Columbia Southern Fire Behavior and Combustion Scenario Based Case Study In addition, each unit’s lesson will also have additional information pertaining t

Columbia Southern Fire Behavior and Combustion Scenario Based Case Study In addition, each unit’s lesson will also have additional information pertaining to the scenario under the section Points to Ponder–Building on the Scenario.

Preparing for the Scenario-Based Case Study

Before you begin writing each essay, follow these guidelines to help you prepare and understand the case study.

Read and examine the scenario background information thoroughly.
Take notes, highlight relevant facts, and underline points.
Focus your analysis.
Identify one or two key concepts from the unit lesson.
How do these key concepts relate to fire behavior and combustion in the scenario?
Interpret and draw on conclusions about the key concepts in the scenario.
Evaluate possible explanations for the fire behavior and growth.
Review course readings, discussions, outside research, and your experience.
Select the best concept to explain why the fire growth is where it is in this unit, based on the Points to Ponder–Building on the Scenario.
Consider strong supporting evidence. Is this concept realistic?
You should draw on the evidence from the textbook, study guide, and scholarly articles to provide logical arguments in support of those concepts, listing similarities or any differences that may be seen from other sources.

Unit I Essay

For this assignment, you will complete the first essay of the scenario-based case study. The essay will be a one- to two-page narrative focusing on arguments that support what the authors discuss in Chapters 1 and 3, as well as other research that you conduct related to these concepts.

As you review the material in the textbook and scenario, make sure you:

distinguish the chemical elements that contributed to the fire,
recognize measurements to understand the behavior of the fire,
describe if enthalpy was a contributing factor in fire growth,
define concepts and terms new to you, and
prepare and disseminate tangible arguments about the concepts.

Use APA guidelines, and summarize your response. To supplement your discussion and support your conclusions, you should use information from the CSU Online Library from reputable, reliable sources, such as journal articles, case studies, scholarly papers, and other sources that you feel are pertinent. All sources used, including the textbook, must be referenced; paraphrased and quoted material must have accompanying citations following APA guidelines. You must include at least three sources, including your textbook.

NOTE: This assignment is part of Unit I through Unit VII projects that will be assembled into the final project for Unit VII. This assignment must be submitted and graded by the professor, who will provide feedback to you. Your assignment will be graded according to the assigned rubric. The professor will grade and annotate items that need to be corrected for your final project. This feedback from the professor will help you correct any discrepancies before including this assignment in the final project. In addition, implementing the feedback will help you submit a quality project and achieve an overall better review and grade. Background Information
THE CITY OF COLUMBIA SOUTHERN GARDEN APARTMENT
FIRE
SOUTH FLORIDA
Weather
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Operations
Lessons
Tactical
Review
Timeline
Introduction
On June 21, at 0830 hours, a wind-driven
rain in the City of Columbia Southern was
disrupting commuters across the city with
isolated flooding.
During a live traffic report, the news
reporter saw smoke issuing out of a nearby
garden apartment reporting the fire as the
camera zoomed in on the black turbulent smoke.
(Karidis, n.d.)
At the same time, a caller from the apartment above the fire called 9-1-1 stating
that smoke was in her apartment. Multiple 9-1-1 calls began coming in reporting
thick black smoke and fire conditions throughout the unit.
Click each area above to learn additional
References
Weather
Building
Operations
Lessons
Tactical
Review
Timeline
Weather Conditions
Severe Thunderstorm Watch for portions of your
home town (use the area you live in with the
temperature and humidity, as well as the
additional information below for your scenariobased case study).
•
Storm Moving at 20 mph
•
05:30–8:00 AM Tuesday
Primary Threats
•
Isolated damaging wind gusts to 50 mph
possible
•
Isolated hail events of .5 inches in diameter
possible
•
Flash flooding possible throughout the area
NOTE: A Severe Thunderstorm Watch means
conditions are possible for severe thunderstorms
in and close to the watch area. Persons in these
areas should be on the lookout for threatening
weather conditions, to include flash flooding.
(Westrok, n.d.)
Weather
Building
Operations
Lessons
Tactical
Review
Timeline
Building Conditions/Construction
The garden apartment complex consists of 210 total units of either two-bedrooms
or three-bedrooms in five different structures. The buildings were built in 1963, as
two-story low-rise apartments with a flat roof and no attic space. In 1990, an
additional floor was added over the existing structure with light weight walls and a
gable style light weight wood roof. The building is a wood-frame rectangular
structure with steel columns on the first and second floor with steel I beams to
support the additional weight of the third-floor. The building measures 240’ (length)
x 48’ (width). Each building in the complex had one of the units converted into an
area that could be used for storage and a recreation room.
The third-floor units each have an access in the closet with a removable gypsum
board or wood hatch cover measuring 2’ x 2’ providing access to the attic area.
Several tenants used this space for storage increasing the fire load in the attic.
Each unit has three fire separation walls made from gypsum board. Each building is
marked with a visible exterior placard indicating light weight roof construction.
Each fire wall is terminated just under the wood sheathing of the roof leaving a 2”
gap. Due to the renovation, there are multiple voids for fire spread.
Click for
Image
Click to Return
Weather
Building
Operations
Lessons
Tactical
Review
Timeline
Fire Ground Operations
At 0832 hours the City of Columbia Southern 9-1-1 Center received a report of
smoke in an apartment at 4414 Mayes Street West and dispatched a first-alarm
assignment (two engines, one truck, one rescue, and a battalion chief). Within
minutes of the first call, additional calls began to come in reporting smoke and fire
in apartment 2-B. The first-arriving company arrived shortly thereafter and
reported seeing the dense black smoke issuing from the apartment building on
Side “A”.
The first due engine companies proceeded to the northeast corner (Side “A” and
“D”) of the building and forced open a door. Crews advancing handlines quickly
discovered the fire involved several rooms of the apartment. The main body of fire
was in the kitchen area. A second alarm was called and then several individual
pieces of apparatus were called. Apartment units on Side “B” had minor smoke
conditions, with good visibility. Attack crews found heavy to moderate smoke
conditions in the hallway in front of apartment 2-B. Smoke was venting through any
opening in the structure. Search and rescue operations in the apartment of origin
had to be abandoned because of limited visibility and extreme heat complicating
search operations causing search and rescue to be unsafe for the firefighters.
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Weather
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Fire Ground Operations – Continued
Battalion Chief arrived on the scene at 0839 hours and observed a heavy volume of
fire issuing from a second-floor window. The fire was extending to the window
above and to the soffit area of the roof. Command was established on Side “A” of
the apartment building. At 0854, a second alarm was dispatched; units were
assigned to pull attack lines to the exposures. Exposure “D-1” encountered
extreme heat and smoke with no fire. Exposure “B-1” had extreme heat and
smoke. Officers on Side “C” of the apartment building reported a heavy
concentration of smoke showing from the roof vents. Command noticed heavy fire
auto-extending into the apartment above and into the soffit area of the roof.
Command misjudged the rate of extension due to unknown voids in the structure
and attic and the building’s structural components and changed the fire attack to a
defensive mode after three firefighters were burned.
SIDE “A”
Weather
Building
Operations
Lessons
Tactical
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Timeline
Investigation Lessons Learned
Fire investigators conducted an overview of relevant issues involved in the fire
from the incipient stage to decay and finally the mitigation. The investigators found
the recent trend of using lightweight material and engineered wood caused earlier
failure of the structural components and the steel support members increased the
spread of fire. The existing building had lightweight wood structural members, and
the addition of the third floor used cross-laminated timber and glued laminated
timbers with numerous void spaces housing steel columns and beams and
lightweight galvanized steel.
The investigators determined that the voids with unprotected combustible surfaces
led to a secondary flashover as a result of the increased heat release rate leading
to early collapse of the structure.
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Weather
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Tactical
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Timeline
Investigation Lessons Learned – Continued
The fire started on the second floor of the building in the kitchen area of apartment
2-B. The apartment had inner dimensions of 32’4” x 20’6” x 8’. Access to the
apartment was through a lobby, stairs, and hallway. The apartment had a
bathroom, kitchen, two bedrooms, and a living room. The fire was started by a
grease fire on the stove from an unattended pan while the occupant was next door
visiting. From the estimated time of the fire to flashover was approximately 26
minutes after ignition. From the evidence of melted glass and the charring depths
of wood was 2” x 4”. Based on previous test results, this indicates the peak
temperature was approximately 1,832 °F.
Investigators concluded the gypsum plaster board on the ceiling and walls did not
contribute to the fire during the most intense period. However, as the gypsum
plaster boards began to fail, it allowed heated gases and fire to travel throughout
the apartment building on the second and third floor. Some areas of the addition
used lightweight galvanized steel for interior walls due to a shortage of wood
products. Walls between the apartments were insulated with fiber glass with ½”
gypsum board. Smoke penetration was noted throughout the structure at joints
and in all voids where the gypsum board was interrupted.
Weather
Building
Operations
Lessons
Tactical
Review
Timeline
Tactical Review
Tactics used by the City of Columbia Southern were the same as any other
structure with priorities of rescue, positioning hose lines, fast attack mode, locating
and confining the fire, VES operations, and extinguishment. Problems noted on the
garden apartment fire were as follows:
• apparatus positioning of first due units,
• use of the aerial platform,
• distance of the handlines from the pumper to the apartment created stretching
delays,
• loss of pressure was from friction loss due to the stretch of 1¾-inch hose being
400’,
• pre-connect was charged using tank water only (Engine 2 carried 500 gallons),
• occupants’ ability to evacuate was delayed due to the shortage of rescue
members, and
• unfamiliarity of the structure and the building materials of responding firefighting
units.
Weather
Building
Timeline
Operations
Lessons
Tactical
Review
Timeline
References
Karidis, C. (n.d.). [Photograph of a burning house]. Retrieved from
https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1516567832553-66232148f74
ixlib=rb0.3.5&ixid=eyJhcHBfaWQiOjEyMDd9&s=f51a9c068281d11
2e1a95b736918bf10&auto=format&fit=crop&w=889&q=80
c?
Westrock, J. (n.d.). Remnants of Tropical Storm Alberto around the Lake Mills
area in Wisconsin [Photograph]. Retrieved from
https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1527782946758-e8e39bb18d0e
?ixlib=rb-0.3.5&ixid=eyJhcHBfaWQiOjEyMDd9&s=55272f25
a9593f00d48edda0a4b80015&auto=format&fit=crop&w=667&q=80
UNIT I STUDY GUIDE
Concepts Associated with
the Dynamics of Fire
Course Learning Outcomes for Unit I
Upon completion of this unit, students should be able to:
2. Categorize the components of fire.
2.1 Distinguish measurement in understanding fire behavior.
5. Define the concepts associated with the chemistry of fire.
5.1 Recognize the chemical elements that are related to fires.
6. Discuss various materials considered fuel for fires.
6.1 Describe the change among the states of matter and the changes in enthalpy associated with
each.
Course/Unit
Learning Outcomes
2.1
5.1
6.1
Learning Activity
Unit Lesson
Chapter 1
Unit I Essay
Unit Lesson
Chapter 3
Unit I Essay
Unit Lesson
Chapter 1
Unit I Essay
Reading Assignment
Chapter 1: Fire Measurement and the SI System of Units
Chapter 3: Physical and Chemical Change, pp. 39–41
Unit Lesson
Concepts Associated with the Dynamics of Fire
What is fire behavior and combustion? Many of us believe we know the answer either from life experiences
on the fire ground or from classes taken in the fire academy. However, do we really know? What are the
characteristics of fire and its behavior or combustion? Is there an art to reading fire? Is fire behavior its own
language? Senior fire officials may have taught us the fire triangle or even the tetrahedron. Do you really
understand it? Is fire as simple as removing one of the elements and it goes out, or is there more? Is there a
need to understand the differences between mass and weight that involves heat, energy, and smoke? Do you
really need to know the importance of measurement in understanding fire behavior? Do we really need to
understand enthalpy in relation to heat or smoke? Do we need to understand buoyant smoke and any
incomplete combustion involving a fire? Why are these concepts important in understanding fire? Has the
need to understand fire behavior gone unheeded? Are you prepared and equipped to undertake the principles
of fire behavior and combustion?
According to ancient Greek mythology, fire was stolen from the gods and given to humankind by Prometheus
(Morris, 2017). In Greek mythology, since fire was introduced, it has been used for good and evil over the
centuries. When controlled, fire provides heat, energy, and light. Out of control fire is devastating and has
FIR 3301, Fire Behavior and Combustion
1
caused many injuries and
deaths. Gorbett and Pharr
(2011) have reviewed the
devastation of fire throughout
the centuries, describing fire is
a serial killer that continues
today. Fire-related injuries and
even deaths have been
contributed to the behavior and
attitude of firefighters (National
Fallen Firefighter Foundation,
2013). They further suggested
one of the causes is the lack of
preparedness. Gorbett and
Pharr (2011) suggest these
injuries and deaths many times
are due to firefighters not
understanding fire behavior.
UNIT x STUDY GUIDE
Building on the Scenario
Title
A caller reported a fire at a Garden Apartment. Engines 2 and
5, Tower 2, Rescue 2, and Battalion 1 were dispatched for a
possible structure fire involving an apartment building. While
reporting the morning traffic, the local news channel observed
a column of smoke coming from the direction of the apartment
and notified dispatch. Upon Engine 2’s arrival, he reported
heavy smoke from Side “A.” Engine 5 was ordered to lay a
supply line into Engine 2. Engine 2’s officer and one firefighter
went to the front door, entering the foyer area, and advanced
up the stairs and down the hallway.
As they opened the door, they immediately observed thick
black smoke pulsing and banking down to the floor under
pressure. As they advanced the handline into the apartment,
they noticed the kitchen cabinets were well involved, and they
could make out the stove with a saucepan on it. Within
seconds after reaching the kitchen, the temperature in the
room increased, burning their faces where their Nomex hoods
were not donned properly.
Are you prepared as a
firefighter? Are injuries or even
deaths the result of poor
decisions on the fire ground due
to not completely understanding
When opening the nozzle, there was a loss of pressure in their
fire behavior and combustion?
handlines. As a result, the fire appeared to double in size
We all know fire is the rapid
within a few minutes. At the same time, Tower 2’s engineer
oxidation of a combustible
described thick black smoke pushing into the atmosphere from
material releasing heat, light,
the second-floor window. The apartment’s dimensions are
and various reaction products in
32’4” x 20’6” x 8’.
the exothermic process of
combustion (Gorbett & Pharr,
2011). In addition, we understand the components of combustion, using oxygen, fuel, and heat to explain the
ignition, growth, and then decay of the fire. Using the fire tetrahedron, we can describe how combustible
material near the fire off-gasses and the area around the combustible material must be cooled to stop the
fires progression and the superheated air-track. According to Gann and Friedman (2015), understanding fire
behavior and combustion causes one to realize that measurement is another key component to
understanding the fire phenomena. The authors note that firefighters need to know when the fire started, how
rapidly it grew, how hot it became, and how severe the threat to the population. They continue by suggesting
firefighters need to quantify this information to understand fire.
In the fire service, we understand that the terms “fast moving” or “big” in relationship to smoke and fire have
different meanings to each of us. Many times, our definitions are based on experience, and the definitions
change throughout our career. What was once a big fire, may be moderate today. According to Gann and
Friedman (2015), in order to quantify fire behavior, we need to understand measurement in terms of SI units
from the French term, Système International d’ Unités). Gorbett and Pharr (2011) define SI units as a “system
for quantifying measurement that uses meters, liters, grams, and calories” (p. 19). How can one compare
measurement to fighting fire? Is it essential in firefighting? Are we really going to perform calculations on the
fire ground to understand the phenomena of fire? Gann and Friedman (2015) suggest the basic
measurements for fire phenomena to occur is time, length, area, volume, mass, density, force, pressure,
enthalpy and energy, power, and temperature. How do you apply each of these? In the scenario below, how
would you use measurement to help understand the fire phenomena?
Points to Ponder
In the scenario in the right sidebar, did the fire generate energy? Did the energy increase within the fire room?
Was there transfer of heat from one object to another? Was there an increase in pressure within the volume
of the room? Was there an increase of temperature noted? Was there an increase in the spread of fire
outside the room of origin?
FIR 3301, Fire Behavior and Combustion
2
Reaction of Enthalpy
UNIT x STUDY GUIDE
Title
In the scenario, the cooking oil in the saucepan reached autoignition, creating a fire that continued until the
room was totally involved. As the cooking oil was heated, a chemical reaction occurred (Figure 1 [Bonds “A-B”
Molecule representing the cooking oil]) breaking bonds and vaporizing into a gas (Figure 2 [“A” “B” Molecular
Fragments representing the volatile gas]). At this point, a change occurred, and heat is being released and
absorbed by other solids, under a constant pressure, with a temperature rise around the reaction. As the
vapors or gas ignites, combustion occurs (Figure 3). Energy is continually being released and absorbed under
pressure (Figure 4) creating soot, a solid particle in the smoke, and collecting on the ceiling and walls. The
process starts over as the soot is heated and thermal degradation (pyrolysis) occurs under pressure, creating
a volatile gas (reacting with air) in the smoke that ignites (Figure 5) resulting in flashover, roll over, or
backdraft. This continues creating a full-scale heat release (Figure 6). The absorption or the release of energy
under pressure is known as enthalpy. During the enthalpy process the release of heat feeds back to the solids
around the fire. This feedback is a loop that continues under pressure, either positive or negative. Figure 7
below shows the method of heat being released or absorbed though the enthalpy process.
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
Figure 5
Figure 6
Figure 4
Figure 7: Enthalpy
FIR 3301, Fire Behavior and Combustion
3
Factors such as the nature of the material can influence the heat transfer in enthalpy.
Depending
on the
UNIT x STUDY
GUIDE
nature of the exposed surface, the higher bond enthalpy requires more energyTitle
(heat) to break the bond. This
also depends on the distance between the heat source and the exposed surfaces.
Exothermic and Endothermic Reaction
If the reaction of enthalpy is positive, it is considered endothermic,
and if it is negative, it is considered exothermic (Figure 8). The
following is an example of this: a rag is used to coat an axe handle
with linseed oil. You place the rag on the table and as the rag begins
to dry, oxidation takes place, producing heat resulting in fire. The
combustion of the rag is an exothermic reaction because you feel the
heat from the fire. Exothermic reaction is the only phase in which you
feel the heat when fighting fire.
Figure 9 shows the rate of heat transfer of cooking oil as a liquid
undergoing the combustion phase across the surface indicated. The
flame above the saucepan is fed by the thermal degradation of the
liquid cooking oil generated across the given surface of the
saucepan.
Diffusion flame is the rate of supply of vapors (as seen coming from
the sauce pan) coupled to their rate of burning; at the same time,
heat is being transferred from the flame to any surface around the
fire (Drydale, 1985). This process is continually releasing energy
necessary to produce the vapors to support combustion. As heat
increases, the speed of the polymeric molecules increases as the
cooking oil splits into smaller fragments, which can vaporize and
escape from the surface of the sauce pan. This process is essential
to maintain the flow of vapors and support the diffusion flame
(Drydale, 1985).
Figure 8
Thermal Degradation
Heat
Loss
The
Rate of
Transfer
Figure 9
FIR 3301, Fire Behavior and Combustion
4
Conclusion
UNIT x STUDY GUIDE
Title
Lack of preparedness was cited in firefighter injuries and fatalities. Some of the reasons for the injuries and
fatalities were the attitudes and behavior firefighters have about the chemistry and physics of fire.
U…
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