Beyond The Flames: Making Collapse Zones a Priority

A fire service video that has been circulating around the Internet in recent weeks is the one of a structure fire in Boise, Idaho where the building eventually collapsed. In this clip, which can be found on YouTube under the title “Boise Hill Road fire collapse caught on tape,” the incident commander at the fire can be seen ordering crews to back up from the building just prior to the building’s collapse.
Initial scene size-up is a concept widely preached by fire instructors, senior officers, and fire experts across the nation. One of the keys to establishing a quick, effective response is to size up your surroundings so that you can best plan your strategy for attack. But often times, through the process, those in charge at a structural fire often overlook one aspect: the collapse zone.
In fact, the April 2011 Kensington warehouse fire that claimed the lives of two Philadelphia firefighters was the result of a building collapse that trapped the firefighters. An expert panel that was led by former FDNY Deputy Chief Vincent Dunn (Ret) and former Philly Fire Commissioner Roger Ulshafer reviewed the fire and spoke the Philadelphia City Council’s Public Safety Committee found that the fire command structure on location failed to establish an effective collapse zone and listed the neglect as one of the key factors leading to the death of the two firefighters and the injuries to several others.
It goes without question that establishing a collapse zone can be a life-saving method. Several steps should be taken at each structural incident, regardless of the severity, and training to follow such guidelines at drill helps to reinforce the idea of collapse zones.
It’s important to understand the basic ideas of building construction in order to better understand the probability of a building collapse. Factors such as construction style, building materials, the age and size of a building, the period of time the fire has been active in the building, the fire load of the building after thousands of gallons of water have been loaded into it, and external factors such as surrounding exposures and weather conditions are all significant in determining collapse rates and probability.
There are three common type of building collapses that every firefighter should be at least familiar with: the 90-degree angle collapse, the curtain-fall collapse, and the inward/outward collapse.
The 90-degree angle collapse is just how it sounds—an entire wall from a structure collapsing much like a tree would fall after being cut at the base. The entire height of the wall falls in one piece, creating a collapse zone equal to or greater than the structure’s height.
A curtain-fall collapse occurs when a structure’s wall collapses in a downward motion, almost crumbling to fall in almost a straight formation. The collapse looks similar to that of a curtain dropping on a stage, hence its name.
Finally, an inward/outward collapse occurs when the top half of a structure’s wall begins to fall in one direction, and the bottom half falls in the opposite. This collapse forms a sandwich-style collapse, with the top half falling onto the bottom half, which can fall either inward or outward.
Due to the varying sizes and styles of collapses, it’s best to set your collapse zone one and one half times the height of the building, to prepare for the 90-degree angle collapse, the collapse likely to produce the greatest debris field. By establishing an extra half of the building’s height, it enables firefighters to be protected from debris that may supersede the height of the building in the collapse zone.
When the collapse zone is established effectively and abided by, it should result in NO firefighting operations, equipment, or staging inside the collapse area. Rehab, rapid intervention teams, and emergency medical personnel are necessary to be close to the structure in case they are needed, but it is important to be sure these crews to remain outside of the collapse area.
A great number of firefighter injuries from building collapses occur during defensive operations at the structure fire, leaving some departments scrambling to rescue trapped or injured firefighters. It’s important to remember that rapid intervention teams (RIT) should be maintained throughout the length of an operation, from offensive to defensive operations, and even overhaul. A collapse can occur at any moment, and the proper help should be easily accessible if needed.
It should be the responsibility of the first-arriving apparatus to establish a safe collapse zone at all incidents—if the first due apparatus parks outside of the collapse zone, the following apparatus will take the lead of the first piece and also remain outside of the zone, eliminating the timely process of repositioning units after initial setup.
Departments should include an established collapse zone in their pre-planning for major structures within their district, and include establishing a collapse zone as part of their routine drilling procedures. Also, by establishing collapse zones during response to incidents such as fire alarms will help to get firefighters familiar with the concept of establishing a collapse zone on each and every call.
Don’t let the easy step of a collapse zone be neglected and result in injury. Remember: every call, big or small, needs a collapse zone established to ensure the safety of everyone involved.
Knoll, 21, of Eldora, can be contacted by email at beyondtheflames@cmc @gmail.com. He is a student at Rowan University.