Reenan, a fire service veteran with nearly 40 years experience, along with Lt. Paul Montavon, who works part time with Colerain Twp. and full time with Miami Twp. in Hamilton County, led a training session for three groups of Middletown firefighters last week to become more aware of the signs of the deadliest conditions any firefighter faces — flashovers and backdrafts.
Middletown’s Assistant Fire Chief Tom Snively said a flashover occurs when the temperature in a structure is so hot, 1,000 degrees to 1,200 degrees Fahrenheit, that everything starts to burn.
He said a backdraft is when an oxygen-starved smoldering fire explodes when oxygen is introduced.
Reenan and Montavon presented a 90-minute classroom program of fires from around the state where things got worse because firefighters didn’t see the signs of flashovers and backdrafts.
The training was facilitated using the Ohio Fire Academy’s mobile fire behavior lab, a large, special trailer, designed to create the deadly conditions.
Ten firefighters and the two instructors went into the trailer where an internal section was set on fire with wood and straw. The firefighters sat on benches that rotated around so they could see the fire up close.
“It shows the telltale signs that you can’t see in a classroom and brings it into a visual perspective,” said Middletown firefigher Frank Baughman, who said it was the third time he’d been in the mobile lab, watching the wave of heat above him and seeing bursts of fire erupt when the heat hits the ignition point.
“Firefighters have to recognize things quickly,” Reenan said. “Being aware is the name of the game. In today’s world, you don’t know what you’re going into.”
Contact this reporter at (513) 705-2871 or erichter@coxohio.com
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