Common Ways to Ensure Fire Safety - Term Paper Example

Fire Safety The history of Fire Safety spans a staggering period from the medieval ages till the present day. It is safe to say that the current legislatures provisioning the incidents of fire have been evolved through various measures taken over many centuries. It was, indeed, the 19th Century only, whence provisions came to be structured. Though large-scale experiments related to fire incidents where carried out in the mid 18th Century, it was the 19th Century that bestowed us with some origins of standard fire tests. Let's take a brief glimpse on a few ages from this time span. 12th Century This Century marked the first attempt at recording any legislature for fire safety. Though not much of the modern day provision, the legislature recorded that houses in the city were to be made of stone, and that, thatched roofs were no longer permitted. 13th Century With the death of around 3,000 people in a fire in London, alehouses started to be governed on their construction. It was decided that during the summer months, a tub of water would be given in case there is a fire. 14th Century The 14th Century saw a movement from the central hearths to outside walls. It was at the end of this century that chimneys were adopted. However, due to the hollowed nature chimneys, they made the disaster even worse. Chimneys were not present for more than a century. 15th Century It was the 15th Century that saw timber chimneys no longer permitted and the first Act of Parliament, relating to fire incidents. Penalties were also a part of this century as were the provisions made for fire prevention and fire fighting. 18th Century As discussed, the 18th Century saw some cornerstone establishments in terms of fire prevention. The Fires Preventions Act (Metropolis) Act was introduced in 1774. Classification was attributed with buildings, and the latter were classified in 7 classes. Another interesting provision was for London boroughs to appoint Surveyors. 19th Century It was the numerous fires between 18th and 19 Centuries that brought about certain attempts to curtail the number of fires. The Edinburgh Fire Engine Establishment was revealed in October 1824. It consisted of 80 part-time fire fighters with their Chief Officer, James Braidwood. Tragically, James passed away after a collapsing wall collapsed on him while he was fire fighting at a large warehouse. Various documents were also issued during the 19th Century. A few are mentioned below: Fire of Note - House of Parliament 1834 Fire of Note - Royal Exchange, London 1838 Metropolitan Building Act - 1844 Since it has been taken a rather informative look at the beginning of the Fire Safety syndrome, now let’s divert towards the modern day trends that cater to fire safety. 21st Century The 21st Century has seen numerous acts and provisions made for fire prevention. Various laws have been passed during this century, to prevent fire in buildings and houses. The Fire Services Act - 2003 Fire and Rescue Services Bill - 2004 Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order - 2005 The flipside, however, of all these attempts to prevent fire disasters is that fires have troubled mankind even during the 21st Century. Around 500 humans lost their precious lives during the year 2001 due to fire accidents [His09]. Fires have been with us in the recent years too. 153 people were killed in Russia in the year 2009. 350 inmates also lost their lives in a prison fire in Honduras in the year 2012 [His09]. The Basics of Fire Safety As it has been called the 'flipside' of the centuries that are discussed earlier, fire disasters still rank third in the causes of accidental deaths in the United States of America. Perhaps, it takes only a few steps towards prevention to prevent the ever-existing threat from fire accidents. What is notable here is to gain some knowledge of what fire disasters actually are, and how they take the presence within the premises of buildings and homes. The 3 basic components of fire are Fuel, Oxygen and Heat. Fire cannot be started without the existence of these three things together. Fuel Fire is hungry. It needs something to eat (consume). Hence, fuel can be a solid, liquid or gas. Oxygen Oxygen, obviously, is the most vital part of the equation. Without oxygen, there would be no flames. The phrase quenching' the fire, means depriving fire of oxygen. Heat A difficult one to grasp but yes, heat is a form of energy. Without that, fire would cease to exist. No energy for the flames to rise and the fire will die out. As it has been established, fire does not exist without the presence of these three components. To fight with fire, effectively, we need to identify the fuel for that fire. The fuel can range from solids to liquids to gasses. To enhance such process of detecting what has caused the fire, three certain classifications of fire are found. Though the US version and the Australian/Asian versions also exist, let’s refer to the European version for better understanding. Class A: Ordinary combustibles Class B: Flammable liquids Class C: Flammable gases Class F/D: Electrical equipment Class D: Combustible metals Class F : Cooking oil or fat The above classification has distributed fire into 6 categories. Now let’s explain and understand what these categories actually mean to be. Class A - Ordinary Combustibles The most common type of fire is the Class A fire. Ordinary combustibles mean anything solid such as cloth, paper, or some rubber. This fire can be commonly seen in camp fires. Class B - Flammable liquid The fuel in these fires is considered to be flammable liquid Class C - Flammable Gas The fuel in these fires is considered to be flammable gas. Class F/D - Electrical Equipment These fires mainly consist of energized electrical equipment. These fires are generally invoked by short circuiting machinery or overloaded electrical cables. Fire-fighters face trouble in dealing with these fires because there are high chances of electricity conducting. Class D - Combustible metals Fires caused by flammable metals are put in to category D. Some flammable metals are sodium, titanium, magnesium, and plutonium. Magnesium and Titanium fires are the most common ones in Class D. Class F - Cooking oil or fat Though these fires are technically a subset of Class B and Class C fires, they are given a separate identity under Class F. The fuel in these fires is primarily cooking oil or fats [Natnd1]. 3. The Basics of fighting fire Now let’s look at the basics of fighting all these classes of fire. Class A - The fire extinguisher used to fight this type of fire should be the ABC class fire extinguisher. If fire extinguisher is not available, pressured water can also be used to fight this fire. Class B & Class C - Fires in this class is smoother. Cutting the oxygen is the key to fighting these fires. However, the use of water can be quite dangerous in these fires. Class F/D - Fires that are caused by the electrical equipment are also smooth. Water should not be used to fight these kinds of fires as water is conductive. CO2 or dry chemical should be used. Class D - If one does not want a coating on the metal, CO2 and Halon fire extinguishers are the best choice. Most extinguishers can leave a permanent coating on the metal and spoil it or the wiring of such equipments after some time [Ezi12]. 4. Fire Prevention Though fighting the fire can teach us numerous ways to fight the fire, it is correctly said that prevention is better than cure. Therefore, it is better to prevent the fire from taking place and ensure safety before disaster strikes. The prevention of fire involves control over substances that can ignite fire. In organizations, a clean and systematically organized workplace is a key requirement to the prevention of fire. Hazards such as open flames, chemical agents and heat producing equipments can all be the causes to a fire accident. Special care should be taken to avoid such hazardous situations. A few methods to ensure safety are discussed as follows: Seal any combustible metals in a locked closet so it stays away from the hands of your innocent children. Do not put extra load on electrical circuits by overloading them with too many appliances. Blowing fuses are the signs of an electrical fault, and one should get his/her electrical system checked. Running extension cords under carpets may make the room look neat but it wears off the extension cord easily and might cause it to start a fire. Combustibles should be kept away from stoves and fireplaces. Electrical outlets and switches that are extraordinarily hot is a sign of incorrect wiring. This can cause a fire to start if the outlet burns from the heat. Always extinguish the fire in a wood stove before leaving the house. To prevent grease fires, keeping the stove clear of any flammable is a brilliant idea. Electrical appliances, such as hairdryers and laptop chargers, should be unplugged when they are not in use [Firnd]. If someone is located in a high-rise building, in case of fire, always look for the staircase and never the elevator [Firnd1]. How to react to a fire Since fighting a fire is an act of courage, it sets calmness as its prerequisite. Below are several suggestions on how one should react to a fire: If there is any warning from the smoke detectors, or if smoke is smelt, it is necessary to get out of that building immediately. Reentering a burning house is certainly not an option to consider. Water on electric fires has also been the cause of many deaths. Therefore, using water to put out or smother the flames is not an option. If clothes are on fire, one should use water to extinguish the fire or use a thick blanket to smother the flames. Always have an escape plan. When designing your escape plans, make sure that time is of the essence. It does not take even 30 seconds to ignite a few small flames in to a massive fireball that devours monumental buildings. If a fire has broken out, never attempt to save your belongings, except for the most notable ones. However, the primary motive should be to evacuate the building as soon as possible. The escape plan should be followed. The whole family should know the complete route for the escape plan and all members of the family should meet at the same place, decided beforehand, once they follow the escape plan. Emergency drills carried out in schools and universities today are of vital importance. The people residing in a building should be well aware of the building’s exits and structure. Fire Drills help in gearing up people for the best possible reaction times. These drills should also be carried out by households on a monthly basis so the whole family is well-trained to react in appropriate ways if a fire were to break out. Certain equipment can come in handy when dealing with fires. A flashlight and a smoke hood are the most useful things in case of a big fire. Due to smoke, the vicinity can get dark with vision blurred or unconditionally blackened out. The flashlight comes in handy in such situations [Bal11]. Having smoke detectors installed in the premises is a significant step towards fire prevention and fire safety. Batteries should be replaced regularly, and the detectors should be thoroughly checked every once a month. Lastly, inspect all potential sources of fire time and time again to keep a thorough check. Works Cited His09: , (History of Fire Safety), Natnd1: , (National Safety, Inc), Ezi12: , (EzineLife), Firnd: , (Fire Prevention Basics), Firnd1: , (Fire-Safety Tips), Bal11: , (Baldassarra), Read More