Taking it to the Streets and Reading the Building: Side by Side Photo By; CJ Naum
At first glance it looks like one BIG building. However, closer scrutiny reveals there are three (3) building occupancies sharing common party walls.
What gives you the first appearance that this may be one building versus three structures? There are a couple of immediate features that can take you down the wrong path if you’re not familiar with the building type, the inherent features as well as the apparent alterations that are now influencing it.
Reading the Building requires skill sets to keeping looking further beyond what is immediately obvious; that successive layers of observations upon arrival and fluid assessment expose other pertinent, Building, Structure, System, Occupancy and Operational Risks, hazards and Considerations in the development of the incident action plan and determination of strategic, tactical and task objectives and assignments.
Here are our Buildingsonfire Street Questions:
- Identify the Building Type(s)
- Can you differentiate the structural system present?
- How many buildings are there and why?
- What if inherent with the Building and Features?
- What is obvious from the Alpha Street Side?
- There are observable features that will be mission-critical related to Building Performance, can you identify?
- What is the expected Predictability of Performance of the buildings and occupancy areas?
- Occupancy Risk is projected to be what?
- Looking at the alleyway on the Delta Division, what can you identify that would be of importance to the IAP and company operations, both interior and exterior.
- What is the expected of the Perimeter Walls (PW)?
- Fire Travel and Propagation: Do you know what to project, anticipate and plan for?
- Operational risk might be what given moderate fire with extension on an upper floor?
- Give yourself some added considerations based on either: Engine Co., Truck/Ladder Co., Rescue/Squad Co., Commander (IC) or RIT/FAST role responsibilities;
- What questions would you seek to identify and answer or assume on the first-due as you read the building?
That’s plenty to keep you going…
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Here’s a PDF that you can download and share with the company, at the station or use of a quick in-service drill; HERE StreetsSidebySide
