Fire Science.txt

• Solid
• Liquid
• Gas

heat causes matter to offgas and it is the offgassing that ignites

A rapid chemical reaction that produces a release of energy in heat and light

• Smoke
• Flame
• Heat

• Smoke is a visible product of incomplete combustion
• O2, Nitrogen, CO, CO2, carbon, fine soot

Heat transfers to cold

• - conduction
• - Radiation
• - Convection

Normal combustable material

Flammable liquid

Electrical

Combustable metals

Cooking oils and fats

• Ignition
• Growth
• Fully developed
• Decay

• Flashover - There is an abundance of O2 present and typically takes place during growth or fully developed fire
• Backdraft - There is a lack of O2 present until you open a window or door, typically in the later stages of fire

Backdraft

Lowest temperature which a substance will give a suficient vapour to ignite

• Also known as Ignition temperature
• Lowest temperature which a substance will give a suficient vapour to sustain fire

• Any liquid having a flashpoint below 38 degrees celcius and a vapour pressure not exceeding 175KPA
• (ex. gasoline)

• Anything with a flashpoint above 38 degrees celcius
• (ex. Diesel)

The higher the vapour desity, the faster the substance offgasses

Lower explosion limit / Lower Flammable limit

Upper explosion limit / Upper Flammable limit

• Velocity
• Volume
• Colour
• Density

• Made up of Atoms and Molecules
• 3 states of matter: Solids, Liquid, Gasses

• - under normal conditions it retains a definate size and shape
• - contracts when cooled and expands when heated
• - may turn to a liquid

• - will assume shape of container
• - most contract when cooled, expand when heated
• - may turn to a solid or a gas

• - tends to expand indefinitely
• - may liquify

A form of energy

• converted to heat when two serfaces rub together to create heat
• - waterfall,

A chemical reaction that causes an exothermic or endothermic reaction (release or absorb heat)

- electromagnetic waves traveling as thermal radiation, a form of heat

- Fission or fusionwhich release large amounts of heat energy

Oxygen combining with something to form a new compound (ex. Rust)

Oxygen combining with something creates a rapid chemical process creating heat and light (fire)

Decomposition of a material brought about by heat in the absence of oxygen

• Incomplete combustion due to a lack of oxygen
• - solids

Transfer of heat through matter by movement of kinetic energy from one partical to another

Circulatory movement that occurs in gas or liquids with areas of differing temperatures oweing to the variation of density and the action of gravity.

Transfer of heat through the emmission of energy in te form of invisible waves

• 1. Cool the burning material
• 2. Exclude oxygen
• 3. Remove fuel
• 4. Interupt the chemical reaction with a flame inhibitor

• 1. Ignition
• 2. Growth
• 3. Fully developed
• 4. Decay

Fully developed

• - AKA rollover
• Hot gasses rise up to the ceiling and when they reach a sufficient temperature they quickly ignite. burn and fall back down and get sucked back into the fire

Describes the amount and the ease of ability of the liquid to evaporate to create a flammible vapor-air mixture

Weight of a gas as compaired to air

• Boiling liquid, expanding vapour explosion
• - BIG propane tanks
• - liquid boils & expands, relief valve opens, liquid levels fall to a point of the proper mixture then BOOM!

Relaxed, smooth smoke flow

Agitated, boiling or angry smoke flow

• high volume, high velocity, turbulent, ultra dense black smoke
• Very hot, impending flashover

You are above the fire

You are below the fire

You are on the fire floor