WHAT IS FIRE ?

1.

Fire is the rapid oxidation of a substance with the

evolution of heat and light in varying degree of
intensities.

2.

FIRE IS A CHEMICAL REACTION ACCOMPANIED

WITH THE EVOLUTION OF HEAT, LIGHT, SMOKE
ETC. FOR WHICH 3 BASIC ELEMENTS ARE
NECESSARY IN CORRECT PROPORTION

HEAT /
FUEL+AIR/OXYGEN+-----------------IGNITION TEMP.

What actually burns in a fire

Often a misconception is fire burns the actual chair or
piece of wood. It is the gasses given off by an object
that burns. Heat causes objects to give off these
flammable gasses.

When the gasses reach their ignition temperature you

see the light given off during the oxidation known as
fire. Fire itself generates more heat to the object and
thus an endless cycle begins until all of the gasses
have been exhausted from an object. Then the
remaining particles or ash are what is left.
11/14/2014

Fire - Rapid Oxidation which emits

Heat and Light

Factors required for fire to start

Heat
Fuel
Oxygen

Chain reaction of free radicals

As three lines are to be connected to form

a triangle, the heat, fuel and oxygen are to
be connected to cause a fire.

We call this a

The Fire Triangle

Three things must be present at the same time to
produce fire:

1. Enough OXYGEN to sustain combustion

2. Enough HEAT to reach ignition temperature

3. Some FUEL or combustible material

Together, they produce the CHEMICAL
REACTION that is fire
Take away any of these things and
the fire will be extinguished

The Fire Tetrahedron

Fire is a chemical reaction involving rapid oxidation of a
combustible material.
To start and continue fire needs: fuel, heat, oxygen and the
chemical reaction they create.
Remove any of these elements and the fire is extinguished.

CHEMICAL REACTION--> FUEL + HEAT + OXYGEN

FIRE TETRAHEDRON

FUEL

HEAT

SUMMARY
A fire begins by an external ignition source in the form of a
flame, spark, or hot ember.
This external ignition source heats the fuel in the presence of
oxygen. As the fuel and oxygen are heated, molecular activity
increases.
If sufficiently heated, a self-sustaining chemical chain reaction or
molecular activity occurs between the fuel and oxygen.
This will continue the heating process and the resulting chain
reaction will escalate without the need for an external ignition
source.

Once ignition has occurred, it will continue until all the available
fuel or oxidant has been consumed or the fuel and/or oxygen is
removed or by reducing the temperature by cooling, or by
reducing the number of excited molecules and breaking the
chain reaction.

FIRE EXTINGUISHMENT
The acts of fire extinguishment are a combination
of physical skill, mental acumen, technical
knowledge and professionally trained manpower.
All of the methods we use to control and
extinguish fires are based on the fire tetrahedron.
We focus on removing one or more of the
elements that allow the fire to Extinguish.

Fires will continue to burn until

Fuel is removed
Oxygen % is lowered below
11%.
Heat is removed
Flames are inhibited
Chemically.

PRINCIPLES OF FIRE EXTINCTION

Cooling
Starvation/ isolation
Limiting 0xygen in a fire/ Smothering
Interruption of chain reaction

COOLING
If we remove HEAT side of the triangle, the fire cannot sustain

Remove the HEAT

sources, and there is
nothing hot to start
the fire

COOLING

STARVATION
If we remove fuel side of the triangle, the fire cannot sustain

Remove the FUEL

sources, and there
is nothing to burn.

STARVATION
R
E
M
O
V
A
L

O
F

F
U
L
E

SMOOTHERING
If we remove oxygen side of the triangle, the fire cannot sustain

Remove the
OXYGEN and there
is nothing to feed the
fire.

SMOTHERING

SMOTHERING

Removal of heat.
(Best cooling media is water)

Reducing % of oxygen. Cutting

off the supply of oxygen.
(Blanketing, Use foam)

Removal of fuel or removal of

combustible material

FIRE TRIANGLE

OXYGEN

FUEL

FIRE

HEAT

FIRE TRIANGLE

OXYGEN

FUEL

FIRE

HEAT

FIRE TRIANGLE

OXYGEN

FUEL

FIRE

HEAT

FIRE TRIANGLE

OXYGEN

FUEL

FIRE

HEAT

INHIBITION OF CHEMICAL CHAIN REACTION

OXYGEN

FUEL

FIRE

Inhibition of chemical chain reaction

HEAT

Flash Point
The minimum Temp. at which
any
substance
gives
off
sufficient combustible vapours
to produce a momentary flash
on the application of any
external source of flame.

Fire Point
The minimum Temp. at which
any substance gives off sufficient
combustible vapours to continue
the flame on the application of
any external source of flame.

Ignition Temperature
The minimum temp. at which any
combustible
material
starts
burning
itself
without
any
application of external source of
flame.

FLAMMABILITY LIMITS
Limits within

vapours

of

produce

which the

fuel

can

flame

after

mixing with air.

Flammable (Explosive) Limits

The term Lower Flammable Limit (LFL) or Lower
Explosive Limit (LEL) describes the minimum
concentration of vapour to air below which propagation of a
flame will not occur in the presence of an ignition source.

The Upper Flammable Limit (UFL) or Upper Explosive

Limit (UEL) is the maximum vapour-to-air concentration
above which propagation of a flame will not occur.
If a vapour-to-air mixture is below the lower flammable limit
it is described as being too lean to burn, and if it is above
the upper flammable limit it is too rich to burn.

Flammable (Explosive) Limits

Flammability limits
FUEL
H2(Hydrogen)

LFL
4.0

UFL
75.0

CO (Carbon monoxide)

12.5

74.2

CH4(Methane)

5.0

15.0

C3H8(Propane)

2.2

9.5

C4H10(Butane)

1.5

9.0

(% by Volume)