ARVADA - The 1,500 square-foot structure shows the scars of repeated fires. Arvada firefighters built it for one purpose - to burn.
9NEWS was given a rare look inside this burning building, as Arvada firefighters demonstrated an innovative new method of fighting fires and saving lives.
It's called a Positive Pressure Attack. Instead of immediately using water to put out a fire, crews use high-capacity fans that push air towards the fire at a rate of 15,500 cubic feet per minute.
Firefighters punch holes in the windows near the part of the building where the fire is burning. Then, they place the powerful fans in doorways to push the smoke and flames out of those holes.
Firefighters lit the first of six controlled burns just before 7 p.m. Wednesday in the rear of the Arvada Fire Protection District's training facility at Indiana Street and 64th Avenue. They used hay, wood, and an accelerant called excelsior. Within minutes, the flames were spreading quickly.
Seconds later, fire crews turned on the fan, which is powered with a gasoline engine. A huge plume of white smoke and heat began billowing out of the windows.
With the smoke dissipated, firefighters were able to walk towards the fire, as opposed to crawling under the thick smoke, and extinguish it within seconds.
For every 18 degrees that firefighters lower the temperature during a fire, they lower the combustibility of the atmosphere by 50 percent. In other words, the cooler the air - the less likely the fire can grow.
"It's an extremely educational thing," Lt. Clay Steward said.
The 18-year veteran firefighter says some fire departments still resist the idea of a Positive Pressure Attack. Many believe that "fanning the flames" would intensify a fire, not help bring it under control.
For years, firefighters would use fans for Positive Pressure Ventilation, where fans were used after the fire was located and water was applied. This cleared smoke from the building but did nothing to prevent potential victims from breathing in toxic chemicals or suffering smoke inhalation.
Arvada firefighters have found that by pushing the smoke out, much of the heat and toxic chemicals are pushed out as well.
Steward says Positive Pressure Attack greatly improves a person's chances for survival if they are stuck inside a burning building, because they are less likely to breath in hot air which can cause internal burns. They are also less likely to suffer smoke inhalation, where deadly chemicals like carbon monoxide and hydrogen cyanide exist.
"Sixty to 80 percent of fire deaths are caused by the smoke and not the fire," Steward said. "We just want people not to get hurt."
Throughout the night, firefighters continued setting fires, stoking the flames, and extinguishing them quickly. The training will be repeated a total of 12 times, and then the building will be taken down.
October is National Fire Prevention month. Arvada firefighters say it's important to remind the public that it is critical to have working smoke detectors and sprinkler systems, if possible, in your home. Both have been proven to save lives.
"If there's a fire in your home, get out, rally the family at a family meeting place, call 911, and let us know that you're out because it can help change our tactics," Steward said.
While it all becomes routine by the sixth fire of the night, Steward says he is reminded of the excitement he felt when he was a new firefighter 18 years ago.
"It's a little bit of a rush, that's part of the gig," Steward said. "Every fire burns a little bit differently and you learn something new from every fire."
(KUSA-TV © 2011 Multimedia Holdings Corporation)
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