MasterClass Series -Fire Safety

Fire Safety by Ugochi Obidiegwu

Fire incidents could lead to injury, destruction of property, loss of life and investment. The incidents happen and escalate for various reasons such as: lack of knowledge, absence of emergency procedures, absence of firefighting equipment and absence of emergency exits.

It is therefore important to increase our knowledge on Fire safety

These are the elements of a fire triangle and they are important for a fire to start

1) Fuel: In this context this means anything that can burn e.g. clothes, shoes, bags, wood etc.

2) Oxygen

3) Heat (sufficient high temperature)

Based on this, a fire can occur anywhere and at any time. However it is important to mention the fourth element, without which a fire would not occur despite the presence of the other elements.

4) Chemical Reaction

So if for example fuel and heat is present but oxygen isn’t in sufficient quantity, the fire won’t start. There will be no chemical reaction. All elements therefore have to be in sufficient quantity to trigger the chemical reaction.

There are different classes of fire and they occur anywhere and anytime. Some classes of fire would only occur in some environments and not in others.

Class A: this refers to fire from ordinary materials that can produce ash like paper, wood, textile, bags. It can be extinguished by using water, non-flammable liquids and appropriate fire extinguishers.

Class B: this refers to fire resulting from flammable liquids and gases such as gasoline, grease, propane. Do not use water for this class as it would only spread the fire. Appropriate extinguishers are useful for this class of fire.

Class C: this is fire from live electrical sources. It could be as a result of an overloaded socket, power surge, faulty wiring etc. Do not use water to avoid electrocution. If possible, cut off the power supply first before attempting to fight the fire. Once power is cut off, this fire can be put off in the same way a class A fire would put off. Appropriate extinguisher is also useful here.

Class D: this is fire from combustible metals like magnesium, titanium. Appropriate extinguishers can put out this class of fire.

I keep stressing appropriate extinguishers because there are different extinguishers that are suitable for different situations. It is important to discuss with a professional when choosing extinguishers because some extinguishers may not be effective for the likely hazard in your environment.

The best way to fight a fire is to prevent it from starting. However, if a fire starts, you need to remove one of the legs of the triangle to stop it

There are 3 major ways to extinguish a fire:

Cooling: this is the removal of heat by reducing the temperature of the burning substance. Water, non-flammable fluids and water fire extinguishers help in this regard.

Smothering: this is the removal of oxygen by reducing the oxygen content of air in that vicinity. This could be achieved with blankets, coats, curtains, covering a container with a lid (waste bin with a cover) or specific fire extinguishers.

Starving: this is the removal of fuel. It could either be by removing the fire from the vicinity of combustible materials or removing fuel from the vicinity of the fire.

The major firefighting equipment are:

• Detectors and alarms
• Fire blanket
• Fire extinguishers (Dry Chemical Powder, CO2, Foam, Halon, Water Glycol)
• Sprinkler System
• Hose reels

An average home kitchen would be fine with a fire blanket or a fire extinguisher but say the kitchen at Eko hotel and suites might be safer with a sprinkler system. Some offices have fire extinguishers but some malls have that in addition to a sprinkler system.

This is the reason risk assessment is necessary because that will determine the likely risks you’d face and its impact and then lead to choosing effective control measures.

I’ve met people who have complained about not knowing how to use a fire extinguisher. Using a fire extinguisher is quite straightforward

Follow the PASS principle

• Pull the pin
• Aim at the base of the fire
• Squeeze the handle
• Sweep from side to side

1. The pin is what locks the extinguisher so it doesn’t dispense by error
2. Aim at the base is important in putting out a fire. If the aim is in the middle it is ineffective and just wastes your extinguisher
3. Squeezing the lever just aids your action of trying to dispense
4. The sweeping motion helps the effectiveness of the spray. Don’t just focus on one side.
5. Quick sharp bursts applies pressure that is useful to put out the fire
6. Please endeavour to hold the bottle upright always

It’s always to best prevent the fire from starting. I’m sure we know some tips already so I’d just add:

1. Always turn off electrical appliances when not in use
2. Ensure your home has detection and evacuation systems (procedures and training) and encourage your workplace or implement it in your business. Just because you never know
3. Report faulty equipment if it’s beyond your jurisdiction but if it is within, do something about it
4. Ensure that only a competent personnel wearing appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) is allowed to repair faulty equipment
5. Turn off gas cylinders when not in use
6. Keep flammable materials properly labeled and away from others
7. Always follow laid down procedures when working with flammable materials

Contributions:

1. Let me add something I read about fire this week. Usually more people involved in fire accident die from the smoke than the fire. To reduce the chances of being choked by smoke, crawl through it rather than walk. Smoke is lighter than air so you have less smoke on the floor than in the air.
2. Ugochi — Go down low or bend down low. This increases your visibility, reduces inhalation of toxic fumes.
3. When panic starts, one won’t even remember PASS or fail. it’s so pathetic what havoc fire incidents have caused. Some years back, a retired female Major in the Nigerian Army died in her house with her daughter. The fire service team came on time but she had so many burglary proofs virtually EVERYWHERE around her apartment. So getting into d house to even rescue her was an impossible task. Asides the generator that went up in flames, she had two 25ltrs jerry cans filled with fuel, so it leaked to the parlour, slipped to d kitchen and then everywhere else. So AC was blowing off, gas cooker exploding, and the refrigerator’s compressor too doing its own. We sadly watched the retired Major scream till her last breath. Too bad. We can also help in having exit points both at homes and offices.
4. Ugochi — I agree that panic could cause all sorts but that is why training and practice is important. I happen to be a cabin crew of an airline as a full time job. There was a day we had an emergency on-board and my colleague and I went into auto pilot in carrying out functions. It wasn’t until we sat down I realized that all our training and refresher courses had kicked in. This is why training can never be over emphasized. On burglary, unfortunately the country is unsafe that we seal off our houses too much. This is why it is important to plan. Like i told the kids at the remand home we visited today, it is always important to have a plan. If I know I’d put burglary proof on my Windows then I need to plan to have alternative exits in the event of an emergency. Proper planning is important so that generators are not in wrong locations too. Most homes and offices are just planned without consideration for Safety. Big error because the day something will happen, hmmm….We need to become more safety conscious in everyday living, it would go a long way.

About Ugochi Obidiegwu

Ugochi Obidiegwu shows you how to make your everyday personal and business life much safer. She is passionate about improving safety awareness because she believes an enlightened society is a safer place for all.

Twitter&Instagram: @TheSafetyChic
Facebook page: The Safety Chic
Website: www.thesafetychic.com

Originally published at rlcfellowsnigeria.wordpress.com on February 19, 2017.