CAUSES OF FIRE ACCIDENTS AND PREVENTION USAGE OF FIRE FIGHTING EQUIPMENT / EXTINGUISHER

                    Previous incidents show that most fire accidents take place due to three major reasons: electrical short circuit and gas cylinder / stove bursts, human negligence, and ill-formed habits.

Present status of fire accidents in India:

v  Every year, in India, about 25,000 persons die due to fires and related causes.

v  Female accounts for about 66% of those killed in fire accidents.

v  However, no comprehensive data is available in India on the economic losses suffered on account of fires.

v  According to one estimate, the major losses reported by the Indian Insurance Companies in the year 2007-2008 indicate that about 45% of the claims are due to fire losses.

v  Fire losses are reported both in industrial and non-industrial premises like hospitals, commercial complexes, educational institutions, assembly halls, hotels, residential buildings, etc…

v  According to Fire Risk Survey (FRS) 2013, carried out by Federation of Indian Chambers and Industry in India, fire accounted for 8.45% of the overall ranking of risks.

v  According to National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) figures 17,700 Indians died and 48 people every day due to fire accidents in 2015.

v  Maharashtra and Gujarat, the two most highly urbanised states, account for about 30% of the country’s fire accident deaths.

v  According to India Risk Surveys 2018, outbreak of fire poses risks to business continuity and operations and ranks India at 3rd position in fire incidents, especially in Northern and Western regions of India.

v  According to the Accidental Deaths and Suicides in India report of 2015, residential buildings are most prone to fire outbreaks.

Major laws in India governing Fire Safety and Governance:

National Building Code (NBC):

The National Building Code is published by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS).  It is the basic model code in India on matters relating to building construction and fire safety.  The first edition of NBC was published in 1970.

The second edition of NBC was published in 2005 and the recent edition of the NBC was published in 2016 which is the third one. As fire prevention and fire protection is a state subject, rules for fire prevention and fire protection are laid in the form of State Regulations or Municipal By-Laws.

The NBC classify the buildings into the following 9 groups:

Ø  Residential

Ø  Educational

Ø  Institutional

Ø  Assembly

Ø  Business

Ø  Mercantile

Ø  Industrial

Ø  Storage

Ø  Hazardous

The code broadly covers the following areas:

Fire prevention: This covers aspects of fire prevention pertaining to the design and construction of buildings. It also describes the various types of buildings materials and their fire rating.

I.                    Life Safety: This covers life safety provisions in the event of fire and similar emergencies, also addressing construction and occupancy features that are necessary to minimise danger to life from fire, smoke, fumes, or panic.

II.                 Fire Protection: Covers significant accessories and their related components and guidelines for selecting the correct type of equipment and installations meant for fire protection depending upon the classifications and type of building.

The guidelines for fire drills and evacuations for high-rise buildings are also specified. It mandates the appointment of a qualified fire officer and trained staff for significant land uses.

Fire Safety

Mostly every where we are seeing fire fighting equipment’s…… but how many of us knows the usage of that equipment’s?

Above all are firefighting equipment’s, in this page we are going to discuss about fire extinguishers

 

Contents:

1.      What is fire?

2.      How can we eliminate the fire?

3.      How many types of fires?

4.      What is fire extinguisher

5.      How many types of fire extinguishers?

6.      How can we choose the right extinguisher for right place?

7.      Fire Extinguisher use

8.      Maintenance of fire extinguishers?

9.      Fire escape or evacuation plan

10. Emergency Escape and Fire Fighting Checklist

1. What is fire?

Fire is the product from a chemical reaction between oxygen in the atmosphere and some sort of fuel. Oxygen, fuel and heat are needed for fire to occur. This is known as the fire triangle. Combustion is when fuel reacts with oxygen to release heat energy.

it's a tetrahedron, because there are four elements that must be present for a fire to exist. There must be oxygen to sustain combustion, heat to raise the material to its ignition temperature, fuel to support the combustion and a chemical reaction between the other three elements.

 

2.   How can we eliminate the fire?

Remove any one of the four elements i.e (Oxygen, Fuel, heat and Chemical reaction) to extinguish the fire. The concept of Fire Protection is based upon keeping these four elements separate.

 

3.  How many types of fires?

Hear all fires are not same. Different fuels create different fires Based on the fuel fires are classified into several types and require different   types of fire extinguishing agents.

 

I.     Class A

Class A fires are fires in ordinary combustibles such as wood, paper, cloth, trash, and plastics.

I.     Class B

Class B fires are fires in flammable liquids such as gasoline, petroleum oil and paint. Class B fires also include flammable gases such as propane and butane. Class B fires do not include fires involving cooking oils and grease.

I.     Class C

Class C fires are fires involving energized electrical equipment such as motors, transformers, and appliances. Remove the power and the Class C fire becomes one of the other classes of fire.

I.     Class D

Class D fires are fires in combustible metals such as potassium, sodium, aluminium, and magnesium.

I.     Class K

                 Class K fires are fires in cooking oils and greases such as animals’ fats and                                 vegetable fats.

                Some types of fire extinguishing agents can be used on more than one class of fire. Others have warnings where it would be dangerous for the operator to use a  particular fire extinguishing agent.

4. What is fire extinguisher explain?

                Fire extinguisher, portable or movable apparatus used to put out a small fire by directing onto it a substance that cools the burning material, deprives the flame of oxygen, or interferes with the chemical reactions occurring in the flame.

4,5. Fire Extinguisher types

5.  How many types of fire extinguishers?

The six main fire extinguisher types are water, foam, CO2, powder, water mist and wet      chemical. Each of the different types of fire extinguisher is suitable for different fire classes.

 

I.     Water and Foam:

Water and Foam fire extinguishers extinguish the fire by taking away the heat element of the fire triangle. Foam agents also separate the oxygen element from the other elements.

Water extinguishers are for Class A fires only - they should not be used on Class B or C fires. The discharge stream could spread the flammable liquid in a Class B fire or could create a shock hazard on a Class C fire.

II.     Carbon Dioxide:     Carbon Dioxide fire extinguishers extinguish fire by taking away the oxygen element of the fire triangle and also be removing the heat with a very cold discharge. Carbon dioxide can be used on Class B & C fires. They are usually ineffective on Class A fires.

III.   Dry Chemical:     Dry Chemical fire extinguishers extinguish the fire primarily by interrupting the chemical reaction of the fire triangle. Today's most widely used type of fire extinguisher is the multipurpose dry chemical that is effective on Class A, B, and C fires. This agent also works by creating a barrier between the oxygen element and the fuel element on Class A fires. Ordinary dry chemical is for Class B & C fires only. It is important to use the correct extinguisher for the type of fuel! Using the incorrect agent can allow the fire to re-ignite after apparently being extinguished successfully.

IV.  Wet Chemical: Wet Chemical is a new agent that extinguishes the fire by removing the heat of the fire triangle and prevents re-ignition by creating a barrier between the oxygen and fuel elements. Wet chemical of Class K extinguishers were developed for modern, high efficiency deep fat fryers in commercial cooking operations. Some may also be used on Class A fires in commercial kitchens.

Clean Agent: Halogenated or Clean Agent extinguishers include the halon agents as well as the newer and less ozone depleting halocarbon agents. They extinguish the fire by interrupting the chemical reaction of the fire triangle. Clean agent extinguishers are primarily for Class B & C fires. Some larger clean agent extinguishers can be used on Class A, B, and C fires.

V.    Dry Powder: Dry Powder extinguishers are similar to dry chemical except that they extinguish the fire by separating the fuel from the oxygen element or by removing the heat element of the fire triangle. However, dry powder extinguishers are for Class D or combustible metal fires, only. They are ineffective on all other classes of fires.

VI.  Water Mist: Water Mist extinguishers are a recent development that extinguishes the fire by taking away the heat element of the fire triangle. They are an alternative to the clean agent extinguishers where contamination is a concern. Water mist extinguishers are primarily for Class A fires, although they are safe for use on Class C fires as well.   6. How can we choose the right extinguisher for right place? It is important to know the locations and the types of extinguishers in your workplace prior to actually using one. Ø  Take time to read the operating instructions and warnings found on the fire extinguisher label. Not all fire extinguishers look alike. Ø  Practice releasing the discharge hose or horn and aiming it at the base of an imagined fire. Ø  Do not pull the pin or squeeze the lever. This will break the extinguisher seal and cause it to lose pressure. Based on the above instructions like specification wrote on the extinguisher we choose correct one 7. Fire Extinguisher use

When it is time to use the extinguisher on a fire, just remember PASS!

Ø  Pull the pin.

Ø  Aim the nozzle or hose at the base of the fire from the recommended safe distance.

Ø  Squeeze the operating lever to discharge the fire extinguishing agent.

Ø  Starting at the recommended distance, Sweep the nozzle or hose from side to side until the fire is out. Move forward or around the fire area as the fire diminishes. Watch the area in case of re-ignition.

 

 

8.  Maintenance of fire extinguishers?

Like any mechanical device, fire extinguishers must be maintained on a regular basis to ensure their proper operation. You, the owner, or occupant of the property where the fire extinguishers are located, are responsible for arranging your fire extinguishers' maintenance. Fire extinguishers must be inspected or given a "quick check" every 30 days. For most extinguishers, this is a job that you can easily do by locating the extinguishers in your workplace and answering the three questions below.

Ø Is the extinguisher in the correct location?

Ø Is it visible and accessible?

Ø Does the gauge or pressure indicator show the correct pressure?

9. Fire escape or evacuation plan

10. Emergency Escape and Fire Fighting Check list

a.      Are the extinguishers suitable for the purpose and of sufficient capacity?

b.      Are there sufficient extinguishers sited throughout the workplace?

c.       Are the right types of extinguishers located close to the fire hazards and can users gain access to them without exposing themselves to risk?

d.      Are signboards or a safety color (or both) used to mark permanently the location and identification of fire-fighting equipment?

e.      Have the people likely to use the fire extinguishers been given adequate instruction and training?

f.        Is the use of fire-fighting equipment included in the emergency plan?

g.      Are all fire doors and escape routes and associated lighting and signs regularly checked?

h.      Is all fire-fighting equipment regularly checked?

i.        Is all other equipment provided to help means of escape arrangements in the building regularly checked?

j.        Are there instructions for relevant employees about testing of equipment?

k.       Are those who test and maintain the equipment properly trained to do so?