Martinsville Fire & EMS

Air Track Management Program

Day #1

Why Are We Here?

Let’s ask ourselves some basic

questions….

How can this….

….become this in two minutes?

Two firefighters

killed on June 2, 2011

in San Francisco

California

Do We Really Understand Fire

Behavior?

• Two Connecticut Firefighters Burned in Flashover - February 10, 2012

• Report: Flashover Not Procedures Cited in San Francisco - February 13,

2012

• Two Maryland Firefighters Remain Hospitalized News - February 27, 2012

• N.J. Chief, Lt. Burned in Flashover During Rescue – February 8, 2012

• Close Calls: Firefighter Seriously Burned While Attempting - February

15th, 2012

• Flashover Injures 4 New Orleans - May 22nd, 2011

• Md. Firefighters Bail From Blaze After Flashover - Nine firefighters were

injured, two seriously - March 20th, 2011

• Burned Wis. Firefighters Discuss Bail Out - June 7th, 2011

If we do, why don’t we act like it?

What can we do to prevent this?

March 30, 2007 One Illinois firefighter killed and

another severely burned

So, Why Are We Here?

The Answers Are In This Course

John

Taylor

Course Overview – Part #1

April – June 2012

• Basic Fire Behavior

– Lean Flashover

– Vent Induced Flashover

– Backdraft

– Hot “Rich” Flashover

– Delayed Flashover

– Fire Gas Explosion

– Progressive Flashover

• MITCH

– Reading Smoke

• Practical Burns

– Fire Development

– Lean Flashover Burn

– Over Pressure –Under Pressure Burn

– Attack Burn

• Practical Skills

– Gas cooling

– Over pressure – Under pressure

Part #1 – Where we hope to be• Enhanced size-up abilities

• Ability to read the smoke

• Greater respect for the fire gases

• Increased understanding of fire behavior

• Use the air track to your advantage

• Understand the importance of interrupting the fire growth “timer”

• Gas cooling

• Under pressure extinguishing technique

• Over pressure – Under pressure flashover control technique

• Tactical Ventilation

• Positive Pressure

• Hot Smoke Tactics

– Door open to fire compartment

– Door closed to fire compartment

• Cold Smoke Tactics

• Scenario Burns

Course Overview – Part #2

September – October 2012

Bill Clark – (USA) 25 March 1995

“Fire-fighting Principles & Practices”

“Temper what you read with your own

judgement. If what you see conflicts with what

you read, believe what you see”,

Fire Behavior 101

Pyrolysis

There is more to our jobs than just 4 hours of classroom…

FlashoverBackdraft

Candle colourUsing Fire Behavior 101, what is happening here?

Candle colourPyrolysis (Decomposition)

Solid

Liquid

Gas

Candle colour

Why is there a gap?Why is the flame blue?

There is more that the textbooks have left out…

Terminology

Flammable Range

“Was that before or after you noticed you were standing in a lake of gasoline?”

Flammable Range• LEL = Lower Explosive Limit

– % Below this is too lean to burn

• UEL = Upper Explosive Limit

– % Above this is too rich to burn

• Ideal Mixture

– When a gas is mixed to this %, the combustion is the most powerful

• Auto Ignition Temperature

– Temperature at which a gas can ignite without an ignition source

– As a gas is heated to its auto ignition temperature, the flammable range expands.

– When a gas reaches its auto ignition temperature, the LEL will approach 0%

• Propane 2.1% - 10.1%

• Gasoline 1.4% - 7.6%

Carbon Monoxide

• Auto-Ignition Temperature

– 1128 degree Fahrenheit

• Flammable Range

– LEL – 12.5%

– UEL - 74%

• Used to be used in home heating and cooking

and was called Coal Gas.

Flammable Range - SprinklersFlammable Range

Candle colourDoes a candle have a UEL and LEL?

Candle colourLower Explosive Limit

(LEAN)

Upper Explosive Limit

(RICH)

Spectrum Line

Terminology

Ignition Sources

The widest flammable range in the world isn’t dangerous without the presence of an ignition source.

Ignition Sources

3 Categories

Open Source

Closed/ Concealed Source

Intermittent Source

Open Ignition SourceOpen Ignition Source

Closed Ignition SourceClosed/Concealed Ignition Source

Intermittent ignition SourceIntermittent Ignition Source

Terminology

Combustible Gases

Smoke burns, but what is smoking?

Combustible Gases Demonstration

What is smoking?

Normal Gases(Legacy)

• Wood, Paper, etc…

• Flammable range 50-95%

• Energy: 27 BTU’s/ft3

• 14.5 PSI

High Energy Gases(Modern)

• Plastics, Rubber, PU Foam, etc…

• Flammable range 20-60%

• Energy: 403 BTU’s/ft3

• 116 PSI

What are the practical implications?

• Smoke burns.

• We must respect the gases!

• We should select tactics that will allow us to

get the job done and minimize our exposure to

smoke.

TERMINOLOGY

Pressure

• For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction…..

Candle colour

Candle colourOver Pressure (+)

Under Pressure (-)Under Pressure (-)

Neutral Zone (0)

PressurePressure = Air Track

There is no under pressure until you have over pressure

Under Pressure (-)

Over Pressure (+)

Neutral Zone (0)

Under Pressure (-)

Over Pressure (+)

Neutral Zone (0)

Practical Implications

• The air track tells us where the fire is getting

air and where it is going.

• If we control the air track we control the fire.

• Size-up should now include determining the

air track and how we can use it to our

advantage.

The Mechanism of Fire

• Fuel Controlled Fire

• Ventilation Controlled Fire

“Fire Is Predictable”

Fuel Controlled Fire

• Fire limited by the available fuel

• Fuel phase burning – “Square Foot” fire

• Direct attack is the answer

Ventilation Controlled Fire• Fire limited by the available oxygen

• Fire transitions to this state at lean flashover .

• Heavy accumulation of fire gases that can lead to rapid fire progress.

• These fires present a three dimensional threat or volumetric threat.

• “Cubic foot” fire

• The burning and heated gases must be dealt with first. Then the remaining fuel phase burning.

Fuel Controlled Fire

• Fire Behavior Video

Mechanism of FireThe ‘Mechanism of Fire’Level of the smoke can be used to predict flammability

Practical Implications

• Select tactics based on the burning regime.

• Use the level of the smoke layer to predict its

flammability.

Practical Implications - Review

• We should select tactics that will allow us to

get the job done and minimize our exposure to

smoke.

• Size-up should now include determining the

air track and how we can use it to our

advantage.

• Select tactics based on the burning regime.

• Use the level of the smoke layer to predict its

flammability.

Questions?

• Practical Sessions

• Fire Behavior Simulator

• Safety Procedures in the Air Track

Management Unit

ATM Training Area Lay-Out

Fire Behavior Burn GRA

1 - Lead Instructor

2 – Side Door Instructor

3 – Front Door Instructor