Public safety officers, firefighters train for fires that are too hot to handle

GROSSE POINTE FARMS — Firefighters are usually the ones running into a burning building. Just as importantly, though, they need to know when to get out of one.

On Sept. 16 and 18, the Grosse Pointe Farms Public Safety Department arranged to have instructors from Oakland Community College train local firefighters and public safety officers how to recognize the signs that a flashover is about to occur and how to prevent one from sparking. As the training organizer, Farms Public Safety Sgt. Mike Ryan, explained, most people in a space where a flashover is occurring will die.

“As the fire builds in intensity, it gets to the point where it’s actually igniting the air itself on fire,” Ryan said.

He said that flashover “is the second leading cause of firefighter fatalities in a structure fire.”

A room can go from 300 to 400 degrees to 1,300 to 1,400 degrees in a matter of seconds, with the highest temperatures being at ceiling level. By comparison, water boils at 212 degrees Fahrenheit.

“Obviously, none of our (fire) gear will protect you from that,” Ryan said.

Over the course of two days, Ryan said, roughly 45 firefighters — from the public safety departments of Grosse Pointe Farms, Grosse Pointe Shores, Grosse Pointe Park and Harper Woods and from the fire departments of Grosse Ile and Dearborn Heights — went through the training at Pier Park. Because of the demand from departments across Michigan, Ryan said he had to book the training a year in advance.

Lead instructor Dan Dumas is a captain with the Waterford Regional Fire Department who has 25 years of experience in firefighting. He said a flashover might only happen once in a firefighter’s career, but because they’re so fast and deadly, knowing what to look for is critical.

“What happens before the flash is what’s important,” Dumas said. “We don’t survive them. We put them out or avoid them.”

Among the signs a flashover is on the verge of happening are thick, dark smoke; extremely high heat; and “fingers of fire,” he said.

As soon as firefighters see signs of flashover, Dumas said, they need to get out immediately, as they might only have five or six seconds to escape.

Flashover doesn’t happen with every structure fire, but it’s also not infrequent.

“If a fire gets big enough, it will flash,” Dumas said.

The firefighters most at risk of encountering flashover are those sent into a structure to search for and rescue any occupants who might be inside a burning building. That’s because the application of water is one of the best ways to prevent flashover — it keeps temperatures down — but those doing search and rescue aren’t carrying hoses, Ryan said.

Dumas said OCC has been doing this training all over Michigan for almost 20 years. In that time, he said hundreds of departments and thousands of firefighters have gone through the training.

“We haven’t lost a firefighter in Michigan to flashover in years,” Dumas said.

Farms Public Safety officer Paul Reygaert, who has been with the department for 21 years, said he wanted to take this class for safety reasons.

“I feel better equipped to protect myself, my co-workers and my community,” Reygaert said.

Firefighter Brad Ruffini just started working for Harper Woods in July, but he’s been in the fire service for the last six years, having previously worked in Center Line and Hazel Park. He said this is the third time he’s gone through flashover training.

“You learn something new every time you do it,” Ruffini said. “The fire is never the same.”

He knows how vital training like this is.

“Doing these is really a lifesaver,” Ruffini said. “Seeing it and recognizing the signs (of flashover) helps you out a lot. … It’s the closest you can get to flashover without experiencing it in real life.”

With their mutual aid agreements and automatic aid for serious fires — meaning multiple departments will send equipment and manpower at the outset — Ryan said training like this is helpful because officers from different departments need to work together.

“Our local fire departments are always training to better our response,” Ryan said. “Putting on a training like this allows us to be better prepared for emergencies.”

Ruffini said residents can take steps to protect themselves as well in the event of a fire at home, including closing their bedroom doors at night.

“It’s definitely crucial to have working smoke detectors,” Ruffini said.