Southview Fire Preparedness Plan
Purpose
The purpose of this plan is to present information regarding our current fire protection status and to present options for increasing that preparedness.
Overview
The previous Southview Fire Preparedness Plan was formulated in November of 1993. When that plan was prepared Southview had eleven homes on the hill; now we have twenty, with at least two more imminent and several others planned for construction within the next thirty months. We are well on our way to a build-out number of twenty-nine. Due to this additional growth – both of homes and vegetation – an update of the document seems appropriate.
Current Fire Protection System
Several years back a study was completed regarding our fire protection water supply, that is, our fire hydrant availability and our ability to protect our main fire access road. Sections of that report are repeated here. All distances cited are approximate.
Southview Lane is approximately 3,575 feet long from Highway #101 to the road leading up to the water tank. In that distance, there are four (4) fire hydrants. All four are fed from a six inch (6") PVC water line. These hydrants are opened and tested (flowed) about once each year by members of the maintenance committee, for two reasons; one, to ensure that the caps are easily removable by firefighters, and two, to ensure they are in good working order and are supplying water. This test flow runs for 1-2 minutes. We do not have the equipment to measure the static and flow pressures from our hydrants, but the volume of water and the pressure at the hydrant are both adequate for fire suppression purposes, and the periodic testing is identical to what fire departments around the country do.
The four hydrants on Southview Lane are located at the following general distances from Highway #101:
ü Hydrant #1 is located on the south side of Southview Lane, about 1,000 feet from #101, and about two hundred feet (200') west of the driveway on lot #30.
ü Hydrant #2 is located on the west side of Southview Lane, on the property line between lots #6 and #7, and is approximately 1,620 feet from #101.
ü Hydrant #3 is located on the west side of Southview Lane, in front of lot #13, some 2,500 feet from #101.
ü Hydrant #4 is located on the west side of Southview Lane, in front of lot #19, some 3,100 feet from #101.
In addition there are four (4) standpipes located at strategic points on the main fire access road which runs from the northeast corner of lot #1 to the northwest corner of lot #23. Standpipes are above ground access points at which fire suppression personnel are able to connect hoses to the water supply. These standpipes are served from a four inch (4”) water line buried next to the fire access road, and each standpipe has two (2) separate connections on it. These standpipes are exercised at the same time our hydrants are tested.
Siuslaw Valley Fire & Rescue (SVFR)
At this time, Siuslaw Rural Fire & Rescue has ample equipment to attack any structure fire or wildland fire we might experience. Their equipment includes five (5) structural firefighting engines capable of delivering 1,250 gallons of water per minute (gpm), one (1) structural firefighting engine capable of delivering 1,000 gpm, and four (4) water tankers; two (2) of those carry 2,200 gallons of water, while the other two (2) each have a 3,000 gallon capacity.
In addition, SVFR maintains four (4) wildland attack engines, each carrying 400 gallons of water and a pump capable of delivering 250 gpm. These wildland engines are four-wheel drive (4-WD) units, and are well suited for access and fire control along our three (3) fire roads.
SVFR also has four (4) rescue vehicles, with one (1) of those being equipment for special case, or technical rescues.
Lastly, the department maintains a remote communications van for incident command at a fire scene.
The department currently enjoys a staff of approximately eighty (80) volunteer firefighters, trained to standards set down by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA).
Water Supply
We have a solid but limited water supply here at Southview. One needed only to witness the casual use of water from our system during the controlled burn of gorse in September of 1998 to understand the gravity of this. The fire tankers filled up more than a dozen times from our water tank - at 2,750 gallons each time - during a 9 hour period. That used more than 33,000 gallons of water, and it took our pump nearly two days to replenish that amount. The limitations of our system, especially for firefighting purposes, were made painfully evident at that time.
It’s important to note that during actual firefighting operations at a structure fire in Southview, it would not be unusual for the Siuslaw Rural Fire Protection District (SRFPD) to use 1,500 gallons or more a minute. Although they have tankers that can deliver additional water to the fire scene, that would take time, and those tankers have limited capacity as well.
The point is, even though our water tank stores more than enough water for normal residential uses (60,000 gallons when full), it represents a very limited supply when applied to firefighting efforts.
Common Fire Hazards
Smoking – Carelessly discarded smoking materials is one of the major causes of fire in the United States. Although smoking has become less chic than in the past, if you or members or guests of your household do smoke, make certain your cigarette butts and ashes are disposed of properly using an ashtray and not dumping that ash tray into your waste baskets.
Cooking – Kitchen fires are still one of the leading causes of house fires in this country, especially when people use deep fat fryers and such. Always make sure your cooking areas are maintained in a clean and grease-free state.
Electrical Overloads – Many fires these days are blamed on the electrical system in a structure. The homes at Southview are all new enough where nationally developed codes of good conduct were in play when the homes were built and inspection of those installations was thorough. But even though an electrical system was installed ‘to code’ doesn’t mean your use of it is without problems. So, don’t overload circuits beyond what they were designed to supply, and use extension cords only when necessary for a specific operation, not in lieu of permanent wiring.
Gorse – Gorse is an exotic plant, an insidious invader from Europe, originally introduced as an ornamental. It is a spiny evergreen shrub, dense and stiff, and forms impenetrable thickets. Vigorous stands grow outward, crowding out all other vegetation and forming a center of dry, dead vegetation. In combination with the oil content of the plant, it presents a major fire hazard. In 1936 the town of Bandon, Oregon, was burned to the ground; 14 people died and only 16 buildings remained unburned. The disaster was fueled by extensive infestations of gorse. Southview has been attacking the gorse within our boundaries since the beginning, and we have been able to contain the worst of it. However, each year we have a contractor come through and spray what gorse is discovered, so it will be an on-going problem.
Dried Grasses – This situation can create a full and continuous fuel source along the ground, and should be avoided if at all possible. Vacant lots which are covered predominantly with dried grasses during the summer months should be cut back as often as necessary to diminish the probability of a fire racing across the lot.
At the north end of our neighborhood, the grasses to the west are far enough back and away from the houses to create a high probability of adequate separation from the fuel. The main area of concern at Southview is on our southern edge, where the vegetation between Highway 101 and the lots along the south edge is predominantly grass and gorse. It’s especially important in these cases to have an extensive separation between the homes and the fuel package. As much of the grass between the homes and the common area should be cut to the ground as often as necessary to prevent a buildup and potential fire problem. It appears from general inspection that all the homes on our southern edge have already taken this to heart and have cut their grasses back, but constant vigilance is the key here.
In closing this section out, it’s important to understand that we can do very little regarding the potential for fire here, except to be vigilant and ever-watchful.
Discussion
One of the amenities we enjoy here at Southview is the peace and quiet. We have that peace and quiet because we are somewhat remote from other residential areas, which also (unfortunately) means we are remote from the nearest fire response. This means that given a call to 911 when a small fire (12"-20" high) is discovered in a household, the local fire department may arrive at the address within fifteen (15) minutes. Remember that the local fire department is fully volunteer, and it takes time to assemble those volunteers into a firefighting force. At arrival after those fifteen minutes, they will take another three to four (3-4) minutes to begin the process of firefighting, which means that the fire has been burning (and growing) for twenty (20) minutes or more. (See a detailed discussion of fire department response in the appendix material at the end of this document)
A fire that’s allowed to grow for 20 minutes inside a home, in normal fuels, will almost certainly involve the entire house in that time, depending of course on where the fire originally started. This is not a pretty picture, but it is a realistic one, and I paint it to alert everyone to the fact that, when the fire department arrives at the fire, the firefighters are very apt to train at least some of their hose streams on adjacent structures. This will be done because it may be too late to save any portion of the structure that was the reason for the original call.
Fire Prevention Common Sense and Precautions
Clearly, the answer is to not have any structure fires! Therefore, it behooves all of us to be very careful with fire, and regard it as the enemy. Many of us enjoy a fire in our fireplaces during the winter months, and taking a few easy precautions can make that experience a pleasant and safe one. Have your chimney stacks cleaned each year by a reputable contractor. Keep the flue wide open during operation, and don't close it until all the embers are cold, something that could take 24-36 hours to accomplish!
Dispose of your cigarettes and fireplace ashes in a safe manner by putting them in a tightly sealed metal container outside your home and out of the wind, not by dumping them in your trash receptacle which contains all your other combustible refuse! Better still, use the fireplace ashes you’ve stored in a metal can on your flower garden in the spring; roses and other flowers love them!
Outside, it is essential to keep all brush, bushes, etc. cleared on your property. This applies to vacant lots adjacent to existing homes as well as currently occupied lots. While the standard for wildfire protection talks about fifty to one hundred feet (50'-100') of cleared space between a structure and the wild land for optimum protection, the key is to clear as far back as practical.
During the summer months as the weather gets drier and the afternoon winds dry things out even more, it’s especially important that all of us make a conscious effort to keep brush and tall grass trimmed back and away from our homes and off our lots.
Vacant lots that have long grasses that die in the summer should be cut (or control-burned) as soon as that growth occurs. Lots with primary growth of salal and other year-round green plants are less of a problem but, of course, any and all gorse discovered should be dug up and removed as soon as possible.
If your lot has a home on it, it just makes good sense to have a ‘defensible area’ around your home that consists of irrigated grass or shrubs or other ground covering, keeping it in good repair so that brush and weeds don’t grow up against the building and create a fire hazard to your home or to those of your neighbors. Several homes here have dried grasses dangerously close to them; that growth should be severely cut back to avoid a fire problem.
If your lot is vacant however, and there are significant stands of dried grasses on it, your lot should be cut back close to the ground to eliminate any fire problem that may occur. There are several lots here at Southview that clearly meet this criteria, so if you believe your lot might be one of those, feel free to ask for a determination.
Common sense says to not burn piles of brush and weeds and such, but occasionally this becomes the best, most efficient way to get rid of debris. But there should be no open burning, at any time, without a permit to do so! After all, why tempt fate! Permits for open burning are issued by the Forest Service and/or Siuslaw Rural Fire & Rescue. And if you are going to be burning brush or other refuse, a charged hose should be immediately available to control any problems and to wet down the entire area after the burning is finished. Never burn alone; have others with you who can help control the situation.
In the Event of a Fire
Now, we’ve talked about all the things that could happen, and what we might do prevent them. But when all our best intentions have failed, we may experience a fire of some sort. What do we do then?
House Fire (inside - or immediately adjacent to - the structure)
4. Yell to everyone in the house to get out immediately. Have a pre-arranged location for all of you to meet after accomplishing #2 below.
5. Call 9-1-1 immediately and report the fire. If you aren’t able to call from your home, go to a neighbor’s house and call from there. Say something similar to, “My name is (name) and there is a fire at (address) in Southview. Southview is located at mile marker 181 on Highway 101, ten miles north of Florence.” Answer any questions the dispatcher has, and then leave the house right away. Fight the fire only if you can do so without putting yourself in danger! Don’t try to be a hero; your home and belongings are insured.
6. If someone is able to, open our ‘In’ gate to make it easier for the fire department to get to your site. Although their sirens will activate the gate and open it automatically, having the gate open when they round the corner will save them precious time.
Grass/Wildland Fire (outside any structure)
3. When you see a grass or wildland fire, call 9-1-1 immediately and report the location of that fire. If you aren’t able to call from your home, go to a neighbor’s house and call from there. Say something similar to, “My name is (name) and there is a grass fire east/north/south/west of (address) in Southview. Southview is located at mile marker 181 on Highway 101, ten miles north of Florence.” Answer any questions the dispatcher has, and then monitor the location of the fire. If you believe the fire will threaten your home or person, leave the house right away and go to a safe location. Don’t try to fight the fire, and don’t try to be a hero; your home and belongings are insured.
4. If someone is able to, open our ‘In’ gate to make it easier for the fire department to get to your site. Although their sirens will activate the gate and open it automatically, having the gate open when they round the corner will save them precious time.
Evacuation Routes
The previous fire plan suggested the possibility of cutting trails at the north end of our neighborhood that would lead down and out of Southview in the event our main entrance is block by fire. It is current belief that such a situation is so remote as to not be worthy of further discussion or work being done. In the unlikely event of a structure fire here, certainly the road will be unavailable for routine traffic during most the time the fire department is on site; this may be inconvenient, but will not be life-threatening.
Appendix
The below paper is provided here so the inquisitive reader might get a more thorough understanding of the dynamics of fire.
Eleven Steps From Ignition To Extinguishment
Fire extinguishment operations are a series of events. Each step must be completed before the next is begun. Time gained in one step generally reduces the overall incident duration. Over a long period of time and only after a great deal of thought and discussion within the fire service, nine separate and distinct ‘steps’ were originally developed. Since their quantification, two additional steps found to be both readily determinable and helpful for the re-evaluation of fireground operations have been added.
Some of the events that occur during an incident are critical to understanding fire growth and the actions necessary to manage the incident. Event chronologies generally flow from one event to another at different rates. Some incidents are over quickly after discovery. Others may last many days, weeks, or even years.
Each event is a snapshot of time. A typical event sequence might flow from ignition to discovery and recognition, to alarm, to response, agent application, and extinguishment. Others may progress from ignition, to discovery, to alarm, to response, agent application, containment, control, and then extinguishment. These chronologies apply equally to a small structure fire, a major metropolitan conflagration, a small grass fire, or a wildland fire. A detailed description of the events and steps follows.
Ignition Point (Event 1)
Ignition is the start of self-sustained burning in the target fuel bed. Ignition is an event occurring at a specific point in time, although this specific point is difficult to determine accurately without a witness. This time is also difficult to pinpoint due to prolonged periods of smoldering. For example, a cigarette drops onto a rug. Someone sees the cigarette and picks it up; the rug has charred, but self-sustained combustion has not begun. This is an overheat condition, not an ignition. Likewise, if the same cigarette dropped into a cotton-overstuffed chair, it may overheat. Ignition occurs only when the chair fabric or stuffing begins self-sustained burning.
Free Burn Time (Step 1)
The free burn time is that period of time between the Ignition Point (Event 1) and the Recognition Point (Event 2).
Recognition Point (Event 2)
Recognition is the moment when the first human senses an abnormal condition. The person senses that something is not right, but has not yet identified it as a threat. A human is the only mechanism that plays a role in recognition; detection by equipment is covered in Event 3.
Permitted Burn Time (Step 2)
The permitted burn time is the period between the Recognition Point (Event 2) and the Detection Point (Event 3). As an example of this, a fire department once responded to an office building at 5:00 PM to be told by the receptionist that they had been smelling smoke all day, but could find nothing wrong. They didn't want to leave the building, even though there was the smell of smoke in it. On investigation, the fire department found a well-developed fire inside a wall.
Detection Point (Event 3)
Detection occurs when a human senses a threat, whether by smell, sight, feel or some automatic device closing its contacts. Detection also occurs when the first sprinkler head fuses. This point is often the first reliable time in the incident chronology.
The rate of initial fire growth can be surprising, particularly with some of today's exotic fuels such as plastics. Sometimes a person may assume it's a small fire (Recognition Point) and not feel threatened as they go for an extinguisher. Upon return, flames may be large and the observer may become extremely concerned (Detection Point).
Transmission Time (Step 3)
The transmission time is the period of time required to get the alarm from the "detecting" person or system to the agency responsible for doing something about it.
Many installations of detection and extinguishing equipment have a bell on the outside of the building with a sign under it which reads "When this bell rings - call the fire department". This sign, of course, is addressed to the world. Individual people traditionally ignore this sign. Thus, the local bell can be sounded promptly, but the transmission time to the alarm headquarters may be delayed for an extended time. The application of electrical monitoring and approved central stations will also help reduce this time substantially, and many codes now require alarm and sprinkler systems to be electrically monitored for quick response purposes.
Alarm Point (Event 4)
The alarm point is the first sound or visual indication in the alarm handling facility of the responding agency. This occurs when the dispatch center first learns of the incident. The alarm may be transmitted to the dispatch center in person, by telephone, radio, a direct-wired signal, or by some other means. The most common form of the alarm point is when the 9-1-1 phone rings. This point, like the detection point above, may also be the first reliable time in the incident chronology.
Alarm Handling Time (Step 4)
The alarm handling time consists of the procedures for handling the alarm inside the alarm office. It is that time between the Alarm Point (Event 4) and the Alert Point (Event 5). One major city with 29 fire houses has a one second alarm handling time, since the operator opens all the house loudspeakers when he answers the call. Most telephone calls average 50 to 70 seconds in alarm handling time. However, with the advent of the Enhanced 9-1-1 systems, which show not only the address of the caller but recommended responses for all types of emergencies, that time can be reduced to somewhere in the neighborhood of 5-10 seconds. Obviously, during heavy call periods, under any system, alarm handling time is extended.
Alert Point (Event 5)
The alert point is that moment in which the first sound occurs in the first responding fire station. This is when the dispatch center notifies the first fire resource to respond to the incident. This is also sometimes referred to as the Dispatch Time. This first sound is usually a tone or bell in a fire station. Usually eight to fifteen seconds are required to transmit the sound to the point that the station realizes they will be responding. Some cities sequence the alarms so that only those stations responding hear the sound, and faster turnout results.
It is important to think of all that has already occurred, and the fire resources are just now finding out there might be a problem somewhere!
Turnout Time (Step 5)
Turnout time is that length of time between the Alert Point (Event 5) and the Get Out Point (Event 6), the time the first fire engine’s wheels cross the threshold of the station. This usually requires getting to the apparatus floor, kicking off shoes, putting on boots, coats and helmets, mounting the apparatus, starting the engine, and getting it to roll across the threshold.
Get Out Point (Event 6)
Get Out occurs when the front wheels of the first responding apparatus cross the threshold of the station. Hopefully the garage door is up when this occurs! This point is also sometimes referred to as the Enroute Time.
Travel Time (Step 6)
The travel time is measured as that period of time between the Get Out Point (Event 6) and the Arrival Point (Event 7). Traditionally, in light traffic on level ground, heavy pieces of apparatus like ladder trucks and engines move at 2 to 3 minutes per mile, while light attack apparatus such as squads and brush/wildland trucks move at 2 minutes or less per mile.
Arrival Point (Event 7)
The arrival point is the time when the first response resource arrives at the assigned address. They are ready for deployment. If the location is correct, the incident location is accessible, and there are no long narrow driveways, the Arrival Point puts the apparatus at an effective spot for working on the incident. "Politically acceptable" response time begins with Alarm Point (Event 4) and ends with Arrival Point (Event 7). Most communities have an "acceptable" response time for their fire departments, usually six minutes or less. This "political" response time does not, however, address any firefighting efforts which must occur to change the course of the incident. A response time that includes proper agent application would add at least several minutes to the equation, and thus make politically acceptable response time very unwieldy. Many more fire stations, and a great deal more equipment and personnel, would be needed to validate that time.
Setup Time (Step 7)
The setup time is a period of time from the Arrival Point (Event 7) until agent is discharged on the flames in the Attack Point or Agent Application Point (Event 8). It is the time between resource arrival and actual attack of the fire. The time does not begin until the resource is ready for deployment, and ends when the attack begins. In many fire departments, setup requires the officer to size up the situation, and decide what he or she needs in order to operate. In some cases, apparatus must be relocated during this period. This time is also sometimes referred to as the First Action Time.
Agent Application Point (Event 8)
The Agent Application point is the moment the proper amount of the proper agent first contacts the flame. The Agent Application point is a major objective of a fire department, and is the moment fire attack begins. The application of extinguishing agents or other control activity (such as building wildfire control lines) signals the beginning of control activities. Many activities may occur between the arrival point and the agent application point, including search and rescue, set up, locating the fire, moving equipment into a large scene, etc. Actions at a small fire might be application of an extinguishing agent from a fire extinguisher or fire hose. Agent application may be dry chemical from an extinguisher discharged on the flames of an automobile fire, or it may be a large diameter, pre-connected attack line discharged on the flames of a heavily involved classroom or library building.
Containment Time (Step 8)
Containment time is reached when the fire is determined to be contained to a specific, definable area. This is the time period during which control lines or natural barriers are being used to surround a fire, or the fire spread is being checked, that time between the Agent Application Point (Event 8) and the Containment Point (Event 9).
Containment Point (Event 9)
This point in time describes when control lines or natural barriers have surrounded a fire, or the fire spread is checked but not necessarily under control. There may be significant hot spots within the control perimeter yet to be extinguished.
Control Time (Step 9)
This time begins when a fire is declared contained, and ends when the fire is declared under control. This is the time period between the Containment Point (Event 9) and the Control Point (Event 10), and is the time needed for the forces to surround and contain the fire.
Control Point (Event 10)
This event determines that the fire is sufficiently surrounded and quenched, that point when, in the judgment of the commanding officer, it no longer threatens further spread or destruction of additional property. Some combustion may still be evident, but the fire is in no danger of spreading.
Overhaul Time I (Step 10)
This time begins at the Control Point (Event 10), and ends at the Flame Termination Point (Event 11).
Flame Termination Point (Event 11)
The flame termination point is the moment that all flaming ceases, the point in time when there is no open flame or glow of burned material. If the fire has not reached total room involvement at the Agent Application Point (Event 8), for normal sized rooms, flame termination generally can be accomplished in less than a minute. The larger the space, the more skill needed to terminate the flame.
Overhaul Time II (Step 11)
This second overhaul time begins at flame termination, and ends when all combustion ceases. This time period from the Flame Termination Point (Event 9) to the Extinguish Point (Event 10) is called Overhaul Time II. Again, larger fires generally result in longer overhaul times. Flames are out, but ending all the smoldering may take a considerable period of time.
Extinguish Point (Event 12)
The extinguish point occurs when all smoldering ceases and when no combustion or heat is evident. This point indicates that conditions have returned to the pre-fire level. The landscape may have changed, but the direct threat has ended! Sometimes it’s possible to believe that all smoldering has been quenched when, in fact, it has not. The embarrassing "rekindle" may then occur. A new alarm to a rekindle is a restart of the entire timing process for a continuation of the same fire. On a fire that is small on arrival, the Agent Application Point (Event 8) and the Extinguish Point (Event 12) may be as short as 15 seconds apart. On a fire in the wildland/urban interface, the time between these same two points may be measured in weeks.
Scene Release Time and Resource In-Service Time
Two "times" currently being used to put any emergency response into chronological order are the Scene Release time and the Resource In-Service time.
Scene Release time refers to the time when all actions by the fire service have ceased, and the scene has been released to the property owner, resident, or other entity. Knowing this time will help calculate the total amount of time the emergency service providers are left at the scene on "fire watch" after the control of the property has been turned back to the owner, or to watch for rekindles. Resource In-Service time is used to determine that time when any specific resource, or all resources, are re-supplied and ready to respond to a new alarm. Neither of these two times has any affect on the growth of a fire, and so neither is contained in the chart. They are only mentioned here to fill out the entire chronology of any emergency response. The chart below is provided for an easier understanding of the events and time steps outlined above.
Events Key Terms Time Steps
E1. Ignition Point ------ ------
S1. Free Burn Time
E2. Recognition Point R
E Pre S2. Pmtd Burn Time
E3. Detection Point F Response
L Time S3. Transmission Time
E4. Alarm Point E ------
X S4. Alarm Handle Time
E5. Alert Point
T Response S5. Turnout Time
E6. Get-Out Point I
M Time S6. Travel Time
E7. Arrival Point E ------
S7. Setup Time
E8. Agent App. Point ------
Com- S8. Containment Time
E9. Containment Point bat
S9. Control Time
E10. Control Point Time
S10. Overhaul Time I
E11. Flame Termination Point
S11. Overhaul Time II
E12. Extinguish Point ------