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It looks like videographer Pascal Marchand was close when this alarm was dispatched around 7:30 PM Wednesday on Île-de-France Street in Longueuil, Quebec. According to news reports the structure is a triplex.
At 2:22 in the video a pair of firefighters take turns throwing bricks (or possibly another item) at the building. I am not sure if this was an attempt at ventilation or maybe just a firefighter ritual in Canada I am unaware of. Possibly it is just a way to keep warm with the temperature at the time of the fire at minus-32 degrees Celsius.
Also on STATter911 …
- Mayday audio: Firefighters need help in evacuating from Edmonton apartment fire. – January 22, 2012
- Early raw video: Two house fires more from Gary, Indiana. – August 5, 2012
- Raw video: Large Pennsylvania publishing company destroyed by fire. – October 24, 2012
- Citizen instant analysis: ‘They could have put this $%#* out a long time ago man if they just used that %$@!*ing hose’. – December 3, 2012
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Earnest T Bass school of vertical ventillation
Dave I can assure you it wasn’t some sort of Canadian firefighting ritual, however this member doesn’t need to try out for the Expos as his aim is terrible. Other than what appears to be hoseline indecision in the back, they went in thru the front appears to be a good knock. For those who haven’t tried firefighting at minus anything its quite the challenge. For our American brothers -40 celcius equals -40 fahrenheit, its where there balanced out, otherwise damn cold.
Good job Longueuil. Stay safe.
Well I did mention on Facebook that while they need to work on throwing accuracy in the academy, I recall throwing something with accuracy dressed in full PPE while standing in snow in frigid temps may not be too easy. I also recall running a similar vent video from south of the border. Just can’t put my hands on it. As I recall the U.S. firefighters were more accurate.
LOL….lets stare at the fire and when we get bored of that lets throw bricks at it!
Somewhere there is a Fire Chief mumbling (in French) into his coffee, “I needed a quarterback & I get a freakin’ towel boy!”
Seriously, I know of some undermanned FDs that have used the brick, rock or golf ball trick to vent a high window for the engine crew. Strictly by the book, no. But, better than nothing.
Judging by the accuracy of the brick tosses I’m gonna guess they’re looking for a pitcher for their softball team
Awww..She’s a brick, da da HOUSE! Looks like Canadian Football, eh?
Chief 62 is right, fighting fire in sub-zero temps is a whole lot more difficult than at 60 degrees. Hoselines freeze, wet gloves freeze, bunkers freeze and get stiff, manpower change-outs must occur more often. As can be seen in the video, steam production when water is applied makes things hard to see. At those temps there’s usually not too many looky-loos though.
I was always taught that in a case of potential backdraft, a rock through the window just might be the medicine needed to avoid being too close when it blows!!
Wasn’t bricks they were throwing, it was actually firewood. As cold out as it was they just needed to warm things up a little more! Gotta say though working in frigid temps is not a “fun” thing to do and you have to do what you have to do with what you got at the moment.
I am just cold looking at them.
Using the celcius calculator app on my phone, -32 equals “colder than a bastard”.
They must be fledgling members of the Canadian Shotput Team.
Lets more O2 in so the fire burns better.
Looked like most of the fire was plastic rear porches. Burns / melts etc. Gotta be more careful of them than the old wooden ones. Please keep in mind, as gravity always wins.
I bet if they had a few pucks and a hockey stick they would have got it through the windows the first time. They take that hockey seriously there. Football ehh…
Reminds me of a fire in Morgantown, WV in the early 1970s. This fire in a very large (and very old) 3 story building in the downtown area rapidly grew out of control and very quickly flames burned up through all three floors and out the roof. After one of the support legs on the local FD’s hook and ladder truck failed, almost dumping a firefighter at the top of the ladder into the conflagration, firefighters, mindful of a possible building collapse, were constrained to fight the fire from across the street. At some point, one of the local firemen decided to try to break some windows by throwing rocks against them so that they could direct water into the building. The combination of a “big fire” visible throughout the college campus, a somewhat warm fall night, a college town with not much to do on a Friday night before an out of town football game, and numerous intoxicated college students out to show their bravado and major league pitching skills resulted in the one of the oddest fire scenes I have ever seen as over 30 people (firemen, local towns people, and college students) joined in the pitching battle. As I recall, despite the best efforts of all present not one window was broken including ones on the first floor!
The fire was cold, so they were going to let it inside the house to warm up?
Now I know where the Houston Texans “quarterback” goes in the losing- er, off season.
This is Canada, the home of ice hockey. All they needed was a good stick and they would have been on the money. Can’t say I haven’t seen this around my region though.