Fire Fighting

Fire Fighting Skills

​Fire is a phenomenon in which combustible materials, especially organic materials containing carbon, react chemically with the oxygen in the air to produce heat. Flame arises from the combustion of volatile liquids and gases evolved and spreads the fire.

​The extinguishing of a fire is generally brought about by depriving the burning substances of oxygen and by cooling them to a temperature below which the reaction is not sustained

A fire requires fuel, oxygen (air) and heat. This is shown by the ‘fire triangle’ below

​Classes of Fires

​Ø  Class A fires – freely burning fires fueled by ordinary combustible materials such as cloth, wood, paper and fabric.

Ø  Class B fires – fires fueled by flammable liquids such as oils, spirits and petrol.

Ø  Class C fires – fires fueled by flammable gases such as propane, butane and North Sea gas.

Ø  Class D fires – fires involving flammable metals such as Magnesium, Lithium or Aluminium powders or swarf.

Ø  Fires involving electrical hazards.

Ø  Class F fires – fires fueled by cooking oils and fats. Use of a wet chemical is the most effective way of extinguishing this type of fire.

​Water (Color coded red) - These are suitable for class A types of fires. Water is a fast, efficient means of extinguishing these materials and works by having a rapid cooling effect on the fire so that insufficient heat remains to sustain burning and continuous ignition ceases.

Water with additives - These are suitable for class A types of fire. They contain special additives and are particularly effective for cooling and penetrating the fire and can be up to 300% more effective than the ordinary jet water extinguisher.

Spray foam (Color coded red with cream color zone) - These are ideal in multi-risk situations where both class A and B type fires are likely. Spray foam has a blanketing effect which both smothers the flame and prevents re-ignition of flammable vapours by sealing the surface of the material.

​Contents of Fire Extinguishers Cont.

​Dry powder (Color coded red with blue color zone) - These are suitable for class A, B and C fires and for vehicle protection. Because dry powder is non-conductive it is ideal for electrical hazards. Dry powder is a highly effective means of extinguishing fires as it interferes with the combustion process and provides rapid fire knockdown. A specialist range designed to tackle flammable metals is available.

 Carbon dioxide ( gas (Color coded red with black color zone) - These are suitable for class B type fires and delivers a concentration of  gas under great pressure, which smothers the flames very rapidly by displacing air from the local area of the fire.  

​Contents of Fire Extinguishers Cont.

​Wet chemical (Color coded red with canary yellow color zone)

These have been specifically developed to deal with cooking oils and fat fires. The specially formulated wet chemical, when applied to the burning liquid, cools and emulsifies the oil changing it into soap form, extinguishing the flame and sealing the surface to prevent re-ignition. It is also capable of fighting class A fires.

​Contents of Fire Extinguishers Cont.

​Fire Extinguishers

​Using Fire Extinguishers