!

Look at the flows of 100 & 125 GPM, their respective FL #'s are 15.5 & 24 PSI for every 100 ft of hose you are pumping through. Now look at the 200 & 250 GPM - their FL #'s are 62 & 96 PSI for every 100 ft of hose you are pumping through. Why is this important? Well, I have seen some folks out there throughout my career who incorrectly presumed that since a nozzle is stamped for, say, 200 GPM at 100 psi, that you only had to pump the line at 100 PSI, no matter how long the lay was. They were seriously underpumping lines - making it inherently UNSAFE for the crews, and frequently being told to increase the pressure by crews using the lines.

A little off topic, but still related and very important - the 1.75" hose line, while it is capable of flowing high flows, is a very squirrelly line to handle when you kick up the GPMs and have higher nozzle pressures. We can discuss more on this later. (Or, feel free to contact me and I'll be happy to share my thoughts.) My point is, if you are going to flow higher flows, either use lower pressure nozzles or larger lines, or both.

Here is a chart of the FL in 2.5" hose for various flows:

• 200 GPM = 8 PSI/100 FT
• 210 GPM = 9 PSI/100 FT
• 225 GPM = 10 PSI/100 FT
• 250 GPM = 12.5 PSI/100 FT
• 265 GPM = 14 PSI/100 FT
• 300 GPM = 18 PSI/100 FT
• 325 GPM = 21 PSI/100 FT
• 350 GPM = 25 PSI/100 FT
• 400 GPM = 32 PSI/100 FT
• 500 GPM = 50 PSI/100 FT
• 750 GPM = 113 PSI/100 FT

Here is a chart of the FL in 5" hose for various flows:

• 250 GPM = 0.5 PSI/100 FT
• 500 GPM = 2 PSI/100 FT
• 600 GPM = 3 PSI/100 FT
• 700 GPM = 4 PSI/100 FT
• 750 GPM = 4.5 PSI/100 FT
• 800 GPM = 5 PSI/100 FT
• 900 GPM = 7 PSI/100 FT
• 1000 GPM = 8 PSI/100 FT
• 1250 GPM = 12.5 PSI/100 FT
• 1500 GPM = 18 PSI/100 FT
• 1750 GPM = 25 PSI/100 FT
• 2000 GPM = 32 PSI/100 FT

While there are other common sizes of fire hoses within the United States Fire Service, these are the sizes used at my FD, and are what I am familiar with.

Okay, that's enough for one day. Thanks for reading. Any questions, please feel free to contact me.

Stay safe, and God bless you.

Ken

The Raid

My first fire department was the Camdenton, MO Fire Department, which is on the SW side of Lake of the Ozarks, in Camden County, MO, located in Central Missouri. I started there as a Junior Firefighter, just before my 17th birthday. When I turned 18 in 1989, I became a regular firefighter, meaning I could go inside on the fire attacks instead of doing exterior-only support operations. I learned quite a lot while I was there, from June of 1988 to November of 1995.

This story is about an event that occured in October of 1995.

In 1989, Camdenton acquired it's first ladder truck, a 1953 Seagrave. The aerial was 85 feet long, was mid-mounted, the cab was an open top (no roof) and it was fun to drive. It had a Detroit Diesel engine which sounded ABSOLUTELY AWESOME! There was a problem, however, in 1993 Seagrave told us to take it permanently out of service, as they were no longer making parts for it.

3-17 at a mutual aid fire

THIS is the fire where it PROVED Camdenton having an aerial is worth the expense...

O'Brian Lumber Yard, April, 1991. Note the Osage Beach aerial, being used as a LIGHT TOWER!

Pumping to 3-17's flypipe got the water where it was needed, NOW!

One more shot of old 3-17

 

*Sigh*

Ok, so in 1994 its replacement arrived, a 1994 Sutphen mid-mount 75 foot tower. It has a 1500 GPM pump, its own water tank, its own hose, and for a quint (For the record, I generally hate quints.) it was set up pretty ergonomically, so it could be used as an attack engine or an aerial. I liked that truck.

1994 Sutphen 75ft, 1500GPM/300gal

 

Lake Ozark Fire had an earlier model of the same truck we were getting, so in late '93 & early '94, they put us through intense training on their aerial so that we would be already generally familiar with our new truck's capabilities. During this training period with Lake Ozark Fire, we developed quite a commraderie. It was quite an enjoyable experience, and I forever thank them for it.

Lake Ozark had adopted the Tazmanian Devil as their mascot for their ladder truck. We adopted a bulldog for ours. We even had the phrase "If You Can't Run With The Big Dogs, Stay On The Porch!" put across the front of our truck, under the windshield, in reflective lettering!

It was fun. We worked a few major fires with Lake Ozark, our trucks side by side. It was enjoyable, seeing them in theirs and us in ours, working together, seamlessly.

Well, one fine October day in 1995, I was at the station, doing reports for the chief, and decided to stretch my legs. I walked around outside for a few minutes, then back in the station, I went downstairs to the truck bay to shoot some hoops. As I was walking down the stairs, I noticed that "something" wasn't right, but I couldn't put a finger on it...

I walked around the bay, checked all the apparatus (the truck, both pumpers, and the rescue), did laps around each of them. I just KNEW something was wrong, but I couldn't place it. It was actually pissing me off.

I went back upstairs and had lunch. When I came back downstairs, walking behind the aerial truck's basket, I finally figured it out. I believe my exact words were "MUTHERF****R!"

Missing was the following:

On the back of the bucket, which hung over the back of the truck, was this sign, which was bolted to the door, so that anyone following would see it.

It was missing!

Immediately, I called the Chief. He was amazed! He had some suspects in mind, as he owned Precision Fire Apparatus, and some of those who worked for him were also Lake Ozark firemen. He figured, correctly, that our commraderie had elevated to the next level, and one of them took our dog. He told me to call the membership directly, on the phone, instead of paging it out, that there was to be a "Special Meeting" at 1730hrs at the station, and to bring our combat gear. So I did. When they asked why so early and why combat gear, I told them the dog was kidnapped and we were going to get it back. Then they were all in!

It helped that several of our members were also deputy sheriff's who were also on the tactical teams. We reported in, all dressed out in either camoflauged clothing or all black. The above mentioned deputy's helped us with face paint, so we were looking the part for a raid.

Intel gathered told us that Lake Ozark was having a meeting at their Station 1, which is where their aerial was housed, and the most likely place we'd find our dog. It also meant access to their station would be easier.

Our armorments: Each of us had a "Can" (a 2.5 gallon water fire extinguisher that is air pressurized), and one guy had a bag of dog biscuits that were the size of a football (his dog at home weighed in at a mear 155#), and his job was to bust into the meeting room, holler "BIG DOGS!!!" and throw a bucket full of biscuits into the room, at those occupying the seats at the tables. The rest of us divided into two groups, one with our biscuit bomber, the other taking another enterance. Once in, we were to proceed to their aerial truck and get our dog back. We presumed, correctly so, that their Taz (a stuffed animal that is about two feet tall with a fire helmet on its head) would be sitting on the dogs face in the cab of their aerial.

Ok, it's about 1840hrs, and we're arriving at their station. We drove in with our lights blacked out (it was dark out already at that time of year) to hopefully be stealthy. I was Team 2, and it was to enter via a back door to the truck bay. Team 1, with the biscuit bomber, was going in the main enterance. Our intel wasn't completely accurate, as the supplied combination to the back door was wrong. We didn't waste much time there, instead we ran around to the main enterance to back our brothers up.

Team 1 did EXACTLY as it was supposed to do. They entered the main door, proceeded down the hallway & busted open the door to the meeting room. The biscuit bomber did exactly as he was supposed to, he hollered out "BIG DOGS!!!" and threw a bucket load of those huge dog biscuits high into the room, and they scattered among the rooms occupants. For added effect, one of the Camdenton firemen accompanying him "opened up" with his can, adding a ten second water blast to the confusion. They then ran to the bay to carry on with the mission.

We (Team 2) arrived in the truck bay just as they rescued our dog. Simultaneously, some of the Lake Ozark firemen who had run down the back hallway to the bay were arriving, arming themselves with their garden hoses. The water war was on!

I came around the back corner of an engine to see a rookie struggling with the clamp that holds the can in place. That rookie got a soaking, and when my can ran out, I dropped it, reached up, unclamped their can, then soaked the rookie some more, with their can!

After a few minutes, it was over. Our dog was secured in Team 1's vehicle, and we were all laughing about it as we helped them clean up their truck bay.

Well, not everyone was laughing.

Remember how our intel indicated that a meeting was to take place? Well, there was a meeting alright. However, it was not a fire training meeting. Nope. It was a meeting of the Board of Directors of the Lake Ozark Fire Protection District. Elected officials who oversaw the District's financial operations, so that tax dollars weren't wasted. Also in that room were about thirty-five citizens, most of them were over the age of sixty.

Suddenly during this meeting, these clowns dressed as special operations troops barge in, hollering, throwing HUGE dog biscuits at them, and soaking them with water from an extinguisher.

Can you imagine what they were thinking?

Can you imagine what the Fire Board was thinking?

Even before our Team 1 members closed the door behind them, Lake Ozark's Fire Chief stood up, facing the Board, and started calmly speaking, saying "I suppose an explanation is in order here..." That was all our guys heard before slamming the door shut. I don't know what was said next, or by whom. What I do know is when their chief came to the truck bay (as we were cleaning up) he looked like a whipped pup. On one hand, he knew our dog was taken, and expected some sort of paybacks, and he saw the humor in the situation. On the other hand, he was the only full time paid employee at the time, and his bosses (the Fire Board) were NOT AT ALL HAPPY. I kinda felt sorry for him.

Ahhh.... good times!

So, earlier you'll note that I said the sign with our dog was bolted on to our bucket. It is now rivited in place, as the picture shows. Not that it can't be taken, but it requires more work then simply turning a wrench.

Thanks for reading.

Stay safe and God Bless!

Ken

On Forcing Entry...

About a month and a half ago, I posted HERE about a good day at work. Part of that involved forcing entry into a business that had a fire burning inside. I don't want to brag, but we done good. There was almost ZERO time lost for the store and the folks who work there. I was the guy who actually forced the door.

This morning around 0300 we handled a fire at local business; it was in a big "box store" type building. Came in as an alarm, also as a burglar alarm, police en route.

As we arrived, police officers on scene walk up to us reporting smoke inside. We drove a 360 and saw smoke through a couple windows, nothing heavy, looked like fog. Stopped at the truck entrance and got out. The captain decided this is where we're making entry.

The FF grabbed a halligan bar, and I got my Lil' Rex (as found HERE ). Door is a power sliding door, aluminum frame, with glass, typical of many commercial doors. It has a mortise lock, with an extended cylinder that has a protective sleeve. The captain called for a K-Tool, but, as it turns out, that wouldn't have worked, as the cylinder sticks out too far. However, locks like this are exactly what the Lil' Rex is for!

I used the halligan bar to tamp the Lil' Rex over the lock cylinder. Once it started to bite, I then let go and gave it a few good whacks with the halligan bar. Then, I put the spike in, pried up, and POOF! the cylinder popped out. Then I used the end of the key tool to trip the lock, thus unlocking the door. Total damage caused by entry ops: one mortise lock assembly. Not much compared to a door.

(Imho, one inherent problem with the Lil' Rex is the adjunct tool design - you insert the spike of a halligan bar to pry. Works great as long as you can pry up (or whatever direction you tamped the tool into the lock), but sometimes a little side to side motion is needed to help loosen the lock cylinder. I have seen pictures and videos of modified Lil' Rex tools where they remove the spike sleeve and weld on a slot for the adze, like what it's on the K-Tool and R-Tool. I have found that if you really whack the Lil' Rex in place, like I did tonight, this helps it get a better, tighter, more secure bite on the lock cylinder, and reduces the need for side to side rocking. However, it means you will likely need another tool to remove the lock cylinder out of the Lil' Rex's teeth!)

I stopped in to that business a few weeks after the fire to pick up some supplies for a project I'm working on at home. While I don't normally use the contractor's entrance, I chose to, specifically because that is the door we forced. I wanted to see what they had done to fix the door since the fire.

They did exactly what one would expect, they put a new mortise assembly in the door and went on, business as usual. I, for one, am very glad to hear that they suffered little, in a situation that could have been an economic disaster for hundreds of folks who are employed there, their families, and the trickledown effect to the community in general. The exterior damage done from forcing the lock off was putting those two verticle scratches on the door. Very minor cosmetic damage that most people wouldn't notice, if it wasn't pointed out to them. If someone really cared about it, a sander could easily buff the scratches out.

Here is a picture of the door that I took when I was there a few weeks ago:

I think the circular scratches their repairman did while screwing in the new lock cylinder kinda compliment my scratches! ;^)

What I would like to point out is the total forcible entry operation took less than a minute, closer to 35 seconds. The only other alternative for forcing that door would have been to smash the glass out, which IS 100% effective.

However, other issues would have been created. When we opened the doors (sliding glass doors in aluminum framework), we had an opening large enough to drive an engine into if we wanted to, and perhaps the tower truck, too, if we could get the angles right. Another benefit - we could close the door in a hurry if needed -- ie: once we opened the doors, the fire suddenly took off, growing larger than our response could presently handle, etc. If we would have smashed the glass out, we wouldn't be able to control the door any longer.

Another disadvantage, well, take a look at the picture above. Go ahead, I'll wait... did you look? Good. Welcome back.

Did you see them? I'm refering to the aluminum cross bars that go to the left in the picture. Those are very difficult and time consuming (as well as energy consuming) to remove. Could personnel wiggle through? Absolutely, but why would you want to? It is awkward, and inherently dangerous. If you have to escape in a hurry, they'll do nothing to help your cause. Could you climb over the top bar? Sure, but again, why would you want to? It is at my hip level, and I'm 6' 1". Yes, we could get over it, BUT it would be awkward in full gear and dangerous. No sense injuring your leg for nothing, you know?

Am I against conventional forcible entry? No, not at all. What I am for is using the right techniques for the situation.

So anyway, I said what I wanted to say. Keep other methods and back-up plans ready, and work smarter, not harder. Popping the lock itself saved us, the fire companies, valuable time and effort to access the fire. Popping the lock itself saved the business tens of thousands of dollars in damage, damage that in my opinion wouldn't have been totally needed.

Thanks for reading, and God bless.

Ken

Link to FSW article on searching at fires

Excellent article on searching at fires.

http://www.fireservicewarrior.com/2012/03/you-will-search/