Keeping Your Family Safe
They say an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. That’s especially true when it comes to home fires. But, before we start measuring out either, you need to understand the nature of the home fires you’re trying to prevent.
Fire Defined
In scientific terms, fire is a chemical reaction that occurs with the rapid oxidation, or burning, of a fuel. Three things are necessary for this reaction to take place.
- Fuel: Anything combustible, solid, liquid, gas, qualifies as fuel.
- Oxygen: The air we breathe is about 21% oxygen. Fire requires an atmosphere with a minimum of 16% oxygen.
- Heat: This is the catalyst, the energy needed to raise the temperature of the fuel to the point that vapors are given off and ignited.
Eliminate any one of these three elements and you have no fire. Eliminate any one of these elements once ignition has occurred and the fire goes out.
Fire Classifications
Fires are classified according to their fuel and the prevention of each of the four classifications depends on removing that fuel from its source of heat. Pretty simple stuff.
Class A fires involve ordinary combustibles like wood, paper, cloth, rubber and some plastics, basically anything and everything in a home. The prevention of Class A fires requires keeping storage and work areas free of trash and removing combustible materials from proximity to open flames or other sources of heat.
Class B fuels are flammable liquids or gases, including cooking oils or fats. To keep these fuels from igniting, keep them away from heat or spark sources.
Class C fires involve electrical equipment like home appliances and components of the structure’s electrical system. Prevention focuses on the proper use of extension cords, appropriate fuses and light bulbs that do not exceed the recommended ratings, not overloading wall outlets and the replacement or repair of worn wiring and fixtures.
Class D fire fuels, flammable metals, are not usually found in homes. Metals like magnesium and titanium take a very high temperature heat source for ignition, but once this occurs, they are difficult to extinguish as they produce their own source of oxygen. The best measure of prevention with Class D fires is avoidance, unless you know how to handle flammable metals safely in a work setting.
So, there’s prevention in a nutshell which brings into play another old saying: the devil’s in the details. Every room in your home, every activity, every season presents its own unique potential for danger. Keep reading to learn the details that will help fire proof your home.
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