Not just what and how, but why!
Building Factors, Smoke, Air Track, Heat, and Flame (B-SAHF) are critical fire behavior indicators. Understanding the indicators is important, but more important is the ability to integrate these factors in the process of reading the fire as part of size-up and dynamic risk assessment. This post reviews application of the B-SAHF organizing scheme to recognizing … Read more
This post continues study of an incident in a townhouse style apartment building in Washington, DC with examination of the extreme fire behavior that took the lives of Firefighters Anthony Phillips and Louis Mathews. A Quick Review Prior posts in this series, Fire Behavior Case Study of a Townhouse Fire: Washington, DC and Townhouse Fire: … Read more
The first post in this series, Reading the Fire: How to Improve Your Skills, I discussed building a concept map of fire behavior indicators as a method to increase competence in reading the fire. In the 12 posts that followed, we have explored each of the categories of the B-SHAF organizing scheme by developing a … Read more
This post continues study of an incident that resulted in two line-of-duty deaths as a result of extreme fire behavior in a townhouse style apartment building in Washington, DC. A Quick Review The previous post in this series, Fire Behavior Case Study of a Townhouse Fire: Washington, DC examined building construction and configuration that had … Read more
The previous post in this series, Reading the Fire: Flame Indicators briefly looked at flames, the visible, light-emitting product of combustion and identified several basic categories of flame related fire behavior indicators as illustrated in Figure 1. Figure 1. Basic Flame Indicators As with each of the B-SAHF (building, smoke, air track, heat, and flame) … Read more
I had intended to continue discussion of flame indicators in this post, but was motivated to address a common fire service myth based on information presented in an article in the New Canaan (Connecticut) Advertiser’s on-line newspaper titled Real ‘Backdraft’. Figure 1. Backdraft Demonstration Note: Photos of backdraft demonstration at the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency … Read more
This series of posts focused on Understanding Flashover has provided a definition of flashover; examined flashover in the context of fire development in both fuel and ventilation controlled fires; and looked at the importance of air track on rapid fire progression through multiple compartments. To review prior posts see: Myths and Misconceptions Myths and Misconceptions: … Read more
In Reading the Fire: How to Improve Your Skills, I discussed building a concept map of fire behavior indicators as a method to increase competence in reading the fire. Construction of a concept map increases awareness of key indicators and understanding their interrelationships. I am working through this process along with you, with the latest … Read more
This is the fourth in a series of posts dealing with flashover, to review prior posts see: Understanding Flashover: Myths and Misconceptions Understanding Flashover: Myths and Misconceptions: Part 2 The Ventilation Paradox As previously discussed flashover requires sufficient heat release rate for the temperature of fuel packages within a compartment to increase sufficiently to ignite … Read more
Reading the Fire Heat Indicators briefly examined energy, temperature, and heat in thermodynamic systems, and introduced the two major categories of heat related fire behavior indicators: those that we can see (visual) and others that can be felt (tactile) as illustrated in Figure 1. Figure 1. Basic Heat Indicator Categories Heat Indicators Part 2 elaborated … Read more