As I am a Voli Fire Fighter, and recently witnessed an extremely close call for a family of four, I thought I would see how many of you have Smoke Detectors fitted to your houses.
A fire started in the lounge (TV or DVD player shorted), around 3.30 am. The house rapidly started filling with toxic smoke, heated by the building fire. Due to the open plan of the space the smoke spread was rapid.
Fortunately the detectors worked 100 % and woke the family members, who staying low managed to get out and raise the alarm from their neighbours house.
By the time we arrived, the lounge was 1/2 gone, fire had invaded the roof space, and the house was not a viable place for any human to live in, due to smoke and heat.
Most deaths at fires are caused by smoke right? Nope, remember that the heat from the fire builds in layers getting hotter towards the roof.
Also smoke is "Unburnt Particles", meaning at a set point of heat /smoke it will flash burn through the smoke at extreme temperatures, this is called roll over (looks pretty and easy to control with a hose, untill it gets to Flash Over, then you in the deep shyte, 600 Celcius + temps).
People can be asleep in their bed, be woken up by a noise, or something, smell the smoke, stand up and die.
They have just stood up into a thermal layer of 300 + degrees Celcius, and have burnt the lining in their throat, which immediately swells and closes, death is by burn asphyxiation, not from smoke.
So if any of you don't have smoke detectors, do your self a favour, get some.
And stop me and my mates have to drag your sorry fried carcass out of a building for no bloody reason (what we call "Crispy Critters").
A fire started in the lounge (TV or DVD player shorted), around 3.30 am. The house rapidly started filling with toxic smoke, heated by the building fire. Due to the open plan of the space the smoke spread was rapid.
Fortunately the detectors worked 100 % and woke the family members, who staying low managed to get out and raise the alarm from their neighbours house.
By the time we arrived, the lounge was 1/2 gone, fire had invaded the roof space, and the house was not a viable place for any human to live in, due to smoke and heat.
Most deaths at fires are caused by smoke right? Nope, remember that the heat from the fire builds in layers getting hotter towards the roof.
Also smoke is "Unburnt Particles", meaning at a set point of heat /smoke it will flash burn through the smoke at extreme temperatures, this is called roll over (looks pretty and easy to control with a hose, untill it gets to Flash Over, then you in the deep shyte, 600 Celcius + temps).
People can be asleep in their bed, be woken up by a noise, or something, smell the smoke, stand up and die.
They have just stood up into a thermal layer of 300 + degrees Celcius, and have burnt the lining in their throat, which immediately swells and closes, death is by burn asphyxiation, not from smoke.
So if any of you don't have smoke detectors, do your self a favour, get some.
And stop me and my mates have to drag your sorry fried carcass out of a building for no bloody reason (what we call "Crispy Critters").
