Basement Fires Project Summary Video Released
This video, which focuses on the key points and tactical considerations from the Study of Understanding and Fighting Basement Fires (Basement Fires) by the International Society of Fire Service Instructors (ISFSI) and the UL’s Fire Safety Research Institute (FSRI), guides the viewer through the experiments involved and a summary of resulting tactical considerations.
Many firefighters have been injured or killed while trying to extinguish a basement fire. Basement fires can pose a high risk to a firefighter due to the high heat, high velocity fire gases found in the exhaust portion of a flow path and/or the potential for a floor collapse.
Based on the results from this study and previous below grade fire experiments, a basement fire has been shown to be likely ventilation controlled. Therefore, size-up and coordination between suppression and ventilation tactics are essential for an effective firefight. The most effective method for fighting a fire is to fight it on its own level. In some basement fire cases, that means suppression begins from the building’s exterior.
This ISFSI/ FSRI Basement Fires study went beyond earlier research by increasing the size of the basement, and addressing basements that have no exterior access to the basement, limited exterior access to the basement, and exterior access to the basement.
Tony Carroll is a Battalion Chief with the District of Columbia Fire Department, the Eastern Region Director of ISFSI, and an ISFSI Instructor for the Understanding and Fighting Basement Fires Class.
