There is much speculation about the average person’s ability to use a fire extinguisher effectively. This speculation includes the ability of a novice user to adequately extinguish a fire with a fire extinguisher without harming oneself or others. This study employed a random sampling of the population to gather data that described and quantified several aspects relating to use, technique, and safety. Participants were presented with an extinguisher and asked to extinguish a controlled propane fire. The BullEx Intelligent Training System was used in this study to simulate a Class A fire through a controlled propane system. Participants were recruited from the campuses of Worcester Polytechnic Institute and Eastern Kentucky University. The sample pool consisted of 276 participants who participated in a two-trial process. The first trial observed the participant’s ability to use a fire extinguisher without any training or guidance from the investigators. The second trial observed the .
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Twenty-two expert firefighting professionals were used in evaluating four methods for fire extinguisher hands-on training. Two different fire simulators were put into service along with two conditions for the fighting distance; keeping a distance of 2.44 m (8ft.) away from the base of the fire and having no restriction on getting closer to the fire. The fire simulators both utilized burned propane gas and modified air pressurized water extinguishers. Demographics data were gathered at the beginning of the study and participants completed a study form after each study conditions and at the end of the study. The participants are required to provide comments and suggestions as well. Results showed that participants preferred and recommended one simulator over the other for better simulating a real situation. Moreover, the participants reported that keeping a 2.44 m (8ft.) fighting distance is not realistic and maybe questionable as it is counter to proper use of extinguishers. Participants suggests adding smoke, sound and light effects to better simulate a real situation and improve training.
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