By Derek Rosenfeld
After Monday morning’s pre-conference workshops officially opened the education section of FDIC International 2016, the day’s classes continued into the afternoon, with one of the highlights being Värnamo (Sweden) Fire & Rescue Battalion Chief (and “Swedish Fire Nerd“) Lars Ågerstrand’s Teaching Fire Science to Firefighters.
“Basic fire science is the core for all other firefighting related topics,” Lars said.
He continued, “Basic science is very important for firefighters to be able to understand the recent studies performed by organisations like UL, NIST and ATF. A lack of knowledge in physics and chemistry can lead to false conclusions which may end up very dangerous. I see this lack of knowledge as one of the core problems to overcome in today’s fire service.”
Here, Lars talks about and shows a flame’s oxidation process and its relation to methane combustion:
Next, Lars explains the molecular aspects of a fire’s lower explosive limits and how nitrogen factors into its spread:
Here, Lars explains flammable limits and shows his students the metal box experiment.
Lars further explains the well-known experiment he addresses in his FDIC presentation that answers the question, “Why there are no flames above the net?”
FDIC International 2016 is Lars’s third conference. He says the best part of the experience is “meeting the like-minded, and to be challenged by new ideas.”
If there is one piece of information that Lars want students to take away from his class, he states, “That teaching fire science is the one of the most cost-effective ways to increase firefighter effectiveness, efficiency, and safety.
View Lars’s FDIC International 2015 presentation HERE
Derek Rosenfeld is an associate editor for Fire Engineering and a member of the FDIC International 2016 event manageent team.
