Not just what and how, but why!
This morning I begin the process of relocation to beautiful Whidbey Island, Washington. Later this week I begin my new job as Fire Chief with Central Whidbey Island Fire & Rescue. Coupeville Harbor at Sunrise As I have been packing and preparing for my move all weekend, I have not had time to develop an … Read more
As discussed in prior Reading the Fire posts and the ongoing series examining fire behavior indicators (FBI), using the B-SAHF (Building, Smoke, Air Track, Heat, and Flame) organizing scheme, developing proficiency requires practice. This post provides an opportunity to exercise your skills using three video segments shot during an apartment fire. Apartment Fire The Alexandria, … Read more
The previous post in this series, My Nozzle, examined the importance of nozzle knowledge and skill in using the firefighters primary weapon in offensive firefighting operations. Figure 1. Practice is Essential to Effective Nozzle Technique Note: These Fire Officers from Rijeka, Croatia are practicing the short pulse to place water fog into the hot gas … Read more
As discussed in Flashover and Fully Developed Fires: Key Fire Behavior Indicators, providing additional oxygen to a ventilation controlled fire will result in a corresponding increase in heat release rate (HRR). This occurs because oxygen is required to release the chemical potential energy in fuel. The energy released per unit of mass of oxygen is … Read more
Warfare is often used as a metaphor for firefighting with fire being the enemy and the building the ground on which we fight. Extending warfare as a metaphor, handline nozzles are firefighters’ principle weapon in offensive firefighting operations. In the early 1940s Major General William H. Rupertus, United States Marine Corps (USMC), wrote the Rifleman’s … Read more
This post continues examination of key indicators used to recognize stages of fire development (i.e., incipient, growth, fully developed, and decay), burning regimes (i.e., fuel and ventilation controlled) with a look at indicators of the fully developed stage of fire development. Most buildings are comprised of multiple, interconnected compartments and fire conditions can vary widely … Read more
On 12-16 October 2009 a group of compartment fire behavior training (CFBT) instructors representing six nations gathered for a seminar at the Myndigheten för Samhällsskydd och Beredskap (MSB) (Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency) College in Sandö, Sweden. This was a unique event in that the group had the opportunity to learn the history of Swedish fire … Read more
Open Enrollment CFBT Level I & Instructor Courses CFBT-US, LLC and the Northwest Association of Fire Trainers (NAFT) will be offering CFBT Level I and Instructor Courses at the Clackamas County (OR) Fire District I CFBT facility. CFBT Level I 7-9 November 2009 Course Fee: $335 CFBT Instructor 9-13 November 2009 Course Fee: $915 Instructor … Read more
Chicago Dollar Store Fire On the morning of October 1, 2009 the Chicago Fire Department (CFD) responded to a fire in the Super Dollar and Up store at 3952 West Cermak Road. CFD Senior Fire Alarm Operator and Fire Photographer Steve Redick captured early incident operations on video. The first segment of the video was … 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. As discussed in Townhouse Fire: Washington, DC-Computer Modeling Part I, this was one of the first cases where the NIST Fire … Read more