VIDEOS

Shortly before noon a fire was reported in the 600 block of Dauphin Street. Units arrived to find a row of 6 ordinary constructed (Type III) row houses with fire in two buildings.

A second alarm was struck and eventually all personnel were withdrawn from two of the buildings. The crews utilized a defensive attack to extinguish the fire from that point on and supported the fire wall in the third building.

The fire was wind driven and in buildings that were vacant and or under renovation. The buildings were in poor condition and cleared of any potential occupants.

Crews operated for about 4 hours. The fire was started by a burn barrel on the C side that extended into the building.

Outside fires are illegal in the City of Harrisburg for this very reason.

This video is shared as an educational opportunity. We operate based on our city, our staffing and our policies and procedures. You should operate based on yours.

We support healthy discussions on strategy and tactics. We do not support trolling or mutts.

Here is a quick 10 minute video of a fire we had earlier in the year. Hopefully you can use it as a drill for your self or with your crews

Just after shift change on a Saturday morning we were alerted for a possible fire on a porch, also smoke in the building. Units arrived out of normal order due to some being on the street already.

The fire started on the porch and worked its way into the voids. It was believed to have been started by a cigarette. Based on discussions with the occupants the fire could have been burning for about an hour before breaking through the ceiling and 911 being called.

The video shows pretty much everything that went on from the exterior point of view. There are some things that could be done differently and the are always discussed after the incident. We learn through education, training, doing and reviewing. Hopefully you can take away some points to discuss with your crews at your next drill.

21JAN22 1900 block of Briggs St. for a reported house fire. Wagon 3, Squad 8, Tower 1, Truck 2 and Chief 7, HPD and Lifeteam EMS.

First Alarm companies Wagon 4, Truck 34, Rescue 69, Air 13, C1, C2, C3.

1 dog was located unconscious on the second floor, rescued and removed from the building by L2 personnel and resuscitated by HFD and Lifeteam EMS.

Two families were displaced by the fire.

Firefighters from the Harrisburg Bureau of Fire's D Battalion responded to this row house fire 9 minutes into their night shift.

The fire was reported as smoke form the wall in the 3rd floor. The fire was deep seated in the voids of the 3rd floor knee walls and the 3rd floor floor joist space as well as the rear bump out ceiling void space.

The fire followed the voids from those areas up along the rafter bays in the roof to the cocklofts at the peak.

Firefighters brought the 2 alarm fire under control in about an hour but worked for 3 hours to fully extinguish the fire.

Firefighters from the Defense Logistics Agency, Steelton Boro, Swatara Township, Penbrook Boro, Susquehanna Township and the West Shore Bureau of Fire assisted at the scene. Lifeteam EMS and West Shore EMS provided rehab and EMS for the incident.

This is a fire from a few years back. The fire came in in the early evening in April. The row is actually 2 rows, the first being of 2 story ordinary construction and the second being a three story ordinary. They are abutted against one another. We don't know if there is any interconnection to them.

As we arrive you can see two distinct columns of smoke. There are actually three areas where the smoke is coming from but two of the columns kind of merge.

Initially it looks like the fire is in the end of the row, but getting as much of a 360 as was possible we can see its in the second house and extending to the first.

Lines were taken into both homes. The first line went into what was initially thought to be the fire building. The second line goes into what is the main fire building. Eventually a third line is also brought into this building.

The fire is in the second floor rear and extending into the cockloft and toward the front of the home.

The hallway is cleared of items and the search is initiated as close to the seat of the fire as possible. You can hear the line from the exposure operating in the area at the same time. The camera position doesn't allow you to see the same view that I saw, but getting close to that room and looking in both visually and with the thermal imager did not indicate any victims. The search continued forward in the house on the second floor to areas of less exposure for the potential victim

The remainder of the video just follows along on the rest of the knockdown and opening up and chasing of hot spots.

It's a typical, fire. Nothing exciting but helps show how we operate. Hope you area able to get something from it.

At 6 am a report of a couch on fire in a building quickly escalated to a well off fire on the 1st floor with reports of people trapped.

1st arriving crews found fire showing from the 1st floor apartment. The fire was auto exposing the second floor windows. An 1 3/4" handling was stretched and operated in the 1st floor window while the door was being forced. The engine and truck then entered the fire apartment and began extinguishment and search. The truck then moved above the fire to the second floor. A second line was stretched to cover the second floor. The second truck company split their crew and covered the roof and searches of the third floor. You can hear them forcing doors over the radio while giving a progress report.

While this fire was handled quickly, there were a few issues that we identified and addressed. Because we realize there are no perfect fires, nor perfect firemen, we take a hard look at our operations and work to improve for the next fire. Hopefully this and all of our videos, help you in having some discussions with your crews for fires in your area.

This video is shared for educational purposes. We operate base on our city, our staffing and SOP's. You should do the same.

This video from a fire back in 2015 is designed to show the work of the company officer and nozzle firefighter attacking a well involved fire in a row house. It also shows the second arriving engine stretching a backup line.

The views are split screen so you can see the actions and conditions taking place from each position. First the the initial engine company split screen followed by the second due engine company split screen.

The first engine 'takes' the door and attacks the fire from the base of the steps on the first floor and advances to the second. The company officer humps hose and then moves beyond the nozzle to search the fire floor.

The second line advances up the steps assisted briefly on the second floor and then advances to the third (half story) floor and opens up knee walls and gable walls to expose and extinguish fire.

These videos are based on our operating procedures, our city, staffing and resources. They are meant for discussion and educational purposes. You should follow the operating policies laid out for your location.

On 11DEC20 Harrisburg Fire D Battalion members responded to box area 1-5 for a reported basement fire. Enroute they were advised that the fire could be in the basement or the kitchen. In reality it was in both, it was a fire that started in the kitchen in the basement apartment.

The video is from the first arriving BC's perspective.

This early afternoon weekday fire started on the second floor of a row of garden apartments in one of the city's housing projects.

Units arrived to smoke showing and stretched a line to the second floor to extinguish the fire.

These buildings are essentially non combustable and preform much like training facility burn buildings as they are all concrete with the exception that these are not just burning Class A materials and have real windows.

Squad 8, Truck 2, Tower 1, Wagon 4, Chief 7, Chief 1, Lifeteam EMS and HPD responded to the incident. D Battalion working.

This is a fire where, secondary to a domestic dispute, a man lit several fires in the home and then jumped from the 3rd story window to the porch roof and from there to the ground before he fled the scene.

Initial reports directly from citizens involved stated a woman was on the second story, in the bedroom, on the floor and was on fire. Crews were sent to search but as you will hear, citizens came back and said she was in fact not home but at work and they had just spoken to her on the phone.

Crews made quick work of this fire by following SOPs, coordinating their actions, and carrying out their duties in an efficient manner.

Squad 8, Tower 1, Wagon 4, Truck 2, Wagon 3, Chief 7, Chief 1, Chief 2, Rescue 69, Air 13, Lifeteam EMS, HPD. D Battalion working.

Harrisburg, Pa firefighters of the D Battalion were sent to South 14th Street for a house fire on 12DEC20. The fire was in a house that has had several small trash fires likely set by squatters.

Crews arrived to find a well involved fire on two floors of the three story duplex.

The primary video is from my helmet cam and the secondary video is from a firefighters helmet cam.

Harrisburg Bureau of Fire A Battalion firefighters were dispatched just after 10:30 am on May 5, 2014 for a kitchen fire reported to be a grease fire on the stove.

Two of the first alarm companies were on the river conducting boat training so covering companies responded in their place.

Tower 2 responded from the Uptown, and upon their response requested a 2nd alarm assignment due to the significant thermal column that was visible.

Wagon 4 arrived and could see significant fire conditions from the end of the block. The quickly decided a blitz attack would be the initial tactic.

This tactic worked great and held the fire from further extending to the exposure homes which were already becoming involved.

Wagon 4 laid in from 19th and Bellevue and utilized the deck gun to put a good hit on the fire. It was quickly followed up with a 2" line and an interior attack.

Firefighters were evacuated for a few minutes due to deteriorating conditions in the rear of the houses.

After the main body of fire was hit and knocked down crews reentered the homes and completed the extinguishment of the fire.

The fire went to 3 alarms and required assistance of departments from Dauphin, Cumberland and York County's.