ABC7 has an article to educate the public about the speed and heat involved with house fires:

You now only have about 3 minutes after the fire alarm goes off, to get out of your home safely. That time has dramatically dropped over the years — it used to be 17 minutes.

… the Alsip Fire Department [created two room mockups]. … one full of older or antique furniture, made of cotton, wool and down. The other the was a typical a home with newer, synthetic furniture made with chemicals like polyurethane and hydro-carbons.

Firefighters and other safety experts lit both rooms at the same time using a candle. In just one minute and thirty seconds, flames raged through the newer furnishings in what firefighters call a “flashover.” The old furniture burned slowly. It takes more than 13 minutes to “flashover.”

“The products now-a-days are all synthetic,” says Thomas Styczynski, Fire Chief Village of Alsip. “They are hydrocarbons, a solid form of gasoline if you will. They will ignite quicker, they give off different gasses. Besides carbon monoxide, they give off cyanide gases, all those which are toxic to humans.”

And it’s not just furniture causing faster fires. Research at Underwriter Laboratories in Northbrook has shown that the modern construction materials can put you at a higher risk. “Lightweight construction uses laminated beams and trusses and under normal circumstances these are great,” says Ron Hazelton. “But in fire they collapse much sooner than conventional wood.”

“What happens with solid wood is it begins to burn from the outside in, so the outside may char but the interior of it the structural integrity is there so it tends to fail slowly and you know when it is going to go,” Hazleton says. “This burns hotter and more quickly, and when it fails, it fails almost instantaneously.”

… most people aren’t going to buy all vintage furniture. Some residents are paying 2 percent more on new construction to install sprinklers. It’s even more expensive to retrofit them in existing homes, but you can also be eligible for an insurance discount. Don’t want the extra cost? You can also change batteries every six months in working smoke detectors , organize furnishings so there is space and limit how many items you have, especially in smaller rooms

Firefighters also say you can keep doors closed as much as possible in your home. That will keep a fire from spreading quickly from room to room.

More than 90 communities in Illinois require sprinklers in new construction single family homes and townhomes, but that’s not an option for most people so you need to be vigilant.

Check smoke detectors and make sure wiring, furnaces and appliances are working properly.

thanks Dan

Tags: Alsip Fire Department, educating the public about house fires, Thomas Styczynski Alsip FIre Chief