Fire Facts

Can fires be prevented?  “Sure,” you say.  But the strength of your answer depends on how much you know and how much you can do about effective fire prevention.  Everyone loses from a bad fire.

Now, what are the “fire facts”?  First, fire control depends on knowledge of the three essentials of all ordinary fire:

Fuel.
Paper, wood, oil, solvents, gas, and so on.

Heat.
The degree necessary to vaporize fuel according to its nature.

Oxygen.
Normally at least 15 percent of oxygen in the air is required to sustain a fire.  The greater the concentration of oxygen, the brighter the blaze and the more rapid the combustion.

Remove only one of these essentials, and a fire can be extinguished by cooling (temperature and heat control); smothering (oxygen control); isolating (fuel control); or interrupting the chemical chain reaction in certain types of fires.

Fires are classified into four types, according to what is burning.  Each type requires special controls.

Class A fires (general combustibles such as wood, cloth, paper, or rubbish) are usually controlled by cooling–for instance, using water to cool the material.

Class B fires (flammable liquids such as gasoline, oil, grease, or paint) are usually smothered by oxygen control–using foam, carbon dioxide, or dry chemical.

Class C fires (electrical equipment) are usually smothered by oxygen control, using carbon dioxide or dry-chemical extinguishers–nonconductors of electricity.

Class D fires occur in combustible metals such as magnesium, lithium, or sodium and require special extinguishers and techniques.

Here is a checklist of ways in which everyone can help prevent fires:

·        Know where fire extinguishers are kept, what each is for, and how to use them.

·        Maintain a neat, clean area, and prevent accumulation of rubbish.

·        Put oil-soaked and paint-soaked rags in covered metal containers.

·        Keep doors; exits, stairs, fire lanes, and fire-fighting equipment clear of obstructions.

·        Keep all flammable materials away from furnaces or other sources of ignition.

·        Be aware of any fire hazards you see that are beyond your control, especially electrical hazards, which are the source of many fires.