Firefighter Question

[Linda Adams]

I have a firefighter in my book, and there's a scene where he and two other people have to escape from the dungeon of a building they're in. According to my research on firefighters (in one of the exam books), one of the requirements is that they have to be able to find their way around an unfamiliar building, obviously in an environment where visibilty might be quite poor.

Is this just a natural sense of direction? Or are there techniques they would actually use to do this?

[jclarkdawe]

Training and technique. In a good fire, visibility is zero. We train a lot blindfolded. Also it is done on hands and knees. Smoke rises and the worst place is the ceiling (as well as the hottest.)

Fire hoses are always male end towards the fire, female to safety. You can tell be fell which way a hose is pointed within 50 feet (that's the length to the next coupling).

Rooms are searched by maintaining wall contact. Big rooms use two firefighters side by side, one in contact with the wall. You go in the room, go either left or right, and follow the wall around.

Larger structures can be searched with a rope.

Construction is studied from the outside to predict probable interior construction. Firefighters are also big on checking exits. Firefighters always check on how to get out when they go into something.

Throwing a helmet through a window indicates a lost firefighter.

Getting lost in a fire frequently results in a fatal outcome.

In your scenario, the closest modern application would be a basement. Basements are highly dangerous because of their limited exits and collapse factor. Dungeons would seem to be similar, only worse. Big question in my mind would be what the fire load is. Unless there is a lot of stuff stored in the dungeon, there just isn't much to burn in one.

Technique for a basement fire is to start with ventilation. One or more holes would be cut to start the smoke rising (same idea as a chimney). Once ventilation and a hose line is secured, you go in. Slowly. Very, very slowly. Personally I like two three-man teams, both staying in verbal contact with each other. Each firefighter has a radio and a PASS.

Feel free to PM me if this doesn't answer your question. I was a captain on a volunteer department.

Best of luck,

Jim Clark-Dawe

[Linda Adams]

Thanks! This was a big help. It gave me some new things to think about that I hadn't considered.