Rescue: Going In
Gabino, Robert and Lee have strapped on their air tanks. They grab their halligans and head in. You put on you SCBA and go in with them so you can use your hose to attack the fire from inside.

Inside a burning building, super-heated air can reach 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit at the ceiling. Thick smoke can make it impossible to see. When you add water to the mix, you also get scalding steam. Flames weaken the floors, and it is very easy for the fire to move up through ventilation shafts, stair cases and wall spaces. All this makes the interior of a burning building incredibly dangerous. The clearest and coolest air will be near the floor. You crawl through a building or duckwalk (a crouching walk) when you are near the flames to keep from getting scorched.

Another big danger is an explosion, also known as back draft. When you heat up a piece of wood, paper or cloth, it creates smoke. Smoke is a highly flammable gas made of vaporized fuel. If a lot of smoke builds up in an enclosed space like an upper hallway or an attic and then gets hot enough, it will create a huge explosion. Other firefighters on the team will cut holes in the roof and walls, and also break out windows, to let smoke escape so it does not build up. It's a process called ventilation. The holes also give other firefighters another way to pump in water from water cannons and snorkels.

Fortunately this fire is confined to two apartments right now. Gabino smashes the front door of the first one and heat and smoke pour out of the opening. You aim the stream of water from your hose at the flames. The rest of the team is searching each apartment and marking the doors as they go so that people don't mistakenly waste time re-searching. Fortunately there is no one left in the building. Because of the quick response, you and your team have this fire out within an hour.