Concepts of Fire Outbreaks, and How Best to Prevent It Prior - Term Paper Example

Fire Protection Customer Tutor’s Name Customer’s Name Customer’s Grade Course 11th September 2010 Table of content Page Title page 1 Table of content 2 Abstract 3 Introduction 4 Fire Prevention Concepts 4 Fire Detection and Suppression Systems 5 Emergency Warning Communications Systems 7 Lift Control and Usage in Fire Situations 8 Building Evacuation Systems 10 Emergency Planning 11 Conclusion 12 References 13 Abstract This paper analyses key concepts of fire outbreaks, and how best to prevent it prior, and during the fire. Fire outbreaks are viewed as some of the worst catastrophes which can have adverse and costly effect to the general economy of a state or for a person. It is studied that the USA has undergone a huge financial loss in the last 30 years amounting to more than 4 billion in US dollars out of fire outbreaks. There are various measures which ought to be designed in combating and prevention of fire outbreaks in any of the combustible areas. Introduction The coming of fire in the world can be viewed as both of value to the humans and destructive of life. The early history of fire resulted from lightning, and since then, humans have ever depended on fire for their living. The early humans had no clue of how to start and use fires and so, there were no such things as fire destruction or becoming havoc to the human living (Cote 2004). Primarily, the fire was to keep people warm and for cooking food. But today, fire has evolved to be used in other forms like making bomb, welding among other productive means. Cote (2004) writes that ever since the fire was discovered by human beings, it has become both of value and a real catastrophe. Fire has been part of revolution since earth was created, and the history of fire has made it possible for many parts of the world to become civilized. However, destructive forms of fire have made it impossible for the humans to make their world as fast as they could like. For example, one could have built up an industry for his or her own development, or that of the society, and then fire comes to bring everything down for another start of life. One example of the destructive form of fire is what is known as the “Great London fire of 1666” where the city was destroyed in just 5 days by fire (Cote, 2004). However, only six people died from the inferno and it remains a mystery that such a great fire could only make to kill six. The fire was said to have been started by some domestic carelessness by a house maid in one of the houses in London and the result of it still remains in history books. Fire Prevention Concepts According to International Association of Fire (2008), fire prevention can be conceptualised as an important value for fire fighting and the responsibility of a fire fighter. It consists of four major categories namely: enactment of the fire codes, safety education on public fire, inspection and enforcement of fire codes, and fire cause determination. The common safety in regard to fire consists of the focus on stopping it, the role procedures, the exit drills in the home, installation of fire and smoke alarms, maintenance of smoke alarms and conduct of oneself in times of fire outbreak. According to International Association of Fire (2008), it is studied that simple fire prevention education can help minimise the many injuries and deaths resulting from fire outbreaks. According to Franklin (2009), fire is rated as the greatest enemy to development in the United States and American at large. Therefore, most people feel that fire prevention should be put as the first priority to prevent the many problems which emanate from poor planning and lack of fire prevention strategies in the United States. The problem of fire is a basic one and so strategies should be drawn which are effective to prevent further loses. Franklin (2009) writes that for the past 30 years, more than 4,484,326,831 US dollars have been consumed by fire alone and many lives lost in the process. Fire Detection and Suppression Systems Some of the fire protection and the suppression systems include the fire alarms and water fire fighting equipment. According to Cote (2003), the fire alarm systems are basically used for the protection of life where the moment fire is detected, any close person should press the alarm gadget to alert everyone of the outbreak. There are also the fire protection engineering and the fire codes which make it possible for the detection of fire and they form part of the fire alarm systems. There is a great significance of the detection and the suppression of the electronic equipment fires in the general fire fighting. These equipments can be able to detect fire especially the ones which are caused by electric faults in a building. According to Zalosh (2003), these equipments are capable of detecting at the slightest. The need for the automatic detection and the suppression systems are mainly used in areas which are containing large quantities of the electrical equipment and the cables. Some of the suppression equipments and methods are like the halon suppression and the automatic sprinkler methods. Duranceau (1998) noted that, there are direct benefits of the automatic suppression systems in the prevention of fire outbreaks. Some of them are that they are capable of preventing losses if the methods are used effectively. In fact, the use of automatic suppression methods like the halon and sprinkler methods have been studied to have positive statistics about prevention of losses in fire outbreaks. In today’s world, there are many types of the automatic fire suppression systems which are available for use during fire outbreaks. According to Curtis (2007), the widely mentioned systems include sprinklers, water- mists, halon, carbon dioxide and the clean agents. The automatic sprinkler systems uses water as the main weapon for fighting fire, but this water is emitted with high force and directed at the base such that the spread of fire is minimised and totally controlled. There are some advantages and disadvantages of using the automatic sprinkler methods and some of the advantages are that they are most effective for life safety, inexpensive and low tech lifecycle. The advantages are like that they may not actually extinguish a fire in critical environments, can have collateral damage to a building and there is extensive clean up required afterwards. The water mists methods atomize water so as to form fine mists that become airborne such as gas. This mist extinguishes fires by the use of four major mechanisms. Curtis (2007) outlines these mechanisms as cooling, oxygen deprivation, and heat absorption and vapour suppression. The water emitted is proportional to the surface area where fire had started. The effectiveness of this form of fire suppression is said to be a number of times better than the sprinkler methods. The water mist methods are said to be effective on the following: little or no collateral damage, no runoff, inexpensive recharge costs, safe for human exposure, will not shock or damage a hot diesel engine, and fast suppression of fuels and solids fires (Curtis, 2007). Emergency Warning Communications Systems In fire prevention and safety for human beings, communication systems are most critical to mitigating the effects which can result from fire outbreak. Stellman (1998) writes that the elapsed time between when fire started and when it is detected is crucial as that time can determine whether the fire would rapidly spread or it would be controlled in good time. The most crucial of all is communication systems installed for alerting people in the building and the fire fighting crew. It is paramount that as soon as fire is detected, fire alarms should be pressed to alert everyone, and then call numbers to alert fire brigades. For future prevention of fire outbreaks and spreading, there should be designed methods of tackling issues regarding this in the building and regular training for the staff on how to communicate and escape. In fire prevention, communication design and systems become important so that fire fighting is prompt and kept within minimal effects from the time of spread. According to Braidwood (2009), any particular instance which can occur as fire outbreak, this news should be reported immediately, and the advantages resulting from this are that fire fighting would be all grounded from the staff in the building and outsiders. Communication does not only comprise reporting during the incidence but also there should be regular practices on how to do this. Myers (1996) notes that emergency warning and the evacuation systems are regarded as most important in the mitigation of effects which come by with a fire outbreak. When a disaster such as fire is noted, the most important thing is to alert whoever is around by pressing the alarm button so that there could be self evacuation, and those people who will be stuck would be evacuated as prompt as possible. When there are emergency warnings, it becomes possible for spread of fire and prevention of injuries and fatalities and more emphasis ought to be placed on the required notification and evacuation methodologies (Homes, 1990). According Homes (1990), in case there are toxic chemicals being emitted due to combustion of explosives; for example in companies, everyone should be instructed to cover their noses and mouths so as to prevent inhaling as they are running away from the building. There should be also some public warning systems which direct people on how to behave in case there is a fire outbreak near them like calling relevant authorities. This way, public could also contribute a lot in the prevention of fire spread and controlling of effects. In this regard, communication should be made in public areas on how to respond in case one notices a possible fire outbreak in a nearby building or in the forest. Myres (1996) adds that effective communication systems and fire alarms ought to be developed in the buildings, and they should always be replaced continuously, for reliability and for accuracy. Communication during a fire outbreak should be designed in a way that it guarantees prompt action and provision of sufficient actions from relevant authorities and the public. They should be installed to have some resistance of failure and increased survivability. Lift Control and Usage in Fire Situations The most important thing in fire fighting is not protection of properties but in preventing fatalities or even injuries. That is why it is always paramount to do to the best so that there could not be any reported deaths out of the inferno. All measures put forward for fire prevention should be designed to guiding people out of the building in case there is a fire outbreak in the building. One way of doing this is to enhance and put in place effective lift or elevators in the building to help people get out of the building as fast as possible. Crucial to this is in educating people on the best way to use these lifts so that there could be no confusion when a fire outbreak is reported in the building. All buildings should be installed with elevators or lifts which can help evacuate people as fast as possible (Ting, 1999). If the lifts are ineffective, then, it would be impossible for people to come out of the buildings in good time, and some of them may be caught up by the inferno before they get down. They should be able to accommodate as many people as possible so as to give a maximum form of evacuation and as well they should be sufficient enough. The buildings with such kind of arrangement are regarded as intelligent building and have been tried in many areas of the world to be effective as far as fire prevention is concerned. Smoke is said to move along the elevator shafts, and if this is noted, it is important that people try as much as possible not to use them to prevent suffocation. According to Bertel (March 2000), smoke movement in the building forms an important life safety issue during a fire. Smoke can kill through suffocation, and so, if they are studied on how they are moving in the building, then it becomes easier to avoid such areas and more specifically the lifts or elevators in the building.. The usage of elevators should be done carefully so as not to make things worse during fire outbreaks. Hakonen (April 29, 2003) writes that in modern safety standards during fire outbreaks, people are evacuated using stairs rather than opting for elevators in the building. However, that could only be the case if the elevators are studied to be ineffective or are out of good condition. Stairs are said to be inefficient means in tall buildings because by the time people get to the ground, fire could have already caught up with them and fatalities or injuries realized. When the elevators are present and effective, it is good if people make use of them instead of running down using stairs. If elevators are to be used, then, they should be used in the way that everyone would get a chance to escape. If they are effective enough, people should be made to use them in the most way possible without causing congestion thus disabling them. The process should be managed by people who are experienced in using them. Using stairs can slow down evacuation especially if the buildings are high above. However, if the fire base is at the top of the building, there could be consideration of using the stairs as others use the elevators, but if the fire base is at the ground, then it calls for fast evacuation using the elevators and other faster means. Building Evacuation Systems Evacuation systems in a building should be installed during the putting up of the building or during construction. Some of the systems are installed in the walls and other strategic areas while some systems for the same are kept in strategic places so that immediately there is a fire outbreak, people would be in a position to get out of the building as safe as possible. It is therefore of paramount importance that buildings be designed in ways that some evacuation systems are installed as a form of safety precaution. Craighead (2009) notes that the evacuation systems and methodologies should be designed in a way that even the general public can use them so that anyone in the building or any other place which has a fire outbreak can use them for escape. In a place like inside a plane, the evacuation systems include the emergency evacuation parachutes which are provided for everyone who is in the plane. In the buildings, the emergency doors are written in readable texts such that in case there is a fire outbreak, those who are near those doors can move out quickly and efficiently. The emergency evacuation elevators are also designed to accommodate a large number of people in taking them down to the ground especially those who are very far up from the ground. Evacuation systems during fire outbreaks are a form of safety measurements for fire and are important even when working around incinerators. This is due to the nature of combustion processes which can make fire erupt at any time. Fire evacuation systems could be portable and kept somewhere outsides the building so that they can be used when needed. The hopper evacuation systems are such kinds of systems where people can be removed from the debris or the inferno easily. Such includes the screws and drag chains (DIANE, 1990). According to Department for communities and Local government (2006), the emergency evacuation systems acts as fire warning systems where by their strategic location, everyone is always warned that in case there is a fire outbreak, one should head directly to them. That is why it is recommended that they be installed and kept in places which are easily accessible and be designed in a way that virtually everyone can use them effectively. There are staff alarms, voice evacuation systems and the public address systems which are supposed to work as warning people of danger and how they should conduct themselves while inside the building during such times (Department for communities and local government, 2006). Emergency Planning Emergency planning is always critical in the prevention and control of fire catastrophes. Emergency planning consists of so many things which the management of buildings or organization should take in place so as to be always ready for any eventuality which can involve fire outbreaks. Fire emergency planning should be reviewed overtime to make them up to date and most effective. They should be conceptualized right from when a building is being built or when the organization is basing its products or activities in a certain building. According to Apostol (2008), the fire prevention measures should be drawn and labelled as emergency plans for fire prevention. They should be categorized as technical measures such as fire alarms, elevators and evacuation doors. Others are like organisational measures for all individuals to undertake in case there is a fire outbreak, review of equipments for fire fighting in the building, safety margins; for example, the conduct of individuals when there is a fire outbreak, mocking escape from building measures and evacuation processes. According to barham (1996), there are prompt emergency plans when a fire is reported to have started in the building. Such are like alerting personnel to the fire so that they could tackle it with organization portable extinguishers if at all it is safe to do so. This is done prior to the automatic extinguishing systems in the building like the carbon dioxide. Members in the building should immediately summon the fire brigade to come into the area to extinguish the fire, and this would supplement the methods which are already being carried out to put out the fire. It is the prerequisite of a fire officer to quickly respond to the calls from any quarter if a fire is reported to have started. The response should be prompt and all measures should be employed to ensure that he fire is put out completely (Kramer 1992). Conclusion Fire is both a helper and a real disaster, and it is regarded as one of the most dangerous catastrophe in the world. Fire can consume what has been built for years and put everything to ashes in a matter of minutes. It is therefore crucial that plans be put in place to ensure that fire does not start in a building or anywhere else which is combustible. Anyone can start a fire; for example, the Great London fire was started by a maid, and it burned the city in just 5 days in the year 1666. This is a testimony as to what fire can do in a matter of few minutes. The focus should always be geared towards prevention of fire and escape of individuals from the place. References Apostol, I. (2008). Risk Assessment as a Basis for Forecast and Prevention of Catastrophes. Amsterdam: IOS Press. Barham, R. (1996). Fire Engineering and Emergency Planning. London: E & FN Spon. Bertel, J. (March 2000). “Analysis of Smoke Movement in a Building via Elevator Shafts.” A journal of Hughes Associates, Vol. 1 No 1, pp 1-13. Braidwood, J. (2009). Fire Prevention and Fire Extinction. USA: BiblioLife LLC. Cote, A. (2003). 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