WVU Junior Fire Fighter Camp

American Rmac1318 shared a few photos

November 21, 2020 7:09 am

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American Rmac1318 shared a few photos

November 20, 2020 8:39 am

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American Rmac1318

November 19, 2020 7:01 am

Fighting the Vehicle Fire Many of us were taught to fight vehicle fires by attacking from upwind, approaching at a 45� angle, and knocking down the fire from a distance with a straight stream before... View MoreFighting the Vehicle Fire Many of us were taught to fight vehicle fires by attacking from upwind, approaching at a 45� angle, and knocking down the fire from a distance with a straight stream before advancing to the vehicle. Sometimes, scene conditions will alter this approach. Knowing what we know about hood and trunk/hatch struts, even the 45� approach might not be as safe as previously thought. Depending on scene conditions or our response route, we may be unable to stage the apparatus upwind of the fire. If you have to choose, would you rather be uphill or upwind? We have SCBA to protect us from the smoke. On a hill, a burning vehicle may roll back toward the apparatus and a flammable liquids fire will flow downhill. Park the apparatus uphill from the scene. The first-arriving engine officer may face the dilemma of whether to position the apparatus uphill and upwind of a burning vehicle or use it as a barrier to block traffic. These choices may be mutually exclusive. Be ready to improvise or alter your approach as needed on arrival. Many engine companies use front bumper attack lines. As the first-due engine, attack the fire and stage the apparatus to block oncoming traffic. With what we know about the potential for flying projectiles, we need to also provide an adequate buffer zone between the apparatus and the fire. If you are using a front bumper attack line, ensure that you are stretching an adequate length of hose or can quickly shut down the line, add a length, and resume operations with minimal interruption. If you begin with a standard fire attack and the fuel tank fails, creating a running/flowing flammable liquids fire, you must quickly switch to a foam operation. At an EV fire involving the batteries, call for additional engines and tankers/tenders. Other large vehicles like tractor trailers and RVs will also necessitate calling extra companies with more water, especially if you�re working on a highway and have no access to fire hydrants. When fighting fires in over-the-road trucks, you must determine what cargo it is hauling (flammable liquids? hazardous materials?) as soon as possible; this could also dramatically alter your approach. Steven Schnaudt

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American Rmac1318

November 18, 2020 8:54 am

Vehicle Fire Hazards Electric Vehicles Although electric vehicles (EV) are becoming more common on our roadways, many firefighters have yet to respond to an EV fire. They should become familiar wi... View More

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Kristin William

Sounds wonderful..lol

November 18, 2020

American Rmac1318

November 17, 2020 8:01 am

Vehicle Fire Hazards Plastic Fuel Tanks Firefighters are experiencing an increase in fuel spill fires involving flammable ethanol/gasoline mixtures. Since the late 1980s, more plastics have been u... View MoreVehicle Fire Hazards Plastic Fuel Tanks Firefighters are experiencing an increase in fuel spill fires involving flammable ethanol/gasoline mixtures. Since the late 1980s, more plastics have been used in place of pressed steel for fuel tanks. Up to 70% of all fuel tanks produced in North America are made of plastics. Although plastic fuel tanks will retard the rise in fuel temperature from a well-involved vehicle fire, they will soften, sag, and eventually release the fuel onto the ground, potentially creating a running fuel fire requiring the use of alcohol resistant (AR) foam. Alternatively, a dry chemical fire extinguisher may also be effective on such fires. Anticipate fuel tank failures at well-involved vehicle fires, and stage apparatus away from the potential path of flowing fuels. Less common, but still dangerous, are fires involving vehicles powered by alternative fuels such as compressed natural gas (CNG), marked by a blue diamond badging. Although these vehicles make up only about 0.1% of the total vehicles on the road in the United States, CNG is becoming extremely common on refuse trucks and public transit buses (12-15%). Some light trucks and cars, such as the Honda Civic, the Chevrolet Silverado 2500, and the Ford F250, may also be CNG-powered. CNG conversion kits are available for many other passenger cars, trucks, and SUVs. When a CNG vehicle is on fire, approach with extreme caution. Several well-documented cases of explosions involving CNG vehicles have occurred, including in Seattle, Washington (Honda Civic); Indianapolis, Indiana; and Hamilton, New Jersey (refuse trucks). CNG vehicle fuel tanks are pressurized to 3,600 psi and are equipped with pressure-relief devices (PRDs). If responding to a CNG vehicle fire that does not involve the tanks, proceed with normal firefighting operations. However, if the CNG tanks are involved or the heat of the fire has raised the tank�s temperature and activated the PRD (generally resulting in a loud jet of fire emitting from the PRD), set up a safety perimeter of at least 100 feet around the vehicle, protect exposures, and let the vehicle burn. Either the tanks will rupture or the CNG will vent until the tanks are empty. If fire is impinging on the CNG tanks and the PRD fails to operate, the pressure in the tanks will rapidly rise; the tanks will fail when the pressure reaches 8,000-9,000 psi. Even if the PRD is operating normally, a CNG cylinder will survive in a fire only for about 20 to 30 minutes. In a bystander video of a 2016 trash truck fire in Hamilton, New Jersey, you can clearly see and hear flames and gas venting from a PRD. Despite the fact that the PRD seems to be operating as designed, the cylinder suffers a catastrophic failure and explodes only seconds before firefighters arrive. Steven Schnaudt

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American Rmac1318

November 16, 2020 5:16 am

Vehicle Fire Hazards Alternative Fuels Modern vehicles run on a variety of fuels including gasoline, ethanol, diesel, compressed natural gas, and electricity stored in battery packs. Each of these... View More

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