# A Detailed Home Firefighting System and Plan ....



## Illini Warrior (Jan 24, 2015)

I couldn't find an appropriate thread that was already started to tack this onto - an important segment of home prepping that doesn't get enough attention ....

Fire on the Neighbor's House, by Neil Gunton


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## sideKahr (Oct 15, 2014)

Interesting stuff. That guy really takes fire prep seriously. I wish I had a water supply like that.

Some will say that small hoses are useless for a big fire, but that isn't so. We rolled on a house fire once with just the President of the Department, me, and the Chief of Police. It was cooking when we arrived, fire coming out the front picture window under the porch roof. I started to get the 2-1/2 inch line ready, which is normally the minimum used for a house fire. But the Chief yelled for me to charge the booster line, which is a small 1 inch hose on a ready-to-go reel pre-connected to the water tank on the truck. He attacked the fire with that small hose and put it out. I was amazed. He probably saved that guys house, because it would have taken us many minutes to hit the hydrant and pull and charge a 2-1/2.


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## Prepared One (Nov 5, 2014)

I am keenly aware of fire prevention as my neighbors house, in an old neighborhood I used to rent in, ( I believe to this day he set the fire to collect the insurance ) was set on fire and it in turn, caught my house on fire. Plus, my uncle was a Chicago fireman for years before becoming a paramedic. As @Illini Warrior said, this subject does not get enough attention.


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## 8301 (Nov 29, 2014)

The article shows the guy getting over 18 gpm flow. Very few people have a water supply that can supply that much flow.


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## TGus (Sep 18, 2017)

If there was no running water and fire trucks were disabled or dry, and therefore couldn't respond, what would your house preventative fire plan be? In other words, what would be the best preventative measures to have during the worst SHTF conditions?

I'm thinking a 5 gal. lidded bucket of water kept in every room, with a hand pump beside it. If a fire started, response from residents could be quick, and they could bring the buckets from other rooms until several were pumping. Can you think of something better?


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## Illini Warrior (Jan 24, 2015)

TGus said:


> If there was no running water and fire trucks were disabled or dry, and therefore couldn't respond, what would your house preventative fire plan be? In other words, what would be the best preventative measures to have during the worst SHTF conditions?
> 
> I'm thinking a 5 gal. lidded bucket of water kept in every room, with a hand pump beside it. If a fire started, response from residents could be quick, and they could bring the buckets from other rooms until several were pumping. Can you think of something better?


part of my overall plan is to fill blow-up kiddie pools for flush/wash water ... if the SHTF scenario included a viable & real outside threat of fire - example: social disturbance with out-of-control nationwide rioting & looting - I'd have ''throwables'' like scatter rugs, towels, sheets ect ect soaking - also have a small sump pump capable of handling a garden hose .... this besides the standard fire extinguishers and buckets of sand .... still investigating Fire Freeze products ( Products 1 - Firefreeze Worldwide, Inc.) and thinking about pump up sprayers or pressurized discharge for another firefighting avenue ....

most important threat in this kind of scenario is having arson entry thru windows/doors - boarding up completely keeps the Zippo looters out and diminishes the gas b.o.m.b. threat - keeps the fight outside .... vulnerable for most homes is the roof - even without a direct arson hit a roof is open to flying embers from other nearby burning homes .... good assist is to pre-soak the roof - use lawn sprinklers pumping from gutter/downspout rainwater collection barrel(s) - basically continuous cycling the same water - use the same system along with hoses to fight any roof fire ...


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## TGus (Sep 18, 2017)

Illini Warrior said:


> part of my overall plan is to fill blow-up kiddie pools for flush/wash water ... if the SHTF scenario included a viable & real outside threat of fire - example: social disturbance with out-of-control nationwide rioting & looting - I'd have ''throwables'' like scatter rugs, towels, sheets ect ect soaking - also have a small sump pump capable of handling a garden hose .... this besides the standard fire extinguishers and buckets of sand .... still investigating Fire Freeze products ( Products 1 - Firefreeze Worldwide, Inc.) and thinking about pump up sprayers or pressurized discharge for another firefighting avenue ....
> 
> most important threat in this kind of scenario is having arson entry thru windows/doors - boarding up completely keeps the Zippo looters out and diminishes the gas b.o.m.b. threat - keeps the fight outside .... vulnerable for most homes is the roof - even without a direct arson hit a roof is open to flying embers from other nearby burning homes .... good assist is to pre-soak the roof - use lawn sprinklers pumping from gutter/downspout rainwater collection barrel(s) - basically continuous cycling the same water - use the same system along with hoses to fight any roof fire ...


My home is a 4 story wood structure built 125 years ago, and it's only 10' from both neighbors. I don't think there would be any way to prevent a spread of fire from their houses to mine.

The way I plan to prevent Molotov cocktails and crooks from entering my first floor windows is to cover the bottom half with plywood (except for a removable 1' gun port at the bottom), and staple something stronger than chicken wire to the top half, (so I can open the windows for ventilation). I can't do this with the upper floors, because I may need to put out a fire on the side of the house from those windows. To Molotov-proof the second floor, I plan to hang carpet pieces tacked to a dowel, so that the dowel fits into the inside of the window.

What if there's no electricity?


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## RJAMES (Dec 23, 2016)

If you are putting in a pond in a rural area put in a dry hydrant and a road turn around for the local fire department to use . You could do the same with a smaller hydrant and a gas operated trash pump to use on your own house if the pond is close enough. http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/forestmanagement/documents/pub/fr-044.pdf

Build your place with a metal roof - better fire resistance and makes water collection easier.

Think about concrete plaster or stucco covering on the outer walls. Stucco over concrete blocks works very well for standing up to tornadoes and fire.


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## Illini Warrior (Jan 24, 2015)

TGus said:


> My home is a 4 story wood structure built 125 years ago, and it's only 10' from both neighbors. I don't think there would be any way to prevent a spread of fire from their houses to mine.
> 
> The way I plan to prevent Molotov cocktails and crooks from entering my first floor windows is to cover the bottom half with plywood (except for a removable 1' gun port at the bottom), and staple something stronger than chicken wire to the top half, (so I can open the windows for ventilation). I can't do this with the upper floors, because I may need to put out a fire on the side of the house from those windows. To Molotov-proof the second floor, I plan to hang carpet pieces tacked to a dowel, so that the dowel fits into the inside of the window.
> 
> What if there's no electricity?


mine's a turn of the century Victorian on a corner with the old town lot set-backs - neighborhood house fires are everyday concerns in regard to the spread - 100X when there wouldn't be fire department response .... arson prevention is 100% of the answer - you can't fight a rioting crowd with arson intent working independently & singly from the interior of your home - it needs to be a unified effort from the community/neighborhood/subdivision - armed barricades to block access is necessary and proven to work ....

if want a viable survival - you need secure & dependable electrical generation - bringing maximum resources to bear on an emergency or project makes electricity indispensable ....

in regard to the lower ground level section of the home - I wouldn't have any of the window/door barricading ''removable'' - solid lagged down sheeting with covered & lockable gunloops high on the sheet - can't be giving a looter/rioter a loose edge to get a prybar under .... on those upper windows you want no less than 1/4 inch hardware cloth tacked down - hard to break thru and to break a bottle against ...


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## TGus (Sep 18, 2017)

Illini Warrior said:


> mine's a turn of the century Victorian on a corner with the old town lot set-backs - neighborhood house fires are everyday concerns in regard to the spread - 100X when there wouldn't be fire department response .... arson prevention is 100% of the answer - you can't fight a rioting crowd with arson intent working independently & singly from the interior of your home - it needs to be a unified effort from the community/neighborhood/subdivision - armed barricades to block access is necessary and proven to work ....
> 
> if want a viable survival - you need secure & dependable electrical generation - bringing maximum resources to bear on an emergency or project makes electricity indispensable ....
> 
> in regard to the lower ground level section of the home - I wouldn't have any of the window/door barricading ''removable'' - solid lagged down sheeting with covered & lockable gunloops high on the sheet - can't be giving a looter/rioter a loose edge to get a prybar under .... on those upper windows you want no less than 1/4 inch hardware cloth tacked down - hard to break thru and to break a bottle against ...


Very good points. Thanks!


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## 23897 (Apr 18, 2017)

Victorian? Practically new build!
I can see a place in my neighbourhood that was built in 1140! (And I don’t mean 20 to twelve).


Sent from my iPhone using Technology whilst it still exists.


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## 1skrewsloose (Jun 3, 2013)

TGus said:


> If there was no running water and fire trucks were disabled or dry, and therefore couldn't respond, what would your house preventative fire plan be? In other words, what would be the best preventative measures to have during the worst SHTF conditions?
> 
> I'm thinking a 5 gal. lidded bucket of water kept in every room, with a hand pump beside it. If a fire started, response from residents could be quick, and they could bring the buckets from other rooms until several were pumping. Can you think of something better?


Ahhh.....sure, how about some ABC fire extinguishers. Good for other than just wood fires. Every home should have a few whether you prep or not.


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