MCALESTER ARMY AMMUNITION PLANT, Okla. -- Thick black smoke slowly descended, filling the small room, engulfing the eight firefighters here in a noxious cloud.
As the heat built to nearly 1,000 degrees, the smoke itself ignited in fingers of fire that crept along the walls and ceilings, mesmerizing the men and raising heartbeats in time with the sound of the air being sucked into their breathing apparatuses.
As terrifying as it sounds, the above conditions were experienced in training, not during an actual fire emergency.
For two days in May, the Fire and Emergency Services teams learned firsthand the specific characteristics of a flashover.
A flashover occurs when the smoke in a room becomes superheated and ignites the soot particles in the air. The resulting rush of energy and heat can be deadly if a firefighter is caught unaware.
In a specially-designed 20-foot container with firefighters only a few feet below the level of the flashover, the first responders endured extreme heat while remaining safely below the level of the fire.
Certified instructors from Kiamichi Technology Center in McAlester directed the firefighters to control the conditions with the application of short bursts of water in order to make it out safely.
Brian Norton, lead instructor and chief of the Calera (Oklahoma) Fire Department, said the training is essential for firefighters to recognize the precursor conditions that lead to a flashover so they can take actions to lower the risk.
"Simply put…this training saves lives," said Norton.
The special chamber provided by the Pittsburgh County Fire Chiefs Association is used for training by full-time and volunteer fire departments throughout southeast Oklahoma.
For this training, chiefs Brett Brewer from the McAlester Fire Department and Randy Crone from the Haywood-Arpelar Volunteer Fire Department, served as assistant instructors and safety monitors. They know firsthand the value of training and teamwork.
"This is another great example of the partnerships and mutual support we provide to each other. It allows us to capitalize on the specific strengths of each department in a time of need," said Brewer.
But the training wasn't just limited to firefighters.
"This training gives me an entirely new appreciation for the dangers encountered by our firefighters", said Col. Sean Herron, former MCAAP commander who relinquished command June 21. "It was realistic, challenging and will significantly improve the ability of our first responders to recognize dangerous conditions and adjust their attack plan in a fire emergency."
Herron should know. He also participated with MCAAP's Fire and Emergency Services team as a probationary firefighter to learn and understand more about his emergency response team and their capabilities.
While the training helps to improve FES' response and capabilities, it made some reminisce.
"This training was educational, but was also awesome," said MCAAP's Captain Tommy Howard. "It rekindles that kid-like spirit in me. This is why I decided to become a firefighter."
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