By Cathryn Gran cgran@pioneerlocal.com March 7, 2012 6:48PM
A room is destroyed in less that 2 minutes during a demonstration March 7 in Morton Grove for firefighters from across the area. | Cathryn Gran~Sun-Times Media
Fire started by a burning candle destroyed a room in a minute-and-a-half during a demonstration March 7 in Morton Grove.
The purpose of the presentation, watched by firefighters from Morton Grove and surrounding communities, was to show the value of fire-suppression sprinkler systems.
The demonstration, held in the parking lot of Xylem at 8200 Austin Ave., consisted of two trailers similarly furnished to represent a typical room with curtains, couches and tables with candles.
The flame from the candle in the first room ignited the curtains, explained Tom Lia, executive director of the Northern Illinois Fire Sprinkler Advisory Board and a former fighter.
“From there it spread to the rest of the furnishings,” he said. “The temperature (in the demonstration room) reached in excess of 1,500 degrees.
He further explained: “Once the flames reached the couch, that was it. People don’t realize that it’s the furnishings that burn.”
Morton Grove Fire Chief Tom Friel echoed that sentiment.
“Look around (any) room,” he said. “Just about everything is combustible.”
The demonstration showed how effect in-home sprinkler units could be in suppressing fires, he added.
A single sprinkler used 40 gallons of water to extinguish in 30 to 40 seconds a fire similar to the blaze not combatted with such a system, Lia said.
Friel said he lessons learned apply not only to single-family homes but also to such structures as condominium buildings and parking garages.
“A condo may be built with concrete walls and metal studs, but the unit essentially becomes like an oven,” he explained. “The heat rises exponentially. If there’s sufficient oxygen in the room, there’s a chance for a flashover.”
In a flashover, a fire spreads quickly due to intense heat.
Anything one can do to intervene to drop the temperature and limit the growth of the fire reduces the chance of a flashover, Friel said.
“Sprinklers give occupants more time to evacuate,” he said. “And usually the sprinklers are part of an integrated system that ties the building’s alarm system to the fire department.”
District Deputy Chief Frank Rodgers said the use of smoke detectors in conjunction with sprinklers is becoming more common across Illinois.
“This demonstration showed how worthwhile sprinklers can be,” he noted.
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