Water Extinguisher Controls Room Fire

2017 Fire Investigation Class in Yakima WA. Kitchen fire demo in a 10' by 10' room. The fire was controlled by a 2.5 gallon water fire extinguisher. n

[@73bubbie]

Never underestimate the power of a can!

[@jaydenclayton5045]

He did a mic drop with the can. Amazing.

[@donfrank4429]

Portland OR, FDNY, Chicago FD have been doing this for years , there is a "Can man " on the engine with a pressurized water extinguisher to knock down a fire as you guys have shown. I know it works but the mind set in the fire service is slow to change ; I know about it when I was on the "floor" main years ago. I have been retired for over 18 years. glad you guys did this video

[@zacharykorbet9690]

It really is amazing what one simple fire extinguisher can do on a fire. Same thing with fire sprinklers it’s literally a lifesaver If only everybody knew how to use a fire extinguisher efficiently and Affectively and New the different classes of fire

[@ashleyhoward8926]

Effectively & knew.

[@codprawn]

Brilliant video thanks for posting! I tackled a fire last year - outside thankfully. Nasty stuff some kids had set fire to foam insulation panels from a freezer room. I used 4 water extinguishers - 2 were spray and 2 were jet. I found the jet far better at knocking the fire down. I got the fire under control and had plenty of spare extinguishers but I stopped as they would charge us to refill. I knew the firebrigade was on their way so I let them finish the job.

[@Eddiecurrent2000]

That was pretty amazing to be fair.

[@danconnors8961]

excellent video!! I use a can to put out an oil fire in a 1 meter drum, takes a bit. I sent a note to the boss to see if we can do this one, doubt it, lol

[@PATRICIO2020]

Excellent job you guys doing the best, just practice.

[@jacobkeppler1984]

Nice work guys keep it up 🚒🧑‍🚒🇺🇸

[@PremiumFuelOnly]

Im definately buying one of these!

[@bluenoodles2566]

I would recommend buying another extinguisher rather than a water. Water extinguishers can only be used for class A fires (e.g paper, wood plastic) whereas there are dry chem (specifically ABE), foam, CO2 or wet chem extinguishers which can contain class A fires + more. Dry chem (ABE) works for class A, class B (fuel/petrol/flammable liquids), class E (electrical), although is admittedly very messy to clean up afterwards… if you get a BE it can do the same, disregarding effectiveness for class A, however being more beneficial for class F (cooking fats & oils) Foam works for class A and B fires. Mainly used for class B. CO2 can deal with class A, B and E fires. One thing to note is that it is extremely cold when released - be careful as sometimes solidified CO2 (dry ice) can be dispensed. Mainly used for class E, although probably the best general purpose extinguisher besides dry chem. Wet chem is most useful in a kitchen scenario. It extinguishers class A, however is the best extinguisher for class F fires. In saying this, a fire blanket could also achieve a similar result depending on intensity, time the fire was realised, and knowledge of the individual approaching the fire. The classes are all explained in Australian terms…. Hope it helps regardless.

[@jeffploetner]

That is impressive. So a garden hose would be even more effective right?

[@RickTheFireScienceGuy]

A little water can go a long way. In this particular fire a garden hose would work well. It is about turning water into steam. The firefighter used about a gallon and a half of water and was able to cool the room and displace the oxygen. You can see the smoke was dark (black) before he added the water and it turned lighter (gray) after.

[@crazzy4lyfe]

@Fire Science Guy...at 1:21 of the video it appears the fire intensifies a bit as the can is deployed. If my observation is correct, is that the result of Air Entrainment? Regardless, and in general, is that something that is ever a factor with fire extinguishers, or just a consideration when attacking with a proper hose/nozzle that is moving massive CFM of air? Thanks!

[@RickTheFireScienceGuy]

Thanks for the question, I believe what you see at 1:21 is caused by the water from the fire extinguisher turning to steam in the compartment. The steam over pressurized the structure and that forced the burning smoke/fire out of the opening. Water expand 1700 times when it turns to steam. Any water that is put into a fire of this intensity (1000 plus degrees) will instantly turn to steam. You might see this happen a little with a dry chemical extinguisher but it's not as effective at creating that over pressurization.

[@duenge]

@@RickTheFireScienceGuy Yup....And on a different note....Here is something that most will not see. I was on a steel hulled research ship on the great lakes, that was for sometime based in out city. They had an alarm go off and we responded. There was an in-duct electric heater element that failed and ran away, the ductwork was glowing red. I used a CO2 extinguisher to cool it down. This was in a dark room, since the power was off. There was an amazing arc that ran from the horn of the extinguisher to the duct when I squeezed the handle. Must have been a foot long. Static electricity...It was cool..

[@WitchidWitchid]

I have 2 water cans in my house. One downstairs and one upstairs. Also have a dry chem in the kitchen

[@ffjsb]

Mix in about an ounce or so of Dawn dish soap, an you'll have a foam extinguisher, even more knockdown effect.

[@christianjaypellazo1062]

I just want to ask sir. When water is used as a fire extinguishing agent, which stage does it absorb the most heat? A. Between 20 degree C and 80 degree B. Above 100 degree C it is steam C. At 100 degree C when changing to steam D. Between 80 degree C and 100 degree C

[@charmio]

Interesting question. Let's see... It takes 2.08MJ of energy to heat 100°C steam to 1000°C It takes 2.265MJ to turn 100°C water into 100°C steam. Note this isn't the answer if you're trying to figure out which temp range is most effective in extinguishing fires - there's other variables. I also just chose 1000°C for the steam randomly, I have no idea. I figured out the energy levels using these brilliant little online calculators: www.omnicalculator.com/physics/specific-heat www.omnicalculator.com/physics/latent-heat

[@MyLonewolf25]

When changing to steam

[@michaelv.1107]

The transition from liquid to steam consumes about 6 times more enegry (heat is energy) than going from 20 to 80C

[@RR-ty6ki]

Can you suggest an additive to make the water can more effective?

[@RickTheFireScienceGuy]

We always used Dawn Dish soap, it breaks up the surface tension. you can find other products but this was cheap and effective.

[@RR-ty6ki]

@@RickTheFireScienceGuy Thank you! How much dawn do you add?

[@RickTheFireScienceGuy]

@@RR-ty6ki a table spoon or two and add it after you put the water in. A little goes a long way.

[@RR-ty6ki]

@@RickTheFireScienceGuy Thank you!

[@johnsimon5606]

Dish soap in the can or just plain water?

[@RickTheFireScienceGuy]

just plain water.

[@johnsimon5606]

@@RickTheFireScienceGuy Thanks Rick

[@ffjsb]

Dish soap or foam in the can is ALWAYS a plus.

[@littlebitofeverything8307]

Very interesting

[@zeph-8244]

Got two in my house and one in my Truck. Beats B/C any day. Those dont cool.

[@sully801]

THE CAN...

[@rmls34]

Damn, that's impressive!

[@RickTheFireScienceGuy]

I was a bit surprised, glad you liked it.

[@user-fp6rn2km4i]

Why did he wait so long before using the extinguisher?

[@JakeRElliott]

It’s a demonstration burn and they wanted the room to flashover.

[@RickTheFireScienceGuy]

We wanted to see how much fire it could put out.

[@hawaiianfire27]

any info on the fire load?

[@TreCayUltimateLife]

74

[@JB91710]

Yeah, I can see how you can't extinguish a room fire with a small amount of water applied through a door or window. Can you imagine what a booster line can do?

[@opictia]

Add 2 ounces of Novacool UEF to that can and cut that extuiguish time in half!

[@wcresponder]

Is Novacool better ,equal, or less than Coldfire?

[@johnryan2772]

1600-1

[@ptech88]

Ok so why do we need so many fire fighters?

[@RickTheFireScienceGuy]

This firefighter is in the proper gear and has been trained to put fires out. Did you see how close that guy got to the fire? The heat was so intense that you could feel the heat 20 feet away. . This is just a small room 10 feet by 10 feet you need al lot more water for a house fire. I know it looked easy, but not everyone can do it. Bedsides more than 80% of the calls they go on are medical. Someone has to be there to pick up grandma at three in the morning.

[@tjlovesrachel]

Why do you ask dumb questions?

[@kevinrichards1539]

Thus.....the can man.

[@zacharykorbet9690]

It really is amazing what one simple fire extinguisher can do on a fire. Same thing with fire sprinklers it’s literally a lifesaver If only everybody knew how to use a fire extinguisher efficiently and Affectively and New the different classes of fire

[@ColGadarby]

And here in the UK - the British Fire Service recommend you DO NOT have a fire extinguisher in student houses or HMO's...! Just get out and leave it to us...Unbelievable.

[@andymonty2528]

Got told off by the fire brigade for putting out a fire in the daughters bedroom....I should leave it to them...... Used a foam extinguisher .. oh I'm a fire warden at work do 4 yearly refreshers .. still got told next time leave it to them ..... Id evacuated, got them called and tackled the fire and made the house safe (isolated gas and leccy)