TB 156 - Hillside Home Structure Fires

Question 1

Successful firefighting operations in hillside homes require:

Answer 1

-Standard Operating Procedures (SOP)
-strong command
-continuous size-ups
-well communicated strategy
-effective firefighting tactics.

Question 2

What are the three general categories of hillside homes?

Answer 2

1. Descending (most dangerous)
2. Ascending
3. Cantilever

Question 3

Occupancies that are built on a descending slope are the most dangerous because?

Answer 3

The possibility that entry from the grade level into the structure could place firefighters above the fire if it originates on a lower floor.

Question 4

Cantilever Hillside Homes were originally built in the early 1900’s and were also known as _____ homes.

Answer 4

Stilt homes

Question 5

Cantilever Hillside Homes can cantilever out as much as ____ to ____ ft over the hillside.

Answer 5

50 to 75 ft

Question 6

One of the biggest challenges with hillside homes is ACCESS TO LOWER FLOORS FROM GRADE LEVEL.

Specifically, multi-story _______ Hillside Homes are outfitted with an unenclosed interior stairwell that serves all floors, while oftentimes offering NO ACCESS to lower floors from the EXTERIOR.

Answer 6

Cantilever

(Multi-story Descending Hillside Homes may have the same type of unenclosed interior stairwell, but USUALLY PROVIDE multiple portals of entry on sublevels from the exterior.)

Question 7

What type of hillside home can be handled with similar strategy and tactics utilized for a traditional single/multi-family dwelling?

Answer 7

Ascending hillside home

Question 8

It is imperative that every attempt is made to conduct a 360 degree survey to determine the FIRE EXTENT and FLOOR OF ORIGIN and to COMMUNICATE this information to other resources BEFORE initiating _________.

Answer 8

interior firefighting operations

Question 9

In an effort to develop the appropriate level of situational awareness for all responding resources, the first arriving resource shall:

Answer 9

1. Give size-up to MFC…
   State size, number of floors, and type of hillside home
2. Prior to advancement of any hose lines, complete a 360 degree survey and announce subsequent size-up to MFC or responding resources the following:
   A. Type of hillside home
   B. Number of floors
   C. Floor and side of building where fire attack lines will be deployed.

Question 10

If a 360 survey is not possible to accomplish, the first arriving officer will attempt to _______ as much of the building as possible and ascertain all of the required information prior to communicating a subsequent size-up.

Answer 10

visualize

Question 11

If the building features make it impossible to attack the fire at or below the lowest level of fire involvement, concerned officers should consider utilizing the tactic of “_______.”

Answer 11

Transitional attack

Question 12

Multi-story Cantilever Hillside Homes that have no doorway access from subfloors, require a risk assessment of how long the fire has been burning. (Offensive vs Defensive)

If an offensive attack is considered as the only means, then it is imperative that a ________ is in place before descending the interior stairwell.

Answer 12

backup fire attack team with deployed hoseline

Question 13

Although temperatures in a fully developed fire in a room are cooler towards the floor, studies have shown that when fire communicates via an unprotected stairwell, the floor of the stairwell may produce even higher temperatures than at the ______.

Answer 13

ceiling

Question 14

It is the LAFD practice that any hillside home that has one or more floors below grade with access, be attacked whenever possible from?

Answer 14

a portal of entry at or below the origin of the fire.

Question 15

Roof ventilation teams need to understand that a premature (uncoordinated) ventilation hole over an unenclosed stairwell may cause an accelerated _______ of superheated gasses and smoke greatly hindering firefighting efforts. ESPECIALLY, if a fire attack team is making an attack where there is fire located on a sub-level and there is no possibility of making entry from an exterior portal below grade.

Answer 15

flow path

Question 16

If the fire is below grade and the only entry to establish fire attack is from the first floor, then a contingency plan of providing HORIZONTAL ventilation needs to be CONSIDERED.

A ventilation hole over the interior stairwell should only be initiated AFTER the fire attack team has descended the stairwell to the fire floor and……

Answer 16

communicated the progress of the attack.

Question 17

Careful consideration should be given to opening the front door on grade level so that when a fire is located on a sub-level; there could be an additional flow path created by natural ventilation which creates an extremely dangerous environment.

One of the most overlooked effects of natural ventilation on hillside home is the _____ wind influence.

Answer 17

Diurnal wind

(upslope, up-valley winds generate just after sunrise and downslope, down-valley winds generate just before sunset.)

Question 18

It is imperative for first arriving companies to position the apparatus in a way to ALLOW for other resources to have the full benefit of being AS CLOSE TO the physical address as possible.

This requires SUPPLY LINES to be ________.

Answer 18

Tucked up against the parked cars

(hence the reason there is parking on the SAME SIDE as the HYDRANT.)

Question 19

Rescue Ambulance should be placed at ________ allowing for egress for expedited transportation of patients to the hospital.

Answer 19

intersections

Question 20

Tactical Watch Outs on Hillside Home Fires:

Answer 20

-Apparatus Placement (narrow streets)

-360 degree size-up (unable to attain)

-Portal of Entry (at or below fire, consider flow paths)

-Thermal Imaging (surface readings only, cant see through floor levels)

Question 21

In a well-developed fire situation, if the initial fire attack team enters through the front door of a Descending Hillside Home and the second arriving company accesses the home from any other sub-level, the results can be catastrophic.

This simple process can create flashover conditions in less than ______ and provide an untenable and life-threatening situation for any company above the fire floor.

Answer 21

A minute

Question 22

When engaging in fire suppression on a Descending Hillside Home, fire attack, backup fire attack and additional resources shall make an attack from a COMMON PORTAL of entry until?

Answer 22

water can placed on the seat of fire.

Question 23

Floor systems have the potential to collapse under fire conditions, even when the subfloor may appear solid. Using a sounding tool to check floor integrity can be a FALSE INDICATOR of the stability of the actual entire floor system.

An alternative to sounding is using an axe or similar tool to provide an _______ of potential fire below on a hillside home.

Answer 23

indicator hole

Question 24

A normal response for a hillside, single or multi-family dwelling is a “____” assignment (note: this may vary depending on the square-footage of the occupancy and the location of the dwelling within a hillside area).

Answer 24

C

Question 25

It is the practice of the LAFD that any Sub-Division may be communicated in its abbreviated form as ______ to assist with clear text radio communications.

Answer 25

Sub-1, Sub-2, ect…

Question 26

Appendix A
Hillside Home Decision Process and Organization:

Answer 26

Question 27

One of the most IMPORTANT tactical watchouts in a multi-story hillside home is the ability to ________.

Answer 27

perform a 360.

(A 360 is a term used to provide RECONNAISSANCE).

Question 28

A complete 360 might not always be possible on a hillside home; however, identifying _________ is the HIGHEST PRIORITY.

Answer 28

A portal of entry at or below the fire

Question 29

A frequent obstacle to ensuing the Incident Commander (IC) has situational awareness is the difficult access to visualize the scene.
In effort to ensure an appropriate risk profile, strategy, tactics, deployment, and organization is developed, it may be necessary to establish a fixed Incident Command Post (ICP) and utilize the second arriving __________ to supervise and validate tactical operations.

Answer 29

Battalion Command Team as the Operations Section Chief (OSC)

(Another option is to pass command to an incoming Battalion Command Team and deploy as the OSC.)

Question 30

It is crucial that fire attack and ventilation be coordinated, as premature ventilation may create ___________ with potentially catastrophic consequences.

Answer 30

an undesired flow path

Question 31

Several features of hillside homes should be taken into consideration when fighting fire in these types of occupancies, specifically, _______ and _______ can affect fire spread and collapse potential.

Answer 31

layout and floor systems

Question 32

What are the highest priorities in determining placement of an initial heat hole to accomplish vertical ventilation?

Answer 32

-Location of the fire

-Coordination and communication with fire attack about the conditions of the interior

Question 33

If the fire is _________, then an offensive heat hole can be established above the origin of the fire with coordinated fire attack from the first floor.

Answer 33

on the STREET level or GRADE level floor

Question 34

If heated fire gasses are not released they will accumulate and begin to bank down and spread laterally. This process called MUSHROOMING.

___________ will reduce this mushrooming effect, which will in turn reduce the rate that fire can spread over an area.

Answer 34

Proper ventilation

(COORDINATED vertical or horizontal ventilation can ASSIST fire attack companies.)