BBBMF

9 chiefs cars, 7 or 8 engines, tower ladder, bronto skylift, 3 rescues, brush truck, 3 boats, and god knows how many utilities...I think Seths right on this one...Time for Consolidation!
If they had a fire and each department rolled with their first due engine and a crew you'd probably get two or threee good crews as an attack engine, water supply engine, and a bunch of guys to do truck work
100 years of tradition unimpeded by progress!

The fire building itself would be great for a walk through drill for all firefighters to learn building construction and fire travel. The fire which originated in the basement as stated went directly up the fresh air stack probably past the first floor to the second floor before dropping back down. The heat then transmitted to the steel channel rails and spread towards the front and rear portions of the building. The interior crews did a great job finding the fire running between different floor joints on both sides of the I-beam which ran through the middle of the building. Also as stated, crews did a nice job sounding floors as they proceeded towards the fire on the 2nd floor.
Some things to note about this fire:
1. There was probably more plywood on the walls than on top of the floor joists where it should have been...The section of floor which collapsed into the basement was a mere layer of wainscoting (1/8" veneer wood paneling) covered by tile as was sections of the 2nd floor where the fire had burned threw. The second floor was not tiled at all and just had a wood panelling covering the floor joists. Always know what your crawling over!
2. When checking for fire extention in a building the first place you always want to go are bathrooms. These rooms will have the most and the biggest voids in the building...Try to pop a hole in the floor near a toilet and if you can find the sewage vent pipe start poking around there as well. Don't wait!
3. Getting a guy on the roof of any building where it appears the fire is going towards that direction is always a great move. Give the incident commander a size-up as to what you see and a layout of the roof with openings and shafts if there are any is always great too. Always open existing openings first; skylights, dumbwaiters, etc. If you feel a simple kerf cut is necessary or an inspection hole to get a better look at whats going on underneath you is never a bad idea, just let the IC know your intentions and what you're doing if you decide the inspection hole needs to be expanded. Roof repairs are mundane compared to burning the whole roof off.
A job well done under difficult circumstances...well done chief

The fire building itself would be great for a walk through drill for all firefighters to learn building construction and fire travel. The fire which originated in the basement as stated went directly up the fresh air stack probably past the first floor to the second floor before dropping back down. The heat then transmitted to the steel channel rails and spread towards the front and rear portions of the building. The interior crews did a great job finding the fire running between different floor joints on both sides of the I-beam which ran through the middle of the building. Also as stated, crews did a nice job sounding floors as they proceeded towards the fire on the 2nd floor.
Some things to note about this fire:
1. There was probably more plywood on the walls than on top of the floor joists where it should have been...The section of floor which collapsed into the basement was a mere layer of wainscoting (1/8" veneer wood paneling) covered by tile as was sections of the 2nd floor where the fire had burned threw. The second floor was not tiled at all and just had a wood panelling covering the floor joists. Always know what your crawling over!
2. When checking for fire extention in a building the first place you always want to go are bathrooms. These rooms will have the most and the biggest voids in the building...Try to pop a hole in the floor near a toilet and if you can find the sewage vent pipe start poking around there as well. Don't wait!
3. Getting a guy on the roof of any building where it appears the fire is going towards that direction is always a great move. Give the incident commander a size-up as to what you see and a layout of the roof with openings and shafts if there are any is always great too. Always open existing openings first; skylights, dumbwaiters, etc. If you feel a simple kerf cut is necessary or an inspection hole to get a better look at whats going on underneath you is never a bad idea, just let the IC know your intentions and what you're doing if you decide the inspection hole needs to be expanded. Roof repairs are mundane compared to burning the whole roof off.
A job well done under difficult circumstances...well done chief