National study discusses personnel for high-rise fires

More information about the study can be found HERE. Here are excerpts from the press release:

Landmark High-Rise Fire Study Evaluates Effectiveness of Crew Sizes, Elevator Use

PHOENIX – When tackling fires in high-rise buildings, firefighting teams consisting of five or six members respond more effectively and swiftly in extinguishing fires and completing search-and-rescue missions compared to groups of three or four, according to a significant new study conducted by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in collaboration with five other organizations.

The findings from the study, executed with 13 fire departments from the Washington, D.C. area, were shared today at the 2013 Metropolitan Fire Chiefs Conference in Phoenix.

“Unlike typical residential fires, high-rise fires present unique operational challenges due to the heightened hazard levels. The size of the fire and the associated risks to both occupants and firefighters largely depend on the crew size and how they operate 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 can accomplish necessary tasks more efficiently.”

An assessment of 14 critical tasks—those executed when the risks to occupants and firefighters are at their peak—revealed that three-member teams took nearly 12 minutes longer than four-member teams, 21 minutes longer than five-member teams, and 23 minutes longer than six-member teams to finish all tasks. Four-person teams required nine minutes and 11 minutes more than five- and six-member teams, respectively.

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

Based on the results of computer simulations, which incorporated data from actual experimental burns, the study team concluded that smaller crews face larger fires due to the extra time needed to complete tasks.

For instance, a three-person crew would confront a blaze that grows approximately 60 percent larger than that faced by a six-member crew, which would begin extinguishing the fire roughly three-and-a-half minutes sooner. In an office setting, this equates to four employee cubicles being ablaze for a three-person crew versus two cubicles for a six-person crew.

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

The research team also evaluated whether dispatching more three- or four-member crews to a high-rise fire—by increasing 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 was big enough, just send more units. But this overlooks the tactical advantages larger crews bring, reducing risks to people and firefighters. Teams of six and even five can carry out crucial tasks simultaneously rather than sequentially. Saving time can save lives and prevent injuries and property loss.”

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) defines high-rises as buildings seven stories or taller, exceeding the reach of most standard fire service ladders. In most U.S. cities, new high-rises are required to have automated sprinkler systems, designed to control fire spread rather than extinguish it entirely.

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

While far less common than house fires, around 43 high-rise fires occur daily in the United States. Between 2005 and 2009, according to the NFPA, high-rise structure fires averaged 15,700 annually, resulting in 53 civilian deaths, 546 civilian injuries, and $235 million in property damage.