Flashover - Reading The Fire Signs

On a positive reflection, I have had such a great life of learning. Several key people in my life took the time and opportunity of investing in me when I as a naive and wet behind the ears younger man joining the Royal Air Force Fire Service. As an impressionable youngster I was keen and eager...very keen in fact to learn as much as I could about all of my trade knowledge requirements and ultimately in doing so save lives and in doing so achieve a life long ambition. My mentor used to say to me with regularity, "check, check and check again...the day you don't check the fire truck properly or the breathing apparatus fails or the jaws of life cannot operate to extract someone from a trapped car is the day you place a stone around your own neck for the rest of your life"!...inspirational words indeed.

I had the great fortune of meeting and working with some professional people across my varied career and their freedom to inspire me with their gained knowledge was extremely gracious.

After my 12 years operating on Military and Civilian support operations I left and joined an Offshore Training Center in Norwich (UK) as Fire & Survival Instructor where I had some element of freedom to continue my interests and fascination with Fire...a safe fascination with Fire I can assure.

Through further fortune I was invited to undertake a Backdraft & Flashover course with the Essex Fire & Rescue Service and I was simply 'blown away' with their Compartment Fire Fighting sessions supported greatly by the practical sessions aligned with Home Office standards for my colleagues and I to be deemed competent to train and assess others on these developing 'new' methods. As I further spread my wings to encapsulate the Oil & Gas industry and offshore platforms, rigs and vessels on a worldwide scale I had an almost daily exposure to the preparatory standards of emergency response teams, their equipment and training standards that tended to vary considerably depending on where exactly I was operating from. Other than the offshore industry world where generally standards were more heavily represented and structured, locations of work found me in in marine construction yards, large fabrication plants, chemical plants, bulk fuel farms, and vessel bases where to be frank arrangements were far more loosely prepared despite the presence of equally high risks and hazards. It was these locations where I observed greater deficiencies, lesser experience and knowledge gaps and always sought to mentor and impart my learnings wherever and whenever I could. This led me to creating my own business and as that unfolded I have had such personal reward to have been invited to various locations of the world to train others with my knowledge. For me personally, and while reflecting on my many varied opportunities of learning from others, I would have to say the course in Essex provided the greatest 'wow effect' which has led to this post. Techniques change for many things we do and I have always maintained a receptivity to improvement...sometimes requiring some level of convincing I have to say but always receptive and for Flashover & Backdraft Fire Development I am so pleased to have done so. Still as fascinated today as I was back in 1997, I take any opportunity to create and distribute presentations and slides to support teams who may find themselves in situations where they are presented with fires and may have to select immediate actions for the purposes of preserving life.

As represented in the presentation attached to this BLOG, there are several important and necessary 'visual' learnings to be had that through an inspired discussion and open receptivity could add value to others..it is therefore for this reasoning that I encourage you to consider the presentation further and share wherever you wish. Stay safe and remember that 'safety is never a compromise'