NOTHING SHOWING MEANS NOTHING – REVISITED

by Captain Gilbert Pedroza, Training Captain, Glendale Fire Department

When you hear the on-scene report, “Engine 21 is on scene…nothing showing”, what does this mean to you? Does it truly mean that nothing is showing? Is nothing really happening behind the front door? Well…possibly. However, it may also mean you have a working fire that has become vent-limited, and undetected from the exterior due to sealed construction features of the building. 

KEEP AN OFFENSIVE MINDSET

Nothing showing, means nothing has been discussed and written about many times over the years. Retired FDNY Battalion Chief John Salka discusses his thoughts on “nothing showing” in his article in Firehouse Magazine on September 30, 2012, “The Fire Scene: Nothing Showing.” Here he discusses the response posture from incoming units. First arriving units declaring nothing showing may slow other incoming resources down or cause them to lower their mental readiness. 

Firefighters may become complacent and not don their PPE fully. Companies may not show up to the scene with the expectation that someone might be trapped inside; and that there actually might be a working fire. Having to get back into the offensive mindset might put firefighters behind the curve once they arrive on scene. As we respond to the “nothing showing fire”, changing our thought process to “we don’t know for sure until we get in there…” is going to mentally set the stage for when there is something behind the front door.

OUR MODERN FIRE ENVIRONMENT

So if there’s nothing showing from the windshield of your fire engine, why would we ever expect a working fire once we get inside the structure? The UL-FSRI has done a tremendous amount of work to help support firefighter safety and the understanding of fire dynamics. In their studies, the UL-FSRI teach us about fires becoming vent-limited inside of a structure and how quickly the environment can change based on the ventilation openings and the flow path. We are also taught the effects on fire behavior, based on the types of fuel and the fuel loading. These factors have a dramatic effect of the conditions inside a structure fire. 

As we are all becoming more familiar with our modern fire environment, it is widely known that today’s fires produce smoke and gasses at an exponentially faster rate and can fill up compartments within minutes. Some of the factors that influence a vent-limited fire include: the materials burning, quantity of materials burning, size of the fire compartment, and home efficiency (insulation, windows, doors). Most homes are designed to keep the inside environment inside, and the outside environment outside. This also holds true for the smoke produced by the fire within the structure. 

While a fire burns inside a home, the pressurized and buoyant byproducts will continue to be produced and collect throughout the space and consume much of the available oxygen. Once all the oxygen has been consumed, the once established fire now begins to decay as it becomes vent limited. Depending on the factors listed above for vent-limited fires, this all can happen within 4-8 minutes, which is also the average response time for the initial arriving units. 

FOLLOW UP YOUR SIZE UP

After you arrive on scene, it is critical to provide your initial size-up report, followed up by a 360 survey as soon as possible to provide a more accurate and complete size-up of your conditions. Keeping in mind, that your initial size-up report doesn’t give a complete picture of your incident. Not until you are able to get a visual of all sides of the structure can you give a more accurate description of what you have. While completing your 360, gather as much information as you can from your own visual cues, statements from the residents or reporting parties, and thermal imagers. Be sure to read the smoke conditions and determine where your ventilation openings are. This information will guide you in making a more informed report on conditions for additional arriving companies and start assigning these resources more effectively.

Finally, once you’ve opened the door to either gain entry or asses your conditions inside the structure, you’ve now created a flow path. Here is where it is important to quickly observe the interior conditions and identify any immediate rescue opportunities, the layout of the structure, and location of the fire. Remembering that the door you’re entering is most likely creating the biggest ventilation opening and rapidly changing your fire conditions. 

Arriving on-scene to a reported structure fire to find nothing showing from the street doesn’t mean the job is over. This simply means we need to be extra vigilant and continue to have the aggressive mindset until the 360 is complete. Once we get members inside the structure to ensure there truly is nothing showing is when we can let down our offensive strategy. Our modern fire environment is just that, it’s “ours”. It is the expectation from the people we serve to master our workplace and we should expect that from each other and from ourselves. Who would you want responding to your family?

Author Bio:

Gilbert Pedroza is a fire captain with the Glendale Fire Department, where he has served the last 19 years. Pedroza is also a paramedic and hazmat specialist, and currently serves as Glendale’s training Captain. Pedroza also works for the ISFSI, where he teaches the Live Fire Instructor credentialing program, Understanding and Fighting Basement Fires, Engine Operations, NFPA 1700 and 1400.