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30 <br />ORANGE COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA <br />department planning generally. assumes approximately aneight-minute period before <br />flashover. <br />Under these circumstances, and where lives and properties are in danger, in <br />order to accomplish timely interruption of fire growth, contain the fire within the <br />compartment of origin, and locate and remove threatened persons, rapid and <br />effective response is essential. Fire companies must receive notification of the fire, <br />don appropriate safety gear, mount the apparatus, travel to the scene of the fire, <br />accomplish sufficient firefighting tasks to inhibit fire growth, and rescue occupants <br />within approximately eight minutes of the event of flame. The tasks to be <br />accomplished at the. scene by the initial arriving units include search, rescue, <br />ventilation, ladder placement, hose line deployment and other actions, all requiring <br />immediate and simultaneous execution. <br />Local Characteristics. When designing response time and response capability <br />objectives, it is important to consider fire risks, how they vary by neighborhood, and <br />the level of service needed. Risks are greatest in wood-frame and non-resistant <br />residential dwelling units, which are normally without automatic detection and <br />reporting systems or suppression systems. In newer construction (particularly <br />commercial, industrial and institutional structures), where buildings may be required <br />to have automatic detection and suppression systems, the fire risk can be less. The <br />latter usually have suppression systems which reduce the unmeasured time between <br />the start of a fire. and when the fire is detected and reported, and automatically <br />retard fire development. It is important to recognize the significance of automatic <br />suppression systems. Data from the NFPA indicate the effectiveness of sprinklers in <br />residential occupancy structure fires. NFPA data also demonstrate that there is a <br />substantial reduction in the cost of fire damage when automatic suppression systems <br />are in place. <br />Sequence of response. In bringing firefighters to the point of fire interruption, <br />required steps include: <br />- Notification of the fire companies <br />- Turn-out of firefighters (donning safety gear, etc.) and dispatch <br />- Travel time <br />- Size-up and set-up at the scene <br />MMA CONSULTWG GROUP, INC. 27 <br />