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SLICE-RS IN THE NEWS IN NEW MEXICO

 Hostmaster 911 Hot Designs    August 24, 2015    No Comments

WATCH NEWS VIDEO HERE: http://krqe.com/2015/08/24/new-firefighting-technique-helps-save-womans-home/

Some firefighters in New Mexico are taking a new approach to fighting structure fires. The method comes after years of scientific research. That research revealed there could be a faster, safer way to battle structure fires, specifically residential ones.

Sandoval County Fire officials tell News 13 this technique was developed in response to faster burning fires.

Leaders recently had the entire department trained in using the new method and, already, they say it’s paid off, saving one woman’s home from severe damage.

“Look at this,” said Ophelia Rinaldi, pointing at her ceiling. “Look at that.”

Longtime Bernaillo resident Rinaldi, 82, surveys the damage.

“It was, it was frightening,” she said.

Several weeks back, a fire broke out in Rinaldi’s custom-designed home.

“You could see the smoke coming out from there,” Rinaldi said as she showed KRQE News 13 her roof.

Firefighters from Sandoval County and the town of Bernalillo were on scene in minutes.

“They went over and directly above where the fire started,” said Sandoval County Fire Chief James Maxon. “It started in the parapit walls right above us here and then it dropped down and it started burning across the ceiling.”

It was the first time they would put a new firefighting technique to the test.

“They went ahead and applied water on the fire right away and knocked down the main body of the fire and then went back around. We put a roof team on top of the roof and they were also able to stop the extension of the fire up on the roof,” explained Maxon.

“It seems a lot more simple,” said Sandoval County Firefighter Jonathan Fails. Fails responded to the fire in Rinaldi’s home.

The new method is described in an acronym- SLICE-RS. The biggest difference is the letter “C”, that’s cooling from a safe location.

“We want to hit the body of the fire from the outside, if possible, cool it down and then come inside and extinguish the rest of the fire. What that does is it makes it more tenable for firefighters in here. But if there’s anybody in here that we can rescue, it also makes it more tenable for them, as well, to be able to survive the fire,” Maxon explained.

Maxon says the new technique is one of the biggest advancements he’s seen in his 23 year career. He says it’s a response to faster spreading fires due to synthetic materials in furniture, building materials and lightweight construction.

“Houses are collapsing. We have firefighters on the fire ground that get injured because roofs collapse and you know, roofs can collapse within 10 minutes,” Maxon said.

Rinaldi’s packed her bags and found another place to stay, for the time being.

“Now, I’m homeless,” she said.

Yet, Maxon says, had they been using the old method, it could’ve been a lot worse.

“The fire could’ve dropped from the ceiling down onto the furniture and we would’ve had severe damage. As it is right now, the furniture that was in the room is all salvageable,” Maxon said.

“I’m glad the fire department was here and they had the special technique that they used,” said Rinaldi. “I still have my home. I’m safe.”

Firefighters estimate Rinaldi will be out of her home for about a month.

Maxon says the reason why they didn’t adopt this method earlier is the fact firefighting is steeped in tradition. He says, for years, firefighters operated under the belief that if you attack the fire from the burning side of the structure, you could push it into the unburned, but he says numerous scientific studies have shown that’s just not the case. Maxon says that’s because conditions in the unburned side aren’t ideal to support fire since certain conditions must be present for combustion.

Bernalillo County Fire, along with a number of other departments across the state will attend a workshop Tuesday about the new method. The Los Alamos Fire Department will host the workshop and the International Society of Fire Service Instructors will lead it. The Albuquerque Fire Department adopted the new technique earlier this summer.

To see the full training video the ISFSI posted online, click here.

 News, S.L.I.C.E-R.S.

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UL Firefighter Safety Research Institute

59 minutes ago

UL Firefighter Safety Research Institute

On March 4, middle school students from a local Maryland middle school will have the opportunity to take part in the USA Science & Engineering Festival #NiftyFifty presentation by UL FSRI's "Fire Scientist" Dr. Dan Madrzykowski! They will learn about fire dynamics, fire research and fire safety through UL Xplorlabs and #CloseBeforeYouDoze.

The Nifty Fifty, a program of Science Spark, are a group of noted science and engineering professionals who fan out across the country to speak about their work and careers at various middle and high schools. Featuring some of the most inspiring role models in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, this signature program of the USA Science and Engineering Festival presents your students with the latest in green technology, engineering, human health and medicine, astronomy and space exploration, nanotechnology, computer science, and more. The Nifty Fifty program featured over 100 STEM role models and reached over 22,000 students during 2016-2018.
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Dr. Dan Madrzykowski | USASEF

usasciencefestival.org

Fire Science with Dan Madrzykowski! Throughout his career, Dan Madrzykowski has conducted fire investigation related studies in a wide range of areas including fire fighter line of duty deaths, the post-earthquake fires in Kobe, Japan, oil field fires in Kuwait, the Station Night Club fire, and the....
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UL Firefighter Safety Research Institute

1 day ago

UL Firefighter Safety Research Institute

#ThrowbackThursday to one of our previous studies, "Improving Fire Safety by Understanding the Fire Performance of Engineered Floor Systems."

Check out the research and online training available to dive deeper into this week's #TacticalTuesday episode that discussed the importance of initiating the firefight on the same level as the fire.
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UL FSRI – Fire Safety Research Institute - Improving Fire Safety by Understanding the Fire Performance of Engineered Floor Systems

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The main objective of this project was to improve firefighter safety by increasing the level of knowledge on the fire response to basement fires.
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UL Firefighter Safety Research Institute

2 days ago

UL Firefighter Safety Research Institute

FALSE: With your door open, you'll be able to smell fire and smoke and call for help quicker than with your door closed.

Listen to Peter Van Dorpe, Fire Chief of Algonquin - Lake in the HIlls Fire Protection District, extinguish this myth and underscore why you and your family should always #CloseBeforeYouDoze.

Check out an additional resource from ScienceDaily - "Scents Will Not Rouse Us From Slumber Says New Brown University Study."
www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/05/040518075747.htm
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CBYD Myth Extinguisher: With the door open, I am safer during a fire..mp4
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Jonathan Di Cesaris

UL Firefighter Safety Research Institute

3 days ago

UL Firefighter Safety Research Institute

For today's #TacticalTuesday, check out this video featuring UL FSRI Advisory Board Member, Philadelphia Fire Commissioner Adam Thiel as he discusses the importance of initiating the firefight on the same level as the fire.

The quickest way to improve conditions on the fireground is to put the fire out. This is particularly important during basement fires when firefighters can be at increased risk for a floor collapse or become caught in the exhaust portion of a flow path if they are attacking from the floor above the fire.

Many factors can play into the initial decision of where to place the first attack line, but when possible, it is best to get water directly on the fire where it is burning. This does not mean that the primary search is not a priority or that it cannot be conducted concurrently. It highlights the need to coordinate ventilation, extinguishment and search. Early fire suppression is integral to minimizing the hazard on the fireground.

For more research resources and training related to this consideration click here: bit.ly/2EidLFI
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Tactical Consideration: Initiate Your Firefight on the Same Level as the Fire
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Connor Hustead

UL Firefighter Safety Research Institute

4 days ago

UL Firefighter Safety Research Institute

Today, we are welcoming a new member to the UL FSRI team!

Angela Bennett is the new UL FSRI Instructional Design Manager. She will support the UL FSRI team by managing course content development, instructional design and storyboard skills for online learning projects. She holds both a Bachelor's of Science and Master's of Science in Emergency Health Services and Instructional Systems Design from the University of Maryland Baltimore County.

Angela is a 28-year veteran of the fire and emergency services with most of her service in Western Maryland. Before joining UL FSRI, Angela spent over twenty-years on the Faculty at the University of Maryland, Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute (MFRI) where she most recently managed the Institute Development Section, which is responsible for the design and development of all MFRI programs.
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Today, we are welcoming a new member to the UL FSRI team! 

Angela Bennett is the new UL FSRI Instructional Design Manager. She will support the UL FSRI team by managing course content development, instructional design and storyboard skills for online learning projects.  She holds both a Bachelors of Science and Masters of Science in Emergency Health Services and Instructional Systems Design from the University of Maryland Baltimore County. 

Angela is a 28-year veteran of the fire and emergency services with most of her service in Western Maryland. Before joining UL FSRI, Angela spent over twenty-years on the Faculty at the University of Maryland, Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute (MFRI) where she most recently managed the Institute Development Section, which is responsible for the design and development of all MFRI programs.
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Congratulations, good luck in your new chapter

Congratulations Angie!

One of the best!! Great things for all!

Congratulations Angie. How important that phone call was so many years ago.

Congrats and good luck Angela👍

Really like your picture ! Congratulations

Congratulations,pretty lady!

Congratulations Angie great job!

Congratulations Angie!

You guys are lucky to have her join your team.

So impressive! And great picture, too!

Wow !!!! Congratulations Kiddo!!!!

Awesome news, Angie will do great work.

An excellent choice!

Congratulations!! Does this mean that if I have a fire emergency, I should first call you? 😱

Awesome choice!!!! Angie will rock it!!!

Congratulations Angie, I’m so happy for you. This picture of you is beautiful. I wish you the best of luck on your new adventure.

Way to go Angie! I had no idea storyboard skills (which I know through advertising) are also used in developing online educational curriculum. Interesting.

Congratulations Angie bennett

The start of another NEW ANGIE. Way to go girl. Miss you.

Congratulations Angie!!!!

I couldn't emoji like love and wow and the same time.

Congrats Angie! That’s awesome.

Congratulations!! That's so exciting!!

Change is exciting! Good for you Angie. Keep rocking it!

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