Tonker fire, p. 41

Fog streoms ond PPV, p. 49

Fires on worships, p. 73

The right iool, p. 80

THE COVER: A truck lilledwith heating oil overturnedwhile negotiating a downhillon-ramp lo a connecling ex-pressway, necessitating a fulllirsf alarm respon\e plus a haz-mat unit from the City of NewYork (NY) Fire Department.Luckily the tank did not rup-ture, there was very little prod-uct leakage from damaged pip-ing. and the drir er was not seri-ously injured. Fire departmentsmust have a comprehensiveplan for such incidents as wellas large quantities of sand orother diking material, foam forflammable liquid spills or I'ires.

and a qualilied haz-mut le-sponse leam nearbl lor inc,-dents beyond i our capabilities.(Photo by Bob Pressler.)

Frnp ENcTNpERTNG . NovEMBER 1997 . 5Second-class postage paid at Tulsa, OK 74120.

NOVEMBER 1991 r VOL r50 No ll

4I BURNING GASOIINE TANKERS: THE BEST ACTION MAY BE NO ACTIONIn even the best-trained and best-equipped departments, limited offensive operations-allowingthe fire to burn-might be the best choice at a burning tanker fire, even if it goes against a fire-fighter's basic instincts. Peter M. Stuebe

49 FOG STREAMS AND PPV: THEIR'EFFECTS ON TWO FIRES The author exam-ines a house fire and a shipboard fire to show how fog streams and positive-pressure ventilationinfluence the movement of fire, smoke, and heat in a structure. Used correctly, they can speedup fire attack and minimize property damage; used incorrectly, however, they can have devastat-ing effects on the structure and its occupants. Bill Gustin

57 THE STRATEGIC PIANNING PROCESS, PART 2 The question is not "Where dowe want to go?" but rather "How do we convince the planning team and the rest of the depart-ment that the sky's the limit?" With proper planning, you can attain your vision and calry outyour plan. Frsnk L. Fire

63 HAZ-MAT EMERGENCIES INVOLVING INTERMODAL CONTAINERS, PARTl: FREIGHT CONTAINERS Intermodal containers are becoming common sights in all modes

of transportation. Although they are similar to traditional freight and tank containers, intemodalshave several differences that can pose unique challenges to responders. Gregory G. IVoll, C.S.P.

73 FIRE ABOARD A SHIP OF WAR Do you know how to handle a fire aboard a Navyvessel making a call in your port? When you are called to assist the Navy firefighters, you mustknow who is in charge; what to do if you become lost or disoriented; what the best techniquesare for fighting such fires; and, especially, how to get around the ship. Ron Beltowski

77 CUSTOMIZING APPARATUS FOR INDUSTRY When it was time for this industrialfire department to retire its old apparatus, the truck committee was facgd with a new challenge:spec a rig that was "functional first and pretty second." The result is a unit with some interestingand uncommon features suited to the facility's needs. Ronald E. Kanterman

84 FIRE ENGINEERING: A l2O-YEAR RETROSPECTIVE In celebration of Fire Engi-neering's 120 years of continuous publication, noteworthy events of recent decades and high-lights since 1877.

6 EDITOR'S OPINIONI O VOLUNTEERS CORNER "When the Fire ls in Your Fire Slqlion"I8 TRAINING NOTEBOOK "lnduslrial Engulfmenl Rescue Considerations"24 WHAT WE LEARNED "Looking Beyond the Obvious" "'Exploding SuPPor]

Column' Poses Hqzqrd to Responders"26 NEWS IN BRIEF

32 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR80 TOOLS OF THE TRADE "The Right Tool for the Righ] Job"83 PREPLANNING BUILDING HAZARDS88 APPARATUS DELIVERIES89 PRODUCTS . SERVICES . MEDIA94 MANUFACTURERS' LITERATURE

96 COMPANY. ASSOCIATION NEWS96 NAMES IN THE NEWS97 COMING EVENTS

I02 CLASSIFIEDSI 06 RANDOM THOUGHfS "The 'New' Company Officer'So Now Wha]?"

A Novy firefighting leom prepores lo enler on engineering spote lire. Note lhe

reel in the foreground poinled red ond green, indkoting AFFF is ovoilable to the

hose. Nole, loo, tfie phololuminestent "bullseye" used lo indicale lhe spoce in

whkh lhe lirelighters are lotoled.

fighters become lost or disoriented? What resources aboard the ship

are available to land-based firefighters? What techniques are best

for fighting fires on board what are, basically, steel boxes built over

and around fuel tar-rks and engine rooms?

Fire cornpanies are encouraged to visit ships to familiarize them-

selves with and gain an understanding of their constructiott as weil

as their fue1, vetrtilation, and firefighting systems. Each class of

ship is different and merits special consideration. However, the fol-lowing general principles will help company officers be better pre-

pared for a visit by a U.S. Navy vessel.

WHO'S IN (HARGE?

The responding incident commander may have very little infbr-

mation on the exact nature of the incident on arrival. There may be

no evidence of trouble, except for sailors scrambling across the

decks in coordinated disarray. Who will the IC liaison with on

arrival?ln the Navy, there are three people with whom civilian fire offi-

cers can communictlte: the otllcer of the deck (OOD)' the com-

mand duty officer (CDO), and the ship's fire marshal.

The OOD is that person in charge of the quarterdeck (the part of

the ship that receives visitors; normally it is on the fantail or mid-

ships of Navy vessels). He can provide critical inforrnation on the

fire as well as progress reports fiom the firefighting staging area.

He will be in a position to receive the fire department on its

arrival.The CDO is a commissioned officer and the commanding

officer's representative on board. He will be directing overall

operations that support the firefighting etlorts; his primary goal

is the saf-ety of the ship and crew. He, too, will have pertinent

information on the situation and may act as a liaison with the IC.

The ship's fire malshal, normally the senior damage controlman(rating speciaity), will be in direct command of the firefightingoperations. Normally, he may be at his firefighter staging area or on

the quarterdeck. If he is not directly engaged in firefighting, he may

be able to communicate directly with the IC.

It is vital that fire departrnent officers and the officers of the

ship cornmunicate and coordinate their efforts. Incident com-

mand in this situaiion should be unified, jointly held by the

senior file department member and the ship's representative. It isthe fire department's pcrsonnel trnd equipment but the Navy'sdomain.

IIRT]IGHIER DISORIENIAIION

The Navy htrs devised a system for a person to identify exact-

Iy where he is aboard the ship. Every space is clearly marked

with photolurninescent markings that can help lost or trapped

firefighters find their way to a safe area. There are other identifi-cation markers throughout the ship for hose outlets, fire extin-guishers, exits, and dead-end passageways. But the most impor-tant marking is the space identification block, or "bullseye" inNavy jargor-r.

The bullseye is located at eye level, visible fiom every entrance

of the space, and is photoluminescent. It contains three lines ofinfblmation to orient personnel to their location aboard ship. The

top line contains the most significant information-it tells the fire-fighter where he is. It reads like this: l-300-2-L:

The information is bloken down into four sections. The firstnumber is the deck on which the space is located. The number"1" indicates tl-re main deck-the uppermost continuous deck.

From the main deck and down, the decks are numberedsequentially (2,3, 4, and so on) and those above the main

deck for example, in the superstructure-wiil be marked

with a "0" and sequentially (01,02,03, and so on). The sec-

ond nurnber irrdicates the forwardmost frame of the space(frames are the ribs of the ship and are norn'rally, but not

always, spaced one foot apart); hence this space is at FR 300

in relation to the prow (bow) of the ship. The third number

inciicates the space's relation to the centerline, the centerline

being "0." All spaces numbered with odd numbers are to the

starboard (right) of centerline, and trll even numbers are port(left) of centerline. The last is a letter designation for what the

compartment is used for; in this case, "L" indicates a livingspace (other important ones are M-magazines, E-engineerir"rg

spaces). The second group of numbers indicate the length ofthe compartment (fol" example, FR 300-310-the space is 10

frames, or 10 feet, long), which car.r be helpful in estimating

how much hose will be needed to penetrate the space. The last

line of infonnation simply indicates which of the ship's divi-sions is responsible for that space. It is imperative that fire-fighters understand the location of the fire compartrnent in

relation to the quarterdeck so that they may find their way

back to safety.The CDO or fire marshal should review the damtrge control (DC)

plates of the ship with land-based firefighters. The DC plates are

three-dimensional drawings of the ship that will help the fire mzrr-

shal and the civilian firefighting forces determine the paths to the

fire, attack points, and escape routes; identify areas abovd; below,

and surrounding the lire compartment that are exposed to conducted

heat and will require perimeter cooling; identily paths to channel

smoke to the outside and the location of fire main outlets; and indi-

;te danSer areas such as magazines and hazardous-nraterials store-

74 . FrnE ENcINEEntNc . NovEnreen 1997

RESOUR(ES AVAITABTE ABOARD SHIP

Aboard Navy vessels are staging areas known as "repair lock-

ers." In essence, these are stationary fire engines. Inside are sup-

plies ranging fiom access apparatus to overhaul gear, ventilation

equipment, and gas-free testing equipment. Spread throughout the

ship are fire hose outlets (either l% or 2% inches in size-the noz-

zles are compatible with those of civilian fire companies); fireextinguishers, including COr, Purple-KrM dry chemical, and

AFFF; ventilation blowers; and fixed extinguishing systems such

as Halon 1301, carbon dioxide flooding, and aqueous film-formingfoam stations with concentrate tank capacities exceeding 1,000

gallons, depending on the type of system.

These systems are clearly color coded,marked by photoluminescence or otherwise

identified by placard and operationalinstructions.

Most ol the lire and emergency equip-ment aboard ship-such as hydraulic rescue

tools and ejectors-will be famiiiar to civil-ian firefighters; others-such as the exother-

mic cutter and a water-driven blower-willbe common to the Navy. The IC and fire-fighters should confer with the ship's dam-

age controlmen (the Navy's firefighters)with regard to what specialized equipment

is on board that particular shiP.

IECHNIQUTS

For the most part, techniques used bystructural firefighters are now mirrored bytheir Navy counterparts. In recent years, the

Navy has adopted many of the techniques

land-based fire departments have been using

for decades. Some techniques and equip-

A Novy firefighter in one-piece lurnoul geor ond oxy-

gen rebreothing opporolus, corrying o lhermol imog-

ing comera.

FrnB ENctnBBRING . NovEMeer. 199'7 '75

ment are unique to Navy firefighting, however.

For example, Navy firefighting personnel use one-piece turnout

gear. The steel and aluminum construction of a ship tends to absorb,

conduct, and radiate heat, which can commonly lead to heat stress

and steam bums. The Navy has a policy of keeping personnel inside

the fire area fbr a maximum of 30 minutes and then rotating person-

nel. This reduces the chance of heat stress. It is recommended that

civilian firefighters fbllow the same procedure.

When the fire is inside the steel structure of a ship. it is recom-

mended that firefighters use water judiciously directly on the fireand apply water only when the fire is actually seen. This will

ment's

New General/Freightliner Trucks brings Forl Worlh's

Total to 22 trucks with more 0n the way,',

A11 equipped with COMMAND LIGHT!

Fast and p-owufulheavy duty lighting is what

Chief MiMillen asked for when he stated.,.

For More Facts Circle 138 on Reply Card

reduce the amount of steam produced by the water's striking hotdecks, bulkheads, and overhead. The most common injury to Navyfirefighters is steam burns caused by the improper use of waterinside a superheated space. Judicious, intermittent application ofwater when in visual range of the fire is key to safely combating a

fire on a ship. In addition, excessive use of water can result in wateraccumulation, which will adversely affect the vessel's buoyancy andstability.

The Navy does not commonly use SCBA but instead uses anoxygen rebreathing apparatus, known as an OBA, worn on thechest to afford mobility through an 18-inch scuttle and theship's confined areas. Fire department personnel must be aware

One of the mosl inherent dongers in fighting o lireoboord o Nuvy vessel is the inobility to provide

proper ventilotion lo on entlosed spote. Here, lire-fighterr rombot o smoll (loss A lhe through dense,

white smoke.

that wearing SCBAs may hinder theirmobility in some areas of the ship.

The Navy may employ one or more hose-lines on a fire, depending on the fire's sizeand severity as well as the need to coolperimeter areas. In a break with shipboardfirefighting tradition, the Navy has recentlyadopted the technique of venting a firebelow deck while iireiighting is in progress.

However, providing a veniilation opening isnot always possible, since there are restric-tions on cutting into the hull structure of a

ship.Once again, coordination between the

ship's representative and fire departmentpersonnel is important in developing strate-gies and using appropriate tactics. Each oneshould recognize and respect the other'sway of operating and work together towardbringing an incident to a successful conclu-sion.

These are the basics for preparing person-nel for a fire aboard a Navy vessel. One ofthe most important factors to remember isthat not all Navy vessels are the same. Forexample, fire aboard a destroyer has morepotential to involve the entire ship than does

fire aboard an aircraft carrier. Each ship isunique in design and firefighting capabili-ties. It is imperative that fire departmentofficers work in consultation with the ship'sfirefighters. Land-based personnel shouldseek advice from the ship's fire marshal and

his damage controiman. They have theknowledge and expertise in shipboard fire-fighting that few land-based firefighters pos-

SCSS.

Next time a Navy vessel visits your port,take more than a coufiesy tour aboard her.Find out the potential hazards of fightingfire aboard ship and what the Navy fire-fighters do to combat them. These peoplecan help prepare company commanders fora fire at sea. I

ffi\roII*Keeping a

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a Heavier Elaslic in the lace opening shelches25% more than c0nvenli0nal h00ds f0r easydonning and snug fit around face and SCBA

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a Flat-stilched seams won'tdig into yourskfn,and ,-

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iir,ra Seamless efti n-area and

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76 . Frns ENcrNrpnrNc . NovEMBER 1997