Chapter 8

G
FIRE R
O
HAZARDS U
P
8
Table of Contents
Sections

1 Fire tetrahedron
2 Wildfires
3
Biulding Fires (House Fires)
 For thousands of years fire has become both
companion and enemy to man. It is an enemy when
it overpowers man and becomes uncontrollable. But
man continues to depend and live with fire like a
companion because its benefits outweigh the
negative effect.

"among the notable things about fire is that is also requires

oxygen to burn -exactly like its enemy,life.Thereby are life and
flames so often compared" -Otto Wieninger
 Fires has been used for thousands years by
early humans for survival. Indeed, his control
of fire has brought him along the way. Fire
has been one of the important tools in
building both ancient and modern civilization.

8.1 Fire Tetrahedron

Up to this day, fire still maintains an important
role in man's daily life-it is still being used in
cooking

A. B.
Bonfire Gas burner
 SLIDE 6
A fire outbreak in an informal
settlement area in Barangay
Apolonio Samson, Quezon City
on January 1,2015. The fire left
three people dead and rendered
2000 families homeless.
• influence the type and population
of flora and fauna in the forest
where fire is known to recur.
• when fire come loose, its
destructive side is revealed.
What is fire? SLIDE 7
• Greeks- major element just like
earth, water and air.
• NOT a form of matter
• tangible
• manifestation of matter
• Fire is a part of chemical reaction
called oxidation-combination of
oxygen and another substance.
• set apart from other oxidation process
by its rate
The Ingredients of Fire
1. Tetrahedron SLIDE 8
Four important ingredients required
to initiate and sustain fire:
1]heat,
2]fuel,
3] an oxidizing agent, and
4] an uninhibited chemical reaction
• present in the right amount, a fire will
occur naturally
• removing at least one of the
ingredients can prevent or extinguish
The fire tetrahedron any fire.
The Ingredients of Fire
2. Heat SLIDE 9
• energy that flows from an object
of high temperature to an object
of low temperature
• produced in many ways, both by
man and by nature (friction and
lightning)
• 3 main ways in which heat can
be transferred: conduction
(direct contact of substances),
convection(flow of liquids and
gases in the transfer of heat)
and radiation (electromagnetic
waves)
 The Ingredients of Fire
2. Heat SLIDE 10

• energy that flows from an object of high temperature to an object of low temperature
• produced in many ways, both by man and by nature (friction and lightning)
• 3 main ways in which heat can be transferred: conduction (direct contact of substances),
convection(flow of liquids and gases in the transfer of heat) and radiation (electromagnetic
waves)
The Ingredients of Fire
3. Fuel SLIDE 11
• any solid, liquid, or gaseous substance that can be
burned
• combustion to take place, fuels must first be
converted into the gaseous state
• Pyrolysis is the chemical decomposition of solid
fuels which produces gas fuel through the
application of heat
• Vaporization is the production of fuel gases from
liquid fuels
The Ingredients of Fire
4. Oxidizing Agent SLIDE 12
• oxidizer or oxidant
• element or a compound which releases oxygen or
other oxidizers during a chemical reaction
• most common oxidizing agent is oxygen
• bromates, bromine, chlorates, chlorine, fluorine,
iodine, nitrates, nitric acid, nitrites, perchlorates,
peroxides, and permanganates.
The Ingredients of Fire
5. An uninhibited chemical chain
reaction SLIDE 13

• Combustion or burning becomes self-sustained

because the heat given off during combustion is used
again to heat the fuel and maintain the burning
• the fire continues unless it becomes deprived of one
of the main elements
• Clean agent halon replacements are used to break
this chain reaction.
 The Stages of Fire
SLIDE 14
• all four requirements • fire has consumed
for a fire have been almost all of the
• fire is very small combined available • Oxygen is being
3. Fully- consumed rapidly and
• can still be controlled
1. IGNITION developed fire maximum
stage temperatures are
• heat release rate • reached.
lasts the longest
increases as result of
the burning of
2. Growth 4. Decay • oxygen and fuel
begins to
additional fuel stage stage diminish
•
• rollover may occur & rollover may occur & • backdraft may occur • temperature
may lead to a flashover may lead to a (introduction of decrease
flashover oxygen into an
enclosed structure)

4 Stages that are applicable both to compartments and to wildfires

8.2 WILDFIRES
Can spread all the way to communities
bordering brush lands and forests and may
cause extensive destruction to property
Do you think wildfire is beneficial or not?
What are Wildfires? SLIDE 16
• any natural or anthropogenic-caused uncontrolled fire in remote areas
where there is extensive combustible vegetation and/or organic material

• forests, grasslands, shrublands, brushlands, scrublands, and peat lands

• can spread out from the source of ignition very quickly

• change direction unexpectedly

• Strong winds can trigger

 TYPES OF WILDFIRES
BASIC: ground fires, surface fires, and crown fires

• burn tree
canopies, other 4. Ladder
• burning of
buried
higher parts of fuels
decomposed
organic matter
2. trees, and • combustible
suspended
and extensive Surface materials like
material found
between the
tree root
Classified systems. fires
• most common vines ground and the
type tree tops which
on 2 factors • smoldering fire
• spreads very
allow fire to climb
• involve the rapidly (strong
ensue for days up all the way to
1.the vertical burning of fuel winds)
or months the canopies
position of scattered on
the fuel and
underground
and then the surface 3. • Woodpiles, fences
and huts are also
burning resurface again • not as intense
as ground fires
Crown contribute to the
2.the type of
fuel being
1. Ground • accumulated fires vertical spread of
fire.
burned. fires fuel on the
ground
CAUSES OF WILDFIRES SLIDE 18
1. Natural Causes
• are triggered by the tremendous heat associated with lightning strikes-
thunderstorms that are accompanied by little to no rain (unheard in
Philippines)
• Lava flows during volcanic eruptions
• extremely hot and dry weather that has reached a certain threshold
temperature (Flash point)
• Rockfalls can also trigger wildfires
2. Human Activities
• responsible for majority of the reported wildfires (Philippines)
• Kaingin (slash-and-burn method of clearing land) & charcoal
production(started intentionally and gone out if control)
• Accidental fires (living lighted cigarettes or bonfires)
Controlling and preventing wildfires
SLIDE 19
• Forest should be well-maintained
• Primarily objective: minimize the amount of
unwanted flammable substances & break the
horizontal and vertical continuity of fuels
• Young forest are most vulnerable (isolating
them, making firebreaks, and reducing the
quantity of flammable material)
• Grazing: reduce fuel like brushes and to
prevent fires
• Sanitation, thinning, pruning & removal of
cutting and other waste material
• Infrastructure and implements could be
provided
 It is better to fall prey to thieves
ten times than to have one’s house
razed by fire

8.3 BUILDING FIRES (with emphasis on

HOUSE FIRES)

How we may prevent uncontrolled fires

from happening in the first place?
Causes of Building Fires
1. Unattended cooking equipment and other household fire sources
SLIDE 21
LPG tanks Candles, gas lamps
Stoves, ovens, deep
fryers, barbecue grill,
• Turned off when not in use to avoid leaks
• Kept away from direct sunlight
& mosquito coils dish towels, tissue
• Placed on shaky and paper, gloves
• Should be check from time to time slanted surface, Trees grasses, bushes
toppled by
children/pets, or win

Matches/lighters
Cigarette smoking • Out of curiosity, children
Oil • In bed and furniture may start fire
• Can easily overheat and • Provide a proper • Never let any of these
ignite ashtray become easily accessible
• Over heated oil- starts to • Not extinguished • Educate children
froth and smoke because of sleepiness
and alcohol
Causes of Building Fires
SLIDE 22
Counterfeit,
uncertified electrical Contain very
appliances, DIY Sealed-tight and
potent and Unlawful act or
electrical projects, sturdy containers hazardous intentionally
skinned power cords, substances burning buildings,
overloading Far from exposure
Stored, vehicles,
of direct heat/water
Improper house farmland, other
wiring Gasoline, kerosene, transported, property using
diesel, propane, handled by chemicals, bombs,
Decorative lights butane, nail polish, pyrotechnics etc. to inflict
should be avoided solvents, etc experts damage
leaving overnight

2. Electrical 3. Haphazardly 4. Fireworks 5. Arson

stored flammable
appliances and
liquids & other
and wiring easily combustible firecrackers
problems material
 Class A- fire involve fuel such as cloth,
wood paper, plastic, rubber and trash.
Simply using water can put out the fire
Class B- fire involve combustible liquid
fuel such as alcohol gasoline lacquers oil
based paint, petroleum oil and grease
solvents. Hard to extinguish by using only
water but can be extinguished by forming
a blockade between oxygen and fuel
Class C- involve fuel that belong to either
class A or B but which also involve
powered electrical equipment like home
appliances. Requires knowledge of special
techniques and agents like CO2 /dry
chemical agents
Class D -fires involve combustible metals
such as aluminum, lithium, magnesium,
potassium, sodium, titanium, and
zirconium. Salt-based special powders and
clean dry sand are effective in
extinguishing such fires.
Class K- fires involve fuels such as cooking
oils and greases (animal-and vegetable-fat
Fighting Different Types derived). Extinguishing this fire type by
water is also very dangerous. Only a fully-
of Fires protected firefighter should deal with such
fires.
Choosing Fire Extinguisher

1 Water and
Foam
isolate the heat
2 Carbon
Dioxide
isolate the oxygen
3 Dry
Chemical
breaking the
element while foam from the fuel & continuity of the
extinguishers block reduce the heat due chemical reaction
oxygen to prevent it to the very cold
emission most widely used
from interacting with
extinguisher
other elements can be used to put
out Class B and C put out Class A, B
Water extinguishers
fires and C fires
should be used only
for Class A
Choosing Fire Extinguisher
SLIDE 25
remove the heat halogenated put only class D
extinguishers put out primarily
in preventing the fires by class A fires, but
oxygen and fuel contain halon agents preventing the could work as
from interacting and halocarbon oxygen and fuel well for class C
agents from interacting
extinguish class fires by isolating
K & A fires breaking the or by removing the heat element
continuity of the the heat from the other
chemical reaction elements
4. Wet used5. Clean for
commonly 6. Dry Powder
7. Water
Chemical class Agent
B and C fires Mist
THE RULES FOR FIGHTING FIRES
3 A's SLIDE 26
1. Activate
building's fire alarm system or dial 117
notify the fire department
2. Assist
anybody who is in need of help to escape the building, without
putting your own life at risk.
3. Attempt to put out the fire only doing these.
The size of the fire- extinguishing a fire while it is still small and contained
Presence of the toxic smoke- unsafe to extinguish the fire on your own.
A means of escape- planned route of escape in case the fire becomes
unmanageable
Instinct- After checking the three considerations, to put out a fire in your
own
FIRE EXTINGUISHER USE AND MAINTAINANCE

How to use: PASS!

P- Pull the pin
A- Aim the extinguisher
hose/nozzle at the base of the fire
from a safe distance
S- Squeeze the lever to dispense
the extinguishing agent, and
S- Sweep the hose/nozzle
sideways until the fire is
completely extinguished.
 “Pain and death are a part of life.
To reject them is to reject life itself.”
by Havelock Ellis