BRITISH STANDARD BS 4422-1:

1987
ISO 8421-1:
1987

Glossary of

Terms associated with

fire —
Part 1: General terms and phenomena
of fire —

[ISO title: Fire protection —

Vocabulary — Part 1: General terms
and phenomena of fire]

UDC 001.4:614.84
BS 4422-1:1987

Committees responsible for this

British Standard

The preparation of this British Standard was entrusted by the Fire Standards
Committee (FSM/-) to Technical Committee FSM/9 upon which the following
bodies were represented:

Association of Metropolitan Authorities

Chief and Assistant Chief Fire Officers’ Association
Department of the Environment (Building Research Establishment, Fire
Research Station)
Department of the Environment (Housing and Construction Industries)
Department of Transport (Marine Directorate)
Fire Protection Association
Home Office
Institution of Fire Engineers
Royal Institute of British Architects

This British Standard, having

been prepared under the
direction of the Fire
Standards Committee, was
published under the authority
of the Board of BSI and comes
into effect on
30 November 1987

© BSI 03-1999 Amendments issued since publication

First published March 1969
First revision November 1987 Amd. No. Date of issue Comments

The following BSI references

relate to the work on this
standard:
Committee reference FSM/9
Draft for comment 85/44886 DC

ISBN 0 580 16235 4

 BS 4422-1:1987

Contents

Page
Committees responsible Inside front cover
National foreword ii
Introduction 1
Scope and field of application 1
Terms and definitions 1
Publication referred to Inside back cover

© BSI 03-1999 i
BS 4422-1:1987

National foreword

This Part of BS 4422 has been prepared under the direction of the Fire Standards
Committee. It supersedes BS 4422-1:1969 which is withdrawn. This Part is
identical with ISO 8421:1987 “Fire protection — Vocabulary” — Part 1: “General
terms and phenomena of fire”, published by the International Organization for
Standardization (ISO).
The international standard was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 21,
Equipment for fire protection and firefighting, with the active participation of the
UK. Further Parts of ISO 8421 are in course of preparation, as listed in the
introduction, and will be used as a basis for revision of the other Parts of BS 4422.
Terminology and conventions. The text of the international standard has
been approved as suitable for publication as a British Standard without
deviation. Some terminology and certain conventions are not identical with those
used in British Standards; attention is drawn especially to the following.
Wherever the words “part of ISO 8421” or “International Standard” appear,
referring to this standard, they should be read as “Part of BS 4422” and
“British Standard” respectively.
Cross-reference. The Technical Committee has reviewed the provisions of
ISO 3941, to which reference is made in the text, and has decided that they are
acceptable for use in conjunction with this standard. A related British Standard
to ISO 3941 is BS 4547 “Classification of fires”.
A British Standard does not purport to include all the necessary provisions of a
contract. Users of British Standards are responsible for their correct application.
Compliance with a British Standard does not of itself confer immunity
from legal obligations.

Summary of pages
This document comprises a front cover, an inside front cover, pages i and ii,
pages 1 to 4, an inside back cover and a back cover.
This standard has been updated (see copyright date) and may have had
amendments incorporated. This will be indicated in the amendment table on
the inside front cover.

ii © BSI 03-1999
 BS 4422-1:1987

Introduction 1.7
calorific potential
ISO 8421 will consist of the following parts, which
are published separately: see “heat of combustion”
— Part 1: General terms and phenomena of fire; 1.8
— Part 2: Structural fire protection; chimney effect
— Part 3: Fire detection and alarm; upward thrust of hot gases and smoke by convection
currents confined within a vertical enclosure
— Part 4: Fire extinction equipment;
1.9
— Part 5: Smoke control;
combustible
— Part 6: Evacuation and means of escape;
capable of burning
— Part 7: Explosion detection and suppression
means; 1.10
combustion
— Part 8: Terms specific to fire-fighting rescue
services and handling hazardous materials. exothermic reaction of a combustible substance with
an oxidizer, usually accompanied by flames, and/or
Scope and field of application glowing and/or emission of smoke
This part of ISO 8421 gives terms and definitions in 1.11
general for fire protection. Terms are given in deflagration
English alphabetical order: a French index is explosion propagating at subsonic velocity
provided. 1.12
NOTE In the numbering system of the terms, the initial detonation
Figure 1 denotes Part 1 of this International Standard.
explosion propagating at supersonic velocity and
Terms and definitions characterized by a shock wave
1.1 1.13
arson explosion
fire originated by malicious intent abrupt oxidation or decomposition reaction
producing an increase in temperature, pressure or
1.2
in both simultaneously
auto-ignition; self-ignition; spontaneous
ignition 1.14
fire
ignition resulting from self-heating
1) Process of combustion characterized by the
1.3
emission of heat accompanied by smoke or flame
auto-ignition temperature; self-ignition
or both.
temperature; spontaneous-ignition
temperature 2) Combustion spreading uncontrolled in time
and space.
minimum temperature at which a material will
NOTE These two definitions have different terms in French for
ignite spontaneously under specified test conditions “fire” in English.
1.4 1.15
burn (verb) fire classification
to undergo combustion standardized system of classifying fires in terms of
1.5 the nature of the fuel (see ISO 3941). These are:
burning behaviour Class A: fire involving solid materials, usually of
all the physical and/or chemical changes that take an organic nature, in which combustion normally
place when a material, product and/or structure takes place with the formation of glowing
burns or is exposed to fire embers;
1.6 Class B: fires involving liquids or liquefiable
bursting solids;
violent rupture of an object due to over-pressure Class C: fires involving gases;
and/or stress within it or upon it Class D: fires involving metals.

© BSI 03-1999 1
BS 4422-1:1987

1.16 1.25
fire danger fire resistance of a separating element
concept including both fire hazard (q.v.) and fire ability of an element to provide simultaneous fire
risk (q.v.) integrity, fire stability and thermal insulation in a
1.17 standard fire resistance test
fire hazard 1.26
consequences of the event if fire occurs fire risk
1.18 probability of a fire occurring
fire integrity 1.27
ability of a separating element of building fire security routine inspection
construction, when exposed to fire on one side, to check at regular intervals of the fire prevention and
prevent the passage of flames and hot gases or the fire protection arrangements
occurrence of flames on the unexposed side, for a 1.28
stated period of time in a standard fire resistance fire stability
test
ability of an element of building construction,
1.19 load-bearing or not, to resist collapse for a stated
fire load period of time under test conditions in a standard
calorific energy, expressed in SI units, of the whole fire resistance test
contents contained in a space, including the facings 1.29
of the walls, partitions, floors and ceilings flammable
1.20 capable of burning with a flame
fire load density
1.30 flammable (explosive) limits
fire load divided by floor area
1.30.1
1.21 Lower Flammable Limit (LFL)
fire prevention
minimum concentration of vapour-to-air below
measures to prevent the outbreak of a fire and/or to which propagation of a flame will not occur in the
limit its effects presence of an ignition source
1.22 1.30.2
fire procedure plan Upper Flammable Limit (UFL)
preplanning of human and material means to be put maximum vapour-to-air concentration above which
into action inside a building or a plant, in order to propagation of a flame will not occur
counter any fire
1.31
1.23 flame (noun)
fire protection
zone of combustion in the gaseous phase from which
design features, systems, equipment, buildings, or light is emitted
other structures to reduce danger to persons and
property by detecting, extinguishing or containing 1.32
fires flameless combustion
1.24 combustion of a material in the solid state without
fire resistance flame
ability of an element of building construction, 1.33
component or structure to fulfill, for a stated period flash-over
of time, the required stability, fire integrity and/or sudden transition to a state of total surface
thermal insulation and/or other expected duty in a involvement in a fire of combustible materials
standard fire resistance test within a compartment
NOTE The designation “fire resistant” given to an element 1.34
implies that this element fulfills the requirements of the relevant
standard fire test. flash-point
minimum temperature at which, under specified
test conditions, a liquid gives off sufficient
flammable gas to produce a flash on application of
an ignition source

2 © BSI 03-1999
 BS 4422-1:1987

1.35 1.43
glowing combustion products of combustion
combustion of a material in the solid phase without total gaseous, particulate and aerosol effluents from
flame but with emission of light from the a fire or pyrolysis
combustion zone 1.44
1.36 pyrolysis
heat of combustion (or content) irreversible chemical decomposition of a material
calorific energy which could be released by the due to an increase in temperature without oxidation
complete combustion of a unit mass of a material 1.45
1.37 reaction to fire
ignition response of a material under specified test
initiation of combustion conditions in contributing to a fire to which it is
NOTE The term ignition in French has a very different exposed
meaning.
1.46
1.38 routine fire procedures
ignition temperature; ignition point
steps to be taken by people on the outbreak of a fire
minimum temperature of a material at which
1.47
sustained combustion can be initiated under
smoke
specified test conditions
visible suspension in atmosphere of solid and/or
1.39
liquid particles resulting from combustion or
incandescence
pyrolysis
glowing produced without combustion or other
1.48
chemical reaction, e.g. glowing produced by
smouldering
electrical heating of a tungsten filament
slow combustion of material without visible light
1.40
and generally evidenced by smoke and an increase
inert (rendering)
in temperature
suppression or neutralization of the ability of an
1.49
atmosphere to support combustion
soot
1.41
finely divided particles, mainly carbon, produced
lighting
and deposited during the incomplete combustion of
period of appearance of the flame organic materials
1.42
oxidizing agent
chemical element or compound which may cause
oxidation or combustion of other substances

© BSI 03-1999 3
4 blank
 BS 4422-1:1987

Publication referred to

See national foreword.

© BSI 03-1999
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