Frankenmuth

Ask Frankenmuth Fire Chief Phillip Kerns what has changed in his three decades of being a firefighter and he will point you to the below information contained in an article written by Kevin Kuntz, ISO Chief Engineer that is spot on. Kerns advised this is why today's firefighters are required to have much more training than ever before. According to Kuntz, changes in building codes (built environment) and the contents of structures are creating new challenges on the front lines of firefighting. Knowledge and understanding about trends and current challenges are critical to better prepare for and support fire prevention and firefighting efforts. TODAY'S FIRE ENVIRONMENT The chart below compares old style, traditional housing construction to modern practices and gives a view of key changes in the fire environment over recent years: FIRE BEHAVIOR IS CHANGING Traditional fire behavior indicated a fire would start and then grow from the incipient (beginning) stage until it was fully developed. However, groundbreaking research and experimentation led by National Institute of Standards & Testing, Underwriters Laboratories, and others over the last two decades have shown that modern fire behavior can be quite different than in the past. The change in fire behavior is due in large part to the much higher fire load (materials that burn) resulting from more synthetics in construction materials and contents as well as changes in the geometry and layout of modern structures. Newer homes are built to be energy-efficient and are more tightly sealed; as a result, they don't "breathe" as well as older homes did. As the modern fire grows from its incipient (beginning) stage, the more combustible synthetic fuel load causes temperatures to rise faster and higher than the traditional fire. The higher fuel load has more of an appetite for oxygen, and this increased demand coupled with the energy-efficiency of the modern structure can cause the fire to become "ventilation-limited." A ventilation-limited fire is a much more unstable situation, where the intensity of the fire decreases with a resulting temperature decrease due to the lack of oxygen. The fire can become dormant, but the heat and fuel portions of the fire triangle can still be present in a major way—just waiting for the introduction of the third portion of the fire triangle: oxygen. When oxygen is introduced, as when the fire department opens a door or ventilates a window, the oxygen can mix with the heated fuel resulting in rapid fire growth. This can lead quickly to a condition called flashover, a rapid transition to a fully developed fire. In cases where the fire has available oxygen The Changing Story of Firefighting: A Tale That Needs to be Told THEN NOW Small homes on big lots Big homes on small lots Closed, compartmentalized house layouts Open-concept house layouts Solid lumber, wood siding, paper/fiberglass insulation Engineered lightweight- lumber vinyl siding, plastic/ foam insulation Natural materials (wood, cotton, wool, etc.) contents Synthetic (plastic, etc.) contents 28

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