FIRE SCIENCE
What is fire ?
FIRE
Is a rapid, self-sustaining oxidation process
accompanied by the evolution of heat and light of
varying intensity.
Is a chemical reaction that takes place between fuel,
heat and oxygen in the form of light and noticeable heat.
It is an oxidation taking place with a rate rapid enough
to produce heat and light.
Triangle of Fire
For many years, the fire triangle was used to
described the components of fire.
HEAT
Heat is the energy
component of the fire
tetrahedron. When heat
comes into contact with
a fuel, the energy
supports the combustion
reaction.
Conduction
Convection
Radiation
FUEL
Fuel is the material
or substance being
oxidized or burned
the combustion
process.
OXYGEN
Oxygen serves as
an oxidizing agent that
oxidizes the fuel.
Oxidizers are not
themselves combustible,
but they support
combustion when
combined with a fuel.
But……….
When fire continues to grow and undisturbed
by human action, fourth element exists. It is
called the self-sustained chemical chain
reaction.
Fire Tetrahedron
For a fire to grow
continuously, four
components are necessary:
Oxygen (oxidizing agent)
Fuel
Heat
Self-sustained chemical
reaction
Each component of the tetrahedron must
be in place for combustion to occur continuously.
Remove one of the four components and
combustion will not occur. If ignition has already
occurred, the fire is extinguished when one of the
components is removed from the reaction.
SELF-SUSTAINED CHEMICAL REACTION
Combustion is a complex reaction that
requires a fuel (in the gaseous or vapor state), an
oxidizer, and a heat energy to come together in a
very specific way. Once flaming combustion or
fire occurs, it can only continue when enough
heat energy is produced to cause the continued
development of fuel vapors or gases. Scientists
call this type of reaction a “chain reaction”. A
chain reaction is a series of reactions that occur
in sequence with the result of each individual
reaction being added to the rest.
Fire Development
When the components of fire come
together, ignition occurs. For a fire to grow
beyond the first material ignited, heat must be
transmitted beyond the first material to
additional fuel packages.
Stages of Fire
Ignition
Growth
Fully developed
Decay
IGNITION / INCIPIENT
Ignition describes the period when
elements of the fire come together and
combustion begins.
GROWTH
Shortly after ignition, a fire plume begins to
form above the burning fuel. As the plume
develops, it begins to draw or entrain air from
the surrounding space into the column.
FULLY DEVELOPED
The fully developed fire stage occurs
when all combustible materials in the
compartment are involved in the fire.
FLASHOVER
Flashover is the transition between the growth
and the fully developed fire stages and is not a specific
event such as ignition. During flashover, conditions in the
compartment change very rapidly as the fire changes
from one that is dominated by the burning of the
materials first ignited to one that involves all of the
exposed combustible surfaces within the compartment.
DECAY
As the fire consumes the available
fuel in the compartment, the rate of heat
released begins to decline.
Stages of fire development.
SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS
A fire will double every 30 Seconds under normal
conditions.
In as little as 3 minutes, a small fire can erupt into a
“FLASHOVER”.
A small fire can produce enough smoke to fill a building in
minutes.
Smoke results in:
Teary eyes
Choking sensation
Impaired judgment due to Carbon Monoxide (CO)
Loss of spatial recognition
Sedation effect - Respiratory failure
Within minutes, air temperature in a burning room can reach
300 degrees Celsius. This temperature is hot enough to melt clothes,
skin and scorch your lungs in one breathe.
Temperatures can climb to between 650-760 degrees Celsius.
Most people who die in fires, die from breathing smoke and
toxic gases.
Carbon Oxide, Hydrogen Cyanide, Ammonia and hundreds of
other irritants attack your eyes, nose, throat and lungs.
They numb your senses and leave you dazed.
Makes you disorientated and stops you from
thinking and breathing.
Makes you breathe faster, which puts to rest the
option of holding your breath.
Mixes with moisture in the eyes, nose and throat,
which causes coughing and hacking.
THINGS TO REMEMBER IN TIMES OF
EMERGENCY
1. HAVE PRESENCE OF MIND.
2. APPLY YOUR TRAINING.
3. TEAM WORK.
4. PRAY!
GOOD LUCK!