Throwback Thursday post: Original posting date November 30th, 2007.

Ryan Royal from Colorado Springs Truck 19 sent in an interesting find. These photos are of two different structures he found in his downtown area. It’s becoming more common to find these elevated exterior doors in downtown redevelopment areas.

The first photo shows that the doors on the left open onto a fire escape, but the doors on the right open to nothing more than a large fall. Notice that this particular building is at least 5 stories tall.

The second photo is of a 3 story building. The door was found open just like it is shown; it wasn’t opened for the picture. These doors are sometimes left in working order to provide a natural ventilation opening for the occupants during the warmer months. The 2×4 across the opening is the only fall protection available. It would, of course, be easily found while in the crawling position.

These doors could pose a significant hazard to our interior crews. One of these doors could be left open prior to the fire, or inadvertently forced open during the fire. Once again, knowing your area, and trying to get a full view of the building is critical.