County firefighters fight flashovers

More than 30 Boundary County firefighters gathered at the old mill site, west of Bonners Ferry, this past weekend to participate in Flashover training.

Worley Fire District Assistant Chief Bob Mains and Spirit Lake Fire District Chief John DeBernardi, Kelvin Daniels from University of Idaho and Bill McCabe Bonners Ferry Fire Department to provide training to area firefighters who needed to pass the live-fire requirements for firefighter 1 and for those who wanted a refresher course.

The state of Idaho purchased the flashover simulator to teach firefighters statewide how to recognize and survive one of the most-feared phenomenon in the firefighting profession.

A flashover occurs when an entire room is so hot, everything, including the air, simultaneously ignites. A flashover normally occurs between 932—1,100 degrees F., however, students sitting in the lower box of a simulator only experience temperatures between 600 —800 degrees F.

A modified shipping container provides students with a live-fire experience and can produce “controlled” flashovers.

According to Bonners Ferry Fire Chief Pat Warkentin, over the years, flashovers occur more quickly with modern-day building techniques and synthetic contents. The term flashover is described as a fire event in a room or confined space where all combustible material in that space ignites spontaneously floor to ceiling. Better insulation methods used in buildings and homes create an airtight atmosphere, preventing natural ventilation to take place during a fire, and causes gases to build up and ignite spontaneously. Fires in modern homes tend to burn hotter and faster. Everything from carpeting and furnishings made of synthetic materials give off flammable gases. All of these conditions combined can contribute to a flashover.

The flashover condition is not generally survivable. The flashover training is designed to train firefighters to be able to recognize flashover conditions before they occur. A flashover can occur within 10 seconds. This only allows the average firefighter time to travel approximately five feet to an exit.

For years, firefighters have been thought of as dragon slayers because, when a flashover occurs, the igniting gasses resemble the coils of a dragon or a serpent.

Thanks go out to North Bench Fire Department and Paradise Valley Fire District for the use of their engines, tenders and personnel, to Jen Wasecha and Julie Rosengrant for preparing lunch for the firefighters and volunteers, to EMT Pam Hamilton and EMT Denise McGinnis for EMS assistance and monitoring participant’s vitals, and to KG&T Septic and Excavation for portable toilets, and TrussTeK for providing burning materials for the training sessions and Idaho Forest Group for allowing county firefighters to use the old mill site.