FIRE is a state of combustion in which fuel or other materials is ignited and combined with oxygen, giving off light,

heat, and flame.

Of all the natural disasters, fire is the only event that is both beneficial to man and his environment as well as destructive and deadly. Fire is
beneficial when controlled but is very destructive and deadly if not.

Claims of the earliest definitive control or usage of fire were from 1.7 million to 2.0 million years ago by homo Erectus. A fire has been
beneficial to man and depended on it for centuries for things from cooking and heating to a major source of lighting. But, hundreds of people
die each year due to uncontrolled use of fire that led to housefire or wildfire, with an estimated direct property loss of $8.6 billion annually.

You are only going to see fires in two places – indoors and outdoors. Outdoor fires are forest fire or wildfire while indoor fires are building
fires and/or housefires.

Major causes of fire range from electrical neglects or accidents, smoking, kitchen accidents, neglected heating equipment, hazardous goods
such as paints and adhesives, and even man-made causes of fire such as Arson.

Fires can be spread quickly especially if the surrounding materials are highly combustible, there is no time to gather valuables. In just a
couple of minutes, fire can be life-threatening and another couple of minutes, a residential area can be engulfed to a fire.

Fires need three (3) ingredients for it to continue to burn. These are: Heat, Fuel, and Oxygen.

The FIRE TRIANGLE

A Fire Triangle is a simplified version of the fire tetrahedron. A Fire Triangle is a model used as a visual that
reminds us of the important ingredients or elements required to initiate and sustain fire namely; Heat, Fuel, and
Oxygen. Combine these elements and you can create fire.

The Ingredients of Fire

Heat is an energy that flows from an object of high temperature to an object of low temperature. There are three (3) ways on how heat can be
transferred; Conduction, Convection, and Radiation. Conduction involves direct contact of objects, typically solids, for heat to be transferred.
Convection involves the flow of liquids & gases in the transfer of heat. When heated, liquids’ and gases’ molecules expand. As a result, since
they have a lower density, it floats. Upon cooling, they eventually fall and become displaced subsequently heated liquids and gases. This
cycle creates a current of hot air called a Convection Current which can heat combustible materials in its surroundings easily. Radiation is a
manner of heat transfer in a vacuum or without a need for any medium. An example of this is the heat coming from the Sun.

Fuel is any substance whether solid, liquid, or gas which will burn is termed as fuel. Solids such as ordinary solid materials such as woods,
dried leaves, etc. Liquids such as paints. And lastly, any flammable gases such as butane.

Oxygen or oxidizing agents which acts as the main element for the combustion reaction to occur. Air contains about 21% oxygen, and most
fires require at least 16% oxygen content to start ignition.

The three (3) ingredients must be combined in the right proportion for a fire to occur. If any of the three (3) ingredients are removed, such as
if a fire runs out of fuel, the fire will be extinguished.

Sources of Fire Hazards

Fire and combustion have been defined in various ways. For our purposes, the most important statements in connection with combustion, as a
phenomenon, are as follows:

• • Combustion represents a self-sustaining run of reactions consisting of physical and chemical transformations.

• • The materials involved enter into a reaction with the oxidizing agent in their surroundings, which in most cases is with the oxygen
in the air.

• • Ignition requires favorable starting conditions, which are generally a sufficient heating up of the system that covers the initial
energy demand of the chain reaction of burning.

• • The resultant of the reactions are often exothermic, which means that during burning, heat is released and this phenomenon is often
accompanied by visibly observable flaming.

The ignition mechanism of materials in different states may be simply illustrated. This involves examining materials as either solids, liquids,
or gases.

Most solid materials take up energy from any outer ignition source either by conduction, convection, or radiation (mostly by their
combination), or are heated up as a result of the heat-producing processes taking place internally that start decomposition on their surfaces.

For ignition to occur with liquids, these must have the formation of a vapor space above their surface that is capable of burning. The vapors
released and the gaseous decomposition products mix with the air above the surface of a liquid or solid material.

Combustible gases burn naturally in the gas phase. It is an important empirical statement that the mixtures of gases and air are capable of
ignition in a certain range of concentration only. This is valid also for the vapors of liquids. The lower and upper flammable limits of gases
and vapors depend on the temperature and pressure of the mixture, the ignition source, and the concentration of the inert gases in the mixture.

The Bureau of Fire Protection Operational Procedures Manual has listed down the causes of fire as follows:

• • Faulty electrical wiring or connection

• • LPG-related
• • Neglected cooking or stove

• • Cigarette butt

• • Unattended open flame: torch or sulo

• • Unattended open flame: candle or gasera

• • Matchstick or lighter

• • Direct flame contact or static electricity

• • Neglected electrical appliances or device

• • Electrical machinery

• • Chemicals

• • Incendiary device or ignited flammable liquid

• • Spontaneous combustion

• • Pyrotechnics

• • Bomb explosion

• • Lightning

• • Others (forest fire, vehicular fire, etc.)

Classes of fire:
Class A – fuels are ordinary combustibles such as wood, paper, plastic, or anything that leaves ash.

Class B – fuels are flammable or combustible liquids like petroleum oil, gasoline, paint, and flammable gasses such as propane and butane.
Cooking oils and grease are NOT part of class B fires.

Class C – fuels are energized electrical fires like motors, transformers, and appliances. Once the power or source of electricity is removed, the
fire becomes one of the other classes of fire.

Class D – fuels are combustible metals like potassium, sodium, aluminum, titanium, and magnesium.

Class K – fuels are cooking oils, grease such as animal fat and vegetable fats.

Stages of Fire

Understanding how a fire forms can help you better protect yourself and your assets. Read on to learn more about how fires form — from the
incipient stage until decay.

The NFPA and most other standards classify four stages of a fire.

1. Ignition

2. Growth

3. Fully Developed

4. Decay
1. Stage One – Ignition (Incipient)

The incipient stage is when it’s crucial to fight a fire because it is easiest to suppress it at this point, and it will cause the least damage. It’s
difficult to manually fight and extinguish a fire when it is in this stage because of the time it takes to identify the fire, locate a handheld
extinguisher, and perform the proper steps to spray the fire. That’s why Fire trace’s detection tubing detects and suppresses fires automatically
during this early stage. Fire suppression systems allow you to suppress the fire right after ignition without needing a person to be present.

2. Stage Two – Growth

Once a fire reaches this stage, it becomes harder to control. If a fire detector recognizes a fire at this point, you have little time to put it out
before it reaches flashover.

Flashover

NFPA 921 defines flashover as “a transitional phase in the development of a compartment fire in which surfaces exposed to thermal radiation
reach its ignition temperature more or less simultaneously and fire spreads rapidly throughout the space resulting in full room involvement or
total involvement of the compartment or enclosed area. ”This means there is a sudden ignition of everything combustible in a contained area.
Temperatures can rise to 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit in just a few seconds. Humans are not likely to survive in a compartment that has a
flashover.

3. Stage Three – Fully Developed

A fully developed fire is the hardest to suppress because, at this point, the fire is at maximum temperatures and causing the most heat damage.
If you’ve failed to suppress it before this point, then your odds of stopping the fire are much smaller.

4. Stage Four – Decay

The decay of a fire is the phase when the fire decreases in intensity until it is either a smolder or non-existent. If there was no suppression,
this is likely when there is nothing left for the fire to burn.

Recognizing the stages of fire

development and likely progression
through this process allows firefighters
to predict what will happen next (if
action is not taken), potential changes
due to unplanned ventilation (such as
failure of a window), and the likely
effect of tactical action.

Precautionary Measures and Proper Procedures in Addressing a Fire Incident

Prevention is the first step when it comes to protecting yourself and your family from home fires. The goal of fire prevention is to educate
the public to take precautions to prevent potentially harmful fires and be educated about surviving them. It is a proactive method of
preventing fire-based emergencies and reducing the damage caused by them.

Where Do They Commonly Start?

In homes, the most common places that fires start are either kitchen or heating units. Cooking is
the leading cause of fire-related injuries. This often occurs because people will often heat their
food and leave it unattended.

You should get in the habit of never leaving anything on the stove unless you are watching it.
There are two common types of ways to power a stove either with electricity or gas. Electric
stoves account for more ignitions. This is because the electric form has many different electrical
components that can malfunction and cause the unit to overheat or not function properly.

Fire Safety Awareness

Fire safety measures should be an integral part of every family’s overall risk management plan. A proper fire prevention plan coupled with a
comprehensive plan on how to respond to actual fire accidents is vital to saving lives.

There are general fire safety precautions you should follow regardless of where you live. Taking time to review tips about the following fire
safety issues can help you create a safer and more secure living environment for you, your friends, and your family.

❖ Prevent Fire

1. Don’t smoke in bed or when sleepy. Smoking materials are the cause of 24% of home fire fatalities.

2. Turn off portable space heaters when you leave the room or go to sleep. Heating equipment is the source of an additional 24% of home fire
fatalities.

3. Turn off the stove if you have to answer the phone or leave the room. Cooking equipment is the source of 15% of home fire fatalities and
by far the leading cause of home fire injuries.

4. Put away matches or lighters in a high cabinet or locked drawer, out of sight and reach of children. Children under age 5 are eight times
more likely to die in a fire caused by playing with a heat source than are older children and adults.

❖ Be Prepared If a Fire Occurs

1. Install a smoke alarm. One working smoke alarm on each floor is better, and one working smoke alarm inside every sleeping area is best.

2. Press the test button on your smoke alarm to make sure it’s still working, even if it’s hard-wired or has long-life batteries;

3. Plan and practice a home fire drill. Make sure everyone in your home knows what to do when the alarm sounds:

 Get out right away.

 Go directly to your meeting place. Choose a meeting place in front of your home or where firefighters can

Precautionary Measures to Protect Your Family from Fire Accidents

• Get a fire alarm system – Installing an intelligent fire alarm system that can warn you immediately of a fire incident before it
becomes too large is the first step in fire safety. If possible, get an alarm system that is connected to a monitoring center, whose
safety personnel can alert the fire department right away in case a fire takes place in your home.

• Install fire extinguishers and fire blankets – Everyone in the family who is capable of using fire extinguishers and fire blankets
should familiarize themselves with how to operate them.

• Practice safe cooking – Never leave a cooker unattended, especially if you are deep frying using a cook-top cooking range. If a
grease fire occurs, simply cover the pan or pot with a metal pan lid or a cookie sheet to deprive the fire of oxygen. Never carry a
burning pan to the sink to extinguish it with water. Not only could you splash the hot grease on yourself or someone else, but the
grease fire will also spread in a ferocious fireball as the water evaporates. Moreover, never leave a stove on or put combustible
objects (cooking mitts, washcloths) near it. Remember that the kitchen is the primary source of house fires.

• Keep watch on the fireplace – The chimney and the fireplace can potentially cause a fire if you don’t use a spark guard. This
implement protects your home by preventing flame sparks from flying onto combustible household objects in your living room.
Schedule your chimney and fireplace for cleaning at least once a year.

• Teach children about fire safety – Prevent juvenile firesetting by teaching your children safety rules regarding matches, candles,
lighters, electric outlets, and heat or flame-producing appliances. Keep potentially risky objects away from children’s reach.

• Don’t leave cigarettes lit – If you are a smoker, make sure that you put out the cigarettes before leaving them behind.

• Appliances and power sources – Treat heat-producing appliances like stoves, portable heaters, clothes dryers, ovens, and grills
with care. Regularly check electrical leads, outlets, and other power equipment for any signs of damage, and remember never to
overload them.

• Set fire drills – All family members should be educated about what to do in case a fire does occur. Memorize the emergency
number for your fire department if 911 is not available in your community. Plan an escape route and a meeting place outside the
 home so that you can quickly account for anyone who is missing. Also practice how best to escape in a smoke-engulfed home, i.e.
by crawling towards the nearest exit to avoid inhaling dangerous fumes. Never re-enter the house to retrieve belongings.

• Stop, drop, and roll – If ever your clothing catches on fire, you should stop, drop, and roll to extinguish the flames. While doing so,
cover your face to prevent the likelihood of facial injuries.

❖ Fire Emergency Procedures

In case of fire;

1. Close the door as you leave the room

2. Pull the nearest fire alarm (located at any exit)

3. Evacuate the building. DO NOT use elevators.

Proceed to an assembly area across the street and away from the building.

4. Report the fire.

Basic Response Procedures

1. Get out of the building. Gases in smoke can disorient an adult in under a minute.

2. Don’t assume that anyone else has already called the fire department. If

you get a chance to call, do so.

3. Calling your friends & family may not be of immediate help. It can wait. Call them once you are safe.

4. Stay calm when you call the fire department. Give the information they

a request like precise floor no, street, landmarks, the intensity of the fire.

In your Workplace/School when you notice a fire:

1. Sound the fire alarm. SHOUT “FIRE! FIRE! FIRE!”

2. Evacuate as per normal fire procedure.

3. Leave the building immediately. Use the nearest fire exit.

4. Do not use elevators. Always use emergency stairs.

5. Walk quickly but don’t run. ALWAYS STAY CALM.

6. Do not delay your exit trying to collect your belongings.

7. Assemble at the fire evacuation area and report to fire officers.

8. Do not go home. Rescuers need to ensure that all occupants are safely out of the building & are accounted for.

9. Do not return inside the building until told to do so.

If you are stuck in a room & there is a fire outside the door:

1. Feel the door with the back of your hand (more nerve endings, more sensitive to touch). If the door feels warm to the touch, DO
NOT attempt to open it. Stay in the room.

2. Stuff the cracks around the door with wet towels, rugs, bedding, and cover vents to keep smoke out. Fire is attracted to oxygen &
room, not on fire has more oxygen than a room on fire.

3. Call BFP and tell them exactly where you are located. Do this even if you can see BFP on the street below.

4. Wait at a window and signal for help with a flashlight or by waving a bright cloth.

5. If possible, open the window at the top and bottom, but do not break it, you may need to close the window if smoke rushes in.

If your clothes catch on fire use STOP DROP & ROLL TECHNIQUE
1. DO NOT RUN. It will spread the fire across your body.
2. Stop where you are, drop to the ground & roll back and forth
3. Spread across flat on the ground. DO NOT curl up.
4. Roll from your back to your front repeatedly till the fire is squashed.
5. After the flames are extinguished, get up & remove the clothing.
6. Burnt clothing can burn you. This is no time to be shy. If you have to remove all clothes, just get naked.
THE R.A.C.E. ACRONYM AND FIRE EXTINGUISHER USE

If you are involved in a fire, remember R.A.C.E. to help you respond safely and correctly:

R = RESCUE anyone in immediate danger from the fire if it will not endanger your life.

A = ALARM: sound the alarm by calling the emergency hotline in your area

and activating a pull station alarm box.

C = CONFINE the fire by closing all doors and windows

E = EXTINGUISH the fire with a fire extinguisher or EVACUATE the area if the fire is too large for a fire extinguisher.

PROPER USE OF FIRE EXTINGUISHERS (P.A.S.S.)

To use fire extinguishers correctly, remember the P.A.S.S. acronym:

P = PULL the pin on the fire extinguisher

A = AIM the extinguisher nozzle at the base of the fire

S = SQUEEZE or press the handle

S = SWEEP from side to side until the fire appears to be out.

A fire emergency evacuation plan (FEEP) is a written document that includes the action to be taken by all staff in the event of a fire and
the arrangements for calling the fire brigade.

Fire safety and evacuation plans

Your plan must show how you have:

1. A clear passageway to all escape routes.

2. Clearly marked escape routes that are as short and direct as possible.

3. Enough exits and routes for all people to escape.

4. Emergency doors that open easily.

5. Emergency lighting where needed.

6. Training for all to know the evacuation plan and how to use the escape routes.

7. A safe meeting point for everyone.