Fire Safety: From Understanding to Action

Fire Safety:

Understanding and taking action to prevent fires

Fire Safety Basics

• Fire Triangle: Understanding the three elements of fire - heat, fuel, and oxygen.
• Fire Classes: Exploring the different types of fires and their characteristics.
• Fire Safety Planning: Developing effective fire control and protection methods.
• Escape Routes: Creating emergency evacuation plans and identifying assembly points.

• Fire is combustion or burning, in which substance

combine chemically with oxygen from the air and
typically gives out bright light, heat and smoke

 For a fire to thrive and spread it requires three things:

 Fuel for the fire to burn
 Oxygen for the fire to breathe
 Heat for the fire to continue burning

 Removal of any one of the sides of this Fire Triangle will

extinguish the fire.

A fire triangle is used as a model for conveying the
components of a fire.

The fire triangle’s three sides illustrate the three
elements of fire, which are heat, fuel, and oxidization.

The three elements must be combined in the right
proportions for a fire to occur.

If any of these three is missing, fires cannot start or
keep burning.

FUEL

If fuel is removed, the fire will starve and be extinguished.

With bushfires this can be done through a number of pre-

emptive methods, including prescribed burning or physical

removal of the fuel.

During wildfire suppression the removal of fuel can be done

physically through the raking of fire line or the use of bulldozers

to clear a fire line.

The removal of fuel can also be done through the lighting of

small controlled fires to remove the fuel ahead of the fire.

These fires, called burn-out fires, are lit from control lines and must

only be done by experienced fire-fighters and well-supervised

crews.

AIR / OXYGEN

If air is removed, the fire will suffocate – because of a lack of

oxygen – and go out.

The removal of air from a bushfire is quite difficult as fires are

normally quite big and encompass considerable area.

The removal of heat is the most common form of fire suppression.

There are methods of suppression, however, that work on the basis

of suffocating the fire.

Water-based foam sprayed on to the fire will act as a blanket

between the fire and the air.

A layer of dirt shoveled onto the fire will act as a blanket.

The removal of air from a fire is a form of attack that is normally

only limited to small or easily accessible fires.

HEAT

The removal of heat or the cooling of a fire is the most common form of

suppression.

In most cases water is used to essentially soak up the heat generated by

the fire

This heat turns the water in to steam, thereby robbing the fire of the heat

used

Without energy in the form of heat the fire cannot heat unburnt fuels to

ignition temperature and the fire will eventually go out.

The water can act to smother the flames and suffocate the fire.

Chemicals can be added to water to improve the heat removal

properties of water, or to improve the ability of the water to stick to

unburnt fuel.

Multiple Choice

What are the three elements of fire?

• Heat, fuel, and oxygen

• Water, fuel, and oxygen

• Heat, water, and oxygen

• Heat, fuel, and carbon dioxide

Fire Elements

Did you know? The three elements of fire are heat, fuel, and oxygen. Without any of these elements, fire cannot exist. Heat provides the energy, fuel acts as the source of combustion, and oxygen supports the chemical reaction. Remember, fire needs all three to burn!

Fire Safety Planning

• Identify fire hazards in the workplace
• Assess the risks posed by the hazards
• Put measures in place to control the risks
• Monitor the hazards and review the controls

Multiple Choice

What is the role of the Fire Safety Director?

• Responding to premises after being contacted by the fire department

• Notifying Protective Services during emergencies

• Evacuating occupants during fire incidents

• Confining and extinguishing fire

Fire Safety: Evacuation Control

• Fire Safety Director: Responds to premises after being contacted by the fire department

• Emergency Procedures: Fire alarm, notifying Protective Services, evacuating occupants, confining and extinguishing fire

• Supervisory Staff: Appointed and trained for fire safety duties

• Building Fire Emergency Systems: Type, location, and operation documented

• Fire Drills: Held regularly

• Fire Hazards: Controlled in the building

• Inspection and Maintenance: Ensured for building facilities

• High-Rise Buildings: Additional requirements

CLASS

OF
FIRE

Class

A

Class

B

Class

C

Class

D

Class

E

Class

F

Fire Safety

To ensure fire safety in the workplace, it is crucial to monitor hazards and review controls. This helps identify fire hazards, assess the risks they pose, and implement measures to control those risks. By doing so, workplaces can create a safer environment for everyone. Remember, fire safety is everyone's responsibility!

Multiple Choice

What is the purpose of monitoring the hazards and reviewing the controls in the workplace?

• To identify fire hazards in the workplace

• To assess the risks posed by the hazards

• To put measures in place to control the risks

• To ensure fire safety in the workplace

 A fire safety plan is a detailed document that covers all aspects of

fire safety for a specific building or property. The plan will outline:

 A safe and orderly way for occupants to evacuate the building.

 Proper maintenance and housekeeping required to prevent fires.

 Methods of control that minimize the damage from fires when they do

occur.

 Fire Safety Planning has 3 primary objectives:



Fire Hazard Control



Fire Protection System Maintenance



Emergency Evacuation

 These fires involve

combustible metals, such as magnesium, titanium, zirconium,

sodium, lithium and potassium.

Fire Safety Planning

prevents the occurrence of fire by the

control of fire hazards in the building,

ensures operation of

fire protection systems by establishing maintenance
procedures, and

provides a systematic method of safe and

orderly evacuation of the building in the event of fire.

 Fire hazards can arise in a variety of environments or while undertaking certain

activities. Of course, the risk of fire is more likely in situations when flammable chemicals
or combustible materials are being used, but even in offices and other lower risk
environments, the risk of fire is always prevalent

 Your health and safety obligations regarding fire safety include your need to understand:

 how to manage fire risks in your workplace;

 how to develop and maintain efficient fire safety procedures;

 how to introduce and maintain appropriate fire safety equipment; and

 how to train your workers in these matters.

1. Identify any fire hazard in workplace, e.g. presence of ignition sources
(heaters, lighting, electrical equipment, etc.) and fuel (packaging, plastics,
rubber, petrol, chemicals, etc.).
2.Assess the risks posed by the hazards that have identified – this will
determine which hazards need the most urgent attention.
3.Put measures in place to control the risks – the hierarchy of control is a
useful tool to use here, e.g. eliminate work processes that could generate an
explosive atmosphere, service and clean all machinery as recommended
by manufacturers, switch off electricity points when the business is
unattended, remove waste material (e.g. fuel) that could act as fuel, store
and dispose of flammable substances correctly.
4.Monitor the hazards and review the controls – this will ensure that the
controls are minimizing the risks effectively.

Trained supervisory staff can be of great value in directing, and assisting the orderly

movement of people in the event of a fire, and performing fire control until the fire

department arrives.

Evacuation procedures relying heavily on supervisory staff are complex, in that such

staff require continued training, frequent drilling, and must be continuously on the

premises in order to fulfill their responsibilities during an emergency.

Following the implementation of the plan, the time required for continued training and
drilling, and the coordination necessary to maintain supervisory staff on the premises

is extreme.

Based on these facts, the evacuation objective outlined in this guide is met simply and
realistically without evacuation control officers or the fire safety director's involvement

in evacuation control.

During an emergency, a fire alarm will sound, and all occupants will exit

the building via a safe exit.

Persons with disabilities should proceed with their assistants (if

available) to the nearest safe exit.

The Fire Safety Director should be available to respond to the premises after

being contacted by the fire department.

Below concept should/will

ensure a systematic method of safe and

orderly evacuation of the building in the event of fire:

1.

A copy of the fire emergency procedures and other duties for
supervisory staff, as laid down in the Fire Safety Plan, shall be
given to all

supervisory staff.

2.

The Fire Safety Plan shall be

kept in the building for reference.

3.

The

District Fire Inspector may, upon request and if required,

provide advice, clarification and guidance for the preparation of a
fire safety plan.

4.

The Fire Safety Plan shall be

reviewed at intervals not greater than

12 months to ensure it takes into account changes in the use and
other characteristics of the building.

5.

The Fire Safety Plan should

deal only with matters which pertain

specifically to the particular building.

6.

A Fire Safety Plan must be

implemented in:

a) every building containing an

assembly or a care or detention occupancy,

b) every building

required by the National Building Code to have a fire alarm

system,

c)

demolition and construction sites regulated under the National Fire Code,

d) indoor and outdoor

storage areas regulated under the National Fire Code,

e) areas where

flammable liquids or combustible liquids are stored or handled,

including refineries and process plants,

f)areas where

hazardous processes or operations occur.

7. The Fire Safety Plan shall

include:

a) The

emergency procedures to be used in case of fire including

 sounding the fire alarm,
 notifying the Protective Services,
 instructing occupants on procedures to be followed when the fire alarm sounds,
 evacuating occupants, including special provisions for persons requiring assistance,
 confining, controlling and extinguishing the fire,

b) the

appointment and organization of designated supervisory staff to carry out fire

safety duties,

c) the

training of supervisory staff and other occupants in their responsibilities for fire

safety,

d)

documents, including diagrams, showing the type, location and operation of the
building fire emergency systems,

e) the holding of

fire drills,

f)the

control of fire hazards in the building,

g) the

inspection and maintenance of building facilities provided for the safety of

occupants, and

h) additional requirements for High-Rise Buildings.

Fire control is the

practice of reducing

the heat output of a fire or

reducing the

area over which the fire exists or

suppressing or extinguishing the fire
by depriving a fire of fuel, oxygen or
heat.

 The most common method to control a class-A fire is to remove heat by

spraying

the burning solid fuels with water.

 Another method of controlling a class-A fire would be to

reduce the oxygen content

of the atmosphere in the immediate vicinity of the fire (i.e., "smother" the fire), such
as by the introduction of an

inert gas such as

carbon dioxide.

Spraying
with water

Carbon
Dioxide

Extinguisher

Hose Reel

Fire Buckets

 Some Class-B fires (hydrocarbons, petroleum, and fuels on fire)

cannot

be

efficiently

controlled

with

water.

 Fuels with a specific gravity less than water, such as gasoline or oil, float

on water, resulting in the fire continuing in the fuel on top of the water.

 The application of a

combination

of

fire

suppressant

foam

mixed

with

water is a common and effective method of forming a blanket on top of the
liquid fuel which eliminates the oxygen needed for combustion.

 The configuration of some fuels such as coal and baled waste paper, result

in a deep seated and burrowing fire, resulting in less effective fire control
by the application of water on the outer surfaces of the fuel. Some Class-B
fires can be controlled with the application of

chemical

fire

suppressants.

Fire Blanket

Chemical fire
suppressants.

 Class-C fires

involve electricity as a continuous power source for the ignition of the

fuels associated with electrical equipment, such as plastic cable jackets.

 The application of water does not always result in effective fire control, and there is

a general

concern regarding conductivity and personnel safety.



Blanketing

or

smothering

this

type

of

fire

with

a

non

-

conducting

extinguishing

agent is of prime importance.

 Water

or solutions containing water, is

never to be used on a Class "C" fire.

 Extinguishers suitable for Class "C" fires

should

be

identified

by

a

circle

containing the letter "C".

 Extinguishers suitable for more than one

of the three classes of fire defined above
may be identified by multiple symbols
(ABC). Generally the extinguishing agent
is referred to as

DRY

CHEMICAL.

Dry Powder
Extinguisher

(Special
Powders)

 Class- D fires

involve

combustible metals, such as
magnesium, titanium, zirconium,
sodium, lithium and potassium.

 Generally the extinguishing

agent is referred to as

DRYPOWDER.

Dry Powder
Extinguisher

(Special
Powders)

 These are fires in

cooking appliances that

involve combustible cooking media such as
vegetable or animal oils and fats.

 The extinguishing agent is referred to as

WET

CHEMICAL.

 These extinguishers should be identified by

the letter “K.”

Dry Powder
Extinguisher

(Special
Powders)

 The fundamental purpose of fire protection systems is to firstly

prevent

the

passage

and

spread

of

smoke

and

fire, from one area of

the building to another, to allow for the safe escape of the building
occupants.

 Secondly, to

prevent

or

reduce

the

amount

of

damage to the building

structure, neighbouring structures and reduce the risk of collapse for
the emergency services.

BUILDING'S

FIRE

PROTECTION

Active
system

Passive
system

 Protection and fire control systems are

installed permanently in the building

consists of three actions to

track and signalling,

control and

fire

-

fighting

manually

or automatically.

 This system

required a certain amount of motion/or action in order to work

properly.

 Some of these actions could be

slowing the progress of the fire,

putting out the fire,

or

notifying of the fire and smoke conditions.

 The overall aim of Active System is to extinguish the fire by:



Detecting the fire early and evacuate the building.



Alert emergency services at the early stage of the fire.



Control the movement of smoke and fire.



Suppress and/or starve the fire of oxygen and fuel.

Fire

Extinguisher

Fire Blanket

Fire Bucket

Sprinkler

System

 Protection and fire control

system found in the design of a building which

serves to

restrict the spread of fire and smoke that residents have shelter use it as a way out
to a safe place.

 This system

does not require motion/and or action in order to work.

 It is used

to contain and slow the spread of the fire.

 The overall aim of passive systems is to contain the fire by:



Use

of fire rated partitions and doors to prevent the fire and smoke from moving from one

compartment to another.



Delay the collapse of the building structure.



Delay the growth of the fire.

Fire dampers

Fire rated

doors

Fire

walls/barriers

Fire Safety Director

Trivia: The role of a Fire Safety Director includes responding to premises after being contacted by the fire department, notifying Protective Services during emergencies, evacuating occupants during fire incidents, and confining and extinguishing fire. They play a crucial role in ensuring the safety of occupants and coordinating emergency response efforts.

Fire Safety

• Fire Suppression: Using a combination of fire suppressant foam mixed with water to form a blanket on top of liquid fuel, eliminating the oxygen needed for combustion.
• Class-C Fires: Involving electricity as a power source, water is not effective and non-conducting extinguishing agents should be used.
• Passive Fire Protection: Restricting the spread of fire and smoke through the use of fire-rated partitions, doors, and barriers.

Multiple Choice

What is the purpose of using fire suppressant foam mixed with water?

• To eliminate the oxygen needed for combustion

• To restrict the spread of fire and smoke

• To extinguish Class-C fires involving electricity

• To form a blanket on top of liquid fuel

Fire Suppressant Foam:

• Trivia: Did you know that fire suppressant foam mixed with water is used to eliminate the oxygen needed for combustion?
• It forms a blanket on top of liquid fuel, restricting the spread of fire and smoke.
• This foam is also effective in extinguishing Class-C fires involving electricity.