My First Fire

Liquidtide · 2005-01-18, 09:48 AM

As some of you might know I have trained to be a volunteer fire fighter. I had my first fire/structure fire last night.... here's my post from a firemans' board.

4:00 AM this morning whole district is banged out for a confirmed stucture fire WITH possible occupants still inside... futhermore the house is a few blocks from our firehouse in the district. Let me also say I'm out of academy oh, about 5 weeks.

I got on the ladder and they said be ready to go on air, so I turned the bottle on, good it worked... mask on regulator ready to go. The engine right in front of us laid the 5" and we pull up in front, through the roof on D side. Front door is cracked open, I shout in for anyone, me and my captain scott up and head inside, room and contents already flashed and into the hall way, no way we're getting up the stairs. The nozzle came in about a minute later hit it really hard and darkened the whole house, so now my search was in pitch black instead of a haze. Got through the rooms, nothing, then we got the word that occupants were at the neighbors, thank God, but would have liked to know that a few minutes earlier.

From that point I ran a lot of gopher jobs pulled lines and cleaned up.

The fire worked its way into the 2 different attics on the split level conversion but we managed to save the house. New roofs and probably a whole new second floor but it could have been a gonner.

Oh by the way it was about 12 degrees and snowing last night. And our house being first in laid 700 feet of 5" and 2 handlines. Frozen solid. We managed to roll up the 5" and thawed it at the house and rebedded most of it, the rest tonight.

Now time for a hot shower, hot coffee, and get to work.

Thanks for listening.
Jeff

Indecisive · 2005-01-18, 11:22 AM

pretty cool, and glad to see that no one was hurt

good luck

Peacemaker · 2005-01-18, 03:16 PM

Good job. Just a comment about the story though. Not everyone knows what the D side is and everything. Like me.

Hamma · 2005-01-18, 04:01 PM

Very cool post, never seen a post from a FF's POV

I could not imagine doing that crap in the dead cold

Biohazzard56 · 2005-01-18, 04:50 PM

What Hamma said, my next door nehibor is a firefighter. Last semester some kid saw that a fire got started and he did what any smart individual would do, he locked the door and ran without telling anyone. So the engine that my next door nehibor worked on got on the roof and entered the building that way and extinguished the fire.

Electrofreak · 2005-01-18, 05:09 PM

I didn't understand a lot of that (the fire terminology) but it sounded exciting! Glad to know it went well and that the home owners were safe. Is it possible for you to explain a few of the terms? I live about 3 houses down from a fire station, and it'd be interesting to know.

Liquidtide · 2005-01-18, 07:13 PM

Ok sorry for lots of Jargon and Lingo,

Here's the explaination

I'm in a district, 3 companies with 1 engine and either 1 engine or 1 ladder each, probably 50 total members covering 9 sq. miles about 20,000 people.

banged out = paged (it's a God awful sound at night wakes me from deep sleep)

go on air = air pack on

The sides of a building are listed as A, B, C, D
A is front door, B is Left side, C is rear, and D is right side

5" is the supply line from the hydrant to the trucks, ever wonder what that stuff is in the back, usually yellow? You stop at the hydrant, someone get's off and wraps the line around the hydrant and the engine takes off down the street to the fire (ours was about 700 feet away)

Kinda like this

Now I have to go back to the house to finish up packing the hose, yeah!

Hamma · 2005-01-18, 07:41 PM

What state do you live in anyway? Saw a story on the news about a similar situation hehe.

MrVicchio · 2005-01-18, 08:20 PM

I have faught ship board fires, I know what you are dealing with.

/Salute to you and all firefighters.

Liquidtide · 2005-01-18, 09:25 PM

Piscataway, NJ

Right back at ya Mr. V

Electrofreak · 2005-01-19, 05:15 AM

Thanks for the explanation Liquid, clears things up

I've got a lot of respect for firemen... always on call and ready to put their lives at risk to save others, an honorable task.

Its sorta strange, I live a few houses down from a department, and whenever theres a fire they set off the siren. I remember it scaring the crap out of me when I was a kid and I'd just moved into the area, but for some reason I don't really hear it anymore. They still sound the siren but I guess I've tuned it out, along with the sirens on the firetrucks. When you live practically next door to em for 12 years, it happens I guess. Anyhow, I sure am comforted to know that if my house ever lights on fire, they won't be long in coming.

Hamma · 2005-01-19, 09:53 AM

ahh ok, guess its been cold all around the east coast. There was another story on this morning.. big fire in boston last night. All the firefighters were covered in ice.. all their stuff was frozen solid. It was like 3 degrees here last night.

I also live right down teh street from the local fire house - every now and then they plow by at 3am lighting up the entire house haha

Firefly · 2005-01-19, 10:50 PM

How bad would that suck?

Your house catches on fire. Your neighbors are roasting marshmallows in the fire.

The engine shows up, the firefighters get out and mill around because it's so cold. One dude is busting his knuckles and cursing as he tries to fit a frozen metal fitting to the hydrant, and he gets the equivalent of frozen-tongue-on-metal.

Then, the friggin water lines are frozen, so nothing's coming out.

And your neighbors are still making S'mores.