10 Story Building Challenges Firefighters

At 0835 this morning fire crews were dispatched to a report of a fire at 715 SW Morrison. This is a 10 story high rise building and the fire was reported to be in a piece of equipment on the roof. Access to the fire was hampered because there was no internal access to the roof and the firefighters had to use the external fire escape and firefighters ladder (attached to the fire escape) to access the roof. The fire was quickly extinguished and crews have now cleared the scene.

High rise fires, where the fire is elevated on an upper floor, are very labor intensive operations. Firefighters must carry all of their firefighting equipment aloft while working simultaneously to evactuate occupants. Portland Fire and Rescue’s high rise response first-alarm includes six engines, two ladder trucks, 2 heavy squads, and several chiefs. These crews are used to attack the fire, evacuate occupants, ferry equipment up and down the stairwells, evacuate smoke from the building, contact building managers to provide specific information, and to manage the building’s sprinkler, alarm, and air handling systems to help and not hamper firefighting efforts. An aggressive firefighting effort, while a high rise fire is in its early stages, is necessary to prevent the fire from potentially overwhelming those resources. While very rare, high rise fires from around the world remind us of the power and danger that an uncontrolled high rise fire can pose.

High rise buildings are designed and built to rigorous fire and life safety codes that address design-specific concerns to make these buildings very safe to inhabit. Occupants should always be familiar with emergency evacuation routes, participate in regular fire drills, and know the location of the nearest fire extinguisher on your floor.