A demonstration fire showing, left to right: sprinklers, no sprinklers and the advantage of keeping doors closed.
Even those outside the firefighting community can see the importance of why 200 fire officials from the region attended the 97th annual Eastern Division of the International Association of Fire Chiefs conference in Mount Laurel Thursday through Saturday.
Fire departments in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Delaware, Maryland and the District of Columbia are members of the Eastern Division of the International Association of Fire Chiefs (EDIAFC), said Jim Yates, the organization’s director. Each state hosts the annual conference on a rotating basis, and Mount Laurel was chosen to host the conference because of its proximity to several interstates and toll roads, Yates said.
The event at the Hilton DoubleTree Hotel on Fellowship Road consisted of training courses and networking events with other fire chiefs and fire equipment vendors.
"If we are not staying up to date (on firefighting skills), then we are doing our customers a disservice," Mount Laurel Deputy Fire Chief of Operations Larry Fox told 70and73.com. "The great thing about this conference is the opportunity to continue to develop our skills and to hone our skills."
West Windsor Fire Department Captain Doug Frueh (left) and Mount Laurel Deputy Fire Chief Larry Fox compare notes at the firefighting demonstration.
Fox, a firefighter for 28 years who was named to the deputy position 18 months ago, said he was particularly interested in one course, "Managing the mayday," which was "all about managing a (firefighting) incident when we have a firefighter who gets in trouble and what we need to think about as we are trying to rectify that incident."
Speedy residential development in recent years has shown that homes today burn faster than ever, according to firefighters.
"Back in the 1990s and 2000s, houses took a long time to build and were built with better materials," West Windsor Fire Department Captain Doug Frueh said in an interview. "Now, houses are being built in two weeks with lightweight material, which can burn by the time fire stations are notified," Frueh said.
To illustrate one way to minimize damage, Frueh set up a trailer in the hotel’s parking lot with three furnished rooms: one where sprinklers were installed, one where sprinklers were not installed and one where the door to enter it was shut. He then used a flare to set the trailer on fire. Within minutes, the trailer’s smoke detectors' piercing beeps could be heard, triggering the sprinklers.
The firefighters watched the flames burn and the smoke rise for a few minutes, then watched as another group of firefighters extinguished the fire. Frueh then pointed out how the furniture in the room without sprinklers sustained heavy fire, smoke and water damage, while the furniture in the room with sprinklers sustained smoke and water damage. Frueh also pointed out how the room with the entry door shut sustained almost no damage.
"Fires will move past a closed door and continue on through the space. But with your doors open… the fire will then go into that room and then will occupy that room with heat, gas, smoke and fire," Frueh explained.
So (tell everyone) to "close before you doze," he added.
