Little flickers of flame dance through the dense smoke over a firefighter's head, visibility is nearly zero, and the temperature is rising to 1100 degrees Fahrenheit; suddenly a shout comes through the smoke "Open 'em up!" The two doors fly open in the rear of the container and in just seconds you and everyone you're with is completely surrounded by flames. This natural phenomenon is known as a flashover, which if unrecognized can lead to firefighters burning alive in building fires. The scientific definition of flashover states it is caused by the radiation of heat. Heat from the growing fire is absorbed into the upper walls and contents of the room, heating up the combustible gases and furnishings to their ignition temperatures. This buildup of heat in the room triggers a flashover when everything rapidly and uniformly ignites causing a near explosion. I attended the College of the Siskiyou's Fire Academy in the fall of 2012, and a flashover was one of my very few fears in a fire situation; I would soon have to face this harsh reality. .
In a small class of 28 potential fire fighters, the instructors decided to break the men down into operation squads; squads One, Two, Three, and Four. I was in squad one alongside 7 of my fellow candidates who had a large variety of fire experience, but nobody was ready for the extreme punishment we were about to endure. The flashover is something that can be simulated, and COS utilizes this deadly scenario to help fire fighters like myself to notice key factors of when a flashover is going to occur. The purpose of the Fire Academy is not only to teach you how to be a competent fire fighter but also to break the high egos down, by putting the students under stress so that they can learn from their mistakes and utilize the mental image of letting their squad down to prevent failure in the future. All of the candidates are put through this 3 ½ month course to become a fire fighter, and the instructors constantly share their knowledge with the students in the classroom, and outside in the five story fire tower to do dreadful physical activities.
