“Examining the process of firefighting to see if there is a better and safer way to operate” Tactical Safety – Hoselines Treat All Stairs Equally? By: Ray McCormack Although all stairways are not created equal, your hoseline can not tell the difference, only you can. Some buildings can contain multiple stairways of different types, while most only contain one style. Straight run; Return, Scissor, Wrap Around, and Path stairways are the most common. Most stairways encountered will have a closed-tread design; basement and exterior stairways often contain open-tread stair step design. Stairways are our mode of travel in the fire building; even if we take the elevator we will be exiting below the fire floor and using the stairs for the remained of our assent. Although hose couplings provide us with life saving tactile information, their propensity for getting caught on the slightest obstacle is well documented. Unfortunately there are no Urban Search and Rescue dogs specially trained to locate and then free a hose coupling caught on a step edge, that job is left to firefighters. Their attraction to snags is just one hoseline problem we need to recognize and know how to fix. Another common problem is dealing with uncharged hoselines. Uncharged hoseline can get caught under doors and get tightly wrapped around corners and stair newel-posts. The same is true for charged hoselines, some problems are easier to fix with uncharged lines and some are easier to remedy with charged lines. I will let you figure out which is which, might make for a good drill; remember, just add water . We control the hose not the other way around. We place it too close to corners and wrap it tightly on turns. Were you taught the tactically safe method of stretching hose and dealing with stairs? I hope you were, but if not, you can still make corrections and pledge to always stretch better, no signature required. The different types of stairways mentioned impact stretching decisions solely, and when more than one type is available to complete the task. Return-type stairways are two sets of stairs connected by a midway platform. The stair sections go in two different directions with the associated landings stacking upon each other at the half and full-floor landing positions. This type of stairway will allow us to quickly place our lead-length of hose up on to the half-landing; the problem comes when we just throw hose hoping it will land correctly and not kink. Think about the odds of a successful hose deployment when we just throw hose about. It does not work and it is an example of firefighters who do not understand that solid engine work requires attention to detail. Scissor-stairs can be confusing for firefighters and officers who have had limited exposure to them. Remember that you will start in one spot on the floor below the fire floor and come out opposite that starting point on the fire floor. The exit point is the big decision regarding scissor stairs once you know where you wish to be on the fire floor you can simply work backwards and pick the correct stairway. Straight-run stairs are easy because we can see the entire run of the stairway. If the stairway is long and we do not allow the coupling to be forcibly-pulled along, up, and over every tread encountered, then our stretch will evolve quickly. Many firefighters have never been taught to carry hose, many were simply taught to pull the nozzle or associated bundle, let it drop, and keep pulling. Any firefighter who has climbed stairs with just the nozzle in hand can attest to how inefficient that adaptation of a hose stretch really is. Wrap-around stairways have a voracious appetite for hose. This type of stairway contains at least twice the amount of turns as a traditional stairway, and the connecting portions of staircases are separated by the object (usually an elevator) it wraps around. This is the only staircase where I recommend increasing your hose estimate to one and a half lengths per floor traveled. This increase allows for wide turns at the corners and the distance between connecting staircases. So if we are traveling up four flights you would estimate six lengths for that portion of the hose stretch. Dragging hose up stairs is all part of the game, however, when distances between firefighters is too great, or we place hose on the stairs too early, then we will encounter an excessive hose drag situation. Hose drag is just that, a drag on effort and energy and points to under-trained firefighters who do not understand the importance of drop points as well as poise. When you encounter a long and difficult hose stretch you need to have a solid plan for the stretch, just charging forward will only get you started on the slow road. Use your poise and confidently wait until other firefighters can assist in the stretch. Company commanders and chief officers make sure you have a hose lay that efficiently accommodates long stretches. Path stairways are staircases separated by various length hallways. Usually the path will only exist for one or two floors in the building. However poor stretching size-up decisions may force you to create your own path stairway stretch when you discover that another stairway was better suited for your attack than the one originally chosen. Keep your awareness situational to reduce errors of hoseline management, thereby increasing fireground tactical safety. Next Tactical Safety – Are You Ready For The NFL?
Here is the original post:
“Tactical Safety: Hoselines Treat All Stairs Equally?”…
