fish_oinc

I saw the fire department in action today They saved a house unfortunately they caused so much damage to the place it will be a long time before any one will live there. There was a fire in one end of the home like at attached area but the rest of the house filled with smoke as did the attic area too as smoke was coming out every where although the fire was out .

Is there a problem with opening a window ? They knocked out every window in the upstairs area of this house with their axes destroying the glass and frames then punched holes in the siding to vent the attic as well as cutting holes in the roof, again the fire was out ,

The house was owned by an elderly gentlemen living by him self but I’m sure he will never be able to live there again too bad

Thanks fire department for being there but Have you ever though of saving the house from your own damage . There may be some things I don’t understand as to what they do or how they do it , I guess I’m just too concerned of human rights .

Cynthetiq

destroying the glass I thought keeps the glass for exploding outward since the glass is now "neutralized."

the longer the smoke stays within the house the more the smoke sticks to the surfaces and never leaves, which is why I believe the also vent.

the house should be covered by insurance. if the homeowner has no insurance then they are SOL.

http://www.ci.medford.or.us/FAQ.asp?CategoryID=12

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JustJess

Besides, their job is not to worry about one house, it's to worry about a row of houses, a neighborhood, and LIVES. I'm sure the old man would rather have a crapped out house than one that killed him or his neighbors. Opening a superheated window would be extremely dangerous for a firefighter, not to mention a complete waste of time. They have to move FAST to address all the issues of the fire, not putz around with a window while the fire spreads to the next house because they were too slow.

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kurty[B]

I'd rather have my windows smashed out, and the place vented rather than smoke damage on everything.

I pay insurance so in case of an emergency my insurance company will compensate my living expenses while the house is being repaired. They will pay to repair and replace your objects.

The fire department, police department, emergency medical services, and the military are more concerned about doing their job, "saving lives", and treating people more than the objects you possess, the double-paned windows you own, or the gucci clothes you're wearing.

If objects are more important to you than your life, than insure the objects you possess.

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analog

^^

Plus, as was quoted above, there are a myriad of reasons for venting the home- for their safety, for the safety of people in nearby homes, and to minimize fire spread and smoke damage.

I'm just curious why the tone of the opening post was one of scorn, rather than curiosity, when nothing about the purpose behind the procedures was known. That'd be like someone asking me, "why are you stabbing my mom in the arm with a needle?" when I was starting an IV line for fluids or medication.

It sounded like you assumed they were doing damage on purpose, or being reckless, why is that?

jewels

Analog is right. They were doing their job. Saving lives.

The most basic human right is life, n'est-ce pas?

I'm thankful they were able to save the elderly man. There are agencies that will help him out until (hopefully) his homeowners kicks in.

fish_oinc

No I just didn't understand why they need to wreck the rest of the house once the fire was out, It was a home in the country no other homes close by, The hoses were no longer charged I think venting the house was necessary but breaking out every window and the frames I didn't seem necessary The windows could have been open manually , the house although old, was very well kept and maintained I didn't personally know the man but knew of him for 20 years .

Just seems a shame to do more damage then was necessary, But as I said I don't know their procedures or protocol

Seer666

Fire = danger
Danger = move fast
move fast = knock out window rather then take time to open.

Fire fighters are there to save lives. The lives they are saving also include their own. They can risk their lives to save someone a few bucks opening a window, or they can can hit it with the ax as the move past and get to the fire to put it out.

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telekinetic

I can guaruntee they did exactly as much damage as was neccessary to follow their procedures.

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shakran

It is. I had the same questions when I first got into the news business and they sent me out to house fires. Turns out even when it looks like the fire is out, it might not be. They're punching holes in the house not so much to ventillate, but to look for fire hidden in the support structure of the house. If they don't, and there's some fire or embers hidden within the walls, it can flare up again, sometimes hours after the FD leaves. Believe it or not, by beating the hell out of the house when they're there, they're actually preventing even more damage.

A solid window is a window that can explode, as has been mentioned. It's a serious danger. Insurance will replace the windows that are broken out by the FD, so it really doesn't matter.


Also, whether they break out the windows is immaterial as far as him living there. There's a crapload of smoke damage and water damage all over the house. Nothing you can do about that. He's out of the house for weeks if not months while that gets repaired. The windows are nothing compared to the actual fire damage.

Willravel

If you feel badly, then I'd suggest donating plywood to cover the windows.

MSD

Firefighters are there to keep everyone safe, and if they can save property while doing it, that's great. If not, that's what insurance is for.

I did tech support for a fire training class once and there are really good reasons for doing all of that, and there are very strict guidelines to follow to make sure you don't die while doing it, but not being a firefighter, I can't remember a damn thing about it now.