Mastering Fire Safety: Your Ultimate Guide to Three Life-Saving Fire Extinguishing Methods.
Your knowledge of fire extinguishing methods will guide you to fight a fire effectively when it occurs. Typically, fire outbreaks cause damage and harm to properties, assets, equipment and people, and that’s why your knowledge of the extinguishing method is needed when fighting a fire.
So here, the three fire extinguisher methods we have are the following;
Three fire extinguishing methods.
- Cooling.
- Starvation.
- Smothering.
The fire extinguishing method removes a particular element in the fire triangle. Usually, the three fire elements combine in the right proportion for a fire to start. The fire dies down when you remove any elements in the fire triangle. So, knowing the fire triangle also assists in fire fighting and prevention strategies.
However, various extinguishing agents utilize fire-extinguishing methods in their operation. The agents are the contents in the fire extinguisher cylinders. Let’s take a look at those fire-extinguishing agents.
Fire extinguishing agents
1. Water
Water is used in some of the fire extinguisher types in the market today. It cools the burning materials and removes the heat component of the Fire. It is most effective for fires involving furniture, fabrics and so on. Water-based extinguishing agents are not suited for electrical fires or flammable liquid fires.
2. Dry chemical.
Dry chemical is vital in stopping a chemical reaction involving heat, fuel and oxygen components. It separates the components and makes the burning fire die down. It is a powder-based substance that reacts with the free radicals released during the firing process.
3. Foam.
Foam is an agent that you can apply in aspirated or non-aspirated form. It provides a seal over the fuel component of the fire triangle and starves the fuel of oxygen for the combustion process. The foam agent extinguishes the burning fire effectively.
4. Wet chemical and water additives
The wet chemical can be potassium acetate, potassium carbonate or potassium citrate. It extinguishes the Fire by starving it of air and cooling the heat. In addition, you can use the chemical in fighting cooking oil fires; the base reacts with the oil to form a soap, and the water content cools the oil below its ignition temperature.
5. Halons, halon replacement clean agents and carbon dioxide
This agent either decreases the oxygen component of the fire, removes the heat component, or inhibits the fire chemical reaction. They are clean agents because they do not leave any residue in the environment after using them. For this reason, the agent is ideal for use in places with sensitive electronics, museums, and valuable documents.
The three fire extinguishing methods.
1. Cooling.
This process takes off the heat component of the fire triangle and makes the fire quench due to the removal of the heat. Most times, the heat takes the position of the ignition source, as seen in sparks or naked flames. The cooling process renders the heat component ineffective and makes the fire stop.
Water is the most effective agent used in cooling because it creates a negative heat balance. During a cooling process, the water cools the burning fire until it possesses insufficient vapour to ignite.
It is widely used as an extinguishing agent because it has a high thermal capacity and is available in large quantities.
2. Starvation.
Starvation deprives the fire of the fuel component and robs it of fuel. This makes the fire not see any fuel to support the combustion process. We have solid, liquid or gaseous fuels such as paper, gasoline, plastic, methane, and chairs. The fire gradually stops on its own when you deprive it of fuel. Starvation involves taking away possible fuel sources from the combustion. The possible activities of starvation may include:
- Stopping the flow of the fuel from getting to the burning process.
- Removal of solid fuel from the path where the fire is burning.
- Letting the Fire burn out all the fuel that is available for it.
In addition, starvation may require you to engage in any of the following during a real fire emergency.
- Removal of fuel from a burning oil tank.
- Removing vehicles in areas where fire is burning.
- Back burning of forest fires.
3. Smothering.
Smothering takes care of the oxygen and cuts off its supply. The fire dies down when the oxygen supply ends. For instance, smothering can happen by covering the fire with a wet blanket or the extinguishing agent serving as a layer of protection to prevent oxygen from being supplied to the burning fire.
In summary, pay serious attention to those three fire extinguishing methods listed above because their knowledge will guide you on the methods to deploy for your desired result during an emergency.
Read also:
- Nebosh Online Conference 2023
- What causes black mould in the bathroom and how to prevent it
- The Key 5 Questions to ask during an incident investigation
- Safety concerns for artistes working in the entertainment industry
- How to calculate man hours in (hse) safety
- Manual call points: what does it do?
About The Author
I find it surprising that fire extinguishers make it easier to handle fire-related incidents before they worsen. I can see how this could help individuals who live in wildfire-prone areas. I will consider the idea of finding stores that sell fire extinguishers if I need them someday.