Why would any professional firefighter cause damage with tens of gallons of water outside the chimney?
This is one of the bread and butter jobs where the FRS excel. We pride ourselves on leaving the property as clean, if not cleaner, that before the fire. Great care is taken to ensure that no more than the required water is applied and the hearth is cleaned thouroughly on leaving. Our main attack is from the roof with water trickling from a hosereel, or from the hearth, usually with one bucket of water and a stirrup pump. The latter is becoming less common as fitted stoves and ranges seem to be prevalent and roof attack is required here. In either case the attack involves someone at the hearth/fire grate checking for any water coming down. This indicates that the fire is either out (no longer turning to steam), or is above (if fighting from the hearth) the area where the water is being applied. It is often easier to trickle water from the top and wait for the first drips at the hearth, but the tactics will depend on the layout of the flue and the safety considerations for the firefighters. Never do we cause damage from tens of gallons of water in the house. So another destruction of the rationale behind using DP as any clear up would only be needed if the messy powder system was used.
