General Fire Safety | Precautions and Uses for Fire Safety Tools

1
General Fire Safety By Impact fire and Safety
Appliances Pvt. Ltd.
2
Most Common Causes of Fire

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

3
Fire Triangle

• 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
What is Fuel

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

5
What is Heat

• 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
What is Oxygen

• 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
Sources of Fuel

• 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
Sources of Ignition

• 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
Sources of Oxygen

• 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 and Risks

• Hazards Anything that has the potential to
  cause them
• Risks The chance of that harm occurring and
  severity

11
Hazards Created by Fire

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

12
Heat

• 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
Smoke and Products of Combustion

• 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
Reduced Oxygen

• 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
Structural Damage and Collapse

• 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
Electricity

• 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
Fire and Smoke Spread

• Convection
• Conduction
• Radiation
• Direct Flame Contact

18
Convection

• 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
Conduction

• 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
Radiation

• 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
Direct Flame Contact

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

22
Fire Control Measures

• Preventative
• Passive
• Active
• Managerial

23
Preventive Control Measures

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

24
Preventing Ignition

• 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
Reducing Risks from Fuel

• 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
Reducing Risks from Oxygen

• 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
Passive Control Measures

• 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
Active Control Measures

• 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
Compartmentation

• 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
Managerial Control Measures

• 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
Means of Escape

• 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
Fire Door Features

• 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 Capacity

• 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
Emergency Lighting

• 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
Protected Escape Routes

• Separated from the other parts of the building
• Constructed from the fire resistant material
• Sterile Places

36
Fire Safety Signs

• 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
Fire Safety Signs

• 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
Fire Detection

• 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
Raising the Alarm

• Shouting Fire
• Breaking Glass at Manual Call point
• PA System
• Whistles
• Bells
• Rotary Gongs
• Klaxons

40
Fire Classes

• 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
Extinguishing Fires

• 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
Fires Extinguishers

• 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
Water Extinguishers

• 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
Foam Extinguishers

• 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
Co2 Extinguishers

• 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
Dry Powder Extinguishers

• 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
Wet Chemical Extinguishers

• Yellow Label
• For use on deepfat 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
Simple Checks

• 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 engineers 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
Fire Blankets

• 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
How to use Fire Blankets

• 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)

51
Fixed Fire Fighting System

• Hose Reel
• Dry and wet riser
• Sprinkler systems
• Gaseous Systems
• Foam Systems

52
Fire Safety Inspections

• Help to ensure that
• Owners and occupiers of building are continuing
  to meet their responsibility under the fire
  safety regulations
• Buildings are fitted with correct fire safety
  installations
• Those installations are maintained in an
  operational conditions

53
Fire Wardens

• Competent person who implement the fire safety
  measures and give effect to appropriate
  procedures to be followed in the event of serious
  and imminent danger to relevant persons
• Can be called fire marshals or fire stewards
• Need excellent organizational skills, a level of
  confidence and calm head
• Should have received training

54
Day To Day Role Of Fire Warden

• Monitor general fire safety
• Report unsafe practices/conditions
• Reports faults, incidents and near misses
• Discuss evacuations arrangements with staff and
  offer guidance on procedures
• Remain familiar with escapes routes
• Take a lead role during fire drills
• Feedbacks on fire drills

55
Role of fire wardens when the fire alarm sounds
continuously

• Wear high visibility clothing
• Instruct people to leave via the nearest route
• Help and Ensure all people leaves the premises
• Shut down dangerous equipments
• Help any person waiting for assistance
• Report to central assembly point
• Communicate with other wardens
• Liaise with fire and rescue services on arrival,
  if required

56
Role of fire wardens when not in area of
responsibility

• If not safe to move in area, evacuate to central
  points
• Report whether or not they have checked their
  area, so that someone can be allocated to it and
  can be reported to the fire and rescue service
• Our Top Services And Products
• Portable Fire Extinguisher
• Trolley Mounted Fire Extinguishers
• Fire Alarms
• Fire Fighting System
• Water Based Fire Sprinkler System
• Gas Based Fire Suppression
• Emergency Evacuation
• Our Services 
• Fire Equipments on Lease
• Fire Safety Audits
• Fire Safety Management Consultancy
• Fire Extinguisher Refilling Services
• Fire Annual Maintenance Contracts