FIRE SAFETY

PRESENTED TO

Immaculate Conception College, Benin.ICCOBA’90

25TH ANNIVERSARYBY

EMMANUEL CHIEDUOCTOBER 2015

INTRODUCTION: Fire provided man with his first means of advancement

Fire vital elements that sustain life (Air, water and fire)

Fire could be very dangerous and devastating if not handled with great care.

Worldwide fire has claimed so many lives, valuable assets, homes, industries, farms and businesses caused by man or natural fire incidences etc.

DEFINITION:Fire is the rapid combination of two or more combustible

substances with air resulting in production of heat & light

Fire is also a chemical reaction known as combustion, with the release of heat energy in form of heat and light.

The interaction between fuel, oxygen and heat at appropriate temperature results in the production of fire.

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Triangle of combination:FIRE IGNATION SOURCES:

Fuel:

Flammable gases

Flammable liquids

Flammable solids

Heat:

Hot surfaces

Electrical equipment

Static electricity

Smoking / naked light

Oxygen:

Always present in air

Additional sources from oxidizing substances.

OXYGEN

HEA

T

FUEL

FIRE

NATURE OF FIRE:

In fire the three elements of heat, fuel & oxygen combine in their right concentration as follows:

Oxygen must be at least 21% in concentration.

Fuel must be at to a critical temperature for ignition.

Heat must be rapid in this combination.

Definition of the terms used in fire safety:

FLASH POINT:

A flash point is that minimum temperature at which a liquid gives out vapor in sufficient quantity to form a mixture with the air that will ignite or flash temporarily if a source of ignition is introduced e.g

Petrol (PMS) --- 45oC and below

Diesel (AGO) --- 100oC and below

Motor oil ---- 300oC and below

FIRE POINT:

This is the lowest temperature the heat from combustion of burning vapor is capable of producing sufficient vapor to sustain the fire.

Definition of the terms used in fire safety contd….

IGNITION TEMPERATURE:

The ignition temperature is the lowest temperature at which a substance will ignite spontaneously with fuel and oxygen this criteria are known as the explosive limits.

FLASH OVER:

This is the near simultaneous ignition of all combustible materials in am enclosed area e.g offices, rooms entire surface area, caused by excessive heat build up from the fire.

PRODUCTS OF COMBUSTION

During combustion the fuel undergoes some form of chemical reaction to produce the following:

Fire gases

Flames

Heat

Smoke

CAUSES OF FIRE:

Some Causes of Fire:

Negligence and Carelessness of human activities

Electrical: over loading, Faulty Appliances, corrosion etc

Smoking: In unauthorized, places home & public places

Arson: Deliberate, political, bush burning, fraud investigation cover etc.

Friction: Mechanical faults in moving parts

Accidents: Auto accidents, fuel tanker explosion fire….

Flammable liquids: Improper storage of petrol at home, offices and public places

CLASSIFICATION OF FIRE & METHODS OF EXTINCTION

Class Properties of the fire Method of Extinction

A Fire involving wood, papers, clothes, furniture, other household items and organic materials etc

Cooling: use of water (H2O)

B These are fires that involves flammable liquids & solids e.g Petrol, Kerosene, oils, wax, paints and chemicals etc.

Starvation: cutting off fuel supply source & the use of CO2 Fire extinguisher

C Fire involving gases, LPG, Hydrogen sulphide, Organic compounds ,methane, propane, Cooking gases etc.

Starvation: extinction is cutting of fuel source & use of CO2 extinguisher or allow burn out

D These are fires involving heavy metals e.g Potassium, sodium, calcium, copper, zinc, lead, Aluminum, Bronze….etc

Smothering: the use of special firefighting equipment, dry chemical powder DCP and TEC

SUMMARY OF FIRE EXTINTION

Fire extinction is the elimination of one or more of the elements of fire from the fire triangle

Starvation ----- The elimination of fuel

Smothering ---- The elimination of oxygen

Cooling --------- The reduction of temperature (Heat)

METHODS OF FIRE EXTINCTION:

0XYGEN

FIRE

SMOTHERING

HEA

TFUEL

COOL

STARVE

HOW TO COMBAT FIREType of Extinguisher Use Demonstrations

1 Carbon Dioxide CO2 extinguisher comes in different sizes e.g 5kg

A flame inhibitor for gases, flammable materials and electrical equipments etc

Pull out safety pinDirect horn at the fireSqueeze lever to discharge at base of fire

2 Dry chemical powder (DCP) fire extinguisher comes in different sizes

Smothering agent for all fire except gas fires having explosions

Pull out safety pinDirect horn at the fireSqueeze lever at base of fire sweeping

3 Water / CO2 fire extinguisher comes in different sizes 5kg, 10kg, 50kg………etc

A cooling agent that can absorbs the heat from fire, but not to be used in electrical fire

Pull out safety pinDirect horn at the fireSqueeze lever at base of fire in sweeping manner

4 Foam fire extinguisher comes in different sizes 5kg, 10kg, 50kg………etc

A smothering agent but also have a cooling effect, must not be used in electrical fire

Pull out safety pinDirect horn at the TOP of the burning materials

PORTABLE FIRE EXTINGUISHERS AND THEIR COLOUR CODES

TYPES OF EXTINGUISHERS COLOUR

Dry chemical powder (DCP) BLUE

Water H2O RED

Foam extinguisher CREAM WHITE

Carbon iv Oxide (CO2) BLACK

INPROVISED MEANS OF FIRE FIGHTINGAsbestos Blanket:

For dealing with fire in small utensils at home and offices, cooking oils, fats and grease etc and the best method is to smother the fire with the blanket, soaked towels and clothing.

Sand:

Burning materials such as metals which cannot be put off by use of water may be extinguished by use of dry sand, powdered graphite, soda or lime stone as the case may be, these are all smothering agents including oils and paints….

HOME FIRE PREVENTION

Fire outbreak at home is avoidable and preventable & preventive measures includes the following:

Smoke detectors, which allows early detection of fire and extinguishing which results in preventing further spread of the fire.

Preventing fire means AVOIDING a situation where the heat, oxygen (air) and fuel can be favourably combine to produce fire.

The first step to take in preventing home fire is to identify the source of the fire and focus attention to preventing it from occurring at the source

In the kitchen the likely sources of fire outbreak are the domestic gas cylinders, matches, faulty electrical appliances , wrong connections, lanterns, power surges etc

HOME FIRE PREVENTION…………… cont’dTo prevent kitchen fire children should NOT be allowed

to play with these items especially flammable liquids which should not be exposed in the open close to any fire.

Domestic gas cylinders should be placed outside and connected to the kitchen through a very good hose that can withstand high pressures, damage and leakage

A damaged cylinder hose may let out compressed liquefied gas which escapes and filled the entire surface area thereby presenting a potential RISK of fire at home.

Parents should avoid loss of attention when cooking in the kitchen

HOME FIRE PREVENTION…………………….cont’dFor habitual smokers it is advisable NOT to smoke in the

bedroom and if they must smoke they should do it at a designated place in the building with the used of metal or ceramic ash trays and properly disposed at the end.

Never leave a candle light unattended to and it should be put off if it’s no longer needed and if it must be used a proper non flammable candle stand like metal should be used.

It is safer and better to use a kerosene lantern or rechargeable lantern than candles at home when there is power outage.

Lanterns should be kept away from combustible materials like, rug carpets, papers, plastics and make sure they are put of before going to sleep.

HOME FIRE PREVENTION………………cont’t

Turn off stoves, gas cookers and other sources of heat before leaving the house or sleep.

Do NOT store petrol at home in large quantities no matter the fuel scarcity it should be inside the generating set.

Good housekeeping is one sure way of preventing fire by ensuring that all accumulated and unwanted combustible materials are cleared at all times and properly disposed.

ELECTRICAL FIRES

Electrical fire, no longer constitutes a class fire. Any fire which starts as a result of electrical fault or surge would normally involve elements with class A,B,C and D properties and would therefore be classified appropriately according to cut off from electricity supply and the use of the right extinguisher.

PREVENTING ELECTRICAL FIRE AT HOME AND OFFICES

Some of the preventive measures include;

Do not forget that we have to put off heaters, cookers, lights and all appliances when we leave the house daily.

An overloaded socket outlet is a potential source of fire we, must not overload them.

Electricity is very dangerous on its own, we must seek the services of a competent person to carry out repairs and installations

We must keep heating appliances like pressing iron, toaster, cookers from furniture, clothing materials to avoid fires and also give TV stands some distance from the walls.

FIGHTING FIRE AT HOME

Fire fighting is the art of physically putting off the fire. Information they say is power, with good and proper information and training families can combat fire at home and even in offices.

Every household should ensure that the adult members of the family know where the changeover switch is located and how to isolate the power source in the case of emergency.

Note that fire extinguishers can only be effective for small fires and at certain levels the portable extinguishers may not be able to put off the fires and at this point we may need the services of the local fire fighting crew in the locality.

EMERGENCY PROCEDURES IN THE EVENT OF FIRE

OUTBREAK AT HOME AND OFFICES

In the event of fire or any other emergency requiring the evacuation of persons from the building the fire alarm will ring continuously in the case of office buildings and other public places other forms of warning may be used like sirens and at home shouts of “FIRE” may be heard.

FIRE WARNING!when a fire alarm rings at any time or any fire alert is heard

please do the following;

Be at alert and do not panic unnecessarily.

Pick up your valuables

Head for the nearest fire exit point.

Do not use the lift at this point in case of high rise buildings or the central staircase.

If already in a lift stop at the next floor come out and use the next fire exit doors.

Do not stampede for it may prove more dangerous than the fire.

FIRE WARNING!.......................cont’d

Everyone in the building should assemble outside the building for safety ( Muster point)

A specially trained person should use the fire extinguisher and call fire service for help

Proper head count should be conducted to find if anyone is still trapped in the building.

Sound the alarm further to alert others persons around.

Administer First – Aid to the injured and seek further medical attention in the hospital.

Contact the nearest fire service station for help using the local emergency number 911.

Make sure the fire service emergency numbers is available both for state and federal.

CONCLUSIONRemember that fire prevention is necessary and very

important in every home, schools and workplace.

It is therefore our first line of defense. “PREVENTION THEY SAY IS BEETER THAN CURE” because in any fire, it is a case of “NO – FRIEND – NO FOE”.

THANK YOU………..

Emmanuel Chiedu

HSE Manager EKEDC

Lagos.