This is not exactly my usual fare for Raised by Turtles, but I had the occasion to get a little firefighting training some time back, and recently had need to write this up. In our rural neighborhood, response times are very long (over one hour), so it’s important that residents have some idea of what to do in event of a fire. So here’s what I learned from our local fire chief.

Obviously, if a home is on fire and you can’t put it out immediately, you should evacuate the home, go to your meeting place and call the fire department from a safe location. But what then? Or what if you arrive on the scene of a home or other building that is on fire? When you arrive on the scene, you will typically find either one of two conditions:

  • The fire is contained in the house and you see black smoke on the inside and moisture on the windows.
  • There are flames coming out of windows, doors, or other openings in the building.

Don’t Enter a Burning House

In both cases, the first rule for avoiding an accident when you find a house on fire is that you should not enter the building. This is probably obvious in the case where the building is engulfed in flame, but may not be obvious when the home appears to have a slow smoulder that you could put out. The rule nevertheless still applies for two reasons:

  • Obviously, you put yourself in danger, and yet you do not have the proper training or equipment to fight the fire and may be overwhelmed once inside.
  • More importantly, you may cause serious damage. A burning house will often put itself out. A fire in a modern home with the windows shut will burn as long as there is oxygen, but it will quickly use the available oxygen and become a low-temperature fire. If you open the door, you will introduce oxygen to the home and this will reignite the fire and put both you and the home at risk. This is the main reason fire experts recommend against trying to enter the home to fight the fire. It’s generally much better to wait for the firefighters with breathing apparatus to arrive. They will quickly enter the building, closing the door behind them, and fight the fire from within.

What Should You Do for a House Fire?

If the home is engulfed in flame, you should not approach the house, but there may be things you can do to help the firefighters and to limit damage to the house.

  • Do a walkaround looking for hazards. Make quick mental notes of holes, flammable materials, or other hazards. By the time the firefighters arrive, it’s possible they will no longer be able to see these areas and you information could save the life of a firefighter.
  • Shut off the electricity. If it is safe to do so, pull the main breaker on the house.
  • Shut off the gas. Again, if it’s safe to access the gas shutoff, kill the gas supply to the house.
  • Stay on the scene if safe so that when firefighters arrive on scene, you can report the information from your walkaround and whether or not you’ve shut off the power and gas. This alone will make the firefighters very happy.
  • If you might get trapped, for example if you live in a forested area where a spreading fire might cut off your safe escape, and the fire begins to spread beyond the initial structure, you should flee the area and let the professionals deal with it.

Fighting A House Fire

Only at this point should you attempt to fight the fire. Remember, if no flames are coming from the house, do nothing for the reasons listed above. If flames are visible, first and foremost, think about what will happen if a gas line or a gallon of lawnmower fuel or lacquer thinnner explodes. You must keep your distance.

If your only tool is a garden hose, you will probably not be able to maintain a safe distance and do anything constructive to fight a serious fire. At best, you can wet down vegetation or neighboring structures to keep them from catching on fire. That should be your first priority in any case.

If there is a firehose or other firefighting equipment available, you can attempt to fight the fire. Remember, it is up to the firefighters to enter the house and try to stop the fire. Your goal is not to stop the fire, but to keep the temperature down and keep the fire from spreading to adjoining structures or vegetation. In other words, your goal is still to contain rather than extinguish the fire. If you have enough water, the fire will "flee" and you will have to keep moving around the building to where the fire is the hottest. In any case, you should focus your attention on monitoring the fire and moving around the house to stop the spread.

Thanks to Chief Jim Wilson, of the Mariposa County Fire Department, for some excellent fire safety training.

Filed under: Decision Making

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