<< Previous   of   Next >> Contributed photo  (click to enlarge) Two Shoreline firefighters participate in a fire training exercise in Shoreline on June 24. Contributed photo  (click to enlarge) Fire escapes from a window of a Shoreline house during a fire training exercise in Shoreline on June 24. Contributed photo  (click to enlarge) Firefighters work on the roof of a house in Shoreline during a planned fire training exercise on June 24.

ADVERTISEMENT

CONTACT THE ENTERPRISE Jocelyn Robinson, Copy editor jrobinson@heraldnet.com

Shoreline Fire Department tests "green" techniques

Zach Wilson
Enterprise Reporter

The Shoreline Fire Department held a fire training exercise on June 24 to test a variety of "green" extinguishing techniques to learn how to better conserve water.

As part of the drill, teams of firefighters alternated inside of a Shoreline house on 25th Avenue Northeast. After letting the fire rise in the confined room, the team cleared out the smoke almost instantly by releasing a wooden flap covering a side window. Then with a few controlled blasts from the hose, the firefighters quickly and safely extinguished the fire.

The typical water hose used by firefighters is capable of shooting out over 150 gallons of water per minute, according to Shoreline fire marshall Mark Bunje. On top of the fire engine, there is a larger nozzle that can pump 1000 gallons per minute. The water sprays so fast, if it weren't attached to the engine it would be, "like holding onto a rocket," Bunje said.

Yet during the exercise, the fires were extinguished multiple times with only 75 gallons of water.

"Using so little water attacking these fires, I'm having a hard time detecting it," said Bunje.

Firefighter Gabe Debay said that one technique is to spray above the fire to cause a steam effect that essentially suffocates the fire. However, Debay said it is rarely used during rescue situations since it can be dangerous and cause serious burns if firefighters get too close.

Prior to setting the room ablaze, firefighters cut a hole in the roof to prevent the room from getting too hot and causing a flash fire.

In the past, because of all the smoke, it was difficult for firefighters to really see the starting point of the fire. Now with the help of new thermal imaging cameras (TICs), they can determine the hottest point of each inferno.

"[We] shoot it at the base of the fire, because that is where the chemical reaction is happening," said Bunje.

During the exercise, in the room next to the fire, the monitor on the thermal imaging camera read 200 degrees. The smoke-filled ceiling was 300 degrees. When pointing the device at the heart of the fire, no more than 30 feet in front of the private observation area, the red line jumped over the 1000 degree mark.

Unlike the previous cameras, which took longer to detect heat, these $15,000 devices adjust very quickly and sense infrared heat through the smoke in under a second, said Bunje.

"Those are excellent," said Debay. "Not only great for looking for people, but they help us find hot spots that are hidden behind walls."

During the training sessions, which run multiple days, the firefighters decreased the amount of water they used each time they ran the drill; from 400 gallons, to 100 gallons, then to 75 gallons. The firefighters saw it as a friendly competition between themselves to see who could use the least amount of water.

"I think the best that we saw for a given series of about four exercises was about 75 gallons total," said Bunje.

Melanie Granfors, spokesperson for the Shoreline Fire Department, said that many things must first be considered before deciding the location of one of these house burning drills. Before the house is burned, both the fire department and city must approve it and the owner must clear out all hazardous material.

Bunje said they get many offers from people looking to have their houses burned down. He said for home owners, it is much cheaper then getting a demolition permit and afterwards it only takes a few dump trucks to haul away the scrap metal and ashes.

Since this was the first attempt to look at how the station can conserve water, Bunje is hoping to retrieve even more data in future tests. Right now, because the amount of water being used is so low, it's difficult for him to get accurate readings.

"We always try to be conscious," said firefighter Debay regarding their use of water. "[But] this was probably the first exercise where it was our number one priority."