“The ice builds up on our tools, our ladders, which becomes a safety problem,” Mr. Fitzgerald said. “And inside the building it can become like an ice-skating rink. It adds a whole bunch of different obstacles for us to fight the fire and to make rescues.”
Fire officials said there were also instances when ladders froze and were unable to extend.
Emergency responders in other cities have encountered similar issues during frigid winter months. When a three-alarm fire erupted inside a building in East Boston over the weekend, firefighters there encountered a frozen hydrant, which slowed their ability to combat the blaze. Everyone in the building survived, though several firefighters were injured after falling on ice.
“The challenges are immense,” said Joseph E. Finn, the Boston fire commissioner. “The potential for frozen hydrants can hamper our ability to get water on the fires quickly.”
Mr. Finn said frozen hydrants used to be a common problem in the city, but in recent years efforts were stepped up to check and maintain them. During periods of heavy snowfall, firefighters dig out hydrants to make sure they are available.
Similarly, in Toronto, where temperatures are expected to drop into the single digits this week, Chief Matthew Pegg said his firefighters are trained to fight fires in extremely cold conditions. Fire vehicles are also equipped with onboard heating systems and pump heaters, he said. Mr. Pegg said hoses are never turned off, so as to prevent the water from freezing.
Mr. Pegg said he also worked closely with the Toronto Transit Commission to make sure there are buses nearby to keep displaced residents warm.
But, Mr. Pegg said, in spite of preparation, challenges persist. Last year this time, he said, there were several major fires in mansions, and efforts to battle them were complicated by heavy snowfall.
“The road conditions were difficult and more dangerous,” he said. “It takes longer to respond.”
When a hydrant is shut off, leakage can occur in the valve and, over a period of months, water can leak into the pipe and freeze, said Glenn Corbett, an associate professor in the department of security, fire, and emergency management at John Jay College.
“Time is of the essence in a fire,” he said. “We’re talking about minutes here, not an hour. A frozen hydrant can really mess things up.”
But James Long, a spokesman for Fire Department, said the delay in the Bronx was only “momentary.”
Firefighter supervisors also have to carefully manage how long a firefighter is working in the cold, said Greg Cade, director of government affairs with the National Fire Protection Association.
“You really have to pay attention to the crews and rotate them on a more frequent basis because of potential issues with hypothermia,” he said. “It is a miserable time.”
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