National study discusses personnel for high-rise fires

For more details on the study, you can find information HERE. Here are some excerpts from the press release:

Groundbreaking High-Rise Firefighting Study Evaluates Efficiency of Different Crew Sizes and Elevator Usage

PHOENIX – A major new study carried out by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), in collaboration with five other organizations, found that firefighting crews of five or six members respond to high-rise fires significantly faster than those with three or four members. These findings were presented today at the 2013 Metropolitan Fire Chiefs Conference in Phoenix.

“Unlike typical house fires, high-rise fires are inherently high-risk scenarios presenting unique operational challenges for the fire service. The size of the fire and the level of danger it poses to both occupants and firefighters largely depend on the crew size and how personnel are deployed at the scene,” explained lead researcher Jason Averill, a NIST fire protection engineer. “It’s not merely about having more people; larger crews are deployed differently and thus complete necessary tasks more efficiently.”

An analysis of 14 critical tasks—undertaken when risks to building occupants and firefighters peak—revealed that three-member crews took nearly 12 minutes longer than four-member crews, 21 minutes longer than five-member crews, and 23 minutes longer than six-member crews to finish all tasks. Four-person teams took nine minutes and 11 minutes longer than five- and six-member teams, respectively.

The study also explored the impact of using fire service access elevators to transport firefighters and equipment to the staging floor and discovered that most tasks began two to four minutes faster when using elevators compared to stairs.

Based on the results of computer simulations incorporating data from live experimental burns, the study team concluded that smaller crews face larger fires due to the extra time required to complete tasks. For instance, a three-person crew would combat a blaze that is nearly 60% larger than the fire faced by a six-member crew, which would begin extinguishing the fire approximately three-and-a-half minutes earlier. In an office setting, this translates to four cubicles being ablaze for a three-person crew versus two cubicles for a six-person crew.

By comparing the performances of various crew sizes, the researchers found that adding two members to three- and four-person teams would yield the most significant improvements in initiating and completing critical tasks, such as advancing the water hose toward the fire source and starting search and rescue efforts. These improvements ranged from one minute to 25 minutes, depending on the task.

The research team also assessed whether dispatching more three or four-member crews to a high-rise fire—achieved by raising the initial alarm—would be as effective as sending a lower initial alarm contingent of engines and trucks staffed by more firefighters. They discovered that a "low-alarm response with crews of size four or five outperforms a high-alarm response with crew sizes smaller by one firefighter."

“Before this experiment, some fire departments tried to operate with smaller crews on each vehicle,” explained Lori Moore-Merrell of the International Association of Fire Fighters, a co-principal investigator for the study. “The reasoning was that if the fire is large enough, just send more units, but this overlooks the fact that larger crews have tactical advantages that reduce risks to people and firefighters. Teams of six and even five can carry out essential tasks simultaneously rather than sequentially. Saving time can save lives and prevent injuries and property damage.”

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) classifies high-rises as buildings seven stories or taller, exceeding the reach of most standard fire service ladders. In most U.S. communities, new high-rises are mandated to have automated sprinkler systems, designed to control fire spread but not extinguish it entirely.

However, according to the NFPA, 41% of U.S. high-rise office buildings, 45% of hotels, and 54% of apartment buildings lack sprinklers, compared to 25% of hospitals and related facilities. Additionally, sprinkler systems fail in about one in 14 fires.

Although far less common than house fires, approximately 43 high-rise fires occur daily in the United States. Between 2005 and 2009, the NFPA reported an average of 15,700 high-rise structure fires annually, resulting in 53 civilian deaths, 546 civilian injuries, and $235 million in property damage.