HUNTINGTON -- The Emmons Jr. apartment fire helped the Huntington Fire Department shape its high-rise attack plan, City Fire Marshal Dave Bias said.

Much of the plan already was done when fire ignited inside the apartment building on Jan. 13, 2007, but he said that night underscored some important lessons.

Bias said the crew learned the need to work with smaller, volunteer fire departments. It also helped the department modify the definition of a high-rise building. They realized the width and depth of a building can be just as important as its height.

"If you can imagine the West Virginia Building laid over on its side," he said. "(The warehouses) are larger than that."

The Emmons blaze required help from fire departments all over the region, including those in Cabell, Wayne and Lawrence County, Ohio. Bias said it stressed the need for Huntington's department to train with the other crews. He said it showed the city will need one person who can call the other departments, know what they have and what to request when a "once in every five years event" occurs.

Bias said a readiness to cooperate is one thing that smaller, volunteer departments may be better prepared for. The size of those departments often force them to work together. Huntington's department can handle most calls on its own.

"This whole process has really opened our eyes," he said. "Everyone thinks, 'Huntington Fire Department, we can easily cover anything that we need to,' and that is absolutely not true."

The need for cooperation and extra planning is underscored by the size of buildings within the city.

Not every building is a high rise, in terms of height, but Bias said a large hospital or warehouse could require the same personnel and equipment.

Bias said putting the high-rise plan into action on a "horizontal high rise" will help the department track its personnel and extend lines in situations involving large amounts of combustible material or people.

In general, Bias said the high-rise attack plan identifies the department's resources and how they will be used in such a response. It describes how ladders will be used and where they will be placed. It also sets forth protocol for calling in extra units, including off-duty city firefighters and volunteer departments from outside the city. It describes those units' role and where they will be placed.

National Video