An October burn demonstration led by Atlanta Fire Rescue to kick off the sixth annual Fire Service Psychology Association conference illustrated just how intense a fire can become without a sprinkler system.
Within two minutes, a small room was buried in flames and reduced to ruins. In the same room with working sprinklers, the fire lasted for about 15 seconds.
Credit: Jason.Getz@ajc.com
Credit: Jason.Getz@ajc.com
For residences without sprinkler systems, functioning smoke detectors are essential to a fast fire rescue response. A working smoke detector raises the chance of surviving a house fire by 85%, said Burton Clark of the Fire Service Psychology Association. Evacuating a home before help arrives is also critical to improving outcomes not just for the residents, but for the crews rushing into the flames to try to rescue them.
“Do not take any fire alarms as being false. There’s no such thing as a false fire alarm. There’s something that made the fire alarm activate,” Georgia Tech Fire Safety Manager Bridget Mourao said during the demonstration. “It takes less than two minutes for a fire to become deadly, so getting out is the only way to stay alive.”
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