THE EFFECTS OF FIRE

Fire is very dangerous and affects the human body in many ways.
The main ways are Burning, Choking, Sight Loss, and Death.
These can be elaborated on:

Burning – Burns are caused by the actual flames or heat from the fire touching us.
There are three different types of burn - Superficial, Partial Thickness, Full Thickness.
You will be able to get more information on the treatment of burns in your first aid training.

Choking – This is caused through the inhalation of smoke to the lungs and can lead to death.
Most cases of fire result in people being taken to hospital with “smoke inhalation”.
In severe cases the heat is so intense that the inside of your windpipe and lungs actually get burnt.

Sight Loss – This is caused through smoke or fire getting to the eyes, sometime sight loss is temporary and others it is permanent.
If you are caught in a fire you will almost certainly not be able to see because of the smoke.
This is why you must know your escape route well.

Death – The ultimate price to pay in a fire, it happens all of the time, through many causes in a fire. This is why you must be aware of fire drill procedures and look to stop the fire before it has chance to start.

FIRE PREVENTION
Many fires need not have happened, one of the main causes of fire is carelessness.
If more people were aware of good fire prevention principals there would be far fewer fires.

Electrical Equipment.

• All electrical equipment should be checked regularly
• All electrical appliances should be switched off and unplugged when not in use
• Never leave items such as irons unattended

• Smoking should only take place where it is safe to do so
• Never smoke near a fuel source (petrol, oil, gas, etc)
• Never smoke in bed
• Do not smoke within 30 minutes of leaving a building
• Do not empty ashtrays until 30 minutes after smoking has taken place

• Cookers should be positioned well away from any combustible materials
• Never leave a cooker unattended, particularly if frying

• Keep all areas tidy. Loose gear left laying around can catch fire very easily
• All paints, oils, etc should be stowed in a safe area away from sources of heat
• Do not dry clothes, etc on electric radiators or heaters and not in front of open or gas fires
• Do not leave matches or lighters where young children can get at them
• Use only safety matches
• Use a fireguard on all open fires
• Fix fire extinguishers to bulkhead - that way they dont get used as doorstops!

FIRE AND FIRE EXTINGUISHERS

THE FIRE TRIANGLE.

There are three elements, which must be in contact before a fire can be started
these three are
Fuel - Heat - Oxygen
We use a triangle to represent the way in which they come together

Fuel
Fuel can be either, Solid,liquid or gas

Heat
Heat can be transferred by:
1. Radiation from any heating appliance, flames or explosion
2. Conduction through any suitable material such as steel, aluminium or even walls and floors
3. Convection through gases, liquids or hot air circulating via passages, stair wells, lift-shafts, etc

Oxygen
This is the air that we breathe

Solid Fuel Fire - wood, paper, cardboard, fabrics, etc

Liquid Fuel Fire - Oil, paraffin, petrol, diesel, etc

Gas Fuel Fire - any flammable gas which starts to burn when its ignition temperature is reached.

Electrical Fire - Electricity does not bum but may well be the cause of a fire through a fault in a LIVE circuit, which has provided the heat to cause a fire in other material.
This type of fire is termed as an Electrical Fire as a warning to fire fighters.
Before tackling this type of fire, the circuits and equipment involved must be switched off.


EXTINGUISHING A FIRE

The three ways of doing this with an example are listed below in the same order as the elements are shown above.

STARVE = Remove the fuel (Turn off the gas)

COOL = Remove the heat (Use water to cool a solid fire)

SMOTHER = Remove the oxygen supply (put a damp tea towel over a chip pan fire)

All fire appliances use one of these methods of extinguishing a fire.

Starving
we can put out a fire by STARVING it of fuel.
For example, if there is a gas fire we can put it out by turning the gas off at the mains.

Cooling
Another method is to COOL the fire
If we can cool the fire, lower the temperature, then the element of heat will disappear and the fire will go out. This what happens when we pour water on a fire, we cool it down, we remove the heat.

Smothering
To put a fire out by removing the oxygen is called SMOTHERING
We cover the fire up so that the air cannot get to it. Covering a burning chip pan with a fire blanket is one example of smothering, another is to cover burning oil with foam.

To put out a fire you must remove one of the above elements.

First Aid Fire Fighting Equipment
Water Extinguisher
It cools the fire
Used on solid fuel fires where no electricity is involved

AFFF (Aqueous Film Forming Foam)
Holds water and AFFF.
It smothers the fire
Used primarily on liquid fuel fires, but may be used on solid fuel fires instead of a water extinguisher

C02
Contains liquid C02 which is discharged as a gas
It smothers the fire
Used mainly on electrical fires but may be used on solid and small liquid fuel fires as well

Dry Powder Extinguisher
It smothers the fire
May be used on all types of fires

Fire Blankets
Used to smother liquid fuel fires such as a chip pan fire Larger ones are used in the case of a human on fire.

Fire Buckets (Sand & Water)
Used for minor fires and oil fuel spillages
 

Colours of Extinguishers