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Originally Posted by blkphysh
I would love to be a firefighter down there. I understand the lack of liquid water because the temprature...
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There are LOTS of firefighters at McMurdo Station. In fact, about 4% of the population during the summer. (They had 44 people in the fire department this past summer.)
At Pole there are only 2 permanent and 2 that rotate from McMurdo.
They do have some fire extinguishers of a special type, that uses a charge of nitrogen to propel a fire-retardant powder. The new station at Pole has a sprinkler system, and in the older outbuildings special powder-based sprinklers (a combination of a fire extinguisher with a sprinkler head) are hung over the furnaces. I don't know how effective they are, but it might stop a fire before it starts - or at least buy time for people to get out.
BTW - a lot of cold weather gear doesn't handle fire very well (i.e., it melts on you if it gets hot). But there is a solution: I tried some Nomex Fleece this year, and it works great. Also, a base layer of wool isn't a bad idea. There are also some other wicking, fire-resistant materials now available.