Fire Students Gain Real-World Experience

During the fall semester, SSS Fire Academy focused on the topic of fire behavior. Traditionally, this portion of the curriculum is lecture-based with no hands-on components. However, SSS Fire Program aimed to provide students with a real-word Work-Based Learning experience that demonstrated how fire behavior and building construction are interrelated. SSS Fire Program Instructor Ralph Vitale asked local Fire Instructor George Flowers to facilitate a hands-on experience through a “doll house burn”.

In this demonstration, Instructor Flowers started a fire on the bottom floor of a house, allowing students to observe the fire in real time as it progressed through various stages: ignition, growth, flashover, fully developed, and decay. Students had the opportunity to witness firsthand how a fire naturally spreads through a structure before the arrival of the fire department.
 
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