General Fire Safety | Precautions and Uses for Fire Safety Tools

2.  Faulty or misused electrical equipments  Build up of rubbish or waste material (Poor Housekeeping)  Smoking  Cooking  Heating appliances placed near Combustible/Flammable materials  Unsafe Storage and use of Combustible/Flammable materials  Unsafe storage and use of hazardous materials  Hot process  Arson

3. 1. In order to ignite and burn, a fire required 3 elements  Fuel  Heat (a source of ignition)  Oxygen 2. Each element should be present in correct proportion 3. A fire can be prevented or extinguished by reducing anyone of these elements below the critical level, i.e.  Shutting of gas supply (Starvation)  Cooling for fire with water  Smothering flames with fire blankets (Suffocation)

4.  Anything that burns is a potential fuel for a fire  Duration of the fire will depend on the amount of fuel available

5.  Must be sufficient to raise the fuel to its ignition temperature  After fire begins to burn, the source of ignition can be removed as combustion process releases heat energy to sustain the fire  Amount of heat required depends on the following:-  Combustion point of fuel  Type of fuel  Amount of oxygen available

6.  To sustain a fire, atmosphere only needs to have 16% oxygen (The air we breathe is around 21%)  Intensity of a fire depends on the concentration of oxygen available  Some chemicals releases oxygen when they gets heated thus adding to the natural supply

7.  Combustibles  Paper and Cardboard  Plastics and Rubber  Textiles and Soft furnishings  Wooden Items  Waste products  Flammables  Flammable liquid based products  Flammable liquids and solvents  Flammable chemicals  Flammable gases

8.  Cigarettes, Matches and Lighters  Naked Flames  Faulty or misused electrical equipments  Fixed or Portable Heaters (Electric, Gas, Oil- filled)  Hot Processes  Cooking Equipments  Lighting Equipments  Obstructions of Equipments Ventilation  Arson

9.  Main sources is in the air around us  In an enclosed building, oxygen is provided by natural airflow through doors/windows or mechanical air – conditioning/ air – handling systems  Further additional sources can be found in :-  Oxidizing Chemicals  Oxygen supplies from cylinders storage and piped systems

10.  Hazards – Anything that has the potential to cause them  Risks – The chance of that harm occurring and severity

11.  Flames and Heat  Smoke and other products of combustion  Reduced oxygen  Structural damage to a building  Collapse of a building  Exposed Electrical Cables

12.  Intense heat can cause serious injuries/death  High temperatures can melt clothing into skin, causing severe and deep burns  Breathing in superheated air causes rapid and severe lung damage followed by unconsciousness  Exposure to excessive heat can cause physiological effects such as heat stress

13.  Incomplete combustion produces a variety of by- products, many of which are toxic and/or corrosive  Smoke is the most cause of death in case of fire  Injuries/death due to inhalation  Irritation of the eyes can reduce visibility  Digestive problems and poisoning if swallowed  Respiratory and circulatory systems affected, if inhaled  Poisoning if absorbed by the skin  Many gasses produced by the fire are highly toxic, e.g. carbon monoxide

14.  Oxygen deficiency can occur in 2 ways  Fires consume large quantities of available oxygen  Fires produces large quantities of other gasses that displaces oxygen  Low oxygen levels can result in disorientation and irrational thinking, which makes escaping more difficult  At worse, unconsciousness and death can occur when the brain gets starved of oxygen

15.  Heat can have a serious impact on the structure of the building  Burning  Spilling  Melting  Expansion  If a building collapses, the people inside may be crushed or injured  Partial collapse may obstruct escape routes

16.  Fire can cause damage to electrical cables, leading to short circuits or exposing live electrical conductors  Exposed wires can cause electrocution through direct contact or contact with water

17.  Convection  Conduction  Radiation  Direct Flame Contact

18.  Main mode of heat transfer in a developing fire  Heat transferred by the movement of warmed particles in a liquid or a gas  As particles are heated, they becomes lighter and less dense than air and this rises in atmosphere  Heated molecules eventually cools becomes denser and sinks  Repeated process results in convection currents

19.  Heat transferred through matter from particle to particles  Particles in heated substance gain kinetic energy and move faster  These particles than interacts with others particles nearby, transferring heat to them  The process continues as thermal energy is transferred from hotter parts to cooler parts

20.  Uses electromagnetic waves to transfer heat  Heat Transfer by radiation can occur over massive distances – Radiation is how we receive heat from sun  Heat radiation can pass through transparent barriers such as glass  For significant level of heat to be radiated, the temperature of the heat source

21.  Combustible or flammable materials can come into direct contact with flames, and the fire may travel along, up or through he material

22.  Preventative  Passive  Active  Managerial

23.  Should always be considered first  Better to reduce the risk of fire starting than to deal with the consequences

24.  Adopt safe working practices when undertaking hot work  Provide safe ways of discarding cigarettes  Allow smoking only in designated area and prohibit it in all areas of fire risk  Limit the use of open flames  Use suitable electrical equipments and test it regularly  Ensure that all electrical equipments are well ventilated  Control Arson

25.  Reduces the amount of flammable material in the workplace to the minimum required for the operation of the business  Where possible replace flammable material with less flammable alternatives  Follow safe working practices when working with flammable substances  Ensure Safe storage, transportation and handling of flammable materials  Ensures that waste products are stored in an appropriate place until cleared  Ensure that paint, wall coverings, textiles and furnishings are fire resistant.

26.  Keep windows and doors closed (Balanced against employee comfort)  Use compartmentation and self-closing fire doors  Close off ventilation systems when not in use  Prevent or strictly control oxygen rich atmosphere.

27.  Building features that prevent the spread of smoke and heat, e.g.  Permanent escape routes  Refuges with communication system  Fire –resistance features, fittings and décor

28.  Systems/Devices that provide early warning of fire, control smoke movement or suppress or extinguish a fire in its early stages  Require some sort of operational (Manual/Automatic, Electrical/Mechanical) to perform function. Examples  Automatic Fire Detection System  Manual Call Points And Alarm System  Portable Fire Extinguishers and Fire Blankets  Sprinkler Systems

29.  Sub-dividing a building into separate fire compartments in order to:  Provide a safe refuge to people within the building, where it is not practicable to evacuate everyone at once  Assist fire- fighting operations  Minimize property damage

30.  Support and active and passive measures, e.g.  Develop Fire Safety procedure  Undertake training and fire drills  Develop maintenance systems for safety equipments/fittings  Undertake regular fire safety inspections  Require vigilance by those responsible for fire safety  Use Signage to identify escape routes and high risk areas

31.  Building features and Fittings that enables people to move from a place of potential damage to place of ultimate or relative safety in an event of fire.  Should take in to consideration  Time takes to move people  Time it takes for a fire to endanger the escape route  The distance people have to travel to a place of safety  Features might include  Structural protection from a fire spread or collapse  Fire Resistant paints and textiles  Fire doors and self closing devices  Signage and emergency lightings  Ventilation Control System

32.  Self closing device or door release mechanism that operates if the fire alarm gets activated  Solid rebate or intumescent strips and cold smoke seals to prevent flames and smokes passing through the gaps  Viewing panels should be fire –resistant glass  Constructed from or coated with fire – resistant material  Clearly identifiable with appropriate safety signage  Easy to open  Well lit  Properly maintained

33.  Travel Distance – How far people have to travel to reach an exit, usually measured to a storey exit or another fire compartment or protected area  Exit Capacity – How many people can pass through the exit in a given time.

34.  Used when main power supply is failed  Should operate automatically and be sufficiently bright to allow people to evacuate the premises quickly an safely  Degree of illumination depends on nature of premises and its occupants  Exit Doors and escape routes  Intersections of corridors  Emergency Exit Signage  Stairways  Changes in Direction/Floor level  Windowless rooms  Fire Fighting equipments  Fire Alarm Call Points  Equipments to be shut down in an emergency  Lifts

35.  Separated from the other parts of the building  Constructed from the fire resistant material  “Sterile Places”

36.  Safe Condition Signs  Green Rectangle with white symbols/text  Show Directions to areas of safety and medical assistance  E.g. Emergency exit signage  Fire Equipments Signs  Red Rectangle with white symbols/text  E.g. At manual call points or next to fire extinguishers  Mandatory Signs  Blue Circle with white symbols/text  Action must be taken  E.g. Sign instructing that fire door is kept shut

37.  Hazard Signs  Yellow Triangle with black outline and symbols/text  Warn of Danger  E.g. Flammable Substance sign  Prohibit signs  Circle with red outline and red line from top left to bottom right  Behavior likely to result in danger is forbidden  E.g. No Smoking Sign

38.  Important to detect the fire as soon as possible after it starts and to warn other people in order to prompt their evacuation  In small premises, fire may be detected by building occupants  In some premises, fires may be detected automatically by devices that reacts to the presence of, for example, smoke, heat or carbon monoxide gas.

39.  Shouting “Fire”  Breaking Glass at Manual Call point  PA System  Whistles  Bells  Rotary Gongs  Klaxons

40.  Class A – Organic Solids, Such As Paper And Wood  Class B – Flammable Liquids And Liquefied Solids  Class C – Flammable Gasses  Class D – Metals  Class F – Cooking Fat And Oil

41.  Fires are extinguished by reducing one or more of the element of the fire triangle below the critical point:  Reducing the heat (Cooling)  Reducing the fuel (Starving)  Reducing the oxygen (Suffocating)

42.  Red with identifying labels to indicate type  Location and number determined by the risk assessment  Work by breaking the fire triangle  Use a number of different agents  Water Cools  Foam Cools And Provide Barrier To Oxygen Reacting With Fuel  Dry Powder And Carbon Dioxide Suffocate

43.  Red label  For Fires involving carbon based solid material (Class A)  Remove heat from the fire triangle (Cooling)  Water conducts electricity, so should not be used where there is a risk of electric shock

44.  Cream label  For Fires involving flammable liquid or liquefied solids (Class A, B and F)  Form a layer over the burning surface, separating the fuel from flames (Starving)  Nozzle sprays foam evenly, quickly coating fire  Can use near but directly on directly on live electrical equipments (beware water run-offs)

45.  Black Label  For fires involving electrical equipments (negate chances of electric shock)  Can be used on fires involving liquids such as paints and oils (with caution)  Remove Oxygen from the fire (Suffocation)  Should not be used in a space restricted enclosed areas  Ice can form on extinguisher nozzle  Noisy when discharge

46.  Blue Label  For all common types of fires including electrical (Class A, B and F)  Remove Oxygen from the fire – interrupting the chain of combustion and preventing reignition  Extinguish quickly  Not suitable for use in enclosed space  Cause excessive damage to electrical equipments  Best used for outside fuel fire

47.  Yellow Label  For use on deep–fat cooking fire (Class F)  Create fine mist that cools flames and prevents splashing, then create thick that smothers fat and prevent reignition (Starving)  Only works with animal fats and vegetable oils

48.  Is the extinguisher ready to be picked up?  Is the pressure gauge reading is in green zone?  Weight – has extinguisher been discharged?  Are there signs of corrosion/leak/rust?  Test engineer’s label – Has the extinguisher been serviced in last 12 months?  Are the safety pins in place and tamper seal intact?  Are notices of the type/suitability of the extinguisher displayed next to it.

49.  Sheets of Fire retardant material placed over a fire to suffocate  Extinguish small fires before they spread  Light duty – Kitchens  Heavy Duty – industrial settings (Molten materials)  Should be in the vicinity of fire hazards but in a position where they can be safely and easily accessed in an emergency  Must be checked regularly

50.  Pull the blankets out its case  Check if the fire is smaller than blanket  Hold up blanket in front of you by the top corners and keep your hands tucked behind it  Place the blanket over the fire and smother it  Do not remove the blanket for half an hour (to allow the material to cool down)