Salvage

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Salvage T.B.

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Introduction: salvage is defined as the saving of possession in danger of being lost by fire. Salvage is a definite function of a fire department and particularly of a ladder company.

Economic purposes: Maintain lower insurance rates. Keep building habitable. Avoiding cost of relocating families.

Public relations purposes: Saves occupants from personal hardship. Reserves articles of financial or personal value. Displays efficiency. The protection of contents by care, the use of plastic sheeting, tarpaulins will require little additional time. It will be remembered for a lifetime by the owner.

Duties of salvage units: when fire conditions permit they shall in residential buildings cover or move furniture on floors below the fire floor to prevent water damage.

Relieve water from floors and protect objects on stories below. Cover openings, broken windows, outer doors, to reduce exposure to weather. Jewelry, papers, money and documents are to be removed and turned over to the officer in command of the operation. Secure premises by locking, sealing, leaving police or rEsponsible person in charge.

Planning: strategy: what has to be done. Tactics: how to do it.

Factors to be considered: location of fire.

Total area involved.

Nature and value of contents.

Presence of a sprinkler system.

Personnel available.

Salvage equipment available.

Presence of vertical openings and drains.

SAFETY- always a part of our overall plan.

Preparedness: In addition to our normal tools you should have: Plastic sheeting. Staples and staple guns. hammers and nails.

Staple guns are to be examined and maintained in proper working order. Inventory of plastic sheeting, is to keep up to date. Have enough on hand.

Tools and equipment: Salvage covers: Made of disposable plastic. comes in 100pnds rolls. 54inch when still folded. 9ft wide when unfolded. When cut in 12ft lengths and opened the sheets are 9ft by 12ft. These pieces when quartered from sections 4 1/2ft by 6ft.

9x12ft sheets are used to cover furniture, machinery rugs or other large pieces or areas. They cover roof openings. They form catch basins for water on floor below. Smaller sheets 4 1/2 by 6ft can be used to cover window openings.

Staple guns: Used with various size staples to fasten plastic cover to windows and other openings.

Claw hammer: Used to secure roof openings with wood available from fire premises before applying plastic covers. Also to secure premises.

Nails: 10 penny nails for securing boards to roof openings or windows and securing doors.

knife or scissors: To cut plastic sheeting. Ax: Used to cut hole in floor to relieve water. AFT. Hook: Used to punch small hole in ceiling to relieve water build-up and to increase flow to drain.

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Operation Guidelines

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Operating Guidelines: Salvage begins with the initial parts of operation.

FE: If door can be opened by removing the lock little damage is done to the doorframe and door.

Ventilation: If conditions permit, windows are to be opened without breaking the glass.

Extinguishment: Prudent use of water results in reduced water damage.

Duties- floor below: Initially, place any receptacle available below the light fixture to catch water.

Cover floor or private hall, with plastic.

Provide water chute, using plastic and staples to form chute and channel water out of a window. Punch a small hole in ceiling near light fixture to increase water discharge.

Group furniture together, away from fixture, and cover with plastic.

Check ceiling in private hall for signs of collapse, Relieve water if necessary.

Shut down electrical supply to apartments. Secure apartments before leaving. Check floors below for possible water.

Duties-Fire apartment: Remove smaller pieces of furniture, pictures, lamps, to bedroom. Place them on the bed and cover them.

Remove water from floor with squeegees or shovels. Push it out to the public hall. Use rags or papers to prevent water from entering apartments on the same floor and floors below.

Large pieces of furniture are to be moved and grouped together in an area of the room where they will be least exposed to overhauling operation and covered.

Note: If not equipped with material to cover furniture, move it and use a blanket, sheet, carpet,4rug or shower curtain from the fire apartment as a cover.

Closing operation: Windows covered with plastic sheeting.

Roof opening covered. Use wood from fire building, nail it across so no one falls in. The wood must be able to support the weight of a F.F. In case of another fire. Consider using interior doors from fire apartment. The plastic cover is then applied, using available wood cleats, furring strips and nails to hold plastic in place.

Plastic is to be staples over skylight of public hall of glass has been broken. Get building superintendent to help. Secure all apartments before leaving.

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Sprinkler Discharge Salvage

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Sprinkler discharge: A large discharge of water before the arrival of the fire department is usually the result of a sprinkler discharge.

Water damage can be minimized by: Use of wood wedges to plug the open sprinkler heads until the system is hit down and returned to service. Furniture moved or covered.

Plastic sheeting can be used on the floors below, covering the floor with the edges staples to the walls and to other articles, with the edges raised, thereby forming a pool. Water can be removed later.

A ladder, a door or boards can be used to form a plastic chute to catch water from above and channel it out a window, or into a sink or bathtub or other receptacle.

Elevator shafts shall NOT be used for removal of water, and every effort shall be made to prevent water from entering the elevator shaft. Water could cause a malfunction of the elevator.

If plastic covers are not available, the standard tools shall be used to Channel the water. For example shovel it into a public hall or out a wooden, and consider removing or breaking a toilet if this drain is conveniently located. It is sometimes necessary to relieve floors of water for safety or operating forces but every effort should be made to avoid causing additional damage. If at all possible.

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Electrical power/ Safety

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Electrical power: Electrical power: when water has seeped through several floors or through or around electrical outlets, the possibility of a short circuit exists. Circuit breakers should be thrown off or fuses removed from the circuits serving the affected areas. If necessary the main disconnect should be deactivated.

Safety: when water has been pushed to a public hallway or enters by any means, a safety problem is created in that hall and on the stairs.

Floors and stairs become slippery and caution should be exercised by all members.

Residents should be advised of the conditions before they are permitted into the building or use public hall and stairs.

The building superintendent should be advised to mop dry these areas as in as possible.

Excessive water load on floors could cause collapse of ceiling below or of the entire floor systems. Rectify the condition and check the safety of the floors before allowing occupants back into their apartments

Salvage ladder unit: Every ladder is a Salvage ladder unit.

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Procedures/ Reports.

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Procedures: The need for salvage operations shall be evaluated by the IC

If there is a ladder company at the scene, the IC will direct a ladder unit to perform necessary salvage duties.

If a ladder company is not at the scene, the IC shall special call such unit to perform salvage duties.

Reports: The ladder company Officer is responsible for completing a single copy of the SAL-2 form.

The SAL-2 form shall be filed in the unit.