Fire Behavior Special Edition - Fire Service Resources Network
Chapter 1: Basics of Fire Behavior
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Transcript of Chapter 1: Basics of Fire Behavior
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Chapter 1Basics of Fire Behavior
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Objectives • Describe the difference between fire and
combustion.• Identify and describe the elements of the
fire triangle and fire tetrahedron.• List and describe the different types of fire.
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Objectives • List and describe the different stages of
fire.• List and describe forms of heat transfer. • List and describe methods used to
extinguish fires. • List and describe the classes of fire and
their relationship to extinguishing agents.
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Introduction • It is necessary to understand fire behavior
as it relates to the hazards present.– Factors affecting hazard fuel load:
• Occupancy and use conditions• Construction materials• Materials present within a building• Storage of items
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Introduction • Fire protection systems must be adequate
for conditions of occupancy and use.– Update preplan and response protocols as
needed.– Reevaluate systems as needed.
• Basic understanding of fire chemistry and dynamics is needed to assess fire hazards.
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Combustion and Fire • Combustion vs. fire
– Combustion is a chemical reaction involving combustible materials and an oxidizing agent producing heat or energy.
– Fire is a chemical reaction producing energy in the form of heat, light, and flame.
– The difference: • With combustion, the released energy stays in the
reaction to continue it. • With fire, energy is dissipated as light and heat.
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Combustion and Fire • The fire triangle
– Illustrates how a fire is started
– All three elements must be present in sufficient quantities for a fire to exist.
© Jones & Bartlett Learning
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Combustion and Fire • The fire tetrahedron
– Shows that chain reaction is necessary to sustain fire
– Illustrates a fire’s nature once ignition occurs
© Jones & Bartlett Learning
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Fire and Flame Types • Diffusion flame
– Most natural flaming fires are diffusion fires.– Examples: lighting a match, campfire,
structure fire– Require combustible gas
• Visible flame is a gaseous reaction.
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Fire and Flame Types • Smoldering
– No flame, but significant heat– Examples: charcoal on a grill, cigarette
burning in an ashtray– May precede a flaming fire– May occur in the final phase of a fire event
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Fire and Flame Types • Spontaneous combustion/self-heating
– No known external source of heat– Oxidation occurs in an environment that limits
heat dissipation, so heat stays in the reaction.– Timing depends on the material and the
environment.
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Fire and Flame Types • Premixed flame
– Used to help people get ready for the day or for transportation
• Cooking meals, driving to work, etc.– Gas fuel and air must mix before ignition or
combustion occur.– Knowing flammable limits of gas fuels helps
safely manage incidents.
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The Stages of Fire• The incipient stage
occurs when heat, fuel, and oxygen come together and generate more heat than is dissipated.– Uninhibited chain reaction– No need for additional heat
sources (can self-sustain if fuel/oxygen sufficient)
© Jones & Bartlett Learning
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The Stages of Fire• In the free burning
stage, adequate oxygen must be available to sustain the fire.
• Fire growth is affected by numerous factors:– Oxygen supply– Amount/type of fuel– Container size/structure– Insulation
© Jones & Bartlett Learning
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The Stages of Fire• In the free burning stage, the size of a structure
and the shape of walls, ceilings, and roofs, also impact fire growth.– Large compartments allow heat to dissipate.– Low ceilings hold heat and reflect radiant heat energy.– Ability of container to retain heat (insulation)
accelerates preheating of fuel.
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The Stages of Fire• The flashover stage is
the transition in which room temperature reaches a point at which all surfaces ignite.– Confined spaces:
determined by air supply– Outdoors: determined by
fuel supply
© Jones & Bartlett Learning
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The Stages of Fire• The smoldering/decay
stage occurs when available fuel is exhausted or oxygen level drops below 16%.
• Burning only continues as glowing combustion or smoldering.
© Jones & Bartlett Learning
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Forms of Heat Transfer• Conduction
– Transfer of heat from one body of material to another by direct contact
– Rate of transfer depends on efficiency of material as conductor
© Jones & Bartlett Learning
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Forms of Heat Transfer• Convection
– Transfer of heat from one body of material to another via liquid or gas
– Convection effect is influenced by size and shape of fire compartment. © Jones & Bartlett Learning
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Forms of Heat Transfer• Radiation
– Transfer of heat through electromagnetic energy such as light
– Radiant heat travels in a straight line.
– Affects the speed of flashover in structure fires
– Can cause fires to spread
© Jones & Bartlett Learning
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Methods of ExtinguishingFires
• Cooling– 1 gallon of water absorbs 8000 Btu.– Water must be applied at
sufficient rate and quantity.– Water cooling effectiveness
depends on:• Fuel type• Form of material• Storage arrangement
© Jones & Bartlett Learning
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Methods of ExtinguishingFires
• Oxygen reduction– Fires are starved by
controlling air intake.• Foam• Carbon dioxide © Jones & Bartlett Learning
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Methods of ExtinguishingFires
• Removing or interrupting the fuel supply– Backfires– Foam– Water
© Jones & Bartlett Learning
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Methods of ExtinguishingFires
• Interrupting the chain reaction– Suppression agents
• Displace oxygen• Decompose or isolate
material from other elements• Change environment so
more energy required for combustion
© Jones & Bartlett Learning
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Classes of Fire • In the early 1900s, Underwriters
Laboratories created a classification system based on extinguishing agents.
• Extinguishing agents are matched to fire hazards with letters of the alphabet.
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Classes of Fire • Class A
– Involve ordinary combustibles
– Suppression:• Water (most effective)• Class A foam
© Jones & Bartlett Learning
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Classes of Fire • Class B
– Involve flammable and combustible liquids and gases
– Suppression:• Smothering, blanketing• Foam• Carbon dioxide and
other gaseous agents• Dry chemical agents• Halon
© Jones & Bartlett Learning
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Classes of Fire • Class C
– Involve energized electrical equipment
– Suppression:• Shut off electricity.• Once it is off, the
fire changes to another classification.
© Jones & Bartlett Learning
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Classes of Fire • Class D
– Involve combustible metals
– Suppression:• Extinguishing
agents must match metal type.
• “Dry powder” agents © Jones & Bartlett Learning
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Classes of Fire • Class K
– Involve cooking appliances
– UL 300 addressed failure of suppression systems.
– Suppression:• Wet-chemical agents• Supplemental hand-held
extinguishers © Jones & Bartlett Learning
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Summary • The “fire triangle” and “fire tetrahedron”
describe the relationship between the components required to sustain combustion. These models provide a simple illustration of what elements are necessary for fires to occur and show the logic behind the methods used to extinguish fires.
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Summary • The four different types of fire are diffusion
flame, smoldering, spontaneous combustion, and premixed flame.
• The type of ignition, the amount of available fuel, the form of fuel, and the amount of oxygen available all play significant roles in fire development.
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Summary • The four stages of fire are incipient, free
burning, flashover, and smoldering/decay. • The three methods of heat transfer are
conduction, convection, and radiation.
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Summary • There are four basic methods used to
extinguish fires: cooling, oxygen reduction, removing the fuel supply, and interrupting the chain reaction. These are the same basic methods used in the design of fire protection systems.
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Summary • A fire classification system helps to
determine the types of extinguishing agents to use, thus reducing the possibility of applying an inappropriate extinguishing agent to a fire.