CATCHING FIREBY GENA K. GORRELL

Brooks Bowden

Character/Conflict

Turnout Gear Basic turnout gear includes a protective coat and

pants – designed to resist heat, cuts, and many chemicals – and heavy duty boots reinforced with

steel. There’s a hood to cover the face and neck, and special heatproof gloves. A rigid helmet protects the

firefighter against heat , chemicals, and sharp or heavy objects. Its flop-up face shield covers the

eyes, fabric flaps pull down to protect the ears, and a chin strap holds the helmet firmly in place. Although this protection is necessary, it has its disadvantages. “You’re not aware of how intense the heat is.” points

out Captain Ray Mattison.

Turnout gear

“A blazing airplane is a huge emergency that calls for a massive response. Fortunately, though, blazing airplanes are extremely

rare, and it’s obviously not practical to keep a hundred firefighters at the airport just in case a plane catches fire this year. How can a small crew deal with a crisis this size?” (89)

Because airport engines like this one have to rush straight to a emergency, they are often all-terrain vehicles, with enormous tires, crash bars, and

reinforced fronts. If there is a fence in the way, they will go right through it. These airport engines are designed to be controlled by only one firefighter, that way they can mobilize as many engines as possible with a small crew.

“Arsonists are aware that property- perhaps huge tracts of town or forest- may be destroyed. They know that innocent residents or

passerby may suffer and even die. They know that firefighters will risk their lives to control the blaze and search for victims. So why do

they do it? Arson for profit: if a store isn't doing well and the merchandise is insured and accidently burns up the insurance

company will have to pay for those lost items. Incidental arson: setting somebody’s house or business on fire to get even or hurt the

enemy.” (99)

A flame is the basic tool of an arsonist, something which can be purchased very cheap in the form of matches or a cigarette lighter. The advanced arsonist would utilize

special tools and techniques to control when and how a fire is started. For example, a brick tied to the ceiling with string separated on the brick side by a match pad igniter placed on a flat board on the edge of a table with a plastic container of petrol on the table side, if a hole is poked in the base of the container petrol will spill out on the

ground and when it has become lighter than the brick the brick will fall to the ground separating and initiating the match pad which in turn explodes the fuel causing fire.

Other kinds of clothing are used for special purposes. Fire crews working with dangerous chemicals may wear a splash suit to protect them against spills and splashes, or

encapsulationg suits

Setting

“waterfronts pose special fire risks. They are often lined with wooden docks and warehouses, and the wood may be soaked with creosote, a flammable chemical, to keep it from rotting.

The warehouses may contain dangerous materials that change week by week, as one cargo arrives and another leaves, and

there may be giant fuel-storage tanks as well.” (86)

Firefighters use fire boats, as seen in the picture above, that have very powerful water cannons to fight the blaze from a safe distance. They have strong pumps that suck up water from below instead of carrying it in large tanks. Sometimes they will set the burning ship adrift so there is no damage done to surrounding

things.

“There are also planes that can scoop up water from nearby lakes, and dump it on the fire or on endangered woods nearby. Planes can also blanket the woods with

slurry, a fir retardant, to cut off the fire’s oxygen supply.” (87)

Seen above to the right is a water bomber filling up with water by skimming the surface of the water. Its tank holds about 1400 gallons of water. These are used to extinguish wildfires, one of the most widespread and fast moving fire.

Wildfires are a healthy part of forest regeneration because the charred remains of the healthy wood keep the nutrients so when new plants grow back

they are better then ever, but fire may also do long lasting damage to the forest floor. a cigarette- it acts just like a match, starting just a few leaves,

then turns into half a million acres of forest burned away.

“And what could be more frightening then a fire in space – like the 1997 blaze on the soviet space station Mir when an oxygen tank burst into flames that fire extinguishers couldn’t put out. This is why the location and/or timing of the fire is very important.” (83)

The picture above shows oxygen burning, notice how it is not a typical fire, the flame is blue this is because the gas is burning extremely hot and if you were trapped in a space with this kind of fire it would be extremely painful and hard to put out.

The picture above to the right shows a specialized oxygen tank that would relieve pressure if it were to get too hot. It does not release any oxygen into the air because oxygen is flammable. If it had to the tank would release into the four holding chambers you see on the side of the tank.

Author’s purpose I think the author of this book, Gena K. Gorrell wants us to learn and be educated about different fire situations and how to handle them. I infer this because she tells

us the possible outcomes of these situations and they are not good

outcomes at all. For example she tells us on page 91 that the crew skipped safety precautions to save time and money on a boat so when the fire started all 134 crew

members perished out to sea.