FCVFD - Incident Photos
Trex Building Materials Training
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Description
Three FCVFD officers were invited by the Arcola Pleasant Valley VFD to attend a training session at the Trex manufacturing facility in Winchester, VA. Trex manufactures synthetic planks composed of recycled plastic and wood particles. The planks are used by both contractors and homeowners to construct outdoor decks in lieu of the traditional pressure treated lumber. Members of the Trex Safety Health Emergency Response Team provided a guided tour of the manufacturing facility and processes used to generate the Trex product. They reviewed some of the properties of the raw materials to allow a better understanding of the fuels involved during a fire. Following the tour of the facility, personnel used some old manufacturing equipment to practice rescue techniques. A large hopper was lifted using a combination of air bags and hydraulic tools. After a good lunch provided by Trex, the training continued at the Frederick County Fire Training Center. The Trex Company had constructed: -one 10'x10' deck with standard Trex decking supported on pressure treated lumber -one 10'x10' deck with fire retardant treated Trex decking supported on pressure treated lumber -two smaller deck mock-ups -bulk product storage area mock-up The first fire evolution simulated an exposure fire impinging on a typical outdoor deck. The evolution allowed Trex and the fire department members to observe and evaluate the fire behavior of both the non-treated and fire retardant treated Trex decking. In both cases, the pressure treated lumber supports burned much more readily than the Trex materials. Once burning, the non-treated Trex decking burned intensely and produced a great deal of radiant heat. The fire retardant treated Trex decking did not burn readily nor contribute to fire spread, however it did eventually loose its structural integrity and sag as it was exposed to the fire on the supporting frame. The second evolution consisted of heating a turkey fryer with peanut oil to 400 degrees F and then dumping its contents onto one of the small Trex decks. The hot oil appeared to have no effect on the decking. Efforts to ignite the hot oil using a road flare had no results. The third evolution consisted of dumping a tray of burning charcoal briquets onto the second small Trex deck. Once again, the Trex decking showed very little reaction to the briquets. The surface of the Trex material scorched, but never ignited. The final evolution simulated a fire in a small storage area of stacked Trex material. The fire would not start without the insertion of straw and a wooden pallet as the initial fuel. Once the Trex material was burning, it burned intensely and generated a great deal of radiant heat and dark smoke. All of the fires involving the Trex decking were readily extinguished with standard firefighting procedures. A small diameter attack line with a fog nozzle was able to handle the job. Essentially, the Trex materials displayed similar characeristics to very dense plastic. The Trex personnel also demonstrated a PRO Pak foam proportioning system to complete final extinguishment of the debris in a dumpster. The unit produced more than enough finished foam to completely blanket the interior of the roll-off dumpster and smother the smoldering debris. Many thanks to the professionals of the Trex Safety Health Emergency Response Team for taking the time to educate us about their product! It was a very beneficial day with lots of opportunities to dispel misconceptions about the Trex materials. Also a thanks to the Arcola Pleasant Valley VFD for including the FCVFD in their training opportunity. It was a great day as always.
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