How to Track Down Smoke Source Through Systematic Investigation

How to Track Down Smoke Source Through Systematic Investigation

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The alarm is in. We are given an address and we are on our way, responding to another job. The excitement is ever within us as we ask ourselves while we are underway:

“Wonder what it is? A big one? A small one? A life hazard? What have we got?

There’s the address. There’s a woman at the door of her house calling for us to “Hurry, please!”

It’s a three-story frame, 40 x 60-foot residence. We stop at a hydrant and begin to hook up. The hydrant is only 100 feet from the house so the order is given to “stretch in.” The officer calls for 1 ½ -inch hose, three lengths from the entrance of the structure; 150 feet of hose will take care of the cellar to the attic.

There is an odor of smoke inside, but what is it? What’s burning? There is nothing visible to show or tell us, but we can see and smell smoke. The occupant doesn’t know what it is. She called in the alarm because she saw and smelled smoke. The search is started. We must find the source of the smoke by odor and search.

Organized search procedure

This is a typical situation. It is not a big job—no flames shooting out the windows, no smoky bedroom fire, no fire, heat or smoke coming out the cellar windows. Any of those conditions and we go right to work on the fire and do our job. However, this is not the case at hand.

Where do we start? Let’s make up an organized way to conduct our search. There are numerous causes for a fire starting, many of them obvious. But this case is not obvious and we must find the cause. My approach is: LIGHT -HEAT – POWER – SPECIAL – and COMMON.

The officer in charge should distribute his men by sending them to check (1) all lights in the house, (2) all heating appliances, (3) all power appliances, (4) special hazards and (5) common hazards. By making a systematic search of these five items, it is reasonable to believe that the cause of the smoke and fire will be found. We will be using our senses of touch, smell and sight in our search.

Light problems

Let’s start with the first item, light. The examination of lights always calls for the checking of the fuse box, circuit breakers, hot BX cables, ceiling lights, etc. The discoloration and/or smoke seeping from a fixture is plenty of evidence for our cause. This part of the search will deal with everything having to do with lighting on all floors—wall switches, electric outlets, lamp cords (sometimes under a rug), fluorescent fixtures, etc.

The second item on our list is heat. This calls for the examination of all heating appliances—furnace, flue pipes, area over the furnace, flammable items stored near the furnace, soot burning in the chimney, closed chimney damper, etc. The oil burner should be checked to ascertain if it is operating efficiently. Is there an indication of an oil buildup in the firebox, possibly caused by a delayed ignition? Are there other heating appliances in the house, such as portable elect ric heaters or gas heaters that may be too close to some furniture? The hot water heater and clothes dryer fall into the category of heating appliances and also should be checked.

The next item to check is power. This calls for the examination of all power appliances—refrigerator, compressors, air conditioners, washers, etc. Many of these appliances may have an overheated motor because of overloading which may cause the wiring and armature to burn. The overheated motor gives off an unmistakable odor of hot iron, so the smoke from an overheated motor is easily recognized. All television sets and radios should be checked as these appliances give off heat within themselves. An overheated transformer is easily recognized by the resin and wax drippings oozing out of the transformer. There is usually a distinctive odor connected with powerrelated fires.

Special Hazards

The fourth item in our search is special hazards. Special hazards are classified as something having a specific purpose, something distinguished or unusual, extraordinary, exceptional, not common. Home projects such as chemistry, do-it-yourself projects or other hobbies may present special hazards. The do-it-yourself painter may have flammable painting supplies stored around the house. The same holds true for the amateur gardener with flammable pesticides or dangerous chemicals. Look for these and other special hazards.

Our last item is common hazards. By this time you are well versed in searches so you probably already know that the common hazards are just that—common. The common hazards include the well-known causes of fires in the home. These hazards can easily be remembered by remembering the word S-MO-K-E. Each letter of the word represents a common cause of fire in the home. The letter S represents smoking. Carelessly left cigarettes, smoking when tired or in bed, and the use of ashtrays made of combustible materials all contribute to smoking being a common cause of fire in the home.

The letter M represents matches. Along with matches are included lighters, especially the new disposable type, and other incendiaries found around the home.

Oil rags

The letter O represents oily rags. These are rags moistened with turpentine, thinner, cleaning fluid or other flammable fluid. Improperly stored or improperly disposed rags are a common fire hazard in the home.

The letter K stands for kitchen, a common place for fires to occur. The cause may be a roast left too long in the oven, a spillover of food onto a burner, grease accumulation on the stove or clothing ignited by a burner—all common hazards of fire in the kitchen.

The letter E represents electrical fires. Indicative of these would be the overloaded electrical outlet, the improper or unsafe use of extension cords, inadequate wiring for the house or the use of heavy appliances on light wiring.

Remember the word SMOKE and you will remember the common hazards of fire in the home.

The next time you roll up to a fire and are faced with the question. “What have we got?”, remember the svstematic approach of LIGHT, HEAT, POWER. SPECIAL and COMMON.

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