Fighting the Vehicle Fire
Many of us were taught to fight vehicle fires by attacking from upwind, approaching at a 45� angle, and knocking down the fire from a distance with a straight stream before... View MoreFighting the Vehicle Fire
Many of us were taught to fight vehicle fires by attacking from upwind, approaching at a 45� angle, and knocking down the fire from a distance with a straight stream before advancing to the vehicle. Sometimes, scene conditions will alter this approach. Knowing what we know about hood and trunk/hatch struts, even the 45� approach might not be as safe as previously thought. Depending on scene conditions or our response route, we may be unable to stage the apparatus upwind of the fire. If you have to choose, would you rather be uphill or upwind? We have SCBA to protect us from the smoke. On a hill, a burning vehicle may roll back toward the apparatus and a flammable liquids fire will flow downhill. Park the apparatus uphill from the scene. The first-arriving engine officer may face the dilemma of whether to position the apparatus uphill and upwind of a burning vehicle or use it as a barrier to block traffic. These choices may be mutually exclusive. Be ready to improvise or alter your approach as needed on arrival.
Many engine companies use front bumper attack lines. As the first-due engine, attack the fire and stage the apparatus to block oncoming traffic. With what we know about the potential for flying projectiles, we need to also provide an adequate buffer zone between the apparatus and the fire. If you are using a front bumper attack line, ensure that you are stretching an adequate length of hose or can quickly shut down the line, add a length, and resume operations with minimal interruption.
If you begin with a standard fire attack and the fuel tank fails, creating a running/flowing flammable liquids fire, you must quickly switch to a foam operation. At an EV fire involving the batteries, call for additional engines and tankers/tenders. Other large vehicles like tractor trailers and RVs will also necessitate calling extra companies with more water, especially if you�re working on a highway and have no access to fire hydrants. When fighting fires in over-the-road trucks, you must determine what cargo it is hauling (flammable liquids? hazardous materials?) as soon as possible; this could also dramatically alter your approach.
Steven Schnaudt
