Intense Footage Of Firefighters Taking On A Backdraft

March 6, 2020

What you will see in this video is a technique firefighters use to protect themselves during a backdraft.

A backdraft is basically what happens when you introduce a fire that has been burning for a while to oxygen. While a fire burns, it slowly uses up all oxygen it can reach. When all the oxygen is gone, the fire starts burning really low, and might not seem like a threat anymore.

Now, what happens during a backdraft is that somehow a major source of oxygen becomes available to the fire. This could be a wall breaking down or someone opening a window. The fire gets access to oxygen and starts to burn again. This sudden surge of activity almost looks like an explosion, and is a lethal threat to any firefighters inside the building.

Fortunately, the hoses can create a "water shield" to defend a firefighter against this.