What can happen to your home in 3 mins

[justintime2]

my dad's a fire captain, so i get stories like this (with pics) all the time.  have you been in the paper for delivering a baby yet?  our local rag ran a piece of my dad going to some twins's quiencienera or however you spell it (the mexican girls big day) of who he delivered in the middle of some big emergency.

Not for delivering a baby but have been for other stuff. Getting a stork on the helmet is hard to do. Sounds like your dad got to be part of a unique experience!

 

[justintime2]

I have the utmost respect for you guys.

My cousin is a firefighter/paramedic here in town, and man, the stories.....

Thanks for doing what you do.

Be safe...

THANKS!

 

[justintime2]

i've always heard that trailers.. especially older one go up like a styrofoam cup when they catch fire... one minute it's there, the next it's basically gone..


i'll keep my pile of bricks, and concrete thanks anyway..

I bet a person could put sprinklers in a one story house pretty easily... and cheap too assuming the little sprinkler thingies are outrageously priced.

can't imagine it would take much more than a average understanding of pluming..  hmm.  

Would be basically one big loop around the house with good ole pvc pipe.. connected to a main somewhere with a shut off valve..

a few holes in da' roof for the sprinkler and yer done.

or is there some big comlex stuff ya hafta do?

hehe.. I happen to have about 60 feet of 1/2 inch pvc sitting in the basement with no place to go.. an easily accessible attic.. and basic plumbin' skilllzzzz haha.

cheap insurance for yer family sounds like to me.

I am no sprinkler design expert but you are on the right track and no the sprinkler heads are not expensive. Need to have shut offs though for intentional or accidental activations. and there are calculations for how much and what size of line for a given pressure and how many heads. Get a book and read up, you have the right idea and it would be smart to add if done correctly.

 

[justintime2]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Southside Playa]

I work for an industrial commercial insurance company. I deal with sprinkler systems and design. Home system are not too complicated. And yes, shutoffs are very important, cause water damage can be as bad or worse than fire damage. You could probably do it for $5-10K, but the insurance benefits would be great.

 

[VaBusa]

Wow, that's scary...

Hats off to you for doing that job though JT2...it's got to be tough at times, especially when you can't save someone in time.

One of the guys I work with is a FT firefighter...the stories he tells!

 

[justintime2]

Wow, that's scary...

Hats off to you for doing that job though JT2...it's got to be tough at times, especially when you can't save someone in time.  

One of the guys I work with is a FT firefighter...the stories he tells!

Thanks Michelle! I thought about writing a book someday. The stories are amazing and alot of people just don't know what goes on around them in the community. Over half of our district is an indian reservation that has a huge problem with drugs and violence. We have more structure fires and trauma calls per capita than most due to it. Sad, but also helps you become a good FF as some wont see half the things we do in their career. Still waiting on that stork sticker for my helmet though. Close several times. Once missed delivery by about a minute. Mother had just delivered on her own, the umbilical cord was still attached and the placenta had not been delivered yet.

 

[Pipefighter248]

 

[jwcfbd]

it is amazing how fast fire can spread

 

[justintime2]

it is amazing how fast fire can spread

It still amazes me when at a fire just how hungry these things are and how fast they eat. We now have two engines that use what is called CAF (Compressed Air Foam). It's like thick bathtub soap and knocks the fire down much quicker and with less water, it is amazing stuff!

 

[stkr00]

Nice pics JT2

I've been through a roll-over trainer before and it is an awe inspiring sight to see the flame fingers dance over your head as they start to ignite the combustion gases. I've been through the burn towers and it's amazing how much heat and steam are pushed down on you when you try to quench the roll-over with only a quick shot of water. The turnout gear just doesn't stop the steam.

Keep up the good work JT2, and be safe

 

[justintime2]

Nice pics JT2

I've been through a roll-over trainer before and it is an awe inspiring sight to see the flame fingers dance over your head as they start to ignite the combustion gases.  I've been through the burn towers and it's amazing how much heat and steam are pushed down on you when you try to quench the roll-over with only a quick shot of water.  The turnout gear just doesn't stop the steam.

Keep up the good work JT2, and be safe

Thanks! I think roll-over is the funnest thing to watch. Sometimes you forget to just stop and watch what is happening for a second. For others who don't know what roll-over is, it is the step before flashover occurs and the fire begins to crawl across the ceiling as the heat in that space begins to emit more flamable gases. When something is burning the actual product is not on fire although it appears to be. The heat is causing the product to decay which gives off a gas, the gas is what is actually burning just above the product. These gases rise to the ceiling and the fire starts to crawl across and it is pretty cool looking, but also another sign that it is time to put it down or get out as flashover could be close.

 

[MzBusa]

Great pics, but scary. Makes you realize it could happen at any time to anyone!

 

[justintime2]

Great pics, but scary.  Makes you realize it could happen at any time to anyone!

There are things you can do to mitigate your risks but it truly can hit anyone at any time.