JUBAIL TECHNICAL INSTITUTE
OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY - BSHS 1502
CHAPTER 5
FIRE SAFETY
Fire Definition:
Fire is a chemical reaction called combustion
Fire Components:
• Fuel
• Oxygen
• A source of ignition (Heat)
The fire triangle is shown in Figure.
If any component from the triangle is removed the fire
goes out.
Fuel
1) Solid Fuels
Dense solids are less likely to catch fire than less dense materials –for example a solid piece of wood
is more difficult to ignite than a pile of sawdust.
Examples of solid fuel:
Wood
Plastics
Coal
Cloth
Paper
2) Liquid Fuels
They can only burn if they vaporise. The temperature at which liquid fuel vaporise is called
the flash point. Liquids which are flammable under normal conditions are said to have a
low flash point.
Examples of Liquid Fuel:
Crude oil
Petrol
Diesel
Alcohol
Kerosene
3) Gases Fuels
Which burn easily includes the mains gas supplied for heating the workplace and gases
stored in cylinders.
Examples of Gas fuels:
Acetylene
Propane
LPG (Liquefy Petroleum Gas)
Oxygen
Oxygen is a gas which makes up about one fifth of the air, or 21% in air.
Only 16% is enough to catch fire in presence fuel and ignition source. The
more oxygen available, the more fiercely the fuel burns or explodes.
Sources of Ignition /Heat
Heat is form of energy and is usually needed to generate a chemical
reaction between a fuel and oxygen in order to start a fire.
The most common source of heat is a naked flame but other sources
include:
Hot Metal
Sparks, when metal strikes another hard surface
Sparks caused by electrical hand tools or static electricity.
Friction is bearings or other moving parts
Effects of Fire on Personnel
The majority of the deaths form fire is caused by suffocation or inhalation fire gases and not from
burns.
A fire in any closed structure will have the following two immediate toxic effects:
a) Production of carbon monoxide and toxic gases
b) Removal of the oxygen from the air
• Storing Flammable Material
Make sure the flammable material does not come into contact with other flammable material,
oxygen or heat.
Classes of Fire
Basic Methods of Extinguishing Fires
1. Removal of Fuel (starving)
2. Exclusion of Oxygen or Air (Smothering)
[Link] by Temperature Reduction (Cooling)
Fire Extinguishing Systems
There are three fire extinguishing systems :
1. Portable fire extinguishers
2. Mobile fire extinguishers
3. Fixed automatic fire extinguishers
Types of Portable fire extinguishers
1- Water
Red in color. It is designed for use on class “A” Fire like carbonaceous solids such as wood, paper,
rubbish or textiles. Water extinguishers are unsuitable for flammable liquid fires.
Never use a water extinguisher on grease fires, electrical fires or class D fire
2-Foam
Blue in color. It is designed for use on class B fires, like flammable liquid fires such as petrol, oils
and paint.
These extinguishers must never be used on fires involving live electrical equipment.
3-Carbon Dioxide
Red in color with a black band, it is designed to use for class B and C fires
involving flammable liquids and live electrical equipment.
4-Dry Chemical
Red in color with a white band, it contains a bi-
carbonate based powder and is suitable for Class “C
and D” fires involving flammable liquids and live
electrical equipment.
BC - This is the regular type of dry chemical
extinguisher. It is filled with sodium bicarbonate or
potassium bicarbonate.
ABC - This is the multipurpose dry chemical
extinguisher. The ABC type is filled with mono
ammonium phosphate, a yellow powder
5-Wet Chemical
Gold in color, it has a liquid alkaline extinguishing agent, and is specifically designed for use k
class fire in kitchens on deep fryer fires involving fat and cooking oil.
This extinguisher never be used on fires involving live electrical equipment.
How to Use a Fire Extinguisher
Pull the safety pin
Aim the nozzle toward the base of the fire.
Squeeze the handle
Sweep the nozzle back and forth at the base of the fire.
Fire extinguisher inspection
An inspection is a “quick check” to give reasonable assurance that a fire extinguisher is
available, fully charged and operable
Fire safety signs