SOUTH EUCLID FIRE DEPARTMENT - City of South Euclid

Firefighting has changed in many ways over the last one hundred years and the fires we fight
have changed as well. Several factors have changed the way a fire progresses in typical
residences. The most significant factor is the amount and type of products we have in our
homes. Plastics are the biggest reason fires spread faster, hotter and with more toxic smoke. If
you have ever spent time around a camp fire burning, you know that when the wind changes
the smoke from a wood burning fire can be very annoying. Adding just a little plastic and the
smoke is more than just annoying. We have more than just a little plastic in the modern home.
From our television, to our appliances, toys and furniture our houses are filled with plastic. This
makes a fire in our homes faster, hotter and producing more toxic smoke. Fires in today’s
homes reach flashover faster. Flashover is when all the combustibles in a room are burning.
A second factor is how our homes are built. To conserve energy houses are built to keep heat or
air conditioning in. This allows the heat to
build faster and keeps the smoke in the
building. We have found our fires are
ventilation controlled. This means the fire
needs air, specifically oxygen. If starved for
oxygen, the fire continues to build heat and
the smoke becomes more charged with
unburned fuel. Once a source of air is
found the fire will accelerate at a very fast
rate.
These changes in our residences mean that
occupants have less time to escape. Increased use of smoke detectors and fewer fires have help
reduce the number of deaths in the United States. This effects fire department operations as
well.
Since time is a factor, the engine company must get the hoseline to the fire as fast as possible.
The engine company is responsible for stretching the hoseline and attacking the fire. The crew
will also complete other tasks as they go such as forcible entry, and search in the area of the
fire. Once the fire is extinguished the crew will start an overhaul of the fire, which is checking
for fire extension and fire cause and origin. The engine crew must establish the water supply
and leave one person operating the pump.
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