Skyscraper fire

A skyscraper fire or building fire is a class of structural fire specific to tall buildings. Building fires are one of the most technical fire suppression challenges posed to modern fire departments, and require a high degree of organization and cooperation among participating units to be successfully extinguished. Building fires often require the acivation of multiple alarms.

Typical fire department response pattern

In the event of a building fire, the first action that needs to be taken is the activation of the fire alarm and subsequent evacuation of the building's occupants. The fire department, after responding, will then split into various teams to accomplish different tasks. For instance, one or more teams will be responsible for searching the building floor by floor (starting at the fire floor) for trapped or unevacuated occupants. Another group will be assigned to attack the fire at the fire floor. A Rapid Intervention Team will stand-by at the floor below the fire ready to assist in case of a mayday. A unit will also be required to shut off the building's utilities (gas and electric).

Various roles are required on the exterior as well. A truck company or ladder company will be responsible for establishing means of on the outside of the building, providing horizontal ventilation by breaking windows if necessary, and possibly assisting in the suppression effort from the extrerior with master streams. Various crews, or at minimum individuals, will be responsible for establishing and maintaining the various water supplies. EMTs and paramedics will be responsible for establishing care to victims of the fire and monitoring firefighters who recently exited the building. Last but not least, the officer in charge of the fireground may establish a team to assist him in his organizational duties.

Example fires

* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4261315.stm Windsor Building in Madrid]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/low/americas/3751790.stm East Tower in Caracas]