Awareness Fire & Safety..

We all know how dangerous fire can be what isn't always obvious is how easily

a fire can start an overloaded extension cable poor housekeeping a discarded

cigarette combustible material too close to a building that can be set on fire

all of these can easily cause a devastating fire the fire service had ten thousands of fire incidents every year that could have been prevented by putting simple fire safety measures or procedures in place the best and safest way to deal with the fire is by

preventing it from happening in the first place there are a number of simple

things that everyone in your business can do to prevent the outbreak of fire

the first and probably most important of these is to understand what elements

need to be in place for a fire to exist.

This can be easily explained through the fire triangle the fire triangle is a simple model for understanding the ingredients necessary for all fires fire is a chemical reaction or series of reactions where heat is evolved and needs three things to be present so it

can happen the triangle illustrates the three elements needed heat fuel and oxygen a fire naturally occurs when all the elements are combined in the right mixture and fire can be prevented by making sure that these elements are unable to mix without sufficient heat there can be no ignition without fuel.

 

There's nothing to burn and without sufficient oxygen a fire cannot begin

knowing the mechanics and elements of fire is essential and eliminating the

risk of fire as well as knowing how to control and extinguish it heat oxygen and fuel a present and can be found all around us oxygen exists in the air that we breathe by simply adding to this source of heat and some fuel this completes the fire triangle and a fire or combustion can take place by putting some simple measures in place you can eliminate the risk of a fire starting and make a real difference or even save someone's life good housekeeping is an example of one simple measure that you can take on your

premises this goes for everyone in your workplace it's no use the cleaners making sure that there's no potential fuel around if the managing director or CEOs area of work is considered a fire hazard simply making sure bins are emptied regularly tidying your desk at the end of the day and keeping fire exits clear can all have a dramatic impact on reducing the risk of fire in your workplace it is the duty of the responsible person.

This can be the owner of the business occupier of the building or person and control of the premises to ensure that you are trained on your first day at work through an induction program that will include familiarization with your means of escape nearest an alternate escape routes and fire exits training must also be carried our regular intervals

thereafter electricity is one of the most common causes of fire this can be in the form of overloaded extension cables and sockets poorly maintained equipment or simply the wrong fuse remember prevention is always better than cure so get into a routine especially at night and check all your appliances regularly and have them repaired or replaced if they show any signs of wear or damage if you are unsure of the safety of any electrical items.

In your place of work get professional advice from a competent person despite your best efforts is not always possible to prevent a fire from starting and that's when you must know how to deal with an outbreak safely evacuation when you are confronted with an outbreak of fire your first responsibility is to raise the alarm this will immediately alert people in vicinity that there is a fire the alarm activation maybe via shouting fire fire fire a great glass core point or it may have already happened via an automatic fire detection system.

Procedure must be put into place so that at least one person will have the responsibility for calling the emergency services while the evacuation of your premises as underway the person chosen for this responsibility should be based on your premises full-time and should be given this role on a permanent basis so that everyone knows who it is and there is no confusion a deputy or deputies must also be chosen in case of illness or absence on hearing the alarm you should leave the building immediately using the nearest available exit if the fire is situated near an exit you must be aware of your alternative routes available stay calm and remain calm all times that is extremely important everyone involved in evacuation remains calm at all times so that all personnel could evacuate the premises safely and as quickly as possible use the stairs if necessary not the lift never use a lift in an emergency situation do not return to collect clothing or personal belongings until you are told to do so by a senior fire officer report immediately to the assembly point all staff should know where your assembly point is under no circumstances return until a clear instruction has been given by the fire officer in your place of work you must have a sufficient number of competent people known as fire wardens to perform evacuation duties as well as a competent person to ensure that the fire safety systems in your premises are fully functioning when the evacuation is

underway it may be the responsibility of the fire wardens if safe to do so to sweep down or allocated areas turning off equipment shutting doors and windows and making sure the people are leaving via the nearest exit when the building has been swept by the wardens a roll call take place at the assembly point.

 

This is for guidance only and you should always follow your own company's fire policy and fire evacuation plans tackling at fire if we look back at the fire triangle we will see that in order for a fire to burn it needs the right mixture or write a mountain quantity of the elements of the fire triangle for fire to be produced the right combination of fuel heat and oxygen is required producing fire is really quite easy however if you remove just one of the elements of the fire triangle or keep them separate then there would be no fire or it would easily be controlled and extinguished heat can be removed by the application of a substance which reduces the amount of heat and oxygen available to the fire reactions heat can be removed or reduced from the fire with a simple application of water to cool introducing sufficient quantities and types of powder or gas in the flame reduces the amount of heat available for the fire reaction.

In the same manner if you were to imagine a thatched roof on a cottage that was on fire then the only way to extinguish the fire in the thatch is to remove some of the fuel take half of the fuel away and allow the other half to burn itself out to a stop by removing the oxygen from a fire it cannot continue this is what happens during the use of a co2 fire extinguisher fire extinguishers are by far the most common method of tackling a fire but you must be able to recognize the correct fire extinguisher for the type of fire because using the wrong type of extinguisher can make a fire situation worse water filled fire extinguishers are solid signal red in color and are only suitable for class a Fire's these are fires involving organic solid materials such as wood cloth paper plastics cold etc do not use on burning fat or oil or on live electrical appliances to use a water extinguisher pull the safety tag to break the seal pull out the safety pin hold the handle.

The discharge tube test the extinguisher to check if it works then direct it at the base of the flames and keep it moving across the area of the fire until all the flames are out carbon dioxide or co2 carbon dioxide or co2 extinguishers a signal red with a black panel they are suitable for use on Class B fires and those involving electrical equipment to use a co2 extinguisher position the discharge horn as it will be too cold to do so when the extinguisher is being used pull the safety tag to break the seal pull out the safety pin hold the handle and the body of the extinguisher test the extinguisher to check if it works point your horn at the base of the flames and whilst discharging the extinguisher walk toward the flames in order to put them out when the flames are out walk back

away from the fire while still discharging the extinguisher foam foam extinguishers are painted signal red with a queen panel phone fire extinguishers are suitable for use on class a Fire's like paper and wood and Class B fires involving flammable liquids to use a foam extinguisher pull the safety tag to break the seal pull out the safety pin hold the handle and the discharge tube test the extinguisher to check if it works with a fire extinguisher you do not aim at the base of the fire you aim at the back edge of the fire and allow the phone to form a blanket over the fire powder dry powder extinguishers are

signal red in color with a blue panel these extinguishers are suitable for use on class a B and C fires and is also suitable for electrical fires making them a good all-round extinguisher to use a dry powder extinguisher pull the safety tag to break the seal pull out the safety pin hold the handle.

The discharge tube if there is one test the extinguisher to check if it works point the jet or discharge horn is a vase of the flames and with a rapid sweeping motion driver fire towards the far edge until all the flames are out hopefully you'll now have a good idea of the damage and devastation that fire can cause and the best ways to prevent it.

 

Thanks for reading.