You never know when or where a fire will break out, and you never think it will happen to you. Neither did the owner of this house, who may have had candles too close to the curtains, old electronics, forgotten food in the stove, or had the phone charging while he slept.
After the fire broke out, the emergency number was called, and the firefighters were quick to arrive on the scene. They evacuated the residents, provided necessary medical assistance, and begun extinguishing the fire which appears to have started on the second floor.
The interior firefighter – or smoke diver – is wearing massive and heavy equipment to survive the conditions that have developed inside the house. He takes determined steps up the stairs. The smoke is dense and the flames generate enormous heat. Without the oxygen in his mask, the fire gases would have killed him in a very short amount of time. He knows this, because he has many years of experience in the field. He has seen the damage that flames and gases can inflict on a person and has previously carried victims out of houses like this. The smoke diver reaches the top of the stairs and stays as close to the floor as he can. He sees the flames raging ahead of him and startsto extinguish them.
Fires like this present many challenges. The flames spread quickly and cause extensive damage, oxygen is consumed by the flames, and heat, toxic gases and smoke fill the room. The challenges accumulate for the firefighter, as the water supply to the hose he is holding is cut off, causing the extinguish to stop. A moment later the flames and pressure create a hole in the ceiling – and oxygen rushes in. The gases ignite instantly, resulting in an explosive combustion. This is called a backdraft – a phenomenon where a house almost ‘inhales’ and then explodes.
Despite all his heavy equipment, he is lifted straight off the ground and thrown backwards down the stairs. With his back against the wall, he gathers himself and tries to piece together what just happened. This time he was okay, but it could have ended very badly for him. Unfortunately, the house is now completely damaged and in complete combustion.
By luck and fate – this man is also a trained engineer and an inventor. The idea he got from this dramatic experience, he writes down on a piece of paper. After a thorough search, he finds no one else in the world who has thought of the same invention. He establishes a new company and begins the process of building what is now SEES – Smoke Emergency Evacuation System. This is the new generation of fire safety.
