In the ranking of emergency incidents, fires always occupy the top positions. An uncontrolled combustion process in any case causes material damage, and often also takes the lives of people.
What is a fire, everyone knows. How to behave if a fire is detected, what to do first? The answers to these questions are also obvious - immediately evacuate and call a professional firefighter. All these are axioms, but not everyone knows what fires occur and how the source of ignition affects the rules of behavior when it is detected.
What is a fire - definition
A fire is a fire, ignition outside a controlled hearth that carries danger to people and property. In professional terminology, a fire is not only an open fire, but also the glow to a certain level and even the process of decay. The concept implies the possibility of independent development and spread of fire, glow or decay.
The cause of the fire can be not only arson or explosion, but also other factors:
- spontaneous combustion of certain types of chemicals or materials with a high content,
- lightning or a ray of the sun, forming an optical effect, causing an increase in the temperature of the object on which it falls,
- improper use of electrical or gas equipment,
- chemical reaction during improper storage of explosive substances.
Any fire is three zones, each of which is dangerous. The main zone is the center where open burning, glow is noted. The next fire zone is a thermal effect that is life-threatening, and it is simply impossible to be in it, as in the main zone. The third is the smoke zone. It is no less dangerous than the first two, but you can be in it if you have special equipment.
Classification and types of fires
Fires are classified according to several parameters - type, place, cause, scale and others. In a professional environment, classification is practiced, thanks to which firefighters even before arriving at the site of ignition know how to act and what extinguishing means to use.
If we talk about the simplest classification of fires, their types, then they are:
- separate
- massive
- solid
- fire.
Separate fire is called, access to which is not limited. Neighboring buildings are not involved in it, the promotion of firefighters to the hotbed of heat is possible without special clothing and protective equipment for breathing.
The second type of fire is continuous. It is characterized by burning over a large area with the involvement of a large number of buildings. With such a fire, firefighters work in special equipment, the fire is extinguished using equipment.
Mass fires are those that combine the signs of continuous and individual fires. To extinguish them, as a rule, a large number of calculations (teams of specialists) are involved.
A fire storm is a continuous fire, rapidly spreading, with signs of ascending currents of open fire and hot air, a pronounced influx of fresh air to the outbreak.
In addition, fires are divided into types according to localization - in open space, indoors, natural. For each of these species, detailed instructions on behavior have been developed, both for professionals and for ordinary people involved in them.
Open fires
This type of fire is characterized by the absence of restrictions on heat and gas exchange, that is, hot air and smoke do not accumulate, but are released into the atmosphere. Open fires include fires in industrial plants or highways, warehouses, natural fires.
If a fire is discovered in an open space, the first thing to do is call a fire brigade. You must be prepared to provide the following data on the fire - the exact coordinates, the estimated (approximate) area, the intensity of combustion.
The technology for extinguishing such fires is different from the principle of localizing fires, for example, indoors. First of all, firefighters plow the area covered by fire, determine the focus and intensity, and if necessary, call additional calculations.
Trying to cope with an open fire on your own is not recommended. Without proper knowledge and experience, acting incorrectly, you can unwittingly cause an increase in the intensity of the fire and the speed of its spread.
Indoor fires
Such fires in a professional environment are divided into two types - open burning and hidden. The reason for them in most cases is a person or household appliances. Spontaneous combustion is typical for televisions, heating appliances and stoves.
Hidden foci of combustion in a room, for example, in ventilation shafts or chutes of garbage chutes, are no less dangerous than open ones. Flames at any moment can go beyond their borders and spread lightning-fast through decoration materials, textiles and furniture.
Even if the access of oxygen to the room where the fire is localized is limited, open fire spreads rapidly. Even faster, the room is filled with combustion products - carbon monoxide and smoke.
If a fire occurs in an apartment, house or their separate rooms, it is necessary not to try to extinguish the fire, but to evacuate immediately. Extinguishing should be done by professionals who are characterized by the absence of panic, who have special equipment and the necessary skills. It is important to understand this and strictly observe this rule.
Natural fires - features and causes
One of the most dangerous fires is natural. They are divided into three main types - steppe, forest and peat. Any type of such fire can be dangerous not only for the environment, but also for humans and their property.
Forest fires occur, as a rule, due to human fault, spread spontaneously and uncontrollably, and very quickly. As a result of burning of the forest stand, shrubs and grass, air pollution of nearby water bodies occurs, the functionality of transport routes through the burning forest is destabilized. In addition, under the influence of high temperatures, soil erosion begins, which is fraught with the death of all life on it for a long period of time.
Steppe fires spread even faster than forest fires. The main reason for their occurrence is arson of dry grass. Constant winds are characteristic of sedate areas, which is a direct threat to human settlements. Even a minor fire can destroy the ecosystem of the steppe by 99%.
Peat fires are characterized by long periods of decay and dangerous activity. Peat, even its thick layer, is able to self-ignite in hot weather, when its surface warms up to 45-50 ° C. This is already possible at an air temperature of 35 ° C.
Natural fires are classified according to one more feature - the localization of its distribution (combustion circuit). They can be grassroots, soil-peat, horse. The hardest thing to put out is, oddly enough, soil-peat.
