The Definition of Fire

January 29, 2020

The destruction of property and loss of life due fire is common all around the world. Factors like faulty wiring cooking and heating equipment, appliances, tools, air conditioning as well as children playing etc can cause a fire. Examples of natural causes of fire are earthquake and lightening.

As a process, fire can take many forms, all of which involve a chemical reaction between combustible materials and oxygen from the air, and heat to meet our industrial and domestic needs but unchecked, can cause untold material damage and human suffering.

Such an approach requires a detailed understanding of fire behaviour from an engineering standpoint. The study of fire chemistry is as essential to the Fire Protection Engineer as the study of chemistry is to the Chemical Engineer.

Factors Required for Combustion

The flaming mode can be conceived of as a tetrahedral, in which each of the four sides is contiguous with the other sides and each sides represent one of the four basic requirements of combustion: fuel, temperature, oxygen and uninhibited combustion chain reactions.

Factors Affecting Flaming

As Shown on the Right side of the figure, the Surface combustion mode can be symbolized correctly in the form of traditional triangle; in which each of the three sides in contiguous with other two sides and each sides representing one of the three basic requirements – fuel, temperature, oxygen.

Thus by understanding how a fire is created, how it burns, and its specific chemical and physical properties, Fire Protection Engineers, and Fire Fighters are able to tackle and control fires more effectively.

This information has been obtained from the website of the Maharashtra Fire Services – www.mahafireservice.gov.in

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