Percent of Time Fire PFA Intercedes before Flashover (contained to room of origin)
Desired Result: Above Target
Analysis of Performance
There were 4 fires that reached flashover in the first quarter of 2025. There were 24 incidents calculated in the first quarter: Fourteen were structure/building fires and 10 other fires met the criteria of this measure. These 10 fires were confined fires in or attached to structures. Eleven of the building fires had to be extinguished by crews on scene with proper deployment of hoselines. One of the fires was in a building with a sprinkler system.
The performance for the first quarter flashover measure was 83.33% for PFA with the goal being 85%. YTD this measure sits at 83.33%.
Metric Definition
This measure relates to the ability of on-scene firefighters and building sprinklers to prevent fire flashover and the spread of a structure fire.
Why Is This Important?
Flashover is the stage of a structure fire when it becomes extremely dangerous to occupants, structures and firefighters. During a flashover, temperatures and conditions are intense and an entire room can burst into flames, causing a fire to spread to other parts of the structure. By containing a fire to its room of origin and delaying flashover, firefighters can buy several minutes, which may be critical. Delaying flashover allows more time to complete a search and rescue of the burning room or allow a firefighter to go above a fire to rescue a trapped victim. Delaying flashover and fire spread can limit fire loss and injuries to occupants and firefighters.
City Organization Impact on Performance
High – PFA's ability to influence the fire containment to the room of origin is rooted in effective firefighter training to attack fire upon arrival, efficient response times, education and outreach to the community on fire safety practices, and the mandatory use of fire sprinklers in some buildings to limit the spread of fire.
Benchmark Information
Benchmarking in progress