UGANDA MILITARY ENGINEERING COLLEGE

A REPORT ABOUT FIRE SAFETY AND EMERGENCY PREPARATION

AT KAMPALA POLYTECHNIC MENGO
DEPARTMENT: ELECTRICAL DEPARTMENT
NAME: ASINDU FRED
REG NO: UBT195/2024/T/D/A/2147
COURSE: NATIONAL DIPLOMA IN ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING
COURSE CODE: DTEE 112
COURSE UNIT: HEALTH, SAFETY AND ENVIRONMENT

A REPORT SUBMITTED TO UGANDA AND TECHNICAL

EXAMINATION BOARD IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT FOR THE AWARD OF
NATIONAL DIPLOMA IN MECHANICAL ENGINEERING (NDME)
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I acknowledge the report to my parents who have always been supporting me through
academic materials and requirements during my studies.

i
 DECLARATION
I ASINDU FRED,declare that this report is my original work and read for submit ion.

SIGNATURE……………………………………...

DATE……………………………………………….

ii
 APPROVAL
I ………………………………………………., I certify that BAHIHIMBISAMUKAMA BYLON participated in
the fire fighting and safety which took place KAMPALA POLYTECHNIC MENGO’S Compound on
2/November/2024

Date………………………………………………………

Signature…………………………………………………

iii
ABSTRACT
The report is about types of fire and how they are classified, how fire can be spread from one
place to another, stages of fire, methods of fire extinctions, causes of fire in the daily life fire
prevention, emergency evacuation and what to do in case of fire outbreak, how to extinguish
fire using different fire extinguishers.
Table of Contents
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT 2
DECLARATION 3
APPROVAL 4
ABSTRACT 5
CHAPTER ONE 1
INTRODUCTION 1
CHAPTER TWO 2
CHEMISTRY OF FIRE 2
ELEMENTS OF FIRE 2
SOURCES OF HEAT 2
CHAPTER THREE 6
METHODS OF EXTINGUISHING FIRE 6
CAUSES OF FIRE 6
FIRE SPREAD 8
FIRE SAFETY 9
FIRE PREVENTION 9
EMERGENCY EVACUATION AND WHAT TO DO IN CASE OF fire 9
FIRE EXTINGUISHER AND HOW TO USE IT 10
CHAPTER FOUR 11
CHALLENGES 11
RECOMMENDATION 11
CONCLUSION 11
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Fire is a chemical reaction of the evolution of obtain heat, fuel and air.

OBJECTIVES

● To acquire basic practical fire suppression skills

● To identify different classes of fire and best extinguishing medium for each

● To enhance the preparedness, prevention and response to fire emergencies

● To identify any possible defects, actions, omissions or risks that may cause fire in any

office setting and correct them or cause them to be removed or rectified so as to prevent
fire.

SCOPE OF WORK

⮚ Chemistry of fire/combustion

⮚ Elements of fire

⮚ Classification of fire

⮚ Stages of fire

⮚ Methods of fire extinction

⮚ Causes of fire

⮚ Fire spread
 ⮚ Fire safety.

⮚ Emergency evacuation and what to do in case of fire

⮚ Fire extinguishers

⮚ Prevention and measurement

CHAPTER TWO

CHEMISTRY OF FIRE
Fire is a phenomenon in which combustible materials, especially organic substances
containing carbon react chemically with the oxygen in the air in the presence of heat. The
process is characterized by emission of heat accompanied by smoke or flame.

Fire is a rapid oxidation with the evolution of heat and light

A chemical reaction occurs when fuel, air and a source of ignition are brought
together at the same time and in proper proportions.
Flame
Is the mixture of burning gases

ELEMENTS OF FIRE
Fire requires three elements to start and be sustained which include;

⮚ Air (oxygen) - acts as a catalyst however must be as low as 16%

⮚ Fuel - acts as the combustible material which burns to aid fire start it can be a solid,

liquid or gas.

⮚ Heat - this acts as the ignition source for fire to start.

SOURCES OF HEAT
Chemical heat

Fire

Toxic flame or gases are released

CLASSIFICATION OF FIRES
Fires are classified mainly by the type of fuel they burn.

There are six classes of fire according to UK standards and they include;

▪ Class A

This is a fire involving solid materials. E.g., wood, plastics, paper, textile, rubber.
after combustion materials burn ash is left behind.

▪ Class B

This is a fire involving flammable liquids such as: gasoline, oil, paint, grease.

▪ Class C

This fire involves flammable gases. It is the most dangerous because they already
occur in natural state. Examples include; methane, butane, propane,
 ▪ Class D

This type of fire involves metal materials. e.g., potassium, sodium, aluminum,
magnesium, zinc, titanium etc.

▪ Class E

This fire is caused by electrical equipment. Electricity does not burn but it
provides the ignition to start a fire.

▪ Class F/K

This happens on cooking media and the source of the fire is cooking oil and
vegetable or animal fats om cooking equipment

STAGES OF FIRE

Fire progresses through stages or phases. These stages include;

⮚ Incipient stage.

⮚ Growth stage.

⮚ Flashover stage.

⮚ Free burning stage

⮚ Decay stage
Figure 2 stages of fire

a) Incipient stage
This starts with ignition when the three elements of the fire come together and
the combustion process begins. At this stage fire is at its infancy, it is limited to its
originally ignited material or fuel.
The temperature of burning material is slightly raised though the flame itself is very hot.
This is the best stage to extinguish fire even for an untrained person

b) Growth stage
This stage is also referred to as transition stage of fire. Vapour production is
increased and flame is growing faster. The temperature in the environment of burning
material is raising and the flame itself is very hot.
c) Flashover stage
This is the transition stage between the growth stage and the fully developed stage.
During the flashover conditions in the compartment change rapidly as the fire changes
 from one that dominated by burning of materials first ignited to one that involves all
exposed combustible surfaces.

d) Free burning stage

Here the temperature of the room is almost equal to that of the flame.
Enormous amounts of heat, light and smoke are produced. Firefighting activities are very
difficult as the hazards are many at this stage.

e) Decay stage
This occurs after free burning stage mainly in solid fuels in closed compartments. All the
conditions here are available except oxygen and there is little or no visible flame.
The room becomes dense black smoke forcing its way out through slit opening or cracks.
Muffled sounds are heard inside.
Careless opening of the compartment results into back draught which can cause fatal
injuries.

CHAPTER THREE

METHODS OF EXTINGUISHING FIRE

The oxygen content can be reduced by flooding an area with an inert gas, which
displaces the oxygen and disrupts the combustion process. And they are mainly four methods
which include;

❖ Quenching/Cooling

Cooling is a process of fire extinguishing or control by reduction of temperature. This is

reducing the temperature of the fuel to a point where it does not produce sufficient vapor
to burn.
 ❖ Starvation

This is the process of fire extinguishing by limitation or removal of fuel. The fuel source
may be removed by stopping the flow of liquid or gaseous fuel or removing solid fuel in
the path of [Link] starvation we remove the burning materials.
Smothering.
This can be done by removing oxygen and introduce enter gas i.e. carbon dioxide

CAUSES OF FIRE
The causes of fire can be summarized into four general causes;

● Arson

● Negligence

● Electricity

● Accident

Arson; is the willful and malicious setting of fire on any valuable property. This is where an
individual or group of people set fire on anything without the consent of the owner for various
reasons.

Negligence; this is done by people everyday life people do things that can start fire, however fire
only occurs when they act carelessly.

There are so many negligent acts that can result into a destructive fire and below these may
include;

⮚ Electrical appliances left plugged in sockets with current flowing un attended to.
 ⮚ Overloading of electrical circuits.

⮚ Irresponsible smoking habits.

⮚ Unsafe cooking.

⮚ Leaving stoves burning

⮚ Improper use of gas cookers

⮚ Accumulation of fats in kitchen hoods

⮚ Burning rubbish close to buildings.

⮚ Improper storage of chemicals

⮚ Unnecessary bulk storage of flammable materials

Electricity. Electricity is known to produce enormous amounts of heat that can cause fire; below
are some of ways in which uncontrolled heat can be generated resulting into destructive fire;

▪ Electric arcing

▪ Overloading of electrical circuits

▪ Leakage of current in wiring

▪ Loose wire connections

▪ Improper size of fuse

▪ Unprofessional electrical installation

 ▪ Lack of inspection and maintenance

Other causes

Smoking

Cooking

Heating equipment

Blow lamp

FIRE SPREAD
The heat liberated by the fire also causes the surrounding material to warm up. Fire spread
occurs by four means;

✔ Direct burning

✔ Conduction

✔ Convection

MODE OF BURNING.

Flaming combustion.

Smoldering combustion.

Explosive combustion.
BEST PRACTICES AND REGULATIONS

Radiation Regulatory requirement

Hazard identification

Evacuation procedures

Staff training and responsibilities

Fire safety and guest experience

Role of technology in fire safety.

Fire prevention.

FIRE SAFETY
Is the set of practice intended to reduce destruction caused by fire.

Fire protection

Construction feature.

Inadequate fire alarm.

Interference with escape routs.

Lack of training to staff to deal with emergency.

Lack of smoke control in the facility.

FIRE PREVENTION
To prevent fire is important to understand and identify general fire hazards.

Fire prevention is done by practicing the following;

⮚ Carry out fire safety risk assessment.

⮚ Unplug electrical appliances when not in use.

⮚ Avoid loose electrical wire connection

⮚ Have adequate security on site and maximize use of CCTV systems if installed to

determine arsonist.
 ⮚ Do not overload electrical circuits

EMERGENCY EVACUATION AND WHAT TO DO IN CASE OF fire

Evacuation can be done either;

Partial evacuation: requires evacuation of only those I the affected area.

Total evacuation: requires evacuation of everyone in the building.

Endurance must be made that everyone is evacuated quickly and safely.

In case of fire the following should be done;

● Raise the alarm

● Assist people who need help

● Call for help by dialing the police or fire bridge

● Extinguish the fire using available equipment were possible

FIRE EXTINGUISHER AND HOW TO USE IT

A fire extinguisher is a first aid fire suppression appliance with limited capacity of the
extinguishing medium to handle fire at its incipient stage.

Fire extinguishers are classified by content or medium into the following:

▪ Water

▪ Foam

▪ Dry chemical powder

▪ Wet chemical

▪ Carbon dioxide

HOW TO USE A FIRE EXTINGUISHER?

This is done in process as follows;

⮚ Pull the pin

 ⮚ Aim the nozzle

⮚ Squeeze the handle.

⮚ Sweep side to side at the base of the fire.

HIERACY OF CONTROL/PREVENTION MEASUREMENTS

Elimationtion.

Substation.

Engineering control

Administration control.

Personal protective equipment

CHAPTER FOUR

CHALLENGES
⮚ It was cold and setting out the fire was difficult due to the wind blowing.

⮚ Some extinguishers refused to work.

⮚ The carbon dioxide inhaled causing some breathing difficult.

RECOMMENDATION
⮚ I recommend that everyone participating should put on masks and safety gear to prevent
accidents
⮚ Fire extinguishers should be frequently checked before putting them available for use.

⮚ I recommend that smoke alarms on every building should be installed to be alert in case
of any fire outbreak.
CONCLUSION
⮚ It is important to invest in proper safety measures, keep equipment’s and systems in good
working order and to ensure that people are properly trained to handle emergency
situations

APPENDICES