Where there is smoke, there is fire. That's understood. But, what you might not realize is, more often than not, it's the smoke and not the fire that kills you.
These aren't just tidbits or trivia for firefighters, these are words to literally live by. More than 80 percent of the people who die in fires die from smoke inhalation. Hence, the need for firefighters to ALWAYS have SCBA as part of their PPE (Self Contained Breathing Apparatus as part of their Personal Protective Equipment).
Safety and Accountability are being drummed into our heads in the Jefferson County Media Fire Academy. We five media members must go through 20 hours of training before we are allowed to participate in real fire exercises. Our classes are at the Highview Fire Department on Fegenbush Lane; all of the firefighters here have been immensely helpful and seem genuinely interested in helping us better understand what they do so we can cover their work more accurately.
Assistant Chief Dave Goldsmith is coordinating the Academy. What I really appreciate about this program is that they are not trying to put on a "show" for us with bells and whistles and flames. Instead, we are being treated like firefighters and are expected to learn the essentials of this profession.
Dave quizzes us on some important numbers: what temperature will water turn to steam? (212 degrees), one gallon of water = 1700 cubic feet of steam, what temperature will carbon monoxide ignite? (1128 degrees). Why are these numbers important? It could be the difference between life and death for a firefighter.
Too much steam can bring oppressive heat upon firefighters. And, when carbon monoxide ignites, the smoke is aflame. It's called a flashover and it has killed firefighters in Jefferson County. Before our training is done, we will experience a flashover first hand inside the flashover trainer of the Jefferson County fire service.
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