Nozzle Nerds: Size-Up & Stretch
There is never a greater feeling than being at the tip of the spear while pushing deep inside the structure to the seat of the fire. The nozzleman has the best view in the house but takes a thermal beating. When pushing line and flowing water, mechanics and technique allows the firefighters to move effectively while addressing the fire and smoke overhead. Pair this with a properly selected target flow, ideally 150 gpm or greater for residential and 265-300 gpm for commercial, our chances for success is greatly enhanced.
As the tip of the firefighting spear sits the nozzleman or pipeman. This individual takes all the glory but takes a beating when pushing deep into fires. For them to be successful, they must know and understand fire dynamics to ensure they are addressing worsening conditions as they move into the structure so not to place themselves in a losing battle.
To start off the Nozzle Nerd series, we will begin to discuss the size-up and entry of the first line. A size-up is just not the officer’s responsibility but everyones’ on the fire ground. The Officer will be looking at building construction, smoke and fire location, and looking for any other hazards and starts to deploy resources. As the nozzleman, I am going to quickly assess those items as well, but mine, as the nozzle, will be more specific to my duties on the fire ground.
My size-up as the nozzle, I will being to look at the build and then the fire/ smoke conditions. I want to determine the building construction I am going to be encountering. Is this residential or commerical? Is it legacy or modern building? One story, two, three stories? Single family or multi-family? Once I have determine the building construction and gather the basics of the structure, I need to start identifying where the fire is located and the progression of fire involvement. This will include smoke volume, density, velocity, and color. The two major indicators for me is volume and velocity. If we have a lot of volume and a lot of velocity, I know that it is hot and has progressed past the incipient stage. This also tells me how close we are getting to flashover. From this, I can begin to determine if I have time to make a push and where the best location to do so.
Once I have determined the building, smoke/ fire conditions and location of my entrance, next for the nozzle is the lay. I need to know what line I am pulling, how far I am going and any obstacles I have in my way to deploy my line. If I have an open front yard with a 25’-35’ setback or greater, it will be an easy pull to the front door and I will be able flake the line with any obstacles. When presented with this situation, I am going to perform a forward approach deployment. This also is a single person deployment. Things change when I have to go further 300’+ or need to dry stretch an apartment building. The forward approach is when the nozzle man estimates the distance to the door in comparison with the amount of hose on his shoulder. When the nozzleman is about 25’-35’ away, they will grab the 50’ coupling and the nozzle from their shoulder toss the extra on the ground and flake the hose as they are moving towards the door. This reduces the repetitive movements and allow for faster water. We will post a video of the forward approach. This allow me to call for water as they toss the shoulder load so I have water when I lay the hose down and begin to mask up, Again, this is easiest and recommended when you are presented with an open approach to the entry point.
On SFD with open yards and no obstructions, I can pull 150’-300’ line solo. When we start to introduce cars, reduced access, fences, cars or other obstacles, I may call for a two person pull to control the deployment of the line. This allows the nozzle and back-up or officer to deploy in a controlled manner which will reduce the chances of the hose becoming hung up or wasted as line falls off the shoulder. This is especially true when stretching to the third floor apartments or in congested areas.
Once we get the line stretched, we need water and ensure our line is flaked for success. The hose should be perpendicular to the door or side of the building. This will reduce friction when pushing line and makes the back up mans job easier when moving the hose. In addition, the nozzle should be hinge side on inward swinging doors and latch side on outward swinging doors. This places the nozzle with the best access and vantage point to the door and reduce friction when pulling line into the structure. Before masking up and opening the nozzle, we need to check the door and ensure we have access. When firefighter is ready, they call for water and can open the line and begin to mask up. Remember, there are four things you are looking for when you open the line prior to entering the building. 1). Pressure/ Reach. 2). Volume. 3). Pattern. 4). Bleed Air. We want to open the line and keep it open to allow the engineer to set the pressure. Remember, pressure cannot be set on a static line.
Once we have water and are on air, we need to get access and observe our conditions. If we are met with high heat and a lot of smoke, we need to ensure we are going into an environment in which we can win. We never want to put ourselves in a losing battle. When a ventilation point is created, opening the door, the pressure inside the building and outside the building wants to equalize. This will take a few seconds. If we experience a lot of velocity and volume coming from the opening we just created as our access point, we need to change the fire dynamics inside to make it tenable for us. We can check the heat inside the structure by feel or by briefly opening the nozzle and pointing it at the ceiling. If we see or can feel water falling, the temperature is not that hot. If we do not get water falling, the environment is very hot. We call this a Temp Check. This can help to see what the environment is doing and the conditions inside the compartment. If presented with heavy volume of smoke and high heat, it is highly advisable to control the door and begin to apply water into the structure to at least cool the the area immediately in front of the nozzle to allow for advancement.
If we continue to have floor to ceiling smoke from the door, our best bet is to think basement fire. If we think about fire dynamics, smoke and heat will rise. If we are presented with a ventilation point that has sustained uni-directional flow outward, the fire is probably below us because we just created a ventilation point for the smoke to exit. If we have a neutral plane, this is indicating that we have fire on the same level as the opening. This can be a significant indicator for every firefighter and nozzlemen to understand. We will discuss the neutral plane in the next blog.
It is imperative that the nozzle men is able to conduct a good size-up, have good communication with the officer, and plan their attack accordingly. With limited staff, it is advisable that the nozzle be an experienced firefighter because more than likely, they will be ahead of the officer, who is the back-up pushing hose. If a young or inexperienced firefighter is on the nozzle, the officer will need to be more diligent in their responsibilities of being an officer and being a back-up. This is the largest downfall with skeleton crews.
Stay Tuned for next in the Nozzle Nerd series:
The Art of the Stretch
Deployment Methods
Fire Dynamics for the Nozzle Nerd
Advancement & Communication- They Keys to Success
The Stretch and Beyond