For many of us, successfully going to three fires in a day or tour and winning at each one without an injury is an achieving moment-especially when each fire is different and requires different skills, tactics, and procedures. Let's look at a play-by-play of these incidents. Fire 1. Pulling up to a cafe in the early evening with light grayish smoke rolling out of the front door, we could see the fire toward the rear of the store. Making our way toward the back, we encountered a deep fryer engulfed in flames that were licking up the walls about four feet high. Radioing for a member to bring in the dry chemical extinguisher was our first course of action, as the engine company began stretching a line. Next, we scanned the area for the pull-pin control for the range hood's extinguishing system but, just our luck, neither existed. At the same time, we were looking for a large platter or cover to place over the burning oil to smother and extinguish it; of course, there wasn't one. When the dry chemical extinguisher arrived, we discharged it at a safe distance from the burning oil so it wouldn't splatter on anyone or go flying, igniting more material. Initially, we directed it at the housing of the fryer appliance and worked toward the burning oil. Once the dry chemical reached the oil, the operator used quick bursts and a short sweeping motion to extinguish the flames.
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