October 11, 2022 at 10:41AM Bradley Hicks Something Christian Lyle saw over the summer only strengthened his belief that everyone should heed the advice contained in this year’s Fire Prevention Week theme – “Fire won’t wait. Plan your escape.” Lyle, Arnold Air Force Base Fire and Emergency Services fire prevention and communications officer, attended a fire inspector course. During one session, a video was shown comparing how quickly modern homes burn compared to older residences. Within five minutes, the fire in the older home had just begun to spread beyond its point of origin. In that same amount of time, full flashover had already occurred in the room of the newer home in which the fire had started. Flashover is the point at which the combustible materials in an area simultaneously burst into flames. “It was just ridiculous the difference between the two of them,” Lyle said. According to the National Fire Protection Association, modern homes burn faster than ever. As a result, the amount of time a family has to exit a burning home is significantly lower than it once was. Fire officials across the country concur that having an escape plan is a necessity.
