TENEMENT, APARTMENT AND APARTMENT HOUSE FIRES
NEW YORK FIRE COLLEGE COURSE
(Continued from page 147.)
The first officer arriving at the scene of the fire is instructed by the department’s rules and regulations to take command and direct the operations of his own and other companies until he is replaced by a senior officer. This rule is only very rarely observed by any officer below the rank of battalion chief or an officer designated as acting battalion chief, and because of such practices no senior chief is present, a “go as you please” condition and confusion and bad work is usually the natural result.
The first time you arrive at a fire, it is your duty to take command. The responsibility for the correct direction of the force in putting out the fire is yours and after that you will be expected to follow the rule implicitly. Particular attention is paid to a method that all fire officers should use at all times, and that is on alert in the event of a fire not being extinguished quickly, to cover the points that will allow an extension if it is found on the arrival of the first companies that the fire has progressed so far that it spreads to other parts of the structure, the first lines should be positioned so that the fire is limited to its place of origin, second lines are stretched or called an additional force, depending on the extent of the Fire; To make a long story short, try to keep the fire in as small an area as possible.
During fire fighting operations, all fire officers must have a thorough understanding of the construction and layout of the various types of buildings they may come into contact with, as better results are achieved in fires if officers have the knowledge. An officer’s failure to make reasonable efforts from time to time to acquire this knowledge makes him a useless tool in the operation of the division in the event of a fire.
At this stage, a description of the different types of rental houses is needed so that you can grasp the points that are considered to be the best fire fighting methods in buildings of this class.
The first type of tenement is a three- to six-story brick structure with a facade 25 to 20 feet and a depth of 50 to 80 feet. not fireproof in all parts except the outer walls; Entrance to the basement under the stairs in the hall; Stairs to the upper floors, which are not fire-proof in any way; The exit to the roof is usually via a vertical ladder through a small lock opening, but in some cases this type is provided with the staircase and bulkhead construction to the roof; No dumbwaiter or interior light or vent, except in some cases where changes were made to include toilets in halls on each floor, a vent that extends from the first floor to the roof has been provided. This type of tenement house is usually inhabited by one to four families on one floor and is equipped with fire escapes in the front and rear, depending on the law.
The second type of apartment building is of a similar size; Height, five and six stories; two to four families on one floor; not fireproof throughout, except on the outer walls; is equipped with dumbwaiter, light, air and ventilation shafts, all of which are lined with battens and plaster constructions, which poses a serious danger to life and allows fire to spread quickly through all vertical shafts. All of this extends vertically through the interior of the building, and ordinary faint window glass and sashes are the only barriers preventing fire from entering the apartments on each floor along the line of the shaft. The danger to life in both types just described is further increased by the official instruction that forces the installation of glass panes in the doors that lead from the stairwell to the individual apartments.
The third type is a five or six story structure that is not fireproof. two or three families on one floor. It has no internal shafts other than a dumbwaiter shaft which is surrounded by brick walls. Instead of inner shafts, this construction is provided with front, inner or rear outer courtyards. The windows of each apartment, which are in line with the courts, open to windows in buildings of a similar design.
The fourth type, known as the New Law Tenement, differs slightly from the first three types by its wider facade, which varies between 33 and 50 feet, and is a superior structure in all respects as far as the harm to life from fire is concerned . It offers its residents more security than the multimillionaire’s mansion on Fifth Avenue. The points that make it a superior structure are:
First: The first floor or the basement ceiling is built fire-proof and the entrance to the basement is only possible via an outside entrance. The lack of an interior entrance to the basement eliminates one of the most dangerous fire conditions in apartment buildings.
• Copyright, 1916, by Fred Shepperd.
Second, above the first floor, although there are five to seven families on each floor, the staircase is fireproof, enclosed in brick walls with no openings in that wall other than a window to the outside air and the door to each apartment. The door to such an opening is made of calamein or other refractory construction.
Third, every room in an apartment has a window to the outside air, and residents have access from each apartment to an external emergency exit at the front, back or side of the building.
There is another type of structure that is nothing more than a tenement house by law, but it is usually called an apartment building and there are a large number of them all over the city. The area is in very many cases up to 100 by 90 feet and six or seven stories high: not fireproof in any way except for the exterior walls; has vertical interior shafts, such as open elevator shafts, interior light and air shafts, an open staircase near the elevator shaft, and an additional rear and sometimes two stairs that extend from the basement to the roof for servants. This type of structure is found in the better places, and any fire department official who has one or more of these structures in his district should make it the subject of his or her particular attention and study in order to familiarize himself with their layout, whereby it adapts to continue superior operation if an actual fire occurs therein.
It is extremely difficult for any officer to make even one attempt to tell you in detail what to do to cover every situation you may face. An officer in charge of a fire should be cool and collected, and think and act quickly, no matter what the conditions. Once you have studied your profession, nothing will bother you, no matter how big the job may be. Give your best. You can’t do more than that. Some officers, when responsible for a fire of average magnitude, develop a state of mind that verges on frenzy because of the responsibility placed upon them. They are unable to properly control their own actions, let alone the actions of their subordinates, or to give adequate instructions to the officers or other companies reporting to them. Even so, we find a few officers in the department of a different type who always shirk responsibility, even the small details of their work, waiting for someone else to come and give this or that order or instruction that it was their duty do. You don’t have to be of the types described as you think about and study your job because you will develop the skill and self-control that are so important to running a fire department.
Another point in this direction that I will refer to is the neglect of many officials in taking the initiative in fires to do this or that at their own risk. They want an order from a supervisor before they act, no matter how simple the thing may be. Don’t get into such a rut! Be attentive and act quickly on whatever your common sense and judgment tell you.
An officer responsible for a fire in a tenement house should promptly file a call for additional force if the size of the fire so requires as his experience, good judgment, and common sense require. But he should not overlook the fact that where three motors and two hook and ladder carts respond to the first alarm, five streams are immediately available and six if the companies are well supplied with men and if these lines are immediately and correctly placed and When properly operated, they are generally sufficient to put out a fire in a tenement house, except in some cases where there could be an unusual danger of spreading to an adjacent building.
(Be continued.)
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