First off, transitional attack is not new. It is simply a new buzz word attached to a tactic that firefighters have used since the days of the bucket brigade. Before the advent of fully encapsulating turnout gear and self-contained breathing apparatus, firefighters had no choice but to make conditions more tenable from the exterior before being able to make entry to perform search and complete fire extinguishment. As protective gear became more advanced, we were able to push further into hostile environments. Unfortunately, as the level of protection from our PPE increased, so did the heat release rates (HRR) of the materials found in structures. We are finally starting to realize that the increase in the HRR of fuels has surpassed the advances in PPE. Also, the high level of thermal protection that our PPE affords us masks the rapid increase in heat prior to flashover until it is too late. This fact coupled with poor tactics, lack of communication, lack of situational awareness, and failure at the task level have put many firefighters in a position to be caught in a flashover.
Another thing that tends to lead to trouble is when firefighters with small town staffing attempt to use big city tactics in situations where they just won't work. Let's face it, there are just some things that a three-man engine company cannot do with a reasonable margin of safety that a six-man FDNY engine company can. This is where transitional attack is a viable option for us. When faced with fire showing from the structure with insufficient staffing to make an interior attack, or where conditions are too severe to engage in an interior attack without backup, getting water on the fire as quickly as possible is our best alternative. Once water reaches the fire, overall conditions will improve and buy us some time to gather enough personnel to mount an interior attack.
One thing that has been conspicuously absent from much of the transitional attack debate is the actual skill of using it. Transitional attack is not just randomly lobbing water through a window and hoping for the best; it is a tactic which must be understood and performed properly to be successful. While the studies may have proved that applying water from the exterior cannot push fire, it is an undeniable fact that a hose stream can push the hell out smoke, heat, steam, and gases; and those are what kill unprotected occupants. The following video is from the Los Angeles County Fire Department and does a very good job of explaining and showing how to properly use transitional attack. For some reason it won't let me embed the video so follow this link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lkM2AsZqlM
While transitional attack is a great tactic in certain situations, it is not always a feasible or correct option. It is also not the "magic bullet" that will eliminate firefighter deaths and injuries. Transitional attack only works when you have fire venting to the outside. It will not work when you have only smoke showing and it won't work on deep seated fires in large buildings. Even when it does work, after the fire is knocked down from the exterior we still have to go inside to search and complete extinguishment. The external knockdown does not extinguish the fire, it simply takes some of the energy out of it to buy us some time. Fire is never static; it is either growing or it is dying. Once we knock it down from the outside, it begins growing again until we reach the seat and extinguish it. Transitional attack does not make our job safe, it makes it somewhat safer. "Safe" is a relative term in our business.
When there is the potential for savable lives inside the fire building, transitional attack is less likely to be the best tactic. Often the best tactic is to place a hoseline between the fire and the occupant's means of egress. In a ventilated fire, the environment becomes much more tenable behind the nozzle team as they advance toward the fire and push the smoke, heat, steam, and fire gases out the ventilation point. The following video shows this very well. Notice the improvement in conditions behind the nozzle team as they make the push.
The keys to making this type of attack successful are having a ventilation opening opposite of the fire and being able to "push". A "push" means flowing water while advancing the hoseline simultaneously. Unfortunately this is a skill that most firefighters don't have but once you acquire it, it can be a game-changer. Flowing water while advancing pushes all of the products of combustion ahead of the nozzle team and out the ventilation opening. It also allows the nozzle team to advance behind the protection of the hose stream, cooling the gases and fuels along the way. The chance of being caught in a flashover during a push is virtually eliminated. Sadly, most firefighters who are killed or injured in flashovers never open the nozzle. In the following video watch how quickly the ceiling temperature drops from over 1000 degrees to less than 200 degrees in a few seconds by sweeping the walls, ceiling, and floor while advancing the hoseline.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOtgY7as4x8
As I said earlier, I believe the answer to the debate lies somewhere in the middle. There are many different tactics and most have a place in the fire service. If we jump on the band wagon for the newest hot topic and forget all other options then we become a one trick pony. Good firefighters are not one trick ponies, but rather have several options at their disposal to handle different situations. This is only accomplished by studying our job and relentlessly training on the basics. There is no tool, tactic, trick, gadget, or gimmick that will improve safety on the fireground more than an educated, skilled, aggressive engine company that makes the right decisions and gets water on the fire quickly.
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