Training for a Flashover Fire
Flashover fires are sudden, dramatic changes in fires that can cause great damage and threaten firefighters' lives.  After heart attacks, flashover fires are the second leading cause of firefighter deaths.

This training class used a specially designed Flashover Chamber that allows the instructors to establish a flashover event in a controlled environment. Firefighters can see how a fire progresses to a flashover point and learn what they can do to combat the fire and protect their safety. The Flashover Chamber allows the instructors to establish a flashover event in a controlled environment. Firefighters can see how a fire progresses to a flashover point and learn what they can do to combat the fire and protect their safety.

In this series of pictures you will see firefighters going into a semi- trailer which is set afire reaching temperatures from 600° to 900°. At those temperatures a flashover is created, training our firefighters for what it is really like to be in a fire when a flashover takes place. This work is dangerous, even when it is under a controlled environment.

This training took place at Fifth/Third Whitecaps Ballpark in Comstock Park and was made possible through a cooperative training venture by the Plainfield Township Fire Department and the Grand Rapids Fire Department.

(Roll your mouse over the thumbnails on the left to see a larger image.)