Glycerin-Based Smoke Fluids: A Healthier Way to Train

摘要

FOR YEARS, FIREFIGHTER TRAINING classes have used training smoke fluid to simulate an active fire scene, yet little has been written about the healthfulness and risks associated with this practice. More information is now available, and we are learning that some training activities-meant to teach how to minimize risk and injury-might be harming our firefighters. One firm, Simply Solutions, LLC, has recognized this and addressed the issue. Simulated smoke fluids are vaporized in a smoke generating appliance (by adding heat) and are then "shot out" of that appliance. There are three basic types of training smoke fluids: mineral oil-based, glycol-based, and glycerin formulas. The use of mineral oil-based fluids has been greatly diminished because of the known respiratory issues and residue. Glycol-based smoke fluids are customary and the majority of what is used today, and they produce significant smoke when used in a well-tuned smoke generator, but there are problems.