FIRE

TECHNOLOGY
Remedios F. Uy, R.Crim, J.D.
 DEFINITION OF TERMS

F IRE
CH EMICAL REACT ION
• It is the product of chemical reaction in
which combustible materials burn at • A process that leads to the chemical
sufficient temperature and sustained by transformation of one set of substances to
oxidizing chemicals. another.
• A product of combustion or burning. • An active chemical reaction that takes
place among fuel, heat and oxygen in the
form of light of noticeable heat.

2
 DEFINITION OF TERMS

T ECH NOLOGY
F IRE T ECHNOLOGY
• The branch of knowledge that deals
with industrial arts and science. • It deals with the science and study of the
chemistry of fire and mechanics of
• The application of such knowledge that is combustion to include the principles and fundamentals
used to produce the material of fire protection.
necessary to society.

3
 THE CHEMISTRY OF FIRE

4
 ELEMENTS OF FIRE
Fire requires:
1. Heat
2. Fuel
3. Oxygen

 If just one of these components is

removed, the fire triangle will collapse and
the fire will be extinguished.

5
1. HEAT

• A source of heat is required in order for

ignition to occur, and different materials
have different “flash points” e.g. the lowest
temperature at which they ignite.

• Unfortunately, combustion reactions also

produce heat as they burn, further increasing
the temperature of the fuel. For some types of
fire, the heat can be cooled with the
application of water.

6
2. FUEL

• A fire cannot begin if there is no material to

burn. Homes and businesses are full of
flammable materials such as paper, oil, word
and fabrics. Any of these can serve as a fuel
of a fire.

• Some materials burn more easily than others.

Fuels are probably the most difficult “side” of
the fire triangle to remove, so it’s wise to
store them appropriately to prevent them
becoming a fire hazard.

7
3. OXYGEN

• To sustain combustion reaction, oxygen (or an

oxidizing agent) is needed as it reacts with the
burning fuel to release heat and CO2. Earth’s
atmosphere consists of 21% oxygen, so there
is plenty available to trigger a fire of the other
two components that are present.

• Fire blankets and certain fire extinguishers

remove the oxygen “side” of the triangle by
eliminating or displacing it, causing
suffocation and thereby causing combustion
reaction.

8
Fire Tetrahedron - is a slightly more complex
model to describe the components needed to ignite
and sustain in a fire. It is a four-sided geometric
representation of the four factors necessary for
fire.

9 PRESENTATIONTITLE 20XX
 TYPES OF FIRE
Fires are classified by the type of
fuel they burn.

The five types are

• Type A
• Type B
• Type C
• Type D
• Type K

10
 CLASS A FIRES (ORDINARY
COMBUSTIBLES)

FU EL SOU
H OW T O EXT INGUISH
RCE
Water or mono-ammonium phosphate
• Wood
• Paper
• Plastic
• Fabric
• Trash

11
 CLASS B FIRES (FLAMMABLE LIQUIDS/GAS)

FU EL SOU RCE
H OW T O EXT INGUISH
Liquid-based Source:
Smother or remove oxygen
• Petroleum-based oils and paints,
kerosene, and gasoline

Gas-based Source
• Butane or propane

12
 CLASS C FIRES (ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS)

FU EL SOU
H OW T O EXT INGUISH
RCE
Cut the power off and use non-conductive chemicals
• Motors
• Appliances
• Electronic transformers

13
 CLASS D FIRES (COMBUSTIBLE METALS)

FU EL SOU
H OW T O EXT INGUISH
RCE
Dry powder agent
• Titanium
DO NOT USE WATER
• Magnesium
• Aluminum
• Potassium

14
 CLASS K FIRES (COOKING)

FU EL SOU
H OW T O EXT INGUISH
RCE
Wet chemical fire extinguishers
• Grease
• Cooking oil
• Vegetable and animal fat

15
 BEFORE USING A FIRE EXTINGUISHER
LOOK FOR ONE OF THE FOLLOWING
LETTER SYMBOL:
PICTURE SYMBOL:
SYMBOLS
FOR USE ON:
THESE SYMBOLS
INDICATE WHAT TYPES OF FIRES AN EXTINGUISHER IS MEANT T‹u
ORDINARY COMBUSTIBLES
BE USED ON suci-l as YRAsi-I, PAPER,
WOOD AND TEXTILES
FLAMMABLE LIQUIDS

ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT

COMBUSTIBLE METAL

COMBUSTIBLE COOKING MEDIA

PROPERTIES
OF FIRE

Remedios F. Uy, RCrim, JD

 PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
Boiling Point, Ignition Point, Flash Point, Fire Point
1. BOILING POINT

Constant temperature to which the vapor pressure of liquid is equal to the atmospheric pressure
Vapor – diffused matter (such as smoke or fog)
2. IGNITION POINT (KINDLING POINT)

It is the temperature that must be reached by a

matter in order to start a fire.
3. FLASH POINT

The minimum temperature that must be reached by a liquid in order to release vapors that support
combustion.
4. FIRE POINT

The temperature at which the liquid will release enough amounts of vapors for combustion.
 RATIONALE

To burn a fuel (combustible matter), its temperature must be raised until ignition point is reached.
Thus, before a fuel starts to burn or before it can be ignited, it has to be exposed to a
certain degree of temperature of certain substance that is very high.
 CHEMICAL PROCESSES
INVOLVED
IN A FIRE
Endothermic Reactions, Exothermic Reactions, Oxidation, Pyrolysis
1. ENDOTHERMIC REACTIONS

Changes whereby energy (heat) is absorbed or is added before the reaction takes place.
2. EXOTHERMIC REACTIONS

Those that release or give off energy (fuel) thus, they produce sbstance with less energy than the
reactants.
3. OXIDATION

A chemical change that is exothermic, a change in which a combustible material (fuel) and an
oxidizing agent (air) react.
4. PYROLYSIS

It is the chemical decomposition of matter in reaction to heat.

 HEAT TRANSFER
Conduction, Convection, Radiation
1. CONDUCTION

• It is the transfer of heat by

molecular activity within a
material or a medium (usually a
solid).
2. CONVECTION

• It is the transfer of heat through a

circulating medium, usually air
or liquid.
• Chiefly responsible for the
spread of fire in structures.
3. RADIATION

• Radiated heat moves in waves

and rays much like the sunlight.
 FIRE BEHAVIOR
Backdraft, Flashover
 2. FLASHOVER

• It is a sudden ignition of accumulated

radical gases produced when there is
incomplete combustion when there is
incomplete combustion of fuels. It is the
sudden burning of free radicals, which is
initiated by a spark or flash produced when
temperature rises until flash point is
reached.
 1. BACKDRAFT

• It is a sudden and rapid (violent) burning heated

gases in a confined area that occurs in the form of
explosion.
• This may occur because of improper
ventilation.
17 PRESENTATIONTITLE 20XX