MBFD Completes Forced Entry Training

A team of firefighters run into a burning house. The fire is burning extremely hot, there is no ventilation and everything is about to burst into flames, including the air in the room. What should they do?

The Matawan Borough Fire Department traveled to the Middletown Township Fire Academy on Sunday, Aug. 14, to learn how to react in such a situation, known as a flashover.

The department also completed forced entry training.

According to Matawan Borough Fire Captain Richard Michitsch, who is also a level two instructor with the state of New Jersey division of fire and safety, a flashover occurs "when contents are heated by thermal radiation feedback to their auto-ignition temperature and simultaneously ignite."

This means, for example, that as items of a bedroom are heated during a house fire, they give off different forms of gas. When the room reaches a certain temperature, the pressure on the gas causes the room to ignite in one explosion that will often blow the windows out on a house.

According to Michitsch, a flashover is likely fatal even for a firefighter in full gear. The classroom training focused on helping firefighters identify the warning signs of a flashover and understand specific safety procedures.

"Your brain is what keeps you safe," Michitsch said to his fellow firefighters. "[A flashover] will kill you. This will mame you."

Due to the heavy rain on Sunday, the department could only complete the classroom portion of the flashover training. There is a simulated flashover chamber at the fire academy to help firefighters understand how to handle one.

Firefighters also practiced forced entry. They were taught how to break into multiple types of locks they might encounter on an emergency call.

There was an emphasis on evaluating the situation before breaking into a building. If someone left the oven on, according to the instructor, it is better to take a moment to open the door in a way that damages it the least. However, if there is an immediate threat there are quicker ways to open a door. These strategies cause more damage though.

Click through the photo slideshow to see what the Matawan Borough Fire Department did during training.