SOP Manual - Cleveland Fire Department

Cleveland Fire Department
Operations Manual
1. Areas of Possible Re-Kindling
a. Walls and Ceilings
b. Shafts
If walls or ceilings have been in contact with fire and heat, they must be opened
and checked for signs of fire. If they have been partially opened in the course of
firefighting operations, they should be opened further until the full extent of the
fire is found.
Engine crews should be called to wet down any suspicious spots or areas with a
light stream, and Ladder/Truck crews should check adjoining ceilings and walls.
Cutting during overhaul should be done with power saws rather than with axes
and other hand tools. The saws cause much less vibration than hand tools and
thus allow firefighters a greater margin of safety. This is especially important in
a building that has suffered structural damage and requires extensive overhaul
work.
When Ladder/Truck crews suspect or find that fire has spread into a vertical
shaft, the shaft must be opened and checked.
c. Cabinets and Compartments
Check for fire extension around built-in cabinets and compartments located over
or near fire areas. If such cabinets have been subjected to fire or intense heat,
they must be thoroughly checked during overhaul, whether or not they were
opened previously.
d. Window and Door Facings
When it is apparent that fire has involved window or door facings, Truck crews
should remove the facings and check the concealed recessed for fire. If fire
extension is found when the facings are removed, the walls or partitions must be
opened to the end of the fire travel, and the area wet down as needed.
e. Basement Areas
When fire has directly involved a basement or cellar, the area must be checked
completely, the same as any other area of the fire building. Even when a
basement area has not been involved, check there for fire that might have fallen
from upper levels.
Party walls between adjoining structures also must be examined carefully. Both
sides of such walls must be checked.
Effective: June 1, 1997 Revised: 5/14/2009 Page | 232
Approved by: Chief Chuck Atchley