FHWorld18: Fire Dynamics Bootcamp Features Burn Lab & Tabletop Exercises

March 5, 2018
The Fire Dynamics Bootcamp kicked off Firehouse World with an in-depth discussion of fire science and terminology, as well as lab test burns and tabletop exercises to help apply research concepts to real-world tactics.

The First Responder Center for Excellence’s Fire Dynamics Bootcamp, held in conjunction with UL’s Firefighter Safety Research Institute (UL FSRI), kicked off Firehouse World with an in-depth discussion of fire science and terminology, as well as lab test burns and tabletop exercises to help apply the concepts to real-world tactics.

The three-day train-the-trainer program is designed to empower and prepare fire service leaders and instructors to incorporate the most current research findings about fire behavior and firefighting tactics into their training programs. It focuses on the “how” and “why” of fire dynamics to enhance learning. 

Firehouse Editor-in-Chief Tim Sendelbach welcomed the 50 participants from 25 departments by reminding them of the overarching purpose of the bootcamp. “You’re here to change the American fire service,” he said. “We want Firehouse to host a forum for these critical questions and discussions, and we want you to be the messenger. This is about creating a ripple effect in your organization.” 

Steve Kerber, director of UL FSRI, underscored some of the key reasons the fire service must embrace fire dynamics research. “We’re trying to make you as effective and efficient as possible,” he said, adding that research can allow firefighters to experience a large number of fires from the perspective of both firefighters and victims.

Kerber set the stage for the day’s teachings by addressing a variety of topics, including challenges currently facing firefighters, residential fire problems, the modern fire environment and what has changed in the fire service in the last several decades. He added that although firefighters have all heard the expression, “100 years of tradition, unimpeded by progress,” he doesn’t agree with the sentiment. He focused on the volume of positive change and advancement in training and technology, and emphasizes the need for continued progress. “As long as there is fire, we’re going to do what we can to make it as safe as possible,” he said.

Dan Madrzykowski, a research engineer with UL FSRI, covered many fire dynamics concepts, starting with simple topics related to temperature, heat energy and the fire tetrahedron. Participants then moved to the burn lab to engage in simple fire dynamics demonstrations involving candle fires and how the flames behave under changing conditions. 

Kerber shared the purpose of breaking down the science at such a basic level: “Firefighters are visual learners. Here we give people the chance to see it and feel it at such a fundamental level to help put the pieces together. It shows that the principles that we talk about in the research are real, and helps create the bridge to the fireground. It’s about gaining buy-in so they can wrap their heads around these concepts.”

Following the initial burn lab demonstrations, Madrzykowski resumed the fire dynamics lecture, tackling more complex issues of fuel-controlled vs. ventilation-limited fires, flow paths, the neutral plane, the combustion process, flashover and more. Participants then moved back to the lab where they engaged in tabletop exercises to visualize the teachings about pressure, flow path and air entrapment.

Dion Evans, a firefighter with the Compton, CA, Fire Department, said he appreciated the opportunity to take part in the bootcamp, as has been following the UL and NIST research for about 12 or 13 years, and is always interested in learning and training. He emphasized that it is important for him to stay up to date with the latest scientific research and relay that information to all members of his department, from the up-and-coming rookie to the more seasoned officers. Evans also found the demonstrations to be useful in applying the fire dynamics concepts. “We go to fires, but we usually don’t get to see the beginning stages,” he said. “These demonstrations are examples of the empirical data from the research—information you can’t refute—and having that empirical data is priceless.”

Day 2 and 3 of the bootcamp will tackle building construction and tactical considerations related to size-up, ventilation, suppression and coordination, and will use reduced-scale fire development and flow path models as well as a full-scale walk-through of a training prop to apply the fire dynamics information to real-world tactics.

Peter Van Dorpe—chief of the Algonquin-Lake in the Hills Fire Protection District and one of the bootcamp instructors—stressed the critical role of the fire dynamics research that has gained traction over the past several years: “We’re changing the fire service in a way that hasn’t happened in a generation,” he said. And another bootcamp instructor, Jeff King—senior captain with the Houston Fire Department and district chief with the Cy-Fair Volunteer Fire Department—sent a strong message about fire dynamics research and the resulting changes to fire tactics: “We have the opportunity to be on the right side of history with this,” he said.

The First Responder Center for Excellence received a grant for three bootcamps in 2018, with the first being the Firehouse World event. Bootcamp participants are provided a digital toolkit to support their training efforts at home. Ed Klima, managing director of the First Responder Center for Excellence, said the ultimate goal is to roll out the bootcamp curriculum in all 50 states. For more information about future bootcamps, visit firstrespondercenter.org

For more information about Firehouse World, visit firehouseworld.com.

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