This is a Flashover Simulator. It is made to simulate the conditions of a flashover. When the materials in a structure (i.e. home, warehouse, etc..) are heated during a fire, they can reach a temperature where all of the combustible materials will ignite simultaneously (approximately 1200 degrees). The right, raised side of the simulator is where the instructors will put five sheets of OSB (Particle board) and a barrel of burning material. We had a group of eleven firefighters and three instructors enter through the side door. Once the OSB starts to ignite, they will close the two back doors and control the fire with the side door and the roof vent. Basically, the fire will continue to burn until it starts to starve for air. At this point its Lights Out, or zero visibility through the thick, black, smoke that has accumulated in the structure. The temperature continues to rise as the fire is smoldering. The side door is opened to simulate a fire attack or search team entering the structure. This, of course, feeds air to the fire. Once the door is closed again, the smoke will begin to ignite. Yes. The SMOKE ignites because of the flammable gasses being released from the glue and wood in the OSB. The smoke is basically a layer of floating gas. The first revolution was very eye opening. The second revolution got so hot, that even with my fire gear and SCBA on, I felt I was going to pass out. I was sweating so much that I was blowing bubbles inside of my mask. I could feel tingling on my skin. In a real, uncontrolled, fire, if a firefighter is more than five feet from an exit when a flashover occurs, they will not survive. This training is meant to show us what to look for and keep us from getting into such a situation.
Posted on: Tue, 30 Sep 2014 02:54:46 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015