Saturday’s fire in a panel house in Bohumín, in which 11 people died, was quite exceptional. Unlike other similar events, the victims were unable to escape because the front door burned. In addition, the fire spread quickly. Addressed experts and firefighters claim that the greatest chance for rescue was to move inside the house. On the contrary, the use of an air mattress would be very dangerous.
A typical home fire usually starts in the living room or kitchen. First, a small flame appears, which gradually grows. It can take several minutes before it reaches the stage where flames are whipping in the whole apartment. Until then, people have plenty of time to leave their homes and escape through escape routes.
“A fire caused, for example, by someone falling asleep and falling into a cigarette butt has a development time of, for example, ten minutes,” describes Martin Trčka from the Department of Fire Protection at the University of Mining – Technical University of Ostrava.
Saturday’s fire in Bohumín was exceptional in this respect. According to the main investigation version, it was caused by an arsonist who, with the help of combustibles, caused a fire in the hallway to the apartment. “Subsequently, all the rooms in the apartment were hit very quickly. The entrance hall included a Umakart core, which contributed to the rapid development of the fire. Another factor was that the windows and balcony were open. The chimney effect caused the warm smoke to go up and very quickly got into all the rooms, “he described for Czech television director of Moravian-Silesian firefighters Vladimír Vlček. According to Vlček, by using the combustible, the arsonist made it impossible for people to escape from the apartment.
“This was extreme. It goes beyond all common fires. These are exceptional situations that cannot be responded to. I would compare it to someone coming there and shooting people straight away,” says one of the firefighters on condition of anonymity. place did not interfere.
However, immediately after the incident in the media, witnesses described that the firefighters’ intervention seemed slow to them. The Minister of the Interior, Jan Hamáček (CSSD), responded that, according to his information, “everything took place in a completely professional manner and in the shortest possible time”. Nevertheless, the question arose as to how secure high-rise buildings in the Czech Republic are and how firefighters proceed in the event of a fire.
Rescue inside is most effective
In general, people escape from high-rise buildings through protected escape routes. They are considered to be the free space leading to the exit, which is protected against the effects of fire, such as combustion products or heat. This is the main reason why firefighters intervene inside the building, as it is the safest and most effective. “If high-rise buildings are built in the Czech Republic, it is basically not possible for them to be made of non-combustible construction systems. Everything that the statics of the building depends on is non-combustible,” explains Trčka.
In addition, he points out that in some cities, even intervention using high-altitude technology would not be possible due to the very limited space in front of the buildings. “On the contrary, you know that the internal intervention route will provide you with sufficient safety for the intervening for the required period of time,” Trčka explains why intervention in the building is preferred in the Czech Republic and in Europe in general.
This is usually done by firefighters in Prague, who intervene more often in high-rise buildings than their colleagues from other regions. “Everything is done inside, because from the seventh floor there must be protected escape routes in the building. People are then taken out with the help of evacuation masks. Of course, as far as possible, high-altitude technology is also used. But these houses are built so that this technology is not there. People can run on escape routes, “describes Martin Kavka, a spokesman for the Prague fire brigade and head of the fire detection department.
The fire brigade in Bohumín did the same. “In our case, it was an absolutely exceptional event, which was due to the use of a burning accelerator, which prevented people from escaping through the access door to the apartment. However, it should be mentioned that the intervention inside was very effective, which showed that the fire did not spread to side apartments, or to the floor above or below it, “says the head of the Moravian-Silesian fire brigade Vlček.
At the same time, he describes that although high-altitude technology was prepared on the site – ladder and platform, they will not reach the eleventh floor of the panel house. The rescue mattress also inflated on the spot, but even that didn’t happen in time. It takes a few minutes to prepare, in addition, it needs a flat space five by five meters, and at the same time, of course, it needs to be placed so that rescuers can fall into it.
“If something prevents the rescued from leaving the area in the standard way, firefighters have no choice but to use a secondary method of rescue, such as jump mattresses or rescue sleeves. They may not have time to react to such a situation, because of course it requires preparation,” warns Trčka. .
Rescue mattress as a matchbox
In addition, the mattress poses considerable risks, so firefighters do not use it much. The one that was in place is intended for emergency jumps from a maximum height of 23 meters, while the eleventh floor was still about ten meters higher. Trčka describes that from the tenth floor of the house, the mattress can look like a matchbox for a jumper. It is then difficult for him to decide how big a step to take, for example.
At the same time, it is necessary to end up correctly. “It doesn’t matter what height you fall into it from. It still behaves very firmly. It is said that you should fall on your feet in a kind of half-seat. If you jump from the eleventh floor, it is not entirely easy to maintain this position at all, and if one turns and it falls into the mattress, for example, on the head, so it can have fatal consequences, “explains Trčka.
The mattress is not used much by Prague firefighters either. “I don’t remember the situation if we used a parachute sail effectively in a high-rise building fire. It’s dangerous for a person jumping from the seventh or tenth floor. It’s also dangerous for intervening firefighters. That’s why we want to save people the standard way,” said spokesman Kavka.
Given how the topic of the jump mattress has become, he wants to warn against people expecting to be rescued in this way in the event of a fire. “I want to keep people from thinking that if it burns on the seventh floor, that instead of going on an escape route, they’ll climb on the balcony and wait for us to put a sail in there and they’ll jump in. I’m completely scared, so that no one thinks it will be like this, “says Kavka.
However, the Prague firefighters still use the tarpaulin. And this in cases where he goes to people who want to kill from a high jump. However, in the case of suicides, there is usually enough time to prepare the mattress due to negotiations. In addition, the psychological side of things plays a role in such a case – the suicide can change his mind, because he will think that he would not kill himself anyway if he jumped on the sail.
Shots from the deck of a helicopter hitting a fire in Bohumín
Shots from the deck of a helicopter hitting a tragic fire in Bohumín Video: Medical Rescue Service of the Moravian-Silesian Region
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