Fire fighting & Fire Prevention

What is Fire?

Chemical Reaction accompanied by evolution of heat & Light

Fire is oxidation process in which fuel is basically oxidized by oxygen drawn from the atmosphere.

The oxidation accompanied by evolution of heat is called as combustion.

Uncontrolled combustion is fire.

Fuel, oxygen & heat may be considered as sides of fire triangle.

Fuel

Oxygen /air

Heat
Naturally removal of any one side will collapse the triangle & fire will be ceased.
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Cause
Electrical
Smoking
Friction.
Hot surfaces.
Combustion spark
Spontaneous ignition.
Cutting & welding
Mechanical spark.
Chem. reaction
Static spark
Lightening

Basic causes
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of Industrial Fires
Preventive measures
Proper maintenance, Flameproof fittings.
Control & Education
Preventive maintenance.
Safe design, good maintenance.
well designed equipment
Good housekeeping, proper operation
Works permit system
keep tools clean
Proper operation & control
Grounding, bonding
Lightening arrestors, surge capacitors

Extinguishing Fire:
Fire extinction, in principle, consists of the limitation of one or more of these factors
1. Starvation or limitation of fuel
2. Smothering or limitation of oxygen
3. Cooling

- or limitation of temperature

4. Inhabitation of chain reaction

Starvation:
Removing combustible material from neighborhood of fire
Removing fire from neighborhood of combustible material
Subdividing burning material
Smothering:

 Reducing O2 content of atmosphere from neighborhood of burning material.

Prevent access to fresh air / allow combustion in confined space.
Cooling:
Rate at which heat is generated by combustion is less than rate at which it is dissipated the fire cannot persist.
Inhabitation of chain reaction:
It is achieved by trapping the free radicals and preventing them from continuing chain reaction e.g. Halon or
DCP application.
Spread of Fire:
Conduction of heat
Convection currents
Radiation of heat
Direct burning.
Extinguishing actions of various medias:
Water:
Water converted in to steam.
Latent heat of vaporization of steam =540cal/gm
Water when converted to steam expands 1600times
Steam thus formed displaces O2 (smothering effect)
Hydrant, Sprinkler system.
Foam:

It forms blanket when spread on burning liquid

Prevents access to fresh air. Smothering effect
Cooling effect by the water drain from foam.

Dry Chemical Powder:

Extinguish fire by inhibition of chain reaction, smothering, cooling.

Fine particles of DCP trap the free radicals inhibiting chain reaction.

Fine particles form cloud over fire & displaces O2

Powder absorbs heat while changing its state & some cooling takes place.

Carbon Dioxide:

It replaces air in the vicinity of fire & forms inert atmosphere.

Little cooling effect due to sudden expansion of CO2

Classification of fire:
Class
A

Material
Ordinary combustibles
(wood, paper, coal, grass, etc.

Burning characteristics

Extinguishing media

Slow burning with ordinary heat release

rate.

Water, Foam

E*

Flammable liquid (petrol,

benzene, toluene, xylene
etc.)

Fast burning with high heat release rate

Foam, DCP, CO2

extinguisher

Gases like LPG, LNG,

hydrogen etc.

Very fast burning with very high heat

release rate

Cooling, cutting fuel

supply. CO2, DCP
Extinguisher.

Reactive chemicals, metals

like potassium, magnesium
etc.

Slow to fast burning (varies from metal to

metal) but with very high heat release
rate

DCP Extinguisher.

E*

Electrical fire

CO2, DCP.

fire that occurs in or near energised electrical equipment is considered as "class E till the electrical supply

is "on". Once the supply is "cut off", the fire becomes any of the above class, depending on the nature of burning
material.
Fire load: It is the concentration or the amount of combustible material in a building per unit area of floor
space. This term is used to classify hazard & also determines the amount of fire extinguishing media required
for the protection of that particular area.
Fire load of area = (Wt of combustibles x Calorific value of combustible) / Area
Extremely Flammable
Very highly flammable
Highly inflammable
Flammable liquid

FP 0C, BP <35C
FP 23C, IBP >35C
23C < FP < 60C
60C <FP < 90C

Fire involving pesticide:

Requires specialized equipment & tactics

Use of protective clothing & respiratory equipment

Minimum manpower & utilization of wind direction

Evacuation of down wind areas is critical

Pollution of ground water is eliminated

Fire detection & prevention system:

Heat & smoke detectors
Automatic water sprinkler
Water hydrant system
CO2 total flooding system
Foam flooding system
Fire barrier

Details of Hydrant system:

Water storage capacity: 555 x 2 m3
Pumping capacity: 273m3/hr
Main pump: 273m3/hr, head = 70m
Jockey pump: 11m3/hr, head = 70m
Fire engine: 273m3/hr, head = 70m
Components of Hydrant system:
Single head (SH): 49
Double head (DH): 21
Fire escape hydrant (FEH): 89
Water monitors:

01 portable
01 fixed water throw 45m, Capacity=1750LPM

Sub fire stations = 14 (12 hoses, 6 nozzles, 3 to 4 cans foam concentrate)

Sluice valves: 54
Sprinkler system: for A, B class material & compressed gas tank farm.
Foam compound: Aq. Film forming foam 6% =1000lit
Fire Extinguishers in our factory:
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Type
Dry chemical powder
Dry chemical powder
Carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide
Chemical foam
Water type extinguishers

Capacity
10kgs
68kgs
4.5kgs
9.0kgs
22.5kgs
9lit
9lit

nos.
287
24
112
33
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9
5

Select the correct fire Extinguishers:

of fire---
Extinguisher
s type

Dry chemical powder

Carbon dioxide

Chemical foam

X
X

X
X

X
X

Class

Water type

Caution

Do not use in very confined space

Ventilate area after extinguishing fire
Do not use on live electrical equipment
Do not use on live electrical equipment