This document provides an overview of an air track management program being conducted by Martinsville Fire & EMS. The program will cover topics like basic fire behavior, reading smoke, practical burns demonstrating fire development and flashover, and practical skills like gas cooling and pressure control techniques. The goal is to enhance firefighters' size-up abilities, understanding of fire behavior, and use of tactics that minimize smoke exposure. Questions from attendees are also discussed.

1. Martinsville Fire & EMS
Air Track Management Program
Day #1

2. Why Are We Here?
Let’s ask ourselves some basic
questions….

3. How can this….

4. ….become this in two minutes?
Two firefighters
killed on June 2, 2011
in San Francisco
California

5. Do We Really Understand Fire
Behavior?
• Two Connecticut Firefighters Burned in Flashover - February 10, 2012
• Report: Flashover Not Procedures Cited in San Francisco - February 13,
2012
• Two Maryland Firefighters Remain Hospitalized News - February 27, 2012
• N.J. Chief, Lt. Burned in Flashover During Rescue – February 8, 2012
• Close Calls: Firefighter Seriously Burned While Attempting - February
15th, 2012
• Flashover Injures 4 New Orleans - May 22nd, 2011
• Md. Firefighters Bail From Blaze After Flashover - Nine firefighters were
injured, two seriously - March 20th, 2011
• Burned Wis. Firefighters Discuss Bail Out - June 7th, 2011

6. If we do, why don’t we act like it?

7. What can we do to prevent this?
March 30, 2007 One Illinois firefighter killed and
another severely burned

8. So, Why Are We Here?

9. The Answers Are In This Course

10. John
Taylor

11. Course Overview – Part #1
April – June 2012
• Basic Fire Behavior
– Lean Flashover
– Vent Induced Flashover
– Backdraft
– Hot “Rich” Flashover
– Delayed Flashover
– Fire Gas Explosion
– Progressive Flashover
• MITCH
– Reading Smoke
• Practical Burns
– Fire Development
– Lean Flashover Burn
– Over Pressure –Under
Pressure Burn
– Attack Burn
• Practical Skills
– Gas cooling
– Over pressure – Under
pressure

12. Part #1 – Where we hope to be
• Enhanced size-up abilities
• Ability to read the smoke
• Greater respect for the fire gases
• Increased understanding of fire behavior
• Use the air track to your advantage
• Understand the importance of interrupting the fire
growth “timer”
• Gas cooling
• Under pressure extinguishing technique
• Over pressure – Under pressure flashover control
technique

13. • Tactical Ventilation
• Positive Pressure
• Hot Smoke Tactics
– Door open to fire compartment
– Door closed to fire compartment
• Cold Smoke Tactics
• Scenario Burns
Course Overview – Part #2
September – October 2012

14. Bill Clark – (USA) 25 March 1995
“Fire-fighting Principles & Practices”
“Temper what you read with your own
judgement. If what you see conflicts with what
you read, believe what you see”,

15. Fire Behavior 101
Pyrolysis
There is more to our jobs than just
4 hours of classroom…
FlashoverBackdraft

16. Candle colour
Using Fire Behavior 101, what is happening here?

17. Candle colourPyrolysis (Decomposition)
Solid
Liquid
Gas

18. Candle colour
Why is there a gap?
Why is the flame blue?
There is more that the textbooks have left out…

19. Terminology
Flammable Range
“Was that before or after you
noticed you were standing
in a lake of gasoline?”

20. Flammable Range
• LEL = Lower Explosive Limit
– % Below this is too lean to burn
• UEL = Upper Explosive Limit
– % Above this is too rich to burn
• Ideal Mixture
– When a gas is mixed to this %, the combustion is the most
powerful
• Auto Ignition Temperature
– Temperature at which a gas can ignite without an ignition source
– As a gas is heated to its auto ignition temperature, the flammable
range expands.
– When a gas reaches its auto ignition temperature, the LEL will
approach 0%
• Propane 2.1% - 10.1%
• Gasoline 1.4% - 7.6%

21. Carbon Monoxide
• Auto-Ignition Temperature
– 1128 degree Fahrenheit
• Flammable Range
– LEL – 12.5%
– UEL - 74%
• Used to be used in home heating and cooking
and was called Coal Gas.

22. Flammable Range - Sprinklers
Flammable Range

23. Candle colourDoes a candle have a UEL and LEL?

24. Candle colour
Lower Explosive Limit
(LEAN)
Upper Explosive Limit
(RICH)

25. Spectrum Line

26. Terminology
Ignition Sources
The widest flammable range in
the world isn’t dangerous
without the presence of an
ignition source.

27. Ignition Sources
3 Categories
Open Source
Closed/ Concealed Source
Intermittent Source

28. Open Ignition Source
Open Ignition Source

29. Closed Ignition Source
Closed/Concealed Ignition Source

30. Intermittent ignition Source
Intermittent Ignition Source

31. Terminology
Combustible Gases
Smoke burns, but what is
smoking?
Combustible Gases
Demonstration

32. What is smoking?
Normal Gases
(Legacy)
• Wood, Paper, etc…
• Flammable range 50-95%
• Energy: 27 BTU’s/ft3
• 14.5 PSI
High Energy Gases
(Modern)
• Plastics, Rubber, PU Foam,
etc…
• Flammable range 20-60%
• Energy: 403 BTU’s/ft3
• 116 PSI

33. What are the practical implications?
• Smoke burns.
• We must respect the gases!
• We should select tactics that will allow us to
get the job done and minimize our exposure to
smoke.

34. TERMINOLOGY
Pressure
• For every action there is an
equal and opposite
reaction…..

35. Candle colour

36. Candle colour
Over Pressure (+)
Under Pressure (-)Under Pressure (-)
Neutral Zone (0)

37. Pressure
Pressure = Air Track
There is no under pressure until you have over pressure

38. Under Pressure (-)
Over Pressure (+)
Neutral Zone (0)

39. Under Pressure (-)
Over Pressure (+)
Neutral Zone (0)

40. Practical Implications
• The air track tells us where the fire is getting
air and where it is going.
• If we control the air track we control the fire.
• Size-up should now include determining the
air track and how we can use it to our
advantage.

41. The Mechanism of Fire
• Fuel Controlled Fire
• Ventilation Controlled Fire
“Fire Is Predictable”

42. Fuel Controlled Fire
• Fire limited by the available fuel
• Fuel phase burning – “Square Foot” fire
• Direct attack is the answer

43. Ventilation Controlled Fire
• Fire limited by the available oxygen
• Fire transitions to this state at lean flashover .
• Heavy accumulation of fire gases that can lead to rapid fire progress.
• These fires present a three dimensional threat or volumetric threat.
• “Cubic foot” fire
• The burning and heated gases must be dealt with first. Then the
remaining fuel phase burning.

44. Fuel Controlled Fire
• Fire Behavior Video

45. Mechanism of Fire
The ‘Mechanism of Fire’
Level of the smoke can be used to predict flammability

46. Practical Implications
• Select tactics based on the burning regime.
• Use the level of the smoke layer to predict its
flammability.

47. Practical Implications - Review
• We should select tactics that will allow us to
get the job done and minimize our exposure to
smoke.
• Size-up should now include determining the
air track and how we can use it to our
advantage.
• Select tactics based on the burning regime.
• Use the level of the smoke layer to predict its
flammability.

48. Questions?
• Practical Sessions
• Fire Behavior Simulator
• Safety Procedures in the Air Track
Management Unit

49. ATM Training Area Lay-Out

50. Fire Behavior Burn GRA
1 - Lead Instructor
2 – Side Door Instructor
3 – Front Door Instructor