12
Fighting Small and Medium-Sized Box
Store Fires with Limited Personnel
BY ROBERT CALLAHAN
FOR MOST FIRE DEPARTMENTS, THE response to a fire in a small or medium-sized retail box store may
be as close as the next dispatch; and
many departments, especially in smaller
communities, are likely to be operating
with limited staffing, apparatus, and
experience at working incidents in these
types of structures.
Just about every small community in
this country has at least one small or medium-sized box store; some communities
may have several. In this article, small
retail stores less than 9,000 square feet
in size are considered small box stores.
Stores from 9,000 square feet to 18,000
to 20,000 square feet in size are considered medium-sized box stores. These
occupancies may include general merchandise stores such as national chains
like Dollar General or Family Dollar and
locally owned or national chain hardware, clothing, furniture, second-hand,
rent-to-own, tire, and auto parts stores.
We can include the small-town general
store, which can easily contain a wide
variety of products in this classification
as well. A common thread among these
occupancies is having a fire load that
contains a high percentage of hydrocar-
bon-based fuels, which, as we all know
from street experience and current fire
research, burn at a much hotter tempera-
ture and faster pace than natural fuels.
I am the full-time fire prevention officer serving in a combination fire department that covers a population of nearly
18,000 as well as a lieutenant serving
with a neighboring volunteer organization that protects about 3,000 residents,
and this is a challenge that both of
my departments can face at any time.
Although these fires are rare, when they
do occur, they can quickly escalate into
a major fire event that can kill or injure
members. Prior to my current experience
in northwest Louisiana, I served in busy
volunteer and combination departments
that protect medium- and high-density
suburban communities in upstate New
York, southern Massachusetts, and central and northwestern Vermont, where
chain and locally owned box stores of all
sizes present a constant threat.
During that time, I have had significant variations in personnel response
levels, training, experience, truck and
rescue company availability, and use of
automatic mutual-aid systems.
Staffing in My Departments
The combination department in which
I serve operates from six stations and
protects 17 square miles with two full-
time administrative members and six
full-time suppression members operating
in three shifts. Staffing from Monday to
Friday is supplemented by one daytime
firefighter. During the weekend, the two
full-time shift positions are supplemented
with two part-time firefighters from 8
a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. The paid staffing
is supported by 40 to 50 volunteer fire-
fighters and support members. We have
a typical response of eight to 10 during
the day and up to 20 during the evening.
The department typically responds to all
structural calls with at least two engines
and a well-equipped rescue truck. We do
not currently operate a truck company or
use automatic mutual aid in our structur-
al response.
The volunteer department in which I
work operates with 20 volunteers, including four to five exterior-only personnel. A
typical response is four to five members
during the day and six to eight during
the evening. We are supported by an
automatic mutual-aid response from the
neighboring combination department
that provides one engine and four full-time personnel. A 75-foot quint and additional call personnel are also available,
and my full-time combination department can provide mutual aid within a
10- to 15-minute response time.
( 1) Some departments may cover larger medium-sized box stores, such as this indoor lumberyard/hardware store found in our fire district. This building measures
22,500 square feet. (Photos by author unless otherwise noted.) ( 2) Typical of most national chain general merchandise stores, this building contains a wide variety of
hydrocarbon-based products. Even when partially involved in fire, they will necessitate the punch of a 2½-inch line or master stream for initial fire attack.
