Santana Row Development Fire (San Jose, California - August 2002) » Key Issues

Issues	Comments
Collapse Zones	The Santana Row complex quickly became fully involved and posed a significant potential for collapse. The incident commander established a collapse zone around the perimeter of the complex and removed personnel and apparatus out of harms way.
Communications	The initial incident rapidly progressed to five alarms and flying embers ignited a number of buildings downwind that ultimately developed into a separate, six alarm blaze. The two incidents generated a very heavy volume of radio traffic, which is common during large-scale incidents, and quickly overtaxed the city’s radio system.
Concurrent Incidents	Within a two-hour period, the San Jose Fire Department was confronted with two large-scale events that would over tax the capabilities of all, but the largest of fire departments. During these two events, the Department also responded to twelve EMS calls and four fires, which included a fire on the roof of a high-rise building that had been ignited by the flying embers from the Santana Row fire.
Construction	The building of origin covered approximately six acres and included six floors and a basement. Each floor contained approximately 225,000 square feet. The basement and the first two floors were constructed of reinforced concrete. The outer perimeters of the first two levels were to have been used for retail purposes and the remainder as parking. A third, but smaller, level for parking was built upon the top of the parking structure. Additionally, there were five separate, wood-frame residential structures, three stories in height. The majority of the structures did not have sheet-rock installed at the time of the fire.
Exposures	The fire spread to the Huff/Moorpark area when burning embers from the Santana Row fire became airborne and ignited a number of wooden roofs in the neighborhood, which was approximately one-half mile down wind.
Incident Management	A system for managing large-scale incidents must be in place and used in order to successfully manage incidents of this magnitude. The system should include provisions for the accountability of personnel and their continuing safety.
Fire Suppression Systems	Upon completion, the complex would have been fully sprinklered, but the systems were not operational at the time of the fire.
Mutual Aid/Automatic Aid	San Jose has a number of automatic aid agreements with its neighbors and automatic aid was included in the assignments to the Santana Row fire. Mutual aid agreements exist, but are more problematic because all mutual aid companies must be dispatched manually because they are not programmed into the City’s CAD system.
Pre-Incident Planning	Planning is essential in the management of a large-scale incident, which involves resources from multiple jurisdictions and that requires the interaction of multiple agencies.
Resources	The Santana Row fire required the commitment of 119 firefighters and thirty-one pieces of apparatus. The Huff/Moorpark fire required the commitment of 102 firefighters and thirty-four pieces of apparatus. Additional apparatus and personnel were required to respond to the sixteen incidents that occurred during the event as well as maintaining a reserve to ensure protection for the city while the incidents were brought under control.
Time of Day	The two multiple alarm blazes occurred during the middle of the afternoon, which resulted in the early detection of both incidents and may have prevented injuries and the loss of life that could have occurred had the fire occurred during the night when the residents of the Huff/ Moorpark area may have been asleep. However, the incidents contributed to congestion of the afternoon rush hour that not only inconvenienced motorists, but potentially delayed the arrival of the multiple alarm companies.

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