Flashover

Well, the flashover training was a success. I was exposed to some heat and saw some phenomenon that I don't ever want to see again.

Flashover is the point at which all combustible material in a room ignites. This includes the smoke too. It is not an explosive event, but rather a gentle rolling of the flame throughout the complete room. This event is not survivable by anyone caught in it. Firefighters will be burned within seconds (as little as 5 seconds). The temperatures necessary to cause a flashover is over 1100F.

We were in a flashover simulator. This is a cargo container that has been modified. We are seated about 4 feet below the "room" that is set on fire. This allows us to stay safe and watch the flashover occur over our heads. As the heat from the fire heats up the ceiling and walls, this heat is radiated back to the fire, which heats the walls and ceilings up more. It is a cycle until the complete room is enveloped in a fire ball. As the temperature is rising, you could watch fire burn up the gases and this would be like a ribbon floating in air. It was really cool to watch knowing that I was pretty safe. You felt the radiant heat coming down.

I learned a lot. I am starting to learn more and more each day. We only have 4 weeks left in training. Our last day is November 17. It will be here before we know it.