Quantcast
ZME Science
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Features
    Menu
    Natural Sciences
    Health
    History & Humanities
    Space & Astronomy
    Technology
    Culture
    Resources
    Natural Sciences

    Physics

    • Matter and Energy
    • Quantum Mechanics
    • Thermodynamics

    Chemistry

    • Periodic Table
    • Applied Chemistry
    • Materials
    • Physical Chemistry

    Biology

    • Anatomy
    • Biochemistry
    • Ecology
    • Genetics
    • Microbiology
    • Plants and Fungi

    Geology and Paleontology

    • Planet Earth
    • Earth Dynamics
    • Rocks and Minerals
    • Volcanoes
    • Dinosaurs
    • Fossils

    Animals

    • Mammals
    • Birds
    • Fish
    • Reptiles
    • Amphibians
    • Invertebrates
    • Pets
    • Conservation
    • Animals Facts

    Climate and Weather

    • Climate Change
    • Weather and Atmosphere

    Geography

    Mathematics

    Health
    • Drugs
    • Diseases and Conditions
    • Human Body
    • Mind and Brain
    • Food and Nutrition
    • Wellness
    History & Humanities
    • Anthropology
    • Archaeology
    • Economics
    • History
    • People
    • Sociology
    Space & Astronomy
    • The Solar System
    • The Sun
    • The Moon
    • Planets
    • Asteroids, Meteors and Comets
    • Astronomy
    • Astrophysics
    • Cosmology
    • Exoplanets and Alien Life
    • Spaceflight and Exploration
    Technology
    • Computer Science & IT
    • Engineering
    • Inventions
    • Sustainability
    • Renewable Energy
    • Green Living
    Culture
    • Culture and Society
    • Bizarre Stories
    • Lifestyle
    • Art and Music
    • Gaming
    • Books
    • Movies and Shows
    Resources
    • How To
    • Science Careers
    • Metascience
    • Fringe Science
    • Science Experiments
    • School and Study
    • Natural Sciences
    • Health
    • History and Humanities
    • Space & Astronomy
    • Culture
    • Technology
    • Resources
  • Reviews
  • More
    • Agriculture
    • Anthropology
    • Biology
    • Chemistry
    • Electronics
    • Geology
    • History
    • Mathematics
    • Nanotechnology
    • Economics
    • Paleontology
    • Physics
    • Psychology
    • Robotics
  • About Us
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact
No Result
View All Result
ZME Science

No Result
View All Result
ZME Science

Home → Other → Videos

Salem Fire Department veteran explains basic fire behavior with a burning dollhouse

Know how it acts and stay safe.

Alexandru Micu by Alexandru Micu
June 14, 2017
in Science, Videos

Tragedy befell London last night, as the 24-story Grenfell Tower near Ladbroke Grove caught fire and burned well into the morning hours. Five local hospitals took in over 50 people suffering from burns, several of which are still in critical conditions, and 6 fatalities have been confirmed so far.

At least 6 people have been confirmed dead in London high-rise fire, but the toll is expected to rise: https://t.co/mHdIxF5D3S pic.twitter.com/la1FDYCROS

— CBS News (@CBSNews) June 14, 2017

In the blaze’s wake, concerns were raised about the adequacy of fire safety measures such as insulated doors and warning systems throughout London and the UK. But the UK has some of the best fire planning and safety products anywhere in the world, going as far as stipulating what types of construction materials can be used to reduce fire risk. That’s why experts, such as Christopher Miers, an architect and the founder of construction dispute resolution group Probyn Miers, were completely shocked with how fast the fire had spread.

“Nowadays, in the UK, we don’t use materials with this degree of combustibility,” he said for The Guardian.

“They are sandwich panels which are two sheets of aluminium with a core, and the core can be made of different materials. In other parts of the world, in the Middle East and in China, the core material was still being made of combustible plastic product, but that is no longer permitted and has not been permitted in the UK for a long time. The panels are not likely to have a combustible element to them. It’s much more likely that the firespread is not the panels themselves, but it’s more likely to have spread by other means.”

**UPDATE: It seems that residents of the Grenfell Tower in London, which burned down, filed several complaints regarding fire hazards — the complaints were ignored by the owners, and no action was taken. Furthermore, the landlord covered the fire alarms with plastic masks, which caused them to catch fire instantly. Not a single fire alarm rang during the enormous fire, which killed at least 6 people yesterday.**

But what are those “other means,” and how does fire usually behave when confined to a building? Well, Alan Fitzpatrick, an 11-year veteran of the Salem Fire Department in Oregon has a good grasp of both those issues. To help teach fire behavior basics to recruits, Fitzpatrick uses giant burning dollhouses he builds in his spare time — and he luckily uploaded one of his demonstrations to help us better understand the hidden dangers of home fires as well.

I’m going to let him do the brunt of the explaining since he’s obviously more qualified but it’s remarkable just how much difference strong ventilation makes for a blaze.

While Fitzpatrick approaches the issue mostly from a firefighter’s angle, knowing the basics of how a fire starts and grows might just make the difference between life and death in a blaze.

Video credits Salem Fire Department.

 

Was this helpful?


Thanks for your feedback!

Related posts:
  1. This fire in Australia has been burning for 6000 years
  2. Veteran granted new arm after being fitted with high-tech DARPA prosthetic
  3. “Harmony Square” is new a video game against political misinformation, backed by the Department of Homeland Security
  4. Machine-learned: Department of Defense trials AI teacher with stunning results
  5. Fight fire with fire: toxic gut bacteria used against itself
Tags: BasicsBlazefireFirefightersGrenfell Tower

ADVERTISEMENT
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Features
  • Reviews
  • More
  • About Us

© 2007-2021 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Features
    • Natural Sciences
    • Health
    • History and Humanities
    • Space & Astronomy
    • Culture
    • Technology
    • Resources
  • Reviews
  • More
    • Agriculture
    • Anthropology
    • Biology
    • Chemistry
    • Electronics
    • Geology
    • History
    • Mathematics
    • Nanotechnology
    • Economics
    • Paleontology
    • Physics
    • Psychology
    • Robotics
  • About Us
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact

© 2007-2021 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.

Don’t you want to get smarter every day?

YES, sign me up!

Over 35,000 subscribers can’t be wrong. Don’t worry, we never spam. By signing up you agree to our privacy policy.

✕
ZME Science News

FREE
VIEW