An enormous warehouse is engulfed in flames. Let's go get on the roof!
I am not an expert on fire or firefighting, but this seems like something they wouldn't do.
sharea very flammable idea.
Hey, sprechen sie talk?
Venting the heated gases and smoke caused by the fire is an important part of firefighting and has to be accomplished above the fire floor. Typically firefighters will break windows or cut holes in the roof to vent. Venting is usually done by the ladder or truck company while the engine company pumps the water to fight the fire.
let's go and say a prayer for a boy who couldn't run as fast as I could
Op is actually right. The fire was already vented hence all the shots of fire coming out of the windows. In real life there would have been no reason to get on the roof. However its a movie so logic goes out the window.
shareOP is right in that a raging multi alarm fire such as this was would have to be asessed in rgards to danger to personel on arrival. Visible fire showing and multi floor envolvment would garner caution. However if the structure is sound IE metal or brick small groups can be sent to the roof to see if it stable. Your assesment that the fire is venting already by it shooting out windows already negates what is occuring inner structure. Hot spots within the building super heated with no way of escape fuel the fire making it harder to put out. Roof venting is needed to rid this . No amount of water being dumped in the windwos would reach that hot spot. aA Surround and drown tactic would be used to allow the building to burn to the ground as a total loss, with no extension to other structures.
Second problem here. While on the roof it is stable. Folks walking around, holes being cut, guys poking for weak spots and marking it off. What you hear as soon as Brian gets up there, is a guy yell out "Everyone off the roof, they are pulling the plug." In essence the pressure keepig the roof up is now weak. Lower floors are being punched into so the roof is no longer safe. Had that not occured, they could have stayed up there for longer and properly vented. I would agree this is risky and un-neededas the amount of fire showing means that building is a total loss. let it burn and keep it contained with ladder and hose companies.
But it was Hollywood so I guess a little added goofiness was needed for the story to have the ending it did.