FDNY sets fires for training exercises

New York City firefighters are busy this week setting fires -- on purpose, to save lives.

Tuesday, members of the Fire Department of New York responded to a roaring blaze that they themselves started, as part of a national research project into how to battle fires more effectively.

"The fire is ignited," announced Steve Kerber, an expert from Chicago-based Underwriters Laboratory working with the FDNY on a series of so-called "live burns" on Governors Island just off Manhattan's southern tip.

It started in the cellar of a row house, with a remote electric switch igniting a match on a sofa.

Dozens of firefighters were ready, their hoses crisscrossing the grass on this island that has a clear view of New York Harbor and the Statue of Liberty.

Suddenly, acrid black smoke soared into the blue New York sky, occasionally enveloping spectators and firefighters. The crackling of the flames coming out of windows mingled with the sound of glass being shattered as firefighters broke their way in.

A gulp of the fumes by a firefighter can cause death by smoke inhalation.

"We're asking, 'What we were doing in the past, is it correct, or do we need to change?' " said FDNY Commissioner Salvatore Cassano.

"Fires today burn hotter and faster than they ever did," said John Drengenberg, consumer safety director at Underwriter, whose encircled "UL" initials appear on many tested household electrical items.

The reason is that furnishings in modern homes are made of highly flammable synthetic materials, he said. And modern construction is lighter, using insulation that traps heat in a fire.