By JO ANNE KILLEEN – Onalaska Life

Anybody who doubts how fast a fire can spread would have gotten a firsthand taste of how dangerous a blaze can be Tuesday at the Onalaska Fire Department.

In a dramatic demonstration of a fire’s progress with and without sprinkler systems, two fires were set in small rooms simulating homes. The demonstration was conducted by the OFD and the Wisconsin chapter of the National Fire Sprinkler Association, Wisconsin chapter.

The demonstration, held just prior to the Onalaska Common Council meeting, was conducted to bring awareness to public officials and the public about the impact of fire sprinkler systems and the benefits to fire fighters, residents and the community.

A fire was set in trashcans in two 8-foot-by-8-foot rooms filled with household furnishings to simulate a residence. In less than two minutes, the fire fully engulfed the room without the sprinklers, while in the room with the sprinklers, the fire was already out.

Dan Gengler, NFSA regional manager and a retired fire chief from Waupaca, said firefighters are barely out of the fire house within five minutes. He said fire sprinklers reduce the chance of death in a house fire by 87 percent.

While people generally feel safest in their homes from fire, the truth, according to Gengler, is 81 percent of fire deaths occur in the home, not in a hotel. He said hotels and other public places are safer than homes. Gengler said even Snoopy’s Dog House in Disney World is equipped with sprinklers.

According to the U.S. Fire Administration, 19 percent of all reported fires in the U.S. in 2006 occurred in one- and two-family structures. However, those fires caused 66 percent of fire deaths. More than 25 percent of firefighter on-duty deaths were associated with residential fires.

Onalaska Fire Chief Don Dominick said he was part of a similar fire demonstration right in the parking lot of the state capitol and has spoken to the state Legislature advocating laws requiring new developments with single-family homes to have sprinkler systems built in them. Dominick said developers and builders object because of added costs.

“But, it adds 1.5 percent to 2 percent more to the costs. That equates to the price of upgrading the carpeting,” he said.

Gengler said what people don’t understand about modern fires is that today’s furnishings and construction materials are made with mostly synthetics. Many synthetics have a petroleum base that produce toxic gases when burning and they burn faster.

Synthetic building materials and furnishings are one of the main reasons, according to the U.S. Fire Administration, that the time window of survival went down from 17 minutes in 1975 to three minutes in 2003.

Gengler discussed four elements to protecting people from fire injury or death. He urged spectators to make efforts to prevent fires such as keeping space cleared around furnaces and portable heaters.

Early warning tools such as working smoke detectors on all levels of the house that are interconnected are very important to survival rates, according to Gengler.

Everyone should have an evacuation plan and practice it religiously because there is so little time. Seconds count.

What most single family homes don’t have that make a major difference are fire sprinklers that might put the fire out before firefighters are even out of the firehouse. Also, fire sprinklers reduce home insurance premiums

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