FIRE

PROTECTION
 FIRE PROTECTION

The term used to embrace all measures relating to

safeguarding of human life and preservation of
property, detection and extinguishment of fires.
 FIRE PROTECTION PROGRAM
• 1. Immediate detection of the fire and promptly transmitting an alarm
• 2. Initiating evacuation of the building.
• 3. Confining the fire.
• 4. Extinguishing the fire
 GENERAL FACTS
• No facility is absolutely fire proof. Nearly everything can burn, given
adequate ignition, fuel and sufficient oxygen.
• Conduction, convection and radiation transmit heat energy.
• Fire and flame will spread vertically and horizontally.
• The spread of heat, smoke and toxic gases is possibly the greatest single
danger to life. Soke and toxic gases are responsible for approximately 66%
of deaths from fire in buildings.
 GENERAL FACTS
• Onsite early detection of fire is absolutely essential.
• The hazard content of the building will determine the rapid spread of fire.
• The content of a building are usually more important factors in the start of
fire than the physical structure of the building.
• There are only few minutes between the incipient stage and the fully
developed stage of the fire.
 GENERAL FACTS
• What happens in the first few minutes of the fire will determine if it can be
controlled or not.
• A fire is usually controlled by built in equipment (FDAS/AFSS)
• Every fire protection device involves compromise. A fire protection system
always represent some trade-off involving cost, reliability and safety. The
optimum level of fire protection minimizes the cost from expected fire
damages and losses.
 GENERAL FACTS
• The Automatic Fire Suppression System (AFSS) is the best tool to reduce
loss of life from fire.
• Human action is a key element. Fire losses are the result of human mistakes
resulting from inadequate training, insufficient motivation and improper
action.
• Construction alone is not an adequate protection as far as life safety is
concerned.
 THE UNPREDICTABILITY OF FIRE
• Oxygen is almost infinite
• Inaccuracy of prediction regarding the probability of fire initiation.
• Impossibility of compiling complete bodies of information form the actual
unwanted fire situation
• The progress of fire incident varies from the time of discovery up to the
time when a control measure is applied.
• Combustion process is a complicated CHEMICAL reaction
 FACTORS AFFECTING THE SPEED OF
THE COMBUSTION PROCESS
• TEMPERATURE: Sustained by Chemical Chain Reaction
• COMBUSTION CHAMBER GEOMETRY: The shape of the
combustion chamber. Presence of obstacles or geometry in the combustion
chamber.
• FUEL PROPERTIES: Nature of the fuel.
• DYNAMICS OF THE COMBUSTION PROCESS: Chemical
composition and volatility.
DYNAMICS OF
THE
COMBUSTION
PROCESS
COMBUSTION
CHAMBER
GEOMETRY
COMBUSTION
PROCESS
 IGNITION

Chemical
Mechanical
Electrical
Nuclear
Chemical
Mechanical
Electrical
Nuclear
 OXIDATION
• A fire is maintained by a supply of oxygen, which undergoes
oxidation process.
• The volatile gases is released by the fuel upon reaching its
flashpoint. These gases will break apart to recombine with
OXYGEN to form various combustion products, and more
heat.
• Decay of materials through combustion process.
 HEAT ENERGY

• Produced by EXOTHERMIC reaction (opposite to endothermic)

• As the heat of the fire increases, another phenomenon takes place
that decomposes the matter involved. This process is called
Pyrolysis. Pyrolysis is one of the various types of chemical
DEGRADATION PROCESSES that occur at higher
temperatures.
 Endothermic Process

• Dissolving ammonium chloride in water

• Cracking alkanes
• Nucleosynthesis of elements heavier than nickel in stars
• EVAPORATING LIQUID WATER
• MELTING ICE
 HEAT
MEASUREMENT
• The estimate of heat intensity is vital in determining the
potential danger of nearby combustibles in reaching their
Ignition Point from the heat that is being emitted by the
materials already involved in the fire.
 Temperature units
• Celsius Degree: Swedish astronomer Anders Celsius (1701–1744)
• Fahrenheit: a temperature scale based on one proposed in 1724 by the European physicist
Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit (1686–1736).
• Kelvin: engineer and physicist William Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin (1824–1907).
• Rankin: University of Glasgow engineer and physicist Macquorn Rankine, who proposed
it in 1859.
• British Thermal Unit (btu): One British thermal unit (Btu) is approximately equal to the
energy released by burning a match.
• Calorie: first introduced by Nicolas Clément, as a unit of heat energy, in lectures on
experimental calorimetry during the years 1819–1824.
 Temperature Kelvin (K) Celsius (°C) Fahrenheit (°F) Rankine (°R)
Absolute zero 0 −273.15 −459.67 0
Freezing point
255.37 −17.78 0 459.67
of brine
Freezing point of
273.15 0 32 491.67
water
Boiling point of
373.1339 99.9839 211.97102 671.64102
water
SOURCES OF IGNITION
  CHEMICAL

• Oxidation: A process that releases energy bound in

chemical compounds used as fuels energy that is needed
for power generation, transportation, heating, and
industrial purposes.
  ELECTRICAL
• Electrical equipment and electrical devices are common
sources of ignition.
• When exposed wiring or equipment is damaged,
malfunctioning or not correctly earthed, they can spark and
ignite nearby materials.
• Common electrical ignition sources include electrical circuits,
motors and switches.
1. Resistance Overloading

• Overloading of electric circuits occurs when an excessive

amount of electricity passes through a circuit, more than
the capacity of the circuit to resist the current flow.
• Most homes use between 30 and 400 amps, depending on
the size of your home and individual electrical needs.
2. Arcing
• Electricity jumps from one connection to another. At times you hear electric
switches producing a sizzling/ cracking sound.
 What Causes Electric Arcing?

1. Overload
Arcing takes place in an electrical panel after the circuits in the panel are
overloaded. If a circuit breaker joins to an electrical panel bus, it could
result in overheating. It can ruin the bus and the connection, rendering
the equipment defective and susceptible to failure.
When there is an excess current flowing, circuit breakers may not function
as expected. Rather than tripping when excess currents are flowing,
damaged circuits allow electricity to continue flowing, which results in
overheating followed by arcing.
2. Surrounding Conditions
The conditions surrounding an electrical panel can be part of the reason
for arcing and can also affect the situation’s severity.
The wiring in the electrical panel must never be left bare outside the box.
Flammable materials such as paint thinner or gasoline, among others,
should be nowhere close to the electrical panel or its immediate
surrounding.
Furthermore, using excess fuses inside the electrical box can result in an
additional electricity flow via the circuitry, causing overheating and
arcing. Circuits that trip or fuses that blow often can point out potential
arcing risk.
3. Damaged Electrical Panels
Due to flawed construction, which can cause arcing and sometimes
electrical fires.
3. Sparking

• An electric spark is an abrupt electrical discharge that

occurs when a sufficiently high electric field creates an
ionized, electrically conductive channel through a
normally-insulating medium, often air or other gases or
gas mixtures. Michael Faraday described this phenomenon
as "the beautiful flash of light attending the discharge of
common electricity".
4. Static Sparking
• A sudden flow of electric current across an air gap, heating the air to very
high temperatures, cause it to glow. The size of the spark depends on the
separation of the sources of electrical charges and their potential difference
in voltage.
• An imbalance of electric charges within or on the surface of a material. The
charge remains until it can move away by an electric current or electrical
discharge. The word "static" is used to differentiate it from current electricity,
where an electric charge flows through an electrical conductor.
5. Lightning
• the visible discharge of electricity that occurs when a region of a cloud
acquires an excess electrical charge, either positive or negative, that is
sufficient to break down the resistance of air.
  MECHANICAL
• Faulty equipment and machinery are also major causes of industrial fires.
Heating and hot work equipment are typically the biggest problems here —
in particular, furnaces that aren’t properly installed, operated, and maintained.
In addition, any mechanical equipment can become a fire hazard because of
friction between the moving parts.
  NUCLEAR
• A nuclear explosion is an explosion that occurs as a result of the rapid
release of energy from a high-speed nuclear reaction. The driving reaction
may be nuclear fission or nuclear fusion or a multi-stage cascading
combination of the two, though to date all fusion-based weapons have used
a fission device to initiate fusion, and a pure fusion weapon remains a
hypothetical device. Nuclear explosions are used in nuclear weapons and
nuclear testing.
• Nuclear material refers to the metals uranium, plutonium, and thorium, in
any form, according to the IAEA. This is differentiated further into "source
material", consisting of natural and depleted uranium, and "special
fissionable material", consisting of enriched uranium (U-235), uranium-233,
and plutonium-239. Uranium ore concentrates are considered to be a "source
material",
 EXPLOSION
• An explosion is a rapid expansion in volume of a
given amount of matter associated with an extreme
outward release of energy, usually with the
generation of high temperatures and release of
high-pressure gases.
1. Chemical Explosion
• Chemical explosions may be either decomposition or combination reactions. In either case,
the reaction is exothermic and the energy released by the reaction is partially converted to
work.
• Decomposition reactions occur in materials such as trinitrotoluene (TNT) and
nitroglycerine. The molecules of these materials contain oxygen.
• When the molecule decomposes, the products are combustion gases, which are produced at
high temperatures. The volume of the gases is much larger than the volume of the
explosive, generating high pressures at the reaction zone. The rapid expansion of the gases
forms the shock wave that provides the explosive effect. Even some hydrocarbons that have
no oxygen in their molecules, such as acetylene, can decompose explosively.
2. Mechanical Explosion

• This is an explosion resulting from a pressure build up in

a sealed container e.g. gas or vapor release from a
pressure cooker, or placing a flammable substance in a
sealed container, i.e. the burning will produce gases that
cause the container to explode, or explosions from things
like gas cooking canisters which can take place if it is
pierced.
3. Atomic Explosion

• A nuclear explosion is an explosion that occurs as a result

of the rapid release of energy from a high-speed nuclear
reaction.
4. Thermal Explosions
• Thermal explosion theory is based on the idea that progressive heating raises the
rate at which heat is released by the reaction until it exceeds the rate of heat loss
from the area. At a given composition of the mixture and a given pressure,
explosion will occur at a specific ignition temperature that can be determined from
the calculations of heat loss and heat gain.
• Auto-catalysis produced by the self-heating effect of the reaction mixtures.
• Deflagration: the action of heating a substance until it burns away rapidly. (different
from explosion)
• Detonation: the action of causing a bomb or explosive device to explode.
  COMBUSTIBLE DUSTS
• Combustible dust – these are solid materials with fine particles that are susceptible to fire or
explosion. This element is often referred to as the fuel.
• Ignition source – these are processes or scenarios that can cause fire or explosion such as
electrical sparks, static electricity, hot surfaces, friction, etc.
• Oxygen in the air – there should be an oxidizing agent in the air such as oxygen. Oxidizing
agents, along with the two previous elements, are enough to create a dust fire.
• Confinement of dust cloud – for a dust explosion to occur, the dust elements should be
confined in an enclosed space where pressure builds and expands.
• Dispersion of dust particles – finally, a dust explosion occurs when all the four elements are
present and the dust particles are dispersed or distributed in an enclosed area.
 COMBUSTIBLE DUSTS
• Corn (processing) • Natural Resin
• Cornstarch • Aluminum (powder)
• Potato Starch • Magnesium (powder)
• Sugar (processing) • Silicon (powder)
• Wheat Starch • Titanium (powder)
• Wood Floor filler • Aluminum Magnesium Alloy
(powder)
PRODUCT OF
COMBUSTION
1. FIRE GASES:
• The primary cause of death in fires.
• Inhalation of heated, toxic and oxygen-deficient gases and smoke.
• Effects will depend on the time of exposure, concertation of gases,
volume/degree and the physical condition of the individual.
 Carbon Monoxide:

• a poisonous, flammable gas that is colorless, odorless, tasteless, and slightly

less dense than air.
 Carbon Dioxide

• A chemical compound with the chemical formula CO2. It is made up of

molecules that each have one carbon atom covalently double bonded to two
oxygen atoms.
 Hydrogen Sulfide

• Hydrogen sulfide is a chemical compound with the formula H2S. It is a

colorless chalcogen-hydride gas, and is poisonous, corrosive, and flammable,
with trace amounts in ambient atmosphere having a characteristic foul odor
of rotten eggs.
 Sulfur Dioxide

• The chemical compound with the formula SO

• It is a toxic gas responsible for the odor of burnt matches. It is released
naturally by volcanic activity and is produced as a by-product of copper
extraction and the burning of sulfur-bearing fossil fuels. It was known to
alchemists as "volatile spirit of sulfur" since at least 16th century.
 Ammonia

• Ammonia is an inorganic chemical compound of nitrogen and hydrogen

with the formula NH3. A stable binary hydride and the simplest pnictogen
hydride, ammonia is a colourless gas with a distinctive pungent smell.
 Hydrogen Cyanide

• Hydrogen cyanide (also known as prussic acid) is a chemical compound with the
formula HCN and structural formula H−C≡N. It is a colorless, extremely
poisonous, and flammable liquid that boils slightly above room temperature, at
25.6 °C (78.1 °F).
• HCN is produced on an industrial scale and is a highly valued precursor to many
chemical compounds ranging from polymers to pharmaceuticals. Large-scale
applications are for the production of potassium cyanide and adiponitrile, used in
mining and plastics, respectively.
• It is MORE TOXIC THAN SOLID CYANIDE COMPOUNDS due to its volatile
nature.
 Nitrogen Dioxide

• Nitrogen dioxide is a chemical compound with the formula NO2. One of

several nitrogen oxides, nitrogen dioxide is a reddish-brown gas. It is a
paramagnetic, bent molecule with C2v point group symmetry. Industrially,
NO2 is an intermediate in the synthesis of nitric acid, millions of tons of
which are produced each year, primarily for the production of fertilizers.
• Nitrogen dioxide is poisonous and can be fatal if inhaled in large
quantities. The LC50 (median lethal dose) for humans has been estimated
to be 174 ppm for a 1-hour exposure. It is also included in the NOx family
of atmospheric pollutants.
 Acrolien

• It is a colorless liquid with a foul and acrid aroma. The smell of burnt fat (as
when cooking oil is heated to its smoke point) is caused by glycerol in the
burning fat breaking down into acrolein. It is produced industrially from
propene and mainly used as a biocide and a building block to other chemical
compounds, such as the amino acid methionine.
 Phosgene
• It is a toxic, colorless gas; in low concentrations, its musty odor resembles
that of freshly cut hay or grass. It can be thought of chemically as the
double acyl chloride analog of carbonic acid, or structurally as formaldehyde
with the hydrogen atoms replaced by chlorine atoms.
• Phosgene is a valued and important industrial building block, especially for
the production of precursors of polyurethanes and polycarbonate plastics.
2. FLAME

• A flame (from Latin flamma) is the visible, gaseous part of a fire.

It is caused by a highly exothermic chemical reaction taking place
in a thin zone. When flames are hot enough to have ionized
gaseous components of sufficient density, they are then
considered plasma.
3. HEAT
• the thermal energy transferred between systems due to a temperature
difference. In colloquial use, heat sometimes refers to thermal energy itself.
• Thermal energy is the kinetic energy of vibrating and colliding atoms in a
substance.
• Exposure to heated air increases the heart rate, causes dehydration,
exhaustion, blockage of the respiratory tract and burns
4. SMOKE

• Smoke is a suspension of airborne particulates and gases emitted

when a material undergoes combustion or pyrolysis, together with
the quantity of air that is entrained or otherwise mixed into the
mass. It is commonly an unwanted by-product of fires.
• Causes 50 – 70% of deaths in fire incidents.
 Oxygen Deficiency
• Drop to 15% oxygen level will cause
• Anoxia: Diminished muscle control.
• If level drops to 10-14%, a person can remain conscious but judgement will be
impaired and tire easily.
• At 6-10%, a person will collapse and can only be revived by fresh oxygen.
 BURNS
• 1st-degree burn. This minor burn affects only the outer layer of the skin
(epidermis). It may cause redness and pain.
• 2nd-degree burn. This type of burn affects both the epidermis and the second layer
of skin (dermis). It may cause swelling and red, white or splotchy skin. Blisters may
develop, and pain can be severe. Deep second-degree burns can cause scarring.
• 3rd-degree burn. This burn reaches to the fat layer beneath the skin. Burned areas
may be black, brown or white. The skin may look leathery. Third-degree burns can
destroy nerves, causing numbness.
END OF PRESENTATION