Fire Professionals, Flame and Categories of Flame - Essay Example

FIRE PROFESSIONALS Student’s Name Institutional Affiliation Date Section A 1. In 1000 words discuss the different roles of fire professionals and their importance to fire safety. Fire is a dangerous concerned in all spheres of life. This makes fire firefighting one of the most important services required in a society. Buildings and structures are developed with fire safety in mind. Adequate spaces are left in between walls to allow easy access of fire fighting equipment in case of a fire breakout. In any organization, fire department comprises fire professionals with different roles in fire safety and fighting. These professions include chief fire officer, assistant chief fire officer, area manager, group manager, station manager, crew manager, watch manager, and the firefighter. The Chief Fire Officer (CFO) is a leader of the fire fighting department. The CFO is involved in numerous administrative duties to ensure everything is in order for better service delivery. In addition, performs supervisory roles and handles any other technical works in planning and executing services that ensure the department remains efficient in service delivery (Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service, 2013). In most cases of fire breakouts, medical emergencies are in great demand, and as such, the CFO coordinates and supervise the emergency medical services operations (Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service, 2013). The emergency medical team is one of the most important response team in a firefighting depart. Therefore, the CFO developed policies that would ensure such team is ready for deployment whenever an emergency arises. The CFO establishes procedures and policies for emergency medical services and firefighting. The right policies and procedures ensure the safety of both the firefighter and the victims of a fire incident. The CFO is also the person responsible for carrying out performance reviews of each group within the department and recommend necessary improvements accordingly (Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service, 2013.). Adoption of technology in fire fighting is one of the improvements the CFO has to recommend, acquire the necessary equipments and oversee its implementation. Technological advancement in fire fighting has saved lives and risks associated with firefighting has also decreased tremendously. Furthermore, it is the role of CFO to ensure personnel in the department are well equipped with the necessary skills that are essential in fire safety (Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service, 2013.). Thus, personnel are trained on necessary refresher courses to keep up with the changing world. The CFO represents the department in majors meetings and seminars across the country and the world at large. It is the role of the CFO to seek new measures that the department can adopt to improve their performance in the daily duties. The Assistant Chief Fire Officer (ACFO) comes in second in the chain of command within the department. The ACFO has no distinct roles from those of the CFO, but step in whenever the CFO is not around. The main role the ACFO is to ensure smooth operations even when the CFO is not available or unable to perform his or her duties as required. Consequently, the ACFO assist the CFO in handling various activities. Another important position is the Group Manager. The Group Manager manages several fire stations and oversee operations within their jurisdiction. The Group Manager provides leadership to the entire units under his or her domain. In addition, the Group Manger carries out other administrative responsibilities such as providing adequate officers in his or her region of operations. The manager also implements the policies to improve the performance of the organization. He or she implement and monitor quality assurance system used within the region of operation (South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue, 2005). Quality of service delivery can only be attained with the right teams in place. As a result, the Group Manager ensures efficient teams are in place for effective response and operations. It is the responsibility of the Group Manager to ensure systems used by personnel in his or her area of operations adhere to standard practice set by various bodies. Area Manager is another personnel with enormous responsibilities in firefighting and fire safety. Area Manager handles fire brigade within a designated area of operations. It is essential to understand that Area Manager under one of the jurisdiction of the Group Manager. Area Manager oversees the implementation of various policies, provide support and monitor the personnel’s operations in his or her area of concerned (South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue, 2005). Diversity among personnel in an organization is essential for smooth and efficient operations with the organization. Station Managers manage a fire station by coordinating human capital within the station. The responsibilities of a Station Manger include service delivery, risk assessment, and policy implementation to fire incidents are dealt with swiftly and effectively (South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue, 2005). The Station Manager is the one in charge of all the equipment and machineries used in fire fightings such as the firefighting tracks, and safety equipments used by personnel. He or she plans the daily activities for the fire fighting personnel at the station. The Station Manager ensures, in cases of emergencies, all the available machineries and equipments are made available and devoted towards the issue at hand. Both the Watch Manager and Crew Manager do work hand in hand in most cases. They receive and manages information in relation to the performance of their teams, and write reports on the teams' performances (South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue, 2005). They are at the helm of resources, especially information, necessary for service delivery. However, there is a slight difference in their areas of operations. A Watch Manager carries out his or her duties in large fire stations while a Crew Manager, operates at a smaller station in charge the crew handling fire appliances. A firefighter is another important member of the firefighting team. Firefighters main responsibilities include daily fire safety measures and firefighting duties. Whenever there is a fire break out, fire fighters ensure equipments reach the sites in time to fight and control the fire. In addition, fire fighters are responsible for the maintenance of fire fighting equipments. They have self coordination when handling different fire incidences. Coordination during an operation is an important aspect of safety of the fire fighting crew. Firefighters ensure all equipments are ready for the next operation. 2. In 500 words discuss the term “flame” and identify the different categories of flame. Flame is the visible part of a fire. The flame can only be seen when fuel-air mixture has ignited. The flame remains consistent due to an exothermic reaction taking place around the burning zone. As the flame continues, more fuel vaporizes and burned by the heat released by the flame and the process continues until it is disrupted by cutting off the fuel source or oxygen supply. Flame consists of four distinct parts or zones, and they are classified according to the degree of combustion and temperature. There is the innermost zone of unburned fuel, which usually appear dark, especially for hydrocarbon fuels. This zone remains unburned due to insufficient supply of oxygen to complete to the combustion. The second part of a flame is the middle zone that is partially burned. This zone receives a partial supply of air (oxygen) that see part of the fuel is burned. The third part is the moderately hot zone. This zone experience greater extent of combustion, realizing more heat energy, which explains the hotness. The fourth zone is the hottest part of the flame, which is always blue in colour. The blue colour shows a near complete combustion of fuel and a large quantity of heat energy is released making it the hottest zone among the four. The flame exhibits different colours depending on the fuel-air premix and the quantity of oxygen in supply. Since the two factors determine the combustion rate, the flame colour changes with the degree of fuel combustion. Fuel combustion with sufficient oxygen supply result in a blue flame of high temperature. Partially burning fuel due short supply of oxygen, tend to be yellow in colour. Flames can fall into several categories of flames. There are two general classifications under which majority of flames fall in. There is a premixed flame and a diffused flame (Babrauskas, 2006). The method of mixing fuel and air before ignition determines the category a flame would fall into. In premixed flames, fuel and air are mixed before ignition in the burning chamber or zone. Premixed flames are further subdivided into laminar premixed flames and turbulent premixed flames (Babrauskas, 2006). In Lamininar premixed flames, a mixture of fuel and air is channeled in a streamline to a burning zone where it ignites and burns smoothly. A flame of a Bunsen burner is an example of a laminar premixed fuel. In turbulent premixed flames, a fuel-air mixture burns violently. Flames from boilers and furnaces are the examples of turbulent premixed flames. On the other hand, diffused flames do not involve mixing air and fuel before ignition. In this type of flame, which is also divided into laminar and turbulent diffused flames, fuel and air are mixed at the point of ignition. In laminar diffused flames, both supply of fuel and air are in parallel until they reach the burning chamber. The flame of a burning candle is an example of a laminar diffused flame. However, turbulent diffused flames are those flames produced by most practical engineered equipments. 3. In 200 words explain the similarities and differences between fires and explosions. Fire and explosion, to many people, may sound one thing all together. A fire may lead to an explosion, and an explosion may as well cause a fire. Although one seems to lead to another, fire and explosion are two different things with distinct similarities and differences. In looking at the differences, explosions require detonators to occur while a fire does not need one. In addition, explosions are always violent, always occurring in quick succession leading to shock waves. Fire does not produce shock waves irrespective of the burning behavior. An explosion can occur when exposed to either heat or shock, while fire only starts when in the presence of heat. Despite the differences, fire and explosion exhibit some similarities, as well. Both fire and explosion require a fuel supply to ignite and burn. Fuel is the substance that burns when a fire starts. In addition to the fuel, fire and explosion require oxygen supply to support burning of the fuel. The oxygen must be sufficient to burn as much fuel as possible. Otherwise, most fuel would remain unburned. Both fire and explosion release some heat energy to the environment. The heat energy released determines the temperature of the fire and explosion. 4. In 500 discuss the different sources of ignition and common causes of fire. A fire will only start in the presence of an ignition source, fuel source, and oxygen source. There is no fire in the absence of the three things. In fire fighting, therefore, cutting short the supply of one or more of the three requirements kill the fire completely. Problems in fire fighting mostly arise when any of the three sources cannot be controlled. There are different sources of ignition that can start a fire depending on the flammability limits of the fuel-air (oxygen) mixture. A fuel-oxygen mixture has an energy requirement threshold above which it ignites. An ignition source can, therefore, start fires when it releases sufficient or excess energy to make a fire. An ignition source can start a fire when it has provided enough quantity of energy to ignite a fuel-air mixture. In addition, a fuel-air mixture may auto ignite when exposed to extreme temperatures. The sources of ignition may include, but not limited to hot surfaces,catalysts, hot work, pressure-compression ignition, static electricity, and friction, among others (University of Calgary, 2010). Hot surfaces Hot surfaces are sources of high temperature that are capable of autoignition of a fuel-air mixture. There are less safety concerned with the potential of hot surfaces auto-igniting flammable materials due to environmental conditions that may not attain of extreme temperatures. Hot surfaces may include surfaces furnaces, pipes and industrial equipments carrying hot fluids Catalysts Catalysts are known to control the rate of reactions by either decreasing or increasing it. However, catalysts are mostly used to speed up a chemical reaction. A catalysed chemical reaction may run out of control, releasing high heat enrgy that may ignite a fuel-air mixture. Hot work Many hot works are known to produce extremely high temperatures that can easily start a fire. Any hot work has the potential to provide sufficient energy way beyond the minimum required to start a fire. Hot work mostly includes mechanical activities such as welding, brazing, drilling, soldering, and chipping among others (University of Calgary, 2010). They are all fire hazards, and need to be controlled. Static electricity Materials do accumulate imbalanced charges that may that are released by electric discharges. Grounding is always done on equipments and other machines to avoid accumulation of charges. These electric discharges can release sufficient quantity of energy in form statics arc that can ignite a fuel-air mixture. Electric arcs and sparks Electric arcs and sparks are energy rich. They can ignite fuel-air mixture instantly. Electric arcs are enhanced by two conducting bodies in close proximity as their electrons try to reduce the gap between the bodies. Causes of fire All sources of ignition are potential causes of fire. Any activity or material that can ignite a fuel-air mixture can fire. Many fire incidences have blamed on human errors. For instance, a burning cigarette may cause fire if not dispose of properly. Open flames such as candles always cause fires if not monitored. Electrical faults are potential causes of fire both residential and industrial buildings. Faulty electrical wire or an appliance may ignite flammable materials by producing sparks or overheating. Managing human errors would eliminate most causes of fire. Section B 1. Convert the following temperatures into Kelvin: Converting degree Celsius into Kelvin requires adding 273.15K to a given degree Celsius a) 0°C b) -150°C c) 640°C d) -20°C 2. How many moles of carbon are in 150.0 g? First, the mass of one carbon molecule (C) and its subsequent number of moles, which is one, are determined. The resultant values are then compared to the given mass (150.0g). The molecular mass of carbon (12g) and is one mole (1 mole). The number of moles in a given mass is computed by the formula: Number of moles=Mass of a substance (M)/Molecular mass of the substance (MM) Therefore, 150.0g of carbon gives; 3. Balance the following equations: For any chemical reaction equation to balance, the number of atoms or molecules of elements on the products side must equal those on the reaction side. a) H3PO4 + NH4OH → H2O + (NH4)3PO4 H and N are not balanced in the equation. A balance equation is given as: H3PO4 + 3NH4OH → 3H2O + (NH4)3PO4 b) V2O5 + Ca → CaO + V V and O are not equal on both sides of the equation. A balanced equation is V2O5 + 5Ca → 5CaO + 2V a) BN + F2 → BF3 + N2 All the three elements in the reaction are not balanced. A balanced equation is as shown here. 2BN + 3F2 → 2BF3 + N2 a) 2C15H26 + 43O2→ 30CO2 +26H2O The correct balanced equation is 2C15H26 + 43O2→ 30CO2 +26H2O b) Ca + N2 → Ca3N2 It is only Ca that is not balanced in the equation. Thus, a balanced equation is given as: 3Ca + N2 → Ca3N2 4. Ammonia and oxygen react to form nitrogen and water: 4NH3 + 3O2 → 2N2 + 6H2O a) How many grams of O2 are needed to react with 8.0 moles of NH3? The chemical reaction equation above shows that 4.0 moles of NH3 are needed to react with 3.0 moles of O2 to produce nitrogen gas and water. As a result, 8.0 moles of NH3 would require . Using a molecular mass of 32.0 g for oxygen, 6 moles of O2 give Thus, 8.0 moles of NH3 would require 192.0g of O2 to react as per the reaction equation above. b) How many grams of N2 can be produced when 6.50 grams of O2 reacts? From the equation, 3 moles of oxygen are required to produce 2.0 moles of N2. The formular for determining number of moles in a substance (Halesowen College of Further Education, 2008) Therefore, 6.50g of O2 give Using the mole balance in the equation, 0.203 moles of O2 produce 0.135 moles of N2 corresponds to Therefore, 6.50 grams of O2 would produce 3.78 g of nitrogen gas. c) How many grams of water can be formed from the reaction of 34 g of NH3? From the equation, 4.0 moles of ammonia are needed to produce 6.0 moles of water. Using molecular mass of 17.0 g for NH3, the number of moles in 34 g of NH3 are; 2.0 moles of NH3 would produce 3.0 moles of water weigh Hence, 34.0 g of NH3 will form 42.0 g of water. 5. Using the Ideal Gas Law, solve the following problems: (use 0.08206 L atm mol¯1 K¯1 for the gas constant). The Ideal Gas Law formula is given as (Hutchinson, 2005) Where, P=pressure in the atmosphere, V=volume in liters, n=number of moles, R=gas constant (given), T=temperature in Kelvin. a) Determine the volume of occupied by 3.34 grams of carbon dioxide gas at STP. At STP, Pressure is 1 atm and the temperature is 273.15K. Number of moles in 3.4g carbon dioxide (Halesowen College of Further Education, 2008) The volume of carbon dioxide occupied by 0.077 moles b) A sample of argon gas at STP occupies 46.2 litres. Determine the number of moles of argon and the mass in the sample. he number of moles of Argon occupying 46.2 litres is determined. The molecular mass of argon gas is 40.0 g. The mass of the gas in 2.061 moles c) At what temperature will 0.654 moles of neon gas occupy 12.30 litres at 1.95 atmospheres? d) A 30.6 g sample of gas occupies 22.414 L at STP. What is the molecular weight of this gas? . At STP, 1 mole of substance occupies 22.414 L at 1 atm and 273.15K. As a result, the molecular mass of the sample gas is the given 30.6 g. 6. How many joules of heat are needed to raise the temperature of 10.0g of aluminium from 22°C to 55°C, if the specific heat of aluminium is 0.90J/g°C? The formula for the specific heat capacities is given by (De Leon, 2004) Where, Q=heat dissipated or absorbed by the substance M=mass of the substance, Cp=specific heat of the substance, ∆T=Temperature change on the substance The amount of heat needed is given by . 7. A pan 200mm diameter pan is placed on a stove to boil some water. The thickness of the bottom of the pan is 7.5mm and the inner surface temperature of the bottom of the pan is 150°C. Determine the outer surface temperature of the pan is the pan was a) aluminium and b) copper. Assume one-dimensional, steady state conduction through the bottom of the pan. A steady rate of heat transfer from the stove to boil water in the pan is given by (Incropera, Dewitt, Bergman and Lavine 2007, 126) Where, Q=Heat transferred into the pan A= the cross sectional area of heat transfer T1= the outer surface temperature of the pan T2=the inner surface temperature of the pan L=Thickness of the pan a) If the pan is made of aluminium The formula above, Therefore, b) If the pan is made of copper The computation steps and values remain the same as in part (a) except for the value of k that changes with the material of the pan. Figure 1: Pan set up Bibliography Babrauskas, V., 2006. Temperatures in flame and fires, [online]. Available at: [Accessed on 8 February 2015] De Leon, N., 2004. Specific heat and heat capacity, lecture notes, Physical Chemistry, Indiana University Northwest, [online]. Available at: [Accessed on 9 February 2015]. Halesowen College of Further Education, 2008. Mole calculations, [online]. Available at: [Accessed on 9 February 2015]. Hutchinson, S.J., 2005. The ideal gas law, [online]. Available at: ,http://cnx.org/contents/f78565b0-fa1a-4f38-b1f6-16024f9d5b66@2/The_Ideal_Gas_Law>[Accessed on 8 February 2015] Incropera, F.P., Dewitt, D.P., Bergman, T.L., and Lavine, A.S., 2007. Fundamental of heat and mass transfer. 6th ed. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service, 2013. Executive board, [online]. Available at: [Accessed on 10 February 2015] South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue, 2005. Fire and rescue services role maps, [online]. Available at: [Accessed on 7 February 2015] University of Calgary, 2010. Ignition sources. Available at: [Accessed 8 Feb 2015] Read More