Archive for the ‘B-SAHF Exercises’ Category

Deliberate Practice

Application of the B-SAHF (Building, Smoke, Air Track, Heat, & Flame) organizing scheme for critical fire behavior indicators to photographs or video of structure fires provides an excellent opportunity to develop your knowledge of fire behavior and skill in reading the fire. As you complete this Reading the Fire exercise, think about what you saw and what you did not see. Did you recognize developing conditions, what might you have missed? Watch the video several times. Remember that deliberate practice is focused on continuous improvement and requires repetition of critical skills.

Residential Fire

Download and print the B-SAHF Worksheet and then view the first 25 seconds of the following video of conditions on Side A of a residential fire. First, describe what you observe in terms of the Building, Smoke, Air Track, Heat, and Flame Indicators. Second, answer the following five questions:

1. What additional information would you like to have? How could you obtain it?
2. Where do you think the fire is located?
3. What stage(s) of fire development is the fire likely to be in (incipient, growth, fully developed, or decay)?
4. What burning regime is the fire in (fuel or ventilation controlled)?
5. How would you expect the fire to develop over the next two to three minutes?

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Back the video up to the beginning and then watch the first 45 seconds of the clip. Consider the following questions:

1. What changes in in fire behavior did you observe?
2. What fire behavior phenomena occured? What changes in conditions were the likely cause?
3. How could the crew on the hoseline have mitigated the hazards presented by this change in fire behavior?

After completing the B-SAHF exercise, view the remainder of the video. Safe and effective fireground operations require that firefighters and officers are proficient at reading the fire and managing the fire environment. Developing proficiency requires ongoing deliberate practice.

Ed Hartin, MS, EFO, MIFireE, CFO

The Incident

Kernersville Fire Rescue and responded to a residential in the 1300 block of Union Cross Road shortly after 0200 hours on January 14, 2009. Occupants had been evacuated by two civilians returning home from work at a nearby Dell computer plant. First arriving units initiated offensive operations and began primary search to ensure that all occupants were out of the residence.

Less than 15 minutes into initial operations, an explosion occurred resulting in partial collapse of the building. Kernersville Firefighter Jay Coleman and three firefighters from the Winston-Salem Fire Department were caught in the collapse, but were able to self-extricate. Firefighter Coleman suffered minor injuries.

Chief Walt Summerville of Kernersville Fire Rescue reported “as we entered the building and began to ventilate and to flow air by moving hose lines, the heated gases got the air it needed”.� Chief Summerville believes the explosion was a backdraft, which was caused by a build-up of smoke in the crawl space of the home.

Explosion Captured on Video

A Kernersville police officer’s dashboard camera caught a burning home as it suddenly exploded. The police car was (appropriately) positioned a considerable distance from the house and provides a view of Side A from the Alpha/Delta corner. Watch the video several times to get a general sense of what happened Then download and print the B-SAHF Worksheet and identify any key indicators that might have be visible in the video.

Post fire video and an interview with Firefighter Coleman are available on the WGHP Fox Channel 8 web site.

At this point, information available about this incident is limited to news reports and video. However, we will be in touch with Kernersville Fire Rescue in an effort to obtain more detailed and fire behavior focused information about this incident. More to follow!

Important Lessons

An initial look at the limited information available about this incident points to several important considerations:

• Conditions can vary widely in different compartments. In this incident (like many others) flaming combustion is visible in one location, while extremely under-ventilated backdraft conditions exist elsewhere.
• Backdraft can occur in an entire building, one or more habitable compartments, or in a void space.
• Backdraft indicators may be pronounced, they may be subtle, or may not be visible from firefighters working positions.

Ed Hartin, MS, EFO, MIFireE, CFO

Deliberate Practice

As discussed in my posts on Outstanding Performance and Reading the Fire improving proficiency requires sustained deliberate practice!

Application of the B-SAHF (Building, Smoke, Air Track, Heat, & Flame) organizing scheme for critical fire behavior indicators to photographs or video of structure fires provides an excellent opportunity to develop your knowledge of fire behavior and skill in reading the fire.

Residential Fire

Download and print the B-SAHF Worksheet and then view the first 45 seconds of the following video of conditions on Side C of a residential fire as the crew of Toronto Pumper 223 makes entry into a window on Floor 2, Side A to check for extension from a fire in the basement. First, describe what you observe in terms of the Building, Smoke, Air Track, Heat, and Flame Indicators. Second, answer the following five questions:

1. What additional information would you like to have> How could you obtain it?
2. What state(s) of fire development is the fire likely to be in (incipient, growth, fully developed, or decay)? Remember that fire in adjacent compartments can be in a different stage of development?
3. What burning regime is the fire in (fuel or ventilation controlled)?
4. What conditions would you expect to find on Floor 2? Is the environment tenable for properly protected firefighters?
5. Is it likely that the fire has extended to Floor 2? Why or why not?
6. How would you expect the fire to develop over the next two to three minutes

Find more videos like this on firevideo.net

Back the video up to the beginning and then watch the first three minutes of the clip and consider the following questions:

1. What changes in indicators did you observe prior to the egress of the crew of Pumper 223 from Floor 2?
2. What changes in indicators did you observe following their egress from Floor 2?
3. What might have caused the change in conditions while the crew of Pumper 223 was checking for extension
4. Were there significant indicators of worsening fire behavior visible from the exterior prior to the egress of the members working on Floor 2?
5. What indicators of changing conditions would you have expected on the interior of Floor 2?
6. What tactical options might have reduced the probability of developing untenable conditions on Floor 2?
7. Review your answers on the B-SAHF worksheet. Did any of your answers change based on the additional information provided by the second segment of the video clip? Did you successfully predict the fire behavior that occurred?

After completing the B-SAHF exercise, view the remainder of the video. Placement of the tip of the ladder above the window sill made egress from Floor 2 a bit more difficult. However, Captain Mark Fitzsimmons and Firefighters Geoff Mortimer and Mark Ashcroft from Toronto Pumper 223 escaped without serious harm because they recognized changing conditions and quickly made the decision to exit.

As noted in my earlier post on Flashover & Survival Skills it is essential to train on emergency procedures, but it is even more important to ensure that firefighters and officers are proficient at reading the fire and managing the fire environment to reduce the probability that emergency procedures will be required.

Comments Fixed!

Thanks to Dr. Stefan Svensson for alerting me to a problem with the comments feature of the blog. The problem has been fixed and you can now provide feedback on the posts in the CFBT Blog. Please feel free to do so!

Ed Hartin, MS, EFO, MIFireE, CFO

Deliberate Practice

As discussed in my posts on Outstanding Performance and Reading the Fire improving proficiency requires sustained deliberate practice!

Application of the B-SAHF (Building, Smoke, Air Track, Heat, & Flame) organizing scheme for critical fire behavior indicators to photographs or video of structure fires provides an excellent opportunity to develop your knowledge of fire behavior and skill in reading the fire.

Commercial Fire

Download and print the B-SAHF Worksheet and then view the first 8 seconds of the following video of conditions on Side C of a commercial fire. First, describe what you observe in terms of the Building, Smoke, Air Track, Heat, and Flame Indicators. Second, answer the following five questions:

1. What additional information would you like to have?
   How could you obtain it?
2. What state(s) of fire development is the fire likely to be in (incipient, growth, fully developed, or decay)? Remember that fire in adjacent compartments can be in a different stage of development?
3. What burning regime is the fire in (fuel or ventilation controlled)?
4. What conditions would you expect to find inside this building? Is this likely to be a survivable environment for unprotected occupants? For firefighters?
5. How would you expect the fire to develop over the next two to three minutes?

Find more videos like this on firevideo.net
Back the video up to the beginning, watch the first 15 seconds, and review your answers on the B-SAHF worksheet. Did any of your answers change based on the additional information provided by the view of Side A?
After completing the B-SAHF exercise, view the remainder of the video. Did you successfully predict the fire behavior that occurred? This video provides excellent examples of smoke and air track indicators. However, sometimes the indicators of potential for extreme fire behavior might not be so obvious. Under these circumstances, you will need a higher level of skill to anticipate fire development.

Make it a Habit!

As Geoff Colvin emphasizes in Tallent is Overrated the quantity and quality of deliberate practice is the major determinant in expertise at all levels from novice to expert. Developing skill in reading the fire requires practice. Additional B-SAHF exercises will be posted on a regular basis at cfbt-us.com. Also check the CFBT-US Resources page for additional information on Reading the Fire!

Consider making B-SAHF exercises a regular part of your training schedule. During a recent Compartment Fire Behavior Training (CFBT) Instructor course conducted at Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue we used B-SAHF drills each morning to help the participants develop skill in reading the fire. However, these drills are equally appropriate for recruit firefighters. Understanding fire behavior and the ability to read the fire and anticipate changes in fire development are critical for everyone working on the fireground!

Ed Hartin, MS, EFO, MIFireE, CFO

Surprises are Bad!

I frequently observe that surprises on the fireground are bad. Unexpectedly worsening conditions can place firefighters at risk and often result in injuries and fatalities. However, event unexpected success can be problematic, as we don’t know why we were successful (and will likely attribute it to our mastery of the firefighting craft). When we are surprised by fire development or the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of our tactical operations, we really don’t know what is going on! Recognizing critical fire behavior indicators and being able to predict likely fire behavior is a critical skill for firefighters and fire officers at all levels.

B-SAHF: A Systematic Approach

In his paper Reading the Fire Station Officer Shan Raffel of Queensland Fire Rescue observed:

Every fire sends out signals that can assist the firefighter in determining the stage of fire development, and most importantly the changes that are likely to occur. This skill is essential to ensure the correct firefighting strategy and tactics are employed. Being able to “read a fire” is the mark of a firefighter who is able to make decisions based on knowledge and skill, not guess work or luck.

Shan developed a scheme for organizing critical fire behavior indicators that focused on Smoke, Air Track, Heat, and Flame (SAHF). As we worked together in refining this system, I found that one element was missing, the building. Adding building factors that influence fire behavior provides a reasonably comprehensive approach to reading the fire to identify the stage of fire development, burning regime, and likely fire behavior. The simple mnemonic B-SAHF (Building-Smoke, Air Track, Heat, & Flame) can be used to remember this simple approach to reading the fire.

B-SAHF Indicators

The fire behavior indicators should not be considered as a checklist as key indicators will vary with incident conditions. Look at fire behavior indicators from a holistic perspective as illustrated by the following concept map:

Note: This concept map only illustrates the second level of detail in examining the B-SAHF indicators. It is important to extend this map by adding additional detail in each of the categories. For example, in building factors, size may be expanded to include building area and height, number of stories, internal compartmentalization, etc. For a more detailed look at B-SAHF, down load a copy of the full version of B-SAHF Version 5.2.1 in PDF format.

Building: Many aspects of the building (and its contents) are of interest to firefighters. Building construction influences both fire development and potential for collapse. The occupancy and related contents are likely to have a major impact fire dynamics as well.

One of the key factors related to building factors is that they are present before the fire starts. Fire behavior prediction (at least in general terms) should be a key element in pre-incident planning. Look at the building and visualize how a fire would develop and spread based on key building factors.

Smoke: What does the smoke look like and where is it coming from? This indicator can be extremely useful in determining the location and extent of the fire. Smoke indicators may be visible on the exterior as well as inside the building. Don’t forget that size-up and dynamic risk assessment continue after you have made entry!

Air Track: Related to smoke, air track is the movement of both smoke (generally out from the fire area) and air (generally in towards the fire area). Observation of air track starts from the exterior but becomes more critical when making entry. What does the air track look like at the door? Air track continues to be significant when you are working on the interior.

Heat: This includes a number of indirect indicators. Heat cannot be observed directly, but you can feel changes in temperature and may observe the effects of heat on the building and its contents. Remember that you are insulated from the fire environment, pay attention to temperature changes, but recognize the time lag between increased temperature and when you notice the difference. Visual clues such as crazing of glass and visible pyrolysis from fuel that has not yet ignited are also useful heat related indicators.

Flame: While one of the most obvious indicators, flame is listed last to reinforce that the other fire behavior indicators can often tell you more about conditions than being drawn to the flames like a moth. However, that said, location and appearance of visible flames can provide useful information which needs to be integrated with the other fire behavior indicators to get a good picture of conditions.

It is important not to focus in on a single indicator, but to look at all of the indicators together. Some will be more important than others under given circumstances.

Exercising Your Skills

Learning to read the fire takes practice and a solid understanding of practical fire dynamics. This post introduces the concept of B-SAHF and the B-SAHF exercise as a method for improving your skill in reading the fire.

Download and print the B-SAHF Worksheet and then view the first 45 seconds of the following video of an apartment fire in New York City. First, describe what you observe in terms of the Building, Smoke, Air Track, Heat, and Flame Indicators. Second, answer the following five questions:

1. What additional information would you like to have> How could you obtain it?
2. What state(s) of fire development is the fire likely to be in (incipient, growth, fully developed, or decay)? Remember that fire in adjacent compartments can be in a different stage of development?
3. What burning regime is the fire in (fuel or ventilation controlled)?
4. What conditions would you expect to find inside this building?
5. How would you expect the fire to develop over the next two to three minutes

Find more videos like this on firevideo.net

After completing the B-SAHF exercise, view the remainder of the video. Did you successfully predict the fire behavior that occurred? What conditions do you think the firefighters encountered on the interior of the structure?

Now What?

Developing skill in reading the fire requires practice. Additional B-SAHF exercises will be posted on a regular basis at cfbt-us.com. If you have a video clip or photo that you would be willing to share for a B-SAHF exercise, please visit the Contact Us page and send me an e-mail. Also check the CFBT-US Resources page for additional information on Reading the Fire!

Additional Information on Loudoun County Flashover

Previous posts examined an incident in which a number of Loudoun firefighters were injured in a flashover. See Loudoun County Virginia Flashover, Loudoun County Flashover: What Happened, and Loudoun County Flashover: Escape from Floor 2. Several weeks ago Loudoun County Fire, Rescue, & Emergency Management released a presentation including video shot by a civilian bystander during the incident. Print a second copy of the B-SAHF Worksheet and view the Meadowood Court Video, using the worksheet to examine the fire behavior indicators visible from the exterior.

Loudoun County Fire, Rescue, & Emergency Management has also made this video available for download: Meadowood Courth Video Download.

Ed Hartin, MS, EFO, MIFireE, CFO