SOP Manual - Cleveland Fire Department

Cleveland Fire Department
Operations Manual
In some cases, Truck crews cannot get inside the building to open windows. Then the windows should be
knocked out from the outside with ground ladders or aerial units.
a. Effects of Wind
When wind is a factor, the windows on the leeward side of the building shall be opened first. Then
the windows on the windward side can be opened to allow the wind to blow combustion products
out of the building. Opening the windows in proper sequence will create effective cross
ventilation.
b. When the roof or some roof features must be opened for venting, the windows on the top floor
should be opened or knocked out after the roof is opened.
When the windows on several stories must be opened or knocked out, firefighters shall begin at
the top and work down.
Natural Roof Openings
In multistory buildings, vertical shafts carry stairways, elevators, dumbwaiters, electric wiring, heating
ducts, and plumbing and sewer pipes.
The shafts are capped at the roof with various types of closures; these can be removed to make effective
openings into the building
Skylights
The positioning of skylights can give firefighters an idea of the layout or the building under them. The area
immediately below a skylight is usually boxed in, so the cockloft or attic space is effectively separated
from the skylight. Thus, when the skylight is opened, the building proper will be ventilated, but the space
just below the roof will not. To ventilate this space, the roof or the boxed-in area must be opened.
a. Opening Skylights
If the glass will not come out easily and quickly, it must be knocked out. Although this method is
the least desirable, it might be the only way to quickly open the skylight for venting. Personnel
shall be conscious of firefighters operating inside, and possibly under, falling glass.
To insure that firefighters do not fall through the opening where a skylight has been lifted away,
the skylight should be laid on the roof upside down to serve as a warning. Then it will not be
mistaken in smoke or darkness as being in place over its opening.
b. Plastic Skylights and Roof Panels
Plastic skylights are mounted in the same way as glass skylights. When a plastic skylight cannot
be removed quickly, the frame should be cut where it meets the plastic, and the bubble pried up.
These panels are usually weak and will not support much weight, Truck crews shall avoid
stepping on them. The plastic panels can be pulled up after the roof is cut, or pried up along one
edge of the panels.
Effective: June 1, 1997 Revised: 5/14/2009 Page | 202
Approved by: Chief Chuck Atchley