Electrical Vault

Question 1

Off gassing from transformers and feeder lines can result in?

What chain reaction can occur?

Answer 1

An explosive environment with in the vault

Explosions into adjacent vault spaces

Question 2

What companies make up the vault response team VRT?

Answer 2

E25, L10, A25, Power 25

Question 3

What must be done for operation companies to enter an electrical vault?

Answer 3

Seattle city lights must be de-energize.

The vault and the atmosphere hazards are known and acceptable.

Question 4

What should command considered a fire in a vault to be upon first arrival?

Answer 4

“High risk, low probability of success“ incident

Question 5

How does the VRT identify vault spaces?

Answer 5

Network

Underground residential distribution (URD)

Question 6

What type of fire attack is typically used in a network vault?

Answer 6

Offensive tactics by the VRT

Question 7

What fire attack tactics are used on a URD vault?

Answer 7

Defensive tactics

Question 8

What is the definition of an electrical vault?

Where are they located?

What type of power is in this?

Answer 8

A utility space design specifically for electrical transformers

Underground in the street, or inside buildings at the standard doorway access

High and low voltage lines

Question 9

What is a network vault?

What does network identify?

Where are network vaults in the city?

Answer 9

And electrical vault containing specific type of transformer that contains a 500 gallon oil tank used to control temperature of the transformer.

Transformers are connected between other transformers and provide power to multiple locations

Downtown core and parts of the U District

Question 10

What is an underground residential distribution vault?

Answer 10

An electrical vault containing no network transformers and powerlines

Question 11

What is a manhole?

How are they accessed?

What type of power can be found in these?

Answer 11

An electrical utility space designed for powerline, junctions, and re-directions

Access through hatches, 42 inch ground manhole covers, and in buildings through a doorway access

Contain high and low voltage

Question 12

What is a hand hole? How are the accesses?

Answer 12

A small utility box recessed in the sidewalk adjacent to street vaults or manholes

2x2’ metal cover

Question 13

What is a vault or manhole event?

Answer 13

Smoke, Fire, or explosion from the space

Question 14

What is the initial strategy of an electrical vault fire?

Answer 14

Defensive

Question 15

What should the first arriving officer do upon arrival?

Answer 15

Initiate command responsibilities, 360, RBA, descriptive size up, using the term “vault fire”, establish SOG

Question 16

How should units deploy?

Answer 16

Uphill and up wind from the vault

Question 17

What are the exposures if the vault is inside a structure?

What are the exposures if the vault is exterior of a structure?

Answer 17

Interior vaults have exposures that require protection on the floor above and spaces around the vault

Exterior vaults require exposure protection of surrounding structures

Question 18

What resources need to be dispatched?

Answer 18

VRT
City lights

Question 19

What does isolate, evacuate, and deny entry mean?

Answer 19

Establish an isolation perimeter of one block (minimum 300’)

Ensure all people who may be trapped by failed electrical systems are removed and make sure no one is trapped in the elevator

No one is allowed inside perimeter that’s not essential

Question 20

What should command inform responding companies of?

Who should be the POC for the VRT?

Answer 20

Response direction, base/staging location, access Corredor for VRT and city light

E25

Question 21

What must be investigated in buildings connected to a vault?

What level of PPE must be worn? What tools are required?

Answer 21

Involvement of fire, smoke, CO 2 drift

Are members must be on air and use a 5-gas detector

Question 22

Under what circumstances can SFD personnel enter a vault space?

Answer 22

Under no circumstances should SFD personnel enter nor attempt accessing space identified as “electrical vault” or “ high voltage”.

Access to the spaces must be done in coordination with the VRT and/or city light.