Firefighters Don't Want To Put Out Old Ideas

from the more-you-know dept

While there have been recent advances in firefighting technology, they have focused on either using existing methods more effectively (like "magic carpets" and suction cups) or improving rescue methods (like flying platforms and special parachutes). As for actually putting out the fires, it seems not much has changed. A fire chief in a small Oregon town is taking on the macho traditions of his profession with more nuanced firefighting techniques that rely on thermal-imaging and small bursts of mist. This new "3-D" approach is aimed at first controlling the gases that can lead to extreme conditions like backdrafts and explosions before dousing the fire with strong streams of water. 3-D firefighting was developed in Sweden and is being used there and the U.K. with apparent success at reducing firefighter deaths. In the U.S., though, this flies in the face of all the imagery associated with firefighting -- brute strength, massive amounts of water, big heavy equipment. Just a handful of small departments are taking the new technology seriously, while some of the larger ones (like San Francisco) are actually moving further away from it with older-style hoses. Skeptics (who seem to make up most of the profession) tried to replicate the technique and concluded that it was ineffective and potentially dangerous. Proponents say the experiment was performed incorrectly, and merely served to confirm the doubts of hidebound traditionalists. That's too bad. What harm could it do to put 3-D techniques through more fair and rigorous testing and give them a chance to prove their worth? It could actually save lives. Apparently it already has in Europe.