Faster burning homes are a new normal for firefighters, making household safety measures like installing smoke alarms all the more important.

B.C.B次元官网网址檚 building and fire codes set out minimum requirements for safety, health, accessibility, fire and protection for homes and other structures. These have generally made for safer homes. But when a fire is involved, Sean Coubrough, deputy regional fire chief for the Columbia Shuswap Regional District (CSRD), said the time it takes for a home to become fully involved is less than it once was.

B次元官网网址淭he reality is just hotter fires,B次元官网网址� said Coubrough. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 something we need to be aware of and itB次元官网网址檚 something we train our firefighters.B次元官网网址�

Part of that training in the CSRD involves a focus on . In a video presentation, Coubrough focuses on construction classifications, building materials and current building techniques that, in fire conditions, are things firefighters need to be aware of.

As one example, Coubrough explains in the video how modern construction techniques rely heavily on wooden I-beams and trusses which, in a fire, can B次元官网网址渃ollapse early and suddenly.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淭hese new wooden I-beams, theyB次元官网网址檙e made often with these composite materials like particle board that are glued togetherB次元官网网址�,B次元官网网址� Coubrough explains. B次元官网网址淭heyB次元官网网址檙e great in terms of cost effectiveness B次元官网网址� lightweight, much easier for the crews to actually put up these buildings, much fasterB次元官网网址� and economical. For us as firefighters, however, these structural components are known to fail very quickly, and that could be roof supports, it could be floor supports, and we need to be aware of that as well.B次元官网网址�

Newer construction may have composite building components and materials made of wood fibres, plastics or other substances joined by glues or resin binders. Under fire conditions, these can be very combustible. Coubrough said they can also produce a significant amount of toxic gas B次元官网网址� a risk exacerbated by household furnishings.

Coubrough shows in the video how a fire in a home furnished with what he referred to as B次元官网网址渓egacy contentsB次元官网网址� B次元官网网址� typically older furniture constructed using natural fibres (woods, wool and cottons), is slower to become a structure fire than a blaze inside a home furnished with B次元官网网址渕odern contentsB次元官网网址� B次元官网网址� hydrocarbon-based products (things like foam, rubber, nylon, rayon, polypropylene).

B次元官网网址淲hen you hear the beast has changed, this is a great example of how it has changedB次元官网网址�,B次元官网网址� Coubrough comments in the video. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 not your grandfatherB次元官网网址檚 fire. If you have relatives who were firefighters before, the type of fires they would have experienced would have had lower heat release rates and it gave them a chance to get in there and actually do some work before the room flashed.B次元官网网址�

Off gassing is also greater in the fire involving modern contents, and is also an increased risk in homes built with composite materials.

These are all considerations that are made at a fire scene in determining a course of attack.

Coubrough noted movies and television may have set unrealistic expectations of how firefighters respond to structure fires.

B次元官网网址淲e also have a saying in the fire service: We will risk a lot to save a lot, but we will risk nothing to save that which is already lostB次元官网网址�,B次元官网网址� said Coubrough. B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 sometimes unrealistic expectations on the fire department on what we can do and what we will do when we arrive on scene. The whole idea of us just busting down the front door is just unrealistic.B次元官网网址�

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To homeowners, Coubrough stressed due diligence, coming up with and practising an escape plan, having enough smoke alarms throughout your residence and changing their batteries twice a year, having fire extinguishers on hand and keeping important documents, including your home insurance, in a safe place B次元官网网址� not necessarily in the home.

B次元官网网址淲e certainly want people to understand they are safe andB次元官网网址� if youB次元官网网址檙e doing some due diligence on your on your side youB次元官网网址檒l be able to protect your family,B次元官网网址� said Coubrough. B次元官网网址淥ur job is protecting our firefighters, and having the public have a little more understanding of what weB次元官网网址檙e experiencing on the fire front, that would be a big thing B次元官网网址� have people understand that weB次元官网网址檙e not stepping inside and not making entry because weB次元官网网址檙e scared. It really is a dangerous environment now. Stuff can be replaced but firefighters cannot.B次元官网网址�

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