Ferndale 2018

Final fire of 3 days of training in Ferndale WA. This is a video from our very first set of burns back in 2017.

The conditions in the kitchen were high heat with zero visibility. You could hear the wooden ceiling crackling. Conditions in the living room were visibility about a foot off the floor.

Most folks in the past 10-15 years have been taught to crawl through the kitchen until you can see the fire and then flow water.

However, 30 years ago they knew better. Now we are learning it all over again with the most recent UL studies.

The nozzle made entry and posted up at the doorway from the living room to the kitchen only 2 – 3 feet inside the front door. She then used the reach of the stream to cool the kitchen and knock down the fire in the mudroom. Once the kitchen was controlled she continued to flow while advancing, pushing through the kitchen to the seat of the fire.

The nozzle never felt heat over 160 degrees.

Note that the smoke at the front door goes away when the nozzle opens up. This is a result of gas contraction and the fresh air entrained by a flowing line.

Finally, the nozzle firefighter had never flowed and moved on a fire before, let alone in zero visibility. But, with strong training and coaching she rocked it. Our people can make the interior if we teach them how.

Ian Bennett

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