ALTUS AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. – Members of the 97th Civil Engineer Squadron fire department finish putting on their gear before entering a fire flashover simulator at the training pit, Aug. 28, 2012. The flashover exercise teaches firefighters how to recognize when a flashover is going to occur and how to suppress it long enough to escape. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Kenneth W. Norman / Released / 97th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs)
ALTUS Air Force Base, Okla. – Billy Allday, 97th Civil Engineer Squadron fire department fire inspector, attaches an air respirator to his mask before entering the fire flashover simulator at the base training pit, Aug. 28, 2012. The firemen were inspected by Oklahoma State University fire service training instructors to ensure that all equipment worked properly and the all seams were sealed for safety purposes. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Franklin R. Ramos / 97th Air Mobility Wing / Released)
ALTUS AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. – Stacy Belk, Oklahoma State University fire service training instructor, checks the mask of a member from the 97th Civil Engineer Squadron fire department before he enters a fire flashover simulator, Aug. 28, 2012 at the training pit. Firefighters were inspected by instructors before entering the simulator to ensure all of their gear was worn properly. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Kenneth W. Norman / Released / 97th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs)
ALTUS AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. – Stacy Belk, Oklahoma State University fire service training instructor, directs members of the 97th Civil Engineer Squadron fire department as they exit a fire flashover simulator, Aug. 28, 2012 at the training pit. The flashover exercise teaches firefighters how to recognize when a flashover is going to occur and how to suppress it long enough to escape. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Kenneth W. Norman / Released / 97th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs)
ALTUS AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. – Stacy Belk, Oklahoma State University fire service training instructor, shows members of the 97th Civil Engineer Squadron fire department where to spray water during a fire flashover exercise at the base training pit, Aug. 28, 2012. During the training, firefighters learned ways to suppress a fire flashover before it occurs, which gives them enough time to escape. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Kenneth W. Norman / Released / 97th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs)
ALTUS Air Force Base, Okla. – Stacy Belk, Oklahoma State University fire service training instructor, shows members of the 97th Civil Engineer Squadron fire department, where to spray water during a fire flashover exercise at the base training pit, Aug. 28, 2012. A flashover occurs when heat from the flames are absorbed into the upper walls causing a room to burst into a high temperature explosion. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Franklin R. Ramos / 97th Air Mobility Wing / Released)
ALTUS Air Force Base, Okla. – Jon Steiner, Oklahoma State University fire service training instructor, briefs members of the 97th Civil Engineer Squadron fire department about advanced fire behavior before a fire flashover exercise at the training pit, Aug. 28, 2012. The exercise was held to teach firefighters how to recognize and escape a room before a fire flashover occurs. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Franklin R. Ramos / 97th Air Mobility Wing / Released)
ALTUS Air Force Base, Okla. – Chuck French, Oklahoma State University fire service training instructor, walks out of the fire flashover simulator during a fire flashover exercise at the base training pit, Aug. 28, 2012. The exercise was held to show the firefighters how to recognize and escape a room before a fire flashover occurs. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Franklin R. Ramos / 97th Air Mobility Wing / Released)
by Airman 1st Class Kenneth W. Norman
97th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
8/30/2012 - ALTUS AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- Members of the 97th Civil Engineer Squadron fire department took part in an advanced fire behavior training course provided by Oklahoma State University fire service training instructors, Aug. 29, at the training pit.
The training was focused mostly on flashovers, which is a type of hostile fire event. A flashover is a transitional phase that happens between the growth stage and the fully developed stage of a fire.
"The whole effort of this course is to identify the signs of a flashover, give you an idea what to do when you see those signs, and then get you out because flashovers will kill you," said Jon Steiner, OSU fire service training instructor.
During a flashover, all of the objects within a space are heated to their ignition point due to thermal radiation feedback. Auto ignition of all the contents, including the smoke, occurs in the room almost instantaneously, and the entire space is consumed by fire.
"We teach them to slow down and think about what they are doing," Steiner said. "They need to recognize the four signs of a flashover, which are high heat, heavy smoke, a free burning fire and a rollover. Once they are seeing a rollover a flashover is imminent."
The firefighters completed four hours of classroom instruction and then went to a flashover simulator at the training pit.
According to an article by Capt. Charles L. French Jr. of the Tulsa Fire Department, a flashover simulator works like a split-level room, with an upper level for the flashover to occur and a lower level in which firefighters can observe the conditions of the upper level.
"Inside the simulator the visibility is nearly zero and it is about 300 degrees," said Harold Bogle, 97th CES fire department training officer.
Although a flashover simulator does not actually produce a true flashover, it provides an opportunity to teach and recognize the signs of an impending flashover and how to effectively prevent it, thus improving the chances of survival, French said in his article.
