Firefighters and Flashover. (courtesy of Firefighterhourly.com)
Flashover is the sudden involvement of a room or compartment in flames, floor to ceiling, caused by thermal radiation feedback. It's difficult to survive a flashover though not impossible. Ask the Indian Hill - Madeira firefighters or the two St. Andrews firefighters who rescued the employee at the Sofa Super Store. It should be noted that even with full PPE a flashover will burn firefighters.
Human skin burns at temperatures exceeding 125 degrees F. Wearing full protective equipment is necessary and knowing fire dynamics is essential. Here are a few signs of flashover:
--- If you feel sudden heating through your bunker gear and it's extreme, chances are the room is heading for a flashover.
Rollover is when darting fire appears in thick, black smoke. Rollover is a precursor to flashover. If you see rollover beware.
--- Thick black smoke is another sign and taken in aggregate with the above all serve as a warning that flashover is likely to occur.
Flashover signals the end of a fires growth stage and begins the period wherein a collapse can take place. All contents in the room are burning. In short, unless firefighters are instructed on fire behavior, the likelihood of knowing the warning signs is low. Survival depends on knowledge.
Flashover is the sudden involvement of a room or compartment in flames, floor to ceiling, caused by thermal radiation feedback. It's difficult to survive a flashover though not impossible. Ask the Indian Hill - Madeira firefighters or the two St. Andrews firefighters who rescued the employee at the Sofa Super Store. It should be noted that even with full PPE a flashover will burn firefighters.
Human skin burns at temperatures exceeding 125 degrees F. Wearing full protective equipment is necessary and knowing fire dynamics is essential. Here are a few signs of flashover:
--- If you feel sudden heating through your bunker gear and it's extreme, chances are the room is heading for a flashover.
Rollover is when darting fire appears in thick, black smoke. Rollover is a precursor to flashover. If you see rollover beware.
--- Thick black smoke is another sign and taken in aggregate with the above all serve as a warning that flashover is likely to occur.
Flashover signals the end of a fires growth stage and begins the period wherein a collapse can take place. All contents in the room are burning. In short, unless firefighters are instructed on fire behavior, the likelihood of knowing the warning signs is low. Survival depends on knowledge.
Take the time to discuss who has experienced the above description. If you're in that situation what do you do? Nozzle pattern? Direction?
No comments:
Post a Comment