Timely, Dramatic Demo May Save Lives

Facts are fine. I've got nothing against them. But nothing convinces like experience.

And we got quite an experience at work last week. In a Live Sprinkler Simulation Unit training session the fire department taught us more than how to use fire extinguishers. Since only one of fifteen trainees had ever used an extinguisher, it was worthwhile to review the PASS process:

1) PULL the pin. (Hint: Give it a little twist as you pull it outward.)

2) AIM at the base of the fire. Keep your back to the exit. Stand eight feet from the fire.

3) SQUEEZE the handle, releasing the flame extinguishing material.

4) SWEEP the base of the fire from side to side.

Now, note the difference between fact and experience:

FACT: Fire's blaze can double every 30 seconds.

EXPERIENCE: Watch the demo and see what happens when an ordinary bedsheet is set on fire inside the Simulation Unit. Our staffer uses a fire extinguisher to control the flames.

The video is at the top of this post. You'll see the Lieutenant give brief instructions to the trainee; the Firefighter ignites the sheet; flames billow in seconds. At the sound of the alarm, we exit the unit.

Unsolicited Staff Reaction

After the event, staffers spontaneously exclaimed as they reflected on the experience:

"I had no idea! I don't ever want to be near a fire. That experience was very...memorable."

"I had no idea how quickly that fire would go up. It's amazing!"

The facts we learned were helpful. But the experience could save our lives. Watch the video today for Fire Prevention Month.

Find additional photos of the Simulation Unit in the Images Tab.

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This post is dedicated to Allvoices contributor SelfMade, wildland firefighter for the U.S. Forest Service. His posts and original videos from behind the fire lines of this summer's California forest fires represent, in my estimation, some of the best reporting on Allvoices. Stay safe, SelfMade.