Chicago Fire Department S.O.P. 260.00: Basement Fires

Vocabulary terms and definitions extracted directly from CFD SOP 260.00 regarding Basement Fires.

Basement

A story of a building partly or wholly below grade in Sector 1 (Side A).

Crawl Space

A space beneath the lowest floor of a structure that allows access for wiring and/or plumbing. This area beneath the first floor is not large enough for a person to stand upright.

Rapid Intervention Team (RIT)

A team of CFD members dedicated solely to the search, rescue and medical treatment of other firefighters or paramedics in distress.

Standby Ambulance

An ALS ambulance dispatched to working fires and incidents involving Special Operations which shall be used to provide care to any injured civilians.

MAIN Channel

FD/EMS Zone, Channel 1, used for communications with OEMC.

ENGLEWOOD Channel

FD/EMS Zone, Channel 2, used for communications with OEMC.

FIREGROUND Channel

FD/EMS Zone, Channel 4, used as the fireground tactical channel during normal operations and as the RIT channel during a MAYDAY incident.

ADMINISTRATIVE Channel

FD/EMS Zone, Channel 3, used as an alternate fireground tactical channel during a MAYDAY incident or as indicated by the Incident Commander.

Still Alarm Response (Basement Fire)

Initial dispatch response consisting of two (2) Engine Companies, two (2) Truck Companies, one (1) Squad Company (if in its response district), and one (1) Battalion Chief.

First-Arriving Engine Company Positioning

Positioning past the fire building to facilitate a hose leadout while leaving room for the first-arriving Truck Company to position itself for aerial ladder operations.

First-Arriving Truck Company Positioning

Positioning in front of the fire building so that the roof team can properly position the aerial ladder.

Hydraulic Ventilation

Ventilation performed with an adjustable fog nozzle, providing the most effective means of ventilation in most residential basements.

Second-Arriving Engine Company Primary Function

Leading out an appropriate-sized hose to the first floor, protecting the interior stairwell to prevent fire from traveling up the stairs and to protect members operating on that floor.

Second-Arriving Truck Company Positioning

Positioning in the most tactically advantageous position as dictated by the incident, usually on an adjacent street near the mouth of the alley.

Level 1 Hazardous Materials Response

A special response requested by the Incident Commander whenever a member suspects the presence of hazardous materials at a Basement Fire.

Crawl Space Fire Tactical Challenges

Tactical challenges created by smaller volume (reducing the time to flashover) and limited maneuverability.