CLASSIFICATION OF FIRE

Concept
The class of fire determines the type of fire extinguishers to be used. The action of
the fire extinguishers is either to cool the burning substance below its ignition
temperature, or to exclude air supply or a combination or both. These are quenching,
boiling, and blanketing effects.
CLASSIFICATION OF FIRE
1. Class A Fire
2. Class B Fire
3. Class C fire
4. Class D Fire
5. Class E Fire
6. Class F Fire
CLASS A FIRE
It involving ordinary combustible materials such as wood, cloth, paper,
rubber, and many other plastics. Water is used in cooling or quenching effect to
reduce the temperature of burning material below its ignition temperature
CLASS B FIRE
It involves flammable and combustible liquid, greases, and gas as gasoline,
oil, lacquers, paints, mineral spirits, and alcohols. The smothering or blanketing
effect of oxygen exclusion is most effective for extinguishments. Examples are fire
in open vats of flammable liquids and gasoline spills. In fighting it a blanketing is
essential. A water extinguisher would have a little effect on the fire and would to
tend to spread by floating the burning liquids.
CLASS C FIRE
It involves energized electrical equipment. A non- conducting extinguishing
agent such as halon, dry chemical, or carbon, dioxide which can sometimes control
the fire. The agents are non- conductors of electricity and the safest extinguishments
procedure is to first reenergized high voltage circuits. It can readily be seen that a
water type extinguishing agent would be the most dangerous around electrical
equipment
CLASS D FIRE
It involves combustible metals such as aluminium, magnesium, zirconium,
sodium, lithium, calcium, zirconium, zinc, and potassium. These martials are
particularly hazardous in their powdered formed require careful fire attack with
special extinguishing agent. The extremely high temperature of some burning metals
makes water and other common extinguishing agent ineffective.
CLASS E FIRE
This is the fires involving liquefied petroleum g
CLASS F FIRE
This is the forces involving the burning of spontaneously combustible materials
PHASES OF FIRE AND ITS BEHAVIOR
As a fire progresses, it normally passes through three phases;
Incipient Phase
Steady State Burning Phase or free burning, and
Hot Smouldering Phase.
Many factors can alter the rate and intensity of a fire evolution. No two fire
are exactly the same. They vary in many ways from incident to accident.
INCIPIENT PHASE
The earliest phase of fire with the actual ignition. The fire is limited to the
original materials ignition.
In the incipient stage phase, the oxygen content in the air has not been significantly
reduced, and the fire is producing water vapour (H20), carbon dioxide (CO2), a small
quantity of sulphur dioxide (SO2), Carbon Monoxide (CO) and other gases.
The behaviour of fire during incipient phase is “ROLLOVER). Sometimes
referred to as “FLAME OVER”. It takes place when unburned combustible gases
released during the incipient phase accumulate at the ceiling level. These
superheated gases are pushing under pressure, away from the fire area and into
uninvolved areas where they mixed with oxygen.
STEADY STATE BURNING PHASE OR FREE BURNING PHASE
It is a phase of fire where sufficient oxygen and the fuel are available for fire growth
and open burning to a point where total involvement is possible.
HOT SMOLDERING PHASE
After the steady –state burning phase, a flame may cease to exist if the area of
confinement is airtight.
CHARACTIRISTICS FROM A BACKDRAFT TO OCCUR
1. Fire gases are under control
2. Pressurized smoke existing in small openings
3. Existence of black smoke that is becoming dense gray yellow
4. Confinement of excessive heat
5. Little flame or no visible flame
6. Smoke leaves the building in puff or at intervals
7. Windows are smoke stained
8. Muffled sounds are heard inside the building
9. Violent rushing of air inside when opening is made.
PRODUCT OF COMBUSTION
When fire occurs, certain by-products of fire is dangerous to human being will
appear.
For example
When a piece of paper burns, the gases and the moisture contained within the paper
are liberated. The remaining solid take on the appearance of carbonized, charred
flakes
3 PRODUCTS OF COMBUSTION
Heat
Flame
Smoke
HEAT
It is a form of energy that is measured in degrees of temperature signify its intensity
It is the product of combustion that is responsible for the spread of fire. It is also the
direct cause of burns, dehydration, heat exhaustion and injury to the respiratory tract
and destruction of property.
SUGGESTED PRECAUTIONS:
Wear protective clothing
Remove other combustible from the area.
FLAME
It is the visible luminous body of the burning gas. When the burning gas is mixed
with the amount of oxygen, the flames becomes hotter and luminous. The loss of
luminosity is caused by a more complete combustion of the carbon
SMOKE
It is concerned at most fire, consist of a mixture of oxygen, nitrogen, carbon
dioxide, carbon monoxide, finely divided that have been released from the material
involved. The contents of smoke will vary depending on the exact materials that are
being burned.
THE FOLLOWING DANGER SMOKE
Make seeing difficult
Curtails breathing
Limit working ability of fire fighter
SUGGESTED PRECAUTIONS ARE
Keep face as low as possible
Always move with caution in a smoke filled area
Use breathing apparatus if smoke is too dense.
FIRE GASES
Refers to those gases that remain when the product of combustion are cooled below
normal temperature. Gases formed by a fire depend on many variables among which
are
 The chemical composition of the burning materials
  The amount of oxygen available for combustion
 The temperature
All wood products contain carbon, thus they produced carbon dioxide when burned
even small fires. It colourless and tasteless. The suggested precautions are
 Never enter suspected area without breathing apparatus
 If overcome by carbon dioxide applied artificial respiration
CARBON MONOXIDE
One of the most dangerous by products of fire is due to burned particles or fuel.
When leather, hair and woollen fabrics burned, chemicals produce fumes
The following characteristics
 Colourless, odourless and highly toxic
 0.2% by volume can cause death in 30 to 40 minutes
 0.5% by volume can cause serious illness if breathe for a long time
 Highly explosive range from 12.5 % -14% sudden ignition of air and highly
concentrated area cause explosion.
ASHES AND EMBERS
 It is a by-product of some classes of fire; class A always leave ashes and
embers, whereas Class C may only leave small amount, Class B never leaves
any trace.
SAFETY PRECAUTIONS ARE
Always cool these ashes and embers completely
Break remaining combustible material apart for complete saturation
Make sure that no area is left for possible rekindling
SULFUR DIOXIDE
This colourless gas with irritating, suffocating odour is formed when sulphur and
sulphur containing organic substance like wood, rubber, wool and silk are burned.
Sulphur dioxide causes the eyes to be watery and is irritating to the respiratory tract
HYDROGEN CYNIDE
Relatively large quantities of hydrogen cyanide may be produced by the incomplete
combustion of materials such as wool’ silk, urethane, polyamide, acryline. Hydrogen
cyanide is a colourless gas which is highly
NITROGEN DIOXIDE
The reddish-brown gas nitrogen dioxide is produce during decomposition and
combustion of cellulose nitrate, ammonium nitrate and other inorganic nitrates. It is
also formed when nitric acid comes in contact with metal of combustible materials
ACROLEIN
It is highly irritating and toxic gas produced when petroleum products, fats, oils and
other common substances undergo combustion
PHOSENE
When a chlorinated compound comes in contact with flames, phosgene is one of the
product and combustion. Fires involving polyvinyl chloride plastics will produce
phosgene.

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