Big Box Fires = Big Problems

There are very few things on the fireground will K*ll you faster than underestimating the

potential danger and arriving unprepared of a large commercial structure fire. History

has repeatedly shown us that taking residential tactics and strategies into a commercial

structure is extremely dangerous. Over aggressive tactics, improper hose line

selection, lack of SOP’s, lack of understanding of the dangers of large buildings,

overestimating the capabilities of the fire protection systems, not monitoring air supply,

not knowing the fire load, and committing to deeply into warehouses with high rack

storage are all common mistakes made by fire departments when confronted with big

box fires. This class will take an in-depth look at the building construction features of

modern, large commercial (big box) buildings including walls, roofs, mansards, and

doors. We will also discuss the strengths and weaknesses of fire protection systems,

what to expect from them and how to use them to our advantage. We will discuss every

strategic, tactical, and command level fireground assignment and draw comparisons

between residential and commercial fires. We will have a conversation about the

different storage configurations that are commonly found in big box stores and how they

affect our tactical decision making. In addition, we will review multiple significant fatal

and near-miss fires that occurred across the country and evaluate what happened and

how we can prevent it from reoccurring.

Clark Lamping is a 26-year veteran and a 15-year Captain with the Clark County (NV)

Fire Department. He has a master’s degree in emergency management from UNLV.

He is a Rescue Squad Officer with NVTF01, where he deployed to Hurricane Katrina,

Colorado, Florida, and Lahaina. He served as the captain of training for 1 year. He has

taught both classroom and HOT at different fire conferences in the US and London.

Host or Publisher The 50th State F.O.O.L.S.