Fire Safety in a Correctional Setting

One of the most, if not the most, dangerous situations in a correctional setting is a fire. Our nation’s correctional facilities, for the most part, are constructed of steel, concrete and bricks. Windows either do not open or are designed to open very little due to security concerns and our mandate of providing public safety. Natural ventilation is greatly reduced. As a result of these building designs, what we have is either a chimney or an oven that we work in.

There are safeguards built in with the building design such as sprinklers and hose reels/fire hoses as well as fire extinguishers available for use throughout the facilities and it is imperative that we know not only where they are located, but how to use them effectively as well.

A fire that starts in one area of a correctional facility can spread relatively slowly based on the location and fuel available, but the smoke will spread much faster. Those that have perished as a result of a fire in a correctional facility have not died from burning, but from smoke inhalation.

Let’s take a look at some of the basic components of a fire.

Fire Tetrahedron and Classes of Fire:

We have all heard about the Fire Triangle: fuel, oxygen and heat. However, for a fire to develop, it must have 4 elements: fuel, oxygen, heat and a chemical chain reaction. These four elements are known as the Fire Tetrahedron.

Solids and liquids, in its natural state, will not burn as a flame. It is the combination of the heat and oxygen that will take the solid/liquid and transform it through a chemical chain reaction into a gas that will in turn burn as a flame.

Picture this: you light a candle (or bon fire) and watch the flame. When you are looking at the flame you will notice that the flame itself is not touching wick (or log). What is burning is the gas that is just above that is the result of the chemical chain reaction. Same principle applies to a liquid. If we interfere with any of the four parts of the fire tetrahedron the fire will be extinguished.

Classes of Fire

Class A: A Class A fire is comprised of ordinary combustibles. Wood, paper, plastics and even human bodies are all examples of a Class A fire. This class can be extinguished with water.

Class B: A Class B fire is comprised of flammable liquids/oils. Either a class ABC fire extinguisher or BC fire extinguisher can be used to combat the fire. Smothering the fire in order to take away the oxygen can also be done.

 Class C: A Class C fire is comprised of energized electrical equipment (it has to have a current going through it). Either a class ABC or BC fire extinguisher can be utilized to combat the fire. If you remove the power source (unplug the item, flip the breaker, etc) it will change the class of fire from a Class C to a Class A (unplug burning fan and you now have burning plastic).

 Class D: A Class D fire is comprised of combustible metals and combustible metal alloys. This class of fire can only be put out by a Class D fire extinguisher (Type I: Sodium Chloride or Type II: Copper based dry powder)

Class K: Class K fires are fires that involve vegetable oils, animal oils, or fats in cooking appliances. This is for commercial kitchens, including those found in restaurants, cafeterias, and caterers.

So why do offenders start fires? There are multiple reasons why offenders start fires. Some of these are:

• Harass staff – Do I need to say more?
• Aid in an escape – Starting a fire in one area of a facility will attract staff attention there therefore exposing another section of the facility.
• Suicide – Some offenders will start a fire in order to commit suicide
• Riot – Fires are a normal part of a riot. It creates havoc by destroying property and diverting the attention of responding staff to the area of the fire in order for the rioters to achieve their primary goal (murder, retaliation against other offenders, etc)
• Pyromaniac/Arson – Some offenders just like fire and use it to their amusement

How Offenders Start Fires Without a Flame

There are many ways in which an offender can start a fire without a flame. Some of the most common methods include steel wool, eyeglasses, batteries, pencils, friction and chemicals.

Steel Wool:

An offender can start a fire by using steel wool in conjunction with a battery. Take the steel wool and attach some of it to the positive end of the battery along with the negative end of the battery and enough heat will be created to start a fire. A paper product must also be used with this method.

Eyeglasses:

Eyeglasses can be used as a magnifying glass in conjunction with the sun in order to start a fire. Just think about what we did as kids…same principle.

 Batteries:

Batteries, in conjunction with either steel wool or razor blades can be used to start a fire. When used with razor blades, it will require two batteries and two razor blades. Once the connection is made between both razor blades, enough heat is generated to start a fire or light a cigarette.

 Pencils:

Break a pencil open and remove the graphite lead core. Insert a piece in of the lead in both sides of an outlet and attach a third piece to a small rope made out of twisted toilet paper. Lower the third piece onto the two pieces that are protruding from the outlet and this will close the circuit causing the toilet paper to catch on fire. When soap is gently rubbed onto the toilet paper, it creates a nice long burning wick that can be used for extended periods.

Friction:

Some offenders are former military with survival training as well as others that were boy scouts. Give them some wood and it is survival 101 for them.

Chemicals:

In most correctional facilities it will be the offenders that do all the janitorial work. This will involve the use of chemicals. An offender that has the knowledge can find a way to mix the right amount of chemicals and of which types in order to create a fire, or worse, a bomb. This is one of the reasons why chemicals are so tightly controlled within correctional facilities. 

 There are other ways in which offenders can start fires that may be more complex but the ones listed here are just the most common ones.

 Fire Suppression vs. Evacuation

 There is a fine line between when you go from fire suppression to evacuation. Our job is to maintain offenders in specific locations for periods of time. Whether they are in the housing area (cell or dorm), at work, education, recreation or dinning area, our responsibility is to keep them safe and in that particular area for a predetermined amount of time. They are not permitted to come and go as they please.

So how do we know when we have to evacuate them from a specific location when a fire breaks out? For the most part, it will be a judgment call. There is no specific set standard as to when to try to put the fire out and when you get every one out of the area. What I teach is “if you can’t get it put out with one fire extinguisher, get out!”

Make sure that you know your agency’s policy regarding fire prevention and evacuation routes by heart and follow them every time.

To understand at what point we go from fire suppression to evacuation we must first understand the stages of a fire.

There are 5 stages to a fire:

1. Incipient
2. Growth
3. Flashover
4. Fully Developed
5. Hot Smoldering

 Incipient:

 This is the initial stage of a fire. During this stage the fuel, oxygen, heat and chemical chain reaction combine to start the fire.

Growth:

 During this stage the fire is starting to gain momentum by consuming the fuel that is available to it. Temperature in the area starts to increase until it reaches the flashover point (800-1200 degrees depending on the type of fuel present)

Flashover:

The flashover is the most dangerous stage of a fire. During this stage the atmospheric temperature has increased to the point that all fuel present in the area will burst into flames. Firefighters are killed every year during flashovers.

Fully Developed:

 During the fully developed stage all available fuel is burning simultaneously. Temperatures exceed 1100 degrees in the area and the toxic atmosphere is lethal.

Hot Smoldering:

 During this stage all fuel is nearly consumed. Visible flames are no longer present and all we have left is charred remains in a smoldering state. The fire may start grow again if more fuel or oxygen is introduced.

 It is imperative that if you are going to attempt to put a fire out it be done no later than the beginning portion of the growth stage. Remember, if you can not put the fire out with one fire extinguisher, get out!

Special Considerations:

 There are special considerations that we must take into account when dealing with a fire in a correctional setting. These include location of the fire, toxic atmospheres and backdrafts. 

• Location. We are going to deal with a fire differently in a recreation yard differently than we would in a dinning area, cellblock, open dorm style housing area or in a cell. Building design will be key in how to combat the fire.
• Toxic atmosphere. Depending on what material is burning you may have chemicals such as cyanide, PCB, dioxins, etc in the atmosphere as a result of the fire. If the fire is located in a chemical storage room, do not attempt to put the fire out. Your primary goal in this instance is evacuate.

• Backdrafts. This is the most dangerous of all. A backdraft occurs when the oxygen in the area has been reduced to the point that it can no longer sustain a visible flame. However, the gases inside the area as well as the atmospheric temperature remain higher than the flash point. If oxygen is re-introduced an explosion may/will occur. So how do you know if a backdraft is possible? Look for the warning signs.

 Warning signs of a backdraft: 

1. The surrounding environment will be extremely hot
2. Puffs of yellow/brown are wafting out from under door or small openings and getting sucked back in
3. Windows appear black or brown when viewed from the outside
4. Doors or windows are rattling
5. Soot is present on the inside of the window and in cracks

 What to do in case of a fire

 Now that we have covered the basics, what do you do if you have a fire in your area of responsibility? First thing first:

• Notify everyone that you have a fire.
• Make sure that you provide location of the fire (be specific) as well as the class of fire (this will ensure proper fire suppression equipment is utilized).
• NEVER attempt to put out a fire before letting someone know where you are
• If you must evacuate, use the primary evacuation route as specified at your facility. If the primary evacuation route is not available, use the secondary evacuation route. Most agency policies will state that a supervisor may not contradict an evacuation route/decision unless they are present at the scene. Life safety must come first.
• If an offender(s) refuse to evacuate, make a note of their location and continue the evacuation of everyone else. The lives of many others far outweigh the lives of a few.

Equipment:

When it comes down to what equipment to use, you must be very familiar with what equipment is available at your facility. There will be fire extinguishers within easy access to everyone and located appropriately. There may even be fire hoses available for use. Make sure that you are familiar with this equipment and its proper use.

Make it a habit to check your fire suppression equipment every day while working. If there is a fire extinguisher, check the pressure gauge to ensure that it is charged. Also check the hose and inspect it for cracks and dry rot. Look inside the nozzle for any obstructions. Give the hose a turn to ensure that it has not become loose thereby not allowing for proper operation. If there are any defects or deficiencies with the fire extinguisher, notify a supervisor so that it can be taken care of.

If there is a fire hose (either on a reel or in a cabinet) make sure that you know how to use it. It is imperative that you not only inspect it on a daily basis for deficiencies, but that you also know the maximum length of the hose.

Another item to keep in mind is a pair of Kevlar Tactical Gloves. Most Kevlar Tactical Gloves are not only cut resistant, but they are also heat/flame resistant. Having a pair of Kevlar Tactical Gloves available to you may allow you to grab onto something that is too hot to handle with your bare hands. Kevlar Tactical Gloves will offer you some added protection in the case of a fire for a limited amount of time. It might be that the Kevlar Tactical Gloves gave you just the time that you needed in order to get everyone out.

As correctional professionals our primary mandate is to provide public safety. A close second is life safety to visitors/volunteers, staff and offenders and it is done in that order: public, visitors/volunteers, staff and offender. Performing security checks is an essential function of what we do every day.

It is as a result of security checks that we can prevent fires, suicides, assaults (physical and sexual) and maintain order and discipline within our institutions. Remember that we are not fire fighters. We are correctional professionals. Even if you happen to be a fire fighter on the outside, while on the inside, you are a correctional officer and your primary responsibility is the safety of the individuals inside, not the fire.

How do you cope?

In these days of hard economic times too many people are loosing everything that they have worked their lives for. Whether it be their house, vehicle or job it is something that they have worked hard for. It is hard for people to not fall into a depression. How can this have happened? No matter how hard you work it still gets taken away from you, no matter how hard you try to hold on to it.

Battling depression is something that millions of people do every day. Some people suffer from depression that is so deep seeded that they have no choice but to resort to outside help, including medication. For some of them, the social stigma that goes along with medication that they become even more depressed. Others are fortunate enough that have the coping skills to deal with life's ups and downs that do not have to resort to medication.

We have all been depressed about something in our lives before. It could have been the loss of a loved one, a relationship that ended, or the loss of a job. How we deal with it is what is important. Two sayings that come to mind are "There is always a light at the end of the tunnel" and "God will not give us more than we can handle." Sometimes even I doubt that this is the case but I have always been proven wrong.

Some people cope by spending time outdoors. It could be camping, hiking, bird watching or just enjoying the fresh air. Others enjoy reading a book or spending time with family. Maybe you vent your frustrations by going into the kitchen and and whipping something up just for the hell of it!

For me, I love to cook and spend time with my family. You can take everything away from me but as long as I have my family, I am the richest man on Earth.

I want to hear from you. What kind of coping mechanisms do you have?

Stress in the Law Enforcement Community

For those of us in the law enforcement community one of the biggest problems that we face on a daily basis is stress. Stress from the job, from home, from deadlines and many other internal and external stressors. So what are some of the ways that we can combat this evil force?

Before we delve into this serious problem, we must first understand where it comes from and how we normally deal with it. People have been dealing with stress for ages and we all deal with it in many different way. Stress is the wear and tear on our bodies as the direct result of  both internal and external factors in our daily lives. Internal stressors can be family issues or other internal issues that we may or may not have direct control over. External stressors can be problems with neighbors, friends, financial problems and other issues that we may not have direct control over.

How do we deal with stress? It is lamentable that some people suffer from so much stress that it will lead to a severe case of clinical depression, and as a result, turn to suicide as a way to escape this unbearable pain that they feel.

Stress can also lead to a series of other serious issues such as:

• chronic pain
• heart disease 
• high blood pressure
• drug/alcohol abuse
• divorce
• high turnover rates at work
• increase in leave usage

We have all suffered from stress at some point in time or another. We have also been depressed about something throughout our lives. The person that says that they have never suffered from either is only lying to themselves. Stress can be either a positive event or a negative event. Examples of stress as a positive event would be a wedding (unless the bride is bridezilla), a birth or a promotion. We can all think of examples of negative stress.

Stress can also provide some positive outputs:

• Gives us energy. Some people, when stressed, will find a way to expel all the energy that they have built up inside.  Whether its cleaning house, rearranging furniture, cleaning out garage, we find that we get to it and get it done even if we didn't have the predisposition to do it in the first place.
• Communication.  Stress can open up lines of communication that may have not otherwise opened up. We feel the need to talk about what it is that is bothering us and lets it all out in the open. Even if we have short-term negative effects from this, the end result is almost always positive.
• Determination. Sometimes stress will give us a determination that we may not have experienced before. We want to prove that the stressor will not overpower our will to succeed. Nothing makes me more determined to succeed than someone telling me that I can't do something or that it can't be done.

Combat the Stress

There are many ways to combat stress. Here are some tips:

• if the cause is something that you have no control over, and can't do anything to change it, don't let it get to you. Let it go.
• Have a hobby. No matter what you choose to do as a hobby, be faithful to it. It could be as simple as reading a good book, cooking, bird watching, it's your choice what you want to do.
• Get plenty of rest. If you wake up in the morning and don't want to get out of bed, you're not getting enough. Go to bed 30 minutes earlier and see if that helps.
• Have a nightly routine. Read a book, take a bath, watch TV, write in a journal. Your choice as long as you do it on a regular basis.
• Get some exercise. We all have time to get a little exercise done. This does not mean that you need to go to the gym. A walk around the neighborhood will do. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Walk a little faster at work. Park a little farther away from the entrance. Its simple little things that we can do to improve ourselves. Make sure that it is something that you enjoy doing so that it doesn't feel  like work. Exercise 15-30 minutes 3 times a week will do the trick.
• Become involved in community events. Whether it is through your church or another social group, become involved. The self-satisfaction that we get when we do something for someone else is very gratifying and a great stress relief method.
• Communicate. Talk with your loved ones. Don't shut them out of your life. The moment that we shut them out is the moment that we start to loose them. Too many Law Enforcement Officers have had their lives torn apart through divorce due to a lack of communication.

This is only the tip of the iceberg. How do you deal with stress?

Change: Either you're on the bus or you're not.

I was trying to figure out what I wanted to write about this week and was at an impasse. I had been mulling some ideas over about events that had occurred throughout the week and it hit me on Thursday while I was teaching a class. We were talking about contraband interdiction and the way that staff are searched. Man, did i open a can of worms with that one!

Correctional agencies throughout the country pretty much search offenders in the same fashion whether it be a strip search or a pat search. Regardless of the search type, it is uncomfortable to do properly. The old way of doing things are gone.

Who really wants to have their hands all over someone that you don't know? (You perverts! Get back on track here!) And better yet, who wants to see someone of the same sex naked in front of you as they show you a body that in some cases has not seen 2 great inventions (soap and water) in some time? Either way, we have a job to do.

When it comes down to pat searches, the most uncomfortable part is when you have to slide your hand along the inside of the leg all the way to the groin area. Why do we do that? Because since it is such an uncomfortable place for us to search, offenders hide their contraband there. Do we search the groin area? We  are supposed to do it with the back of our hand in order to avoid a potential sexual assault situation. Make sure that you have gloves on every time. You never know what sharp object you may find!

Unpleasant? Yes. Necessary? Absolutely!

How about when we pat search staff? Guess what! We have to do it the same way. It is unfortunate that staff introduce contraband into correctional facilities for offenders putting everyone at risk. But we have to search all staff the same way, every time. No exceptions.

If you happen to be a staff member that doesn't like to have it done to you, then this job is not for you and get out. Thank you for your service but its time to go.

With strip searches, completely naked is the name of the game. Show me everything. I'm going to go through all your possessions, because that $100 bill you have rolled up into the waist seam of your pants will not be found if I just get a handful of clothes and squeeze them to "search" them. You will show me the inside of your mouth. If your teeth come out, pop 'em out and show me them pearly whites. If you have a fake eye, guess what? You're right! Pop it out and let me see that eye socket. Prosthetic arm? Give me a hand why don't ya! That's  right, it comes off and I'm going to search it. In a nutshell, if you were not born with it, you are going to take it off so it can be searched. Don't forget the shoes. You have to stick your hand in there to search. (Gloves people, gloves!)

When I tell you to bend over and spread them, you need to do just that. The squat and cough does not work. An experienced smuggler can squat, cough and nothing will come out. If you think that it will, you are mistaken. The only way that this method will work is if they did not insert the contraband all the way in  their anus. You need to look. Every time. All the time.

Remember that offenders will do anything they possibly can to make us feel uncomfortable (no shower, dirty diaper, etc) so that we do a quick, improper search . And it is because of this, staff do not feel comfortable having to do it. They take shortcuts. Contraband enters the facility. Staff get turned. Offenders win. We loose.

Agencies are cracking down on this type of non-compliance. Dereliction of duty. Substandard performance.
If you don't like it, leave. The alternative is criminal charges, loss of job, loss of income, loss of respect, loss of integrity. There are people that want the job and are willing to do it the right way.

Change is coming. Either you're on the bus or you're not.