Sugar Beets, Fire Hydrants and Beehives

Hello everyone,
I hope that you're having a splendid summer! We recently had a house fire on Sugar Beet Drive. This fire has spawned a beehive of interest, controversy and mis-information. So I thought  I would take just a few moments to hopefully clarify and discuss some of the detail of this particular incident... at least that is my intention.



First, lets talk about the fire itself. Our department received the call just prior to 10:00 PM on July 17th. When crews arrived, the home was well involved in fire. The fire had extended from a deck at the rear of the home and into the home. Fire was venting from the front door, windows on both sides of the home and out of every opening on the rear of the home. The destruction and outcome of the fire was pretty much determined at that point. No matter what action the crews took or amount of water they had available would not have made much difference. The first crews arriving carried 500 gallons of water each. In general that is more than enough water to extinguish a normal "room and contents fire". But this fire had built to the extent that it was to the point of no return. When fire crews arrive we generally have three strategic options.
(1) Offensive, meaning we will put crews into the building and fight from a very aggressive standpoint. Fire fighters are willing to do this if the structure and contents can be saved and more importantly if there is a possibility of someone being inside.
 (2) Defensive, meaning that the risk of putting a firefighter inside is too great, and that the risk analysis is such that if anyone were inside the likelihood of their survival had past. We then fight from the exterior or from indirect attacks to get the fire to a point to move to the offensive strategy. We will always strive to protect the exposures which are other nearby buildings and property.
(3)  Investigation, meaning that whatever the reason for the call may not be completely obvious. Often you will hear the firefighters say something to the effect engine 1 has arrived, we have nothing showing and will be investigating, during the initial radio report.
The fire on Sugar Beet drive was marginal at best to be considered offensive. Once the firefighters learned that everyone was out safe and accounted for, (which we try to determine within the first minute of operations) it was an easy and intelligent decision for the incident commander to make the call for a defensive strategy.  Once crews arrive on the fire there are several things that are happening simultaneously. The company officer is completing a size up by trying to do a 360 degree walk around the scene. The engineer is working to set the engine up for pumping operations, pulling equipment for ventilation and being a second set of eyes for the company officer. The fire fighter is also getting tools ready and pulling a hose line ready to put into operation where the company officer directs. If were are lucky we may have another firefighter helping, but generally each fire rig only has a crew of three. Hopefully the ambulance crew will be there to assist. This was the case on the Sugar beet fire. Engine 72 was first to arrive with medic ambulance 72 in tow. It was decided that the crew would drop a supply line, and a fire fighter at the hydrant. They knew that the 500 gallons on board would probably knock the bulk of the fire down, but not completely extinguish it. Fortunately another engine was arriving about this time. This gave us more manpower and resources to surround and attack this fire. The firefighter at the hydrant soon realized that this hydrant was going to be difficult. The cap on the hydrant would not budge. Try as he might, it would not cooperate. With more than a few healthy whacks and i'm sure several expletives it would not open. In fact the wrench we use (which are quite robust and beefy) bent during the process. A task that usually takes three to five minutes had taken ten. the engines that were attacking the fire were getting dangerously low on "tank" water. Fortunately we were able to get the smaller caps off and use them to supply water. This allowed the crews to continue to fight this fire. We did take a second hydrant and had similar problems. While these issues are a great frustration and are cause for colorful language in the heat of battle, generally they don't effect the overall outcome. Firefighters by nature are problem solvers. They become the MacGyver of emergency services, not perfect, making mistakes along the way but almost always finding a solution.
The Question has been asked if this situation with the hydrant made the fire worse. It obviously did not help, but as I review what the initial crews faced when they arrived it did not impact the tactics, nor the outcome. It has also been asked, Why there was so much damage to the home when people were home at the time of the fire? Thats a little more difficult to answer. So I will try to give information and you can draw your own conclusions. We know that the fire started on the exterior of the home. There was a young lady in the family room on the main floor and two young men in the basement at the time the fire started outside. The young lady could smell smoke, she got up to see if she could see where it was coming from. She walked to what was the dining area and saw the fire on the outside of the home. She became excited and screamed. About this time the Smoke detectors activated. The two young men in the basement looked from a window well and could see the glow. They ran to the main floor , one went to the back door to see the fire, he opened the door and realized that was a mistake. He's not sure if he got it all the way closed before he ran to the front of the house and exited. The main floor was already filling with smoke. The second young man ran upstairs to a room to try and get some clothes and valuables. The Smoke was in chase and quickly filled the upstairs. He told me the next day that he couldn't see, and was coughing. He had the presence of mind to hold his breath and feel the wall trying to locate the window. Fortunately for everyone involved he found it and was able to get on the the roof and lower himself down. The family had a habit of leaving the windows open to let fresh air in. We believe that this helped the fire gain momentum. It is not known how long the fire had been burning on the outside of the home, but it was long enough to become a large fire before it was discovered. We also don't know how long before the 9-1-1 call was made. All of these may have contributed to this incident. the bottom line is this. No one was physically injured, and the fire did go out! The neighborhood has been a great assistance to the fire department but more importantly to their neighbors that had the fire!. Community can be a great thing. Its sad but sometimes tragedy brings out the best in us.  Thanks to all that helped.
Now lastly lets talk about the fire hydrants. It appears that part of the problem we had with these particular hydrants may be because of a painting issue. We cant say that for an absolute, but that does appear to be a contributing factor. Often time we have residents, scouts and so on ask if they can paint the hydrants. our answer is always consistent. West Valley City does not own the hydrants that supply the water. So we tell the people to call the company that sends them  their water bill.  Some cities do own the water companies,  other are similar to us. We encourage you, where ever you are, find out who has that responsibility of ownership and ask them. I'd further say that if you have a question about the last time your hydrant or area was checked to do the same. Well I hope that this diatribe has been helpful, sorry it was so long.
Now go get the visine for your eyes and the beverage of your choice to relax...

and Remember.....      Be Smart... Be Safe... BE READY!    Fire Marshal Bob