...to be facing. During those five precious minutes, someone's house is a blaze with fire. It is your duty to put that fire out, preserve as much as possible, and protect life. Do you think you could handle so much responsibility, pressure, and risk? I know I could. It is a dream of mine to become a firefighter in all sense of the word. I enjoy the thought of risk taking and even helping people, which is why I think that this profession would be just right for me. Ever since I was about 11 years old, and my house had caught fire, had I wanted to be a firefighter. Just watching all of those skilled firefighters mesmerized me. They had such precision and knew exactly what to do in what seemed every situation that would be thrown at them. I feel as though this is their personality and traits added to this accuracy at being so good at what they do. I also have quick reflexes, good stamina, and I tend to think of myself as a fast and logical thinking, just as they all were. I chose this career not only for my liking to it, but also because of the growth in the profession. Firefighting is a field that has potential for growth in the coming years, the education, requirements, and dedication are all equally important to this extremely dangerous, yet exciting job. Firefighting is one of the most dangerous jobs out in the occupation world today. Summed up as a whole, firefighters are trained to fight fires, rescue people in need and provide medical services for humans and animals. There are...
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...The word fire is defined by webster as the phenomenon of combustion manifested in light, flame, and heat. What this definiton does not tell you is how dangerous a fire can be if you are not aware of its capability to spread and grow rapidly. Fires can be very dangerous and harmful. It is important to education each other as much as possibe to help prevent injries or deadly accidents. There are four stages that happen in every fire. Those stages are Incipient, Growth, Fully Developed, and Decay. Each stage plays a role in every fire. Understanding each stage, and how to handle or prevent it is critical in becoming in control of a fire. Flameovers and backdrafts are not consider stages, but also are definitely factors of a fire. These factors sometimes can be prevented. Some methods of prevention are taugh at fire academies, or fire schools, to new firefighters, and are constistly being developed. Incipient, also know as the "ignition" stage, is the first stage of a fire. In this stage smoke may began before the fire actually flames up. This is the stage where heat, oxygen, and a fuel source combine to ignite the fire. At this stage it can be controlled by a household fire extinguinsher. Growth is the second stage of a fire. With the initial flame used as a heat sourse, more flames flare up. Flaring up makes the size of the fire increase and the plume reaches the ceiling. In a room hot gases meet at the celing of the roomwhich cause all fuels in that room...
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...ether, Methyl alcohol, Acetone. 9. Combustible Metals (provide examples): a metal that will combust under heat. Some examples are: Calcium, Magnesium, Sodium. 10. Carboxyhemoglobin: A compound found in the blood by binding carbon monoxide and hemoglobin. 11. Chemical Energy (provide examples of the two types): Energy stored in the bonds of chemical compounds released or taken in during exothermic and endothermic reactions. An example of an exothermic reaction is a fire burning. An example of an endothermic reaction is photosynthesis. 12. Concentration: the relative amount of a given substance contained within a solution or in a particular volume of space. 13. BTU: British thermal unit which is a traditional work equal to 1055 joules. 14. Joule: the SI unit of Work or Energy. 15. Fire: Combustion or burning in which substances combined chemically with oxygen in the air and typically give out bright light heat and smoke. 16. Fire Point: The lowest temperature at which a substance can continue to burn. 17. Fire Tetrahedron: A four-sided geometric...
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...http://www.firefighterclosecalls.com/news/fullstory/newsid/204329 Research Articles Two Albuquerque firefighters responded to a arson fire when one fell through the floor of the home. He said that upon arriving on scene they noted flames coming from the second story of the home and proceeded to engage the fire on the second story after making entry. firefighter Andes reports that he took one step onto the second floor when it started to give way but his partner Lt. Lang reached out and grabbed his strap to save him. This article demonstrates why it is important for fire fighters to always work in teams as well as why it is also vital to always check for floor stability before proceeding onto a fire floor on any multistory structure. http://www.firefighterclosecalls.com/news/fullstory/newsid/204186 In this article a tanker from a volunteer department in Readington New Jersey was overturned injuring a 54 year old veteran volunteer firefighter as well as a deputy chief. It does not state if they where responding to a call or not but does say that this is the second time in which this department has wrecked a fire truck in the last month. Both men where medevac'd from the scene with reported head injures. This is a prime example of why it is vital to drive safely and know what your different apparatuses are capable of. Tankers are always a risk due to water surge and should be handled with this in mind. Better to drive slower and get to the scene safely than to push...
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...A fire warden is a vital part of ensuring your organisation is prepared in case of an emergency. Fire warden training is essential so the warden learns how to act in an emergency, implements or improves existing emergency procedures and how to lead evacuation and fire drills properly. What is Fire Warden Training? Fire warden training is specific courses designed to teach an individual how to act and respond per their duties as a fire warden. Some of the duties include assisting in creating or enhancing current evacuation procedures in the workplace, preventing fire emergencies by monitoring risk factors, raising awareness of any potential fire hazards in the workplace, teaching staff members appropriate behavior during an emergency and executing fire and other emergency drills. A fire warden is also responsible for teaching staff members about various emergency situations, ensuring all workers are accounted for during an emergency event and assisting any staff members in evacuation if they need the help. What is Covered in Fire Warden Training?...
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...Fire Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction products. Fire in its most common form can result in conflagration, which has the potential to cause physical damage through burning. Fire is an important process that affects ecological systems across the globe. The positive effects of fire include stimulating growth and maintaining various ecological systems. Fire has been used by humans for cooking, generating heat, signaling, and propulsion purposes. The negative effects of fire include water contamination, soil erosion, atmospheric pollution and hazard to human and animal life. PHASES OF A FIRE First Phase – Incipient Oxygen content 20% - 21% with ceiling temperatures of approximately 37˚ C°. At this stage the produces of combustion are water vapour, carbon dioxide and sulphur dioxiode, and hot gases rising. Smoldering fires my last for a few seconds to several hours before breaking into flames. A large volume of smoke will be present until flaming starts and then progress is rapid. Second Phase – free burning, flame producing or steady state At this stage the oxygen content is 15% - 19% and the ceiling temperatures are above 537°C and the products of combustion are water vapour, carbon dixiode, carbon monoxide and sulphur dioxide. There large quantities of dark grey smoke and rapid destruction of combustible materials. It is at this point that flash over occurs. Flash...
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...years is what they’ve predicted. Sure, when the days are 45 or higher in the mercury, then we’re all a little on edge. But when is the last time we’ve had high winds, low humidity and high temperatures? All in one day? It’s been years I reckon. Years since the perfect conditions. In the service we call this… a ‘crossover’. Happens rarely but when it does… yeesh. All the old blokes tell us about when they’ve had crossovers. You mention the word crossover to any firefighter and they will have a wealth of stories about fires with a hundred metre flame heights, flames running faster then you can sprint, the immense heat, and the sheer terror. Terror that gives seasoned firefighters nightmares. I’ve never witnessed a crossover before, unfortunately I joined a few years after Red Friday, the last known crossover to occur during a bushfire season. A few of the officers were at that fire; they’ve all left the brigade now. The officers will have lots to tell us about crossover fires, we just shrub them off, “yeah yeah”, we say, don’t worry, we’ve done our training. We’re prepared. All these old farts go on and on about this all the time, even though the boys, Jason and I included, are a bit young, we can handle it. A brigade full of young, fit and enthusiastic volunteers. Aged from 17 to 30, and then you got the few high officers that have been in the brigade 30 or 40 odd years. Although we haven’t seen a big season before, that doesn’t mean we can’t handle it. * * * Five weeks is how much...
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...Accidents happen when we least expect them. When your premises catches fire, it can be one of the most traumatizing moments in your life. A fire accident on any property is a recipe for disaster. It pinches hard to see your favorite things blazed in the fire. Sometimes the damage is so severe that you cannot be in a position to salvage anything. Remember that at that time, you are normally in shock and confused on what to do next. If you find yourself in that situation, it is advisable that you seek the services of a professional to come and do fire damage restoration. This undertaking is very important to you as a property owner because it will go a long way in restoring your premises to a condition that is fit for human habitation. The following...
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...Why people don't respond to alarm signals People often fail to respond quickly to fire alarm signals. A common example: In a hotel, a fire alarm sounds late at night. Only a handful of people actually dress and leave (often using the elevators). A few people call the front desk. Many people periodically poke their heads out their doors to see what's going on. But mostly, people simply wait for the alarm signal to stop. Eventually, the alarm either shuts off, or someone (hopefully) comes to tell them that there is a real emergency and they must leave. This problem has aggravated and perplexed fire safety professionals over the years. Some denounce the public for their stupidity in failing to recognize the potential danger indicated by a fire alarm signal. Their concern is valid: in many fire emergencies, a rapid response is critical to survival. But attributing the problem to public stupidity is inaccurate and of no value in correcting the problem. In reality, people are simply exhibiting natural tendencies. Why don't people respond to alarm systems? There are several reasons. In this essay, these reasons are divided into two main categories: Alarm signals as sources of information. Other reasons why people do and don't respond apart from the information-value of alarm signals. Alarm signals as a source of information. In order to understand why people fail to respond to alarm signals, we need to look at the information-value of alarm signals. By information-value...
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...Fire Prevention: Prepared or Not Eric Brown Kaplan University Fire Prevention Practices FS-105 09 Prof. Chipper Wilkerson 9/30/13 Abstract Does fire prevention need to be taught before you get formal education to put out the fire? Once you know how and why it started can that make a difference in how you go about teaching fire prevention or even to put out the fire. This is a different way to think about fire prevention that has to be looked into to find out if this is a better way. Engineering, Education and Enforcement have worked for now maybe it’s time to change the The Three E’s around and make education the most important. The Job of Fire Prevention The implementation of the fire bureau has led to better enforcement of life safety codes and inspections to help prevent fires from happening. There have been many instances in history that show how fire prevention could have saved lives. What has to be done to reinvent the idea of fire prevention? How many fire departments do fire prevention every day, my guess would be not many. Fire prevention should be taught every week not just during fire prevention week for the idea to help prevent fires from happening. The U.S. population has the mentality that fires only happen to others and not me and if it does I am insured attitude(Hensler, 2011). Some firefighters receive their training on fire prevention on the job, but does that mean they are being taught by someone who has had formal training or was...
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...When we all started our carrers as firefighters wheatear we knew it or not we were all at the mercey of those more experienced at the station. While this typically what you would expect to see at the fire station it can definatily be a double edged sord. While rookie firefighters get the opputunity to be guided in the right the direction by the more seasoned firefighters the opposite is also true, and can lead the rookie down the wrong path. This can be attributed to a lot of reasons including: the seasoned firefighter has been taught the wrong path themselves, they may not have the patentece to guide a rookieor are have poor teaching skills, and of course they may just not care. Barring the last example(because we all know we work at a good station) the other examples can be detrimental to the new firefighter succeeding. A lot of what we do in the fire service can only be perfected through experience. Tring new ways to accomplish a small task is the firefighter way. Much of the basics of what we do in the fire service is learned at a fire school but is taught as general information with the understanding that each induvudal department, station and shft have their own way to handle fireground activities. This is a completely acceptable practice, it is part of the captains job to gage their crews skills abilities as well as have an understanding of their still alarm territory and target hazards. When a rookie firefighter first comes to the station sometimes it is easy to...
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...During the unloading process at the HLF Polyurethane Manufacturing plants, a vapor return line ruptured causing a fire. This is due to a nearby welding operations at gave the vapor a point of ignition. The product that was being delivered to the manufacturing plant was toluene diisocyanate (TDI), and methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI), which are products used in the production of polyurethane. Once the fire was recognized the alarm was sounded and the emergency response team was notified. The fire department was notified and the command area was establish and the emergency response plan was put into action by the incident commander. The emergency response team was not able to isolate the source, ultimately turning over the incident command and control of the fire to the fire department upon their arrival (Meyer, 2014). Two of the hazardous material that are used to manufacture polyurethane is toluene diisocyanate (TDI), and methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI). Toluene diisocyanate contains a list of hazard that can be identified on the Safety Data Sheet, it is extremely toxic of inhaled, it is considered a carcinogen, and can cause skin reactions....
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...Explain the fire principals of wildland fires. And how their behavior differs from structure fires. The basic fire principals consist of five principals that go into fire behavior. Principal one is the fire triangle or Tetrahedron. The fire triangle consists of having heat, fuel, and oxygen. Removing one of these elements from the triangle and the fire will eventually die out. Principal two is method of heat transfer. Therefore, if heat is transfer from direct contact, liquid or air. A fire of some sort could arise. Methods such as convection, conduction, and radiation. Which is known to be the number one cause of any fire exposure. Principal three in stages and fire growth. This talks about the stages of a fires lowest point of ignition...
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...A smouldering fire is a slow, low-temperature, flameless form of combustion which occurs under the conditions of restricted air supply and limited heat loss. In this case, a flame fire could have started, electrically, which might have been transformed into a smouldering one due to a reduction of oxygen in the closed room flat environment. The combustion products of a smouldering fire may be high with a minute amount of mass loss. Thus, deaths in the case of smouldering fires tend to occur after a long time especially if the death has occurred in a room away from the fire origin (Babrauskas, and Krasny, 1997). The 'site' of a flame fire in this case does gently push the smoke of the consequent smouldering fire away from itself, through the half-opened door into the living room. There is no other 'breeze' in the flat to disrupt this air-flow direction of the smoke. The...
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...The Evolution of Fire Investigation and Its Impact on Arson Cases Journal Article by Kevin Weitzel Arson investigation is an ever changing field of science and crime investigation. Arson investigators need to be highly educated in their field and unfortunately most are not properly educated resulting in many high profile cases being unfinished or citizens being wrongly convicted. This paper will cover an article by John J. Lentini discussing these topics. Fire investigation is a complex field of work that unfortunately is not drawing in college graduates because of its low pay scale. This in turn makes being a fire investigator just a matter of learning from the older more experienced fire investigators who they themselves were never properly educated. To quote Lentini (p. 1 2012) “The reality is that the fire investigation profession has within its ranks a large number of individuals who don’t know what they’re doing”. This is quite a disturbing thing to read, professional testimonies we rely on to send people away for 10, 20, or even 50 years in prison could be complete hacks, taught by hacks, and really have no idea what they’re doing but nobody else will question them either, which makes all of this a lot worse. In 1994, a group of scientists including John J. Lentini developed a position paper stating that an accelerate detecting canine (ADC) alert was in fact not suitable for a jury to hear but were in fact much more suitable as a means to prove probable cause to...
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