Fire safety

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Fire safety equipment at a construction site in China Fire equipment at Haikou Tower construction site - 01.jpg
Fire safety equipment at a construction site in China
Property loss caused by arson GM Tobacco burning 28 May 2020.jpg
Property loss caused by arson

Fire safety is the set of practices intended to reduce destruction caused by fire. Fire safety measures include those that are intended to prevent the ignition of an uncontrolled fire and those that are used to limit the spread and impact of a fire.

Contents

Fire safety measures include those that are planned during the construction of a building or implemented in structures that are already standing and those that are taught or provided to occupants of the building.

Threats to fire safety are commonly referred to as fire hazards. A fire hazard may include a situation that increases the likelihood of a fire or may impede escape in the event a fire occurs.

Fire safety is often a component of building safety. Those who inspect buildings for violations of the Fire Code and go into schools to educate children on fire safety topics are Fire Department members known as Fire Prevention Officers. The Chief Fire Prevention Officer or Chief of Fire Prevention will normally train newcomers to the Fire Prevention Division and may also conduct inspections or make presentations. [1]

Elements of a fire safety policy

External fire escape stairs in a public building in Netherlands. 036 Fire safety stairs in Rotterdam, Netherlands - external fire escape Fei Chang Jie Duan .jpg
External fire escape stairs in a public building in Netherlands.

Fire safety policies apply at the construction of a building and throughout its operating life. Building codes are enacted by local, sub-national, or national governments to ensure such features as adequate fire exits, signage, and construction details such as fire stops and fire rated doors, windows, and walls. Fire safety is also an objective of electrical codes to prevent overheating of wiring or equipment, and to protect from ignition by electrical faults. [2]

Fire codes regulate such requirements as the maximum occupancy for buildings such as theatres or restaurants, for example. Fire codes may require portable fire extinguishers within a building, or may require permanently installed fire detection and suppression equipment such as a fire sprinkler system and a fire alarm system.

Local authorities charged with fire safety may conduct regular inspections for such items as usable fire exit and proper exit signage, functional fire extinguishers of the correct type in accessible places, and proper storage and handling of flammable materials. Depending on local regulations, a fire inspection may result in a notice of required action, or closing of a building until it can be put into compliance with fire code requirements.

Owners and managers of a building may implement additional fire policies. For example, an industrial site may designate and train particular employees as a fire fighting force. Managers must ensure buildings comply with fire evacuation regulations, and that building features such as spray fireproofing remains undamaged. Fire policies may be in place to dictate training and awareness of occupants and users of the building to avoid obvious mistakes, such as the propping open of fire doors. Buildings, especially institutions such as schools, may conduct fire drills at regular intervals throughout the year.

Beyond individual buildings, other elements of fire safety policies may include technologies such as wood coatings, [3] [4] education and prevention, preparedness measures, wildfire detection and suppression, and ensuring geographic coverage of local and sufficient fire extinguishing capacities.

Common fire hazards

Improper use and poor maintenance of gas stoves often create fire hazards. Gas stove.jpg
Improper use and poor maintenance of gas stoves often create fire hazards.

Some common fire hazards are: [5]

Fire code

An example of a fire code violation in the United States Fire code violation (USA).jpg
An example of a fire code violation in the United States
Fire extinguisher in a public school Fire extinguisher, highs school.jpg
Fire extinguisher in a public school

In the United States, the fire code (also fire prevention code or fire safety code) is a model code adopted by the state or local jurisdiction and enforced by fire prevention officers within municipal fire departments. It is a set of rules prescribing minimum requirements to prevent fire and explosion hazards arising from storage, handling, or use of dangerous materials, or from other specific hazardous conditions. [6] It complements the building code. The fire code is aimed primarily at preventing fires, ensuring that necessary training and equipment will be on hand, and that the original design basis of the building, including the basic plan set out by the architect, is not compromised. The fire code also addresses inspection and maintenance requirements of various fire protection equipment in order to maintain optimal active fire protection and passive fire protection measures.

A typical fire safety code includes administrative sections about the rule-making and enforcement process, and substantive sections dealing with fire suppression equipment, particular hazards such as containers and transportation for combustible materials, and specific rules for hazardous occupancies, industrial processes, and exhibitions.

Sections may establish the requirements for obtaining permits and specific precautions required to remain in compliance with a permit. For example, a fireworks exhibition may require an application to be filed by a licensed pyrotechnician, providing the information necessary for the issuing authority to determine whether safety requirements can be met. Once a permit is issued, the same authority (or another delegated authority) may inspect the site and monitor safety during the exhibition, with the power to halt operations, when unapproved practices are seen or when unforeseen hazards arise.

List of some typical fire and explosion issues in a fire code

Public fire safety education

Children evacuating a smoky building as a way to learn fire safety US Army 52320 Kids learn fire prevention so they don't get burned.jpg
Children evacuating a smoky building as a way to learn fire safety
Members of the United States Forest Service Fire Department teaching children fire safety 22nd Year of Kids in the Woods at the Modoc National Forest (28446553806).jpg
Members of the United States Forest Service Fire Department teaching children fire safety

Most U.S. fire departments have fire safety education programs.

Fire prevention programs may include distribution of smoke detectors, visiting schools to review key topics with the students and implementing nationally recognized programs such as NFPAS "Risk Watch" and "Learn not to burn". [7]

Other programs or props can be purchased by fire departments or community organizations. These are usually entertaining and designed to capture children's attention and relay important messages. Props include those that are mostly auditory, such as puppets and robots. The prop is visually stimulating but the safety message is only transmitted orally. Other props are more elaborate, access more senses and increase the learning factor. They mix audio messages and visual cues with hands-on interaction. Examples of these include mobile trailer safety houses and tabletop hazard house simulators. Some fire prevention software is also being developed to identify hazards in a home. [8]

All programs tend to mix messages of general injury prevention, safety, fire prevention, and escape in case of fire. In most cases the fire department representative is regarded as the expert and is expected to present information in a manner that is appropriate for each age group.

Fire educator qualifications

The US industry standard that outlines the recommended qualifications for fire safety educators is NFPA 1035: Standard for Professional Qualifications for Public Fire and Life Safety Educator, which includes the requirements for Fire and Life Safety Educator Levels I, II, and III; Public Information Officer; and Juvenile Firesetter Intervention Specialist Levels I and II. [9]

Target audiences

According to the United States Fire Administration, the very young and the elderly are considered to be "at risk" populations. These groups represent approximately 33% of the population.

Global perspectives

Fire safety has been highlighted in relation to global supply chain management. Sedex, the Supplier Ethical Data Exchange, a collaborative platform for sharing ethical supply chain data, [10] and Verité, Inc., a Massachusetts-based supply chain investigatory NGO, issued a briefing in August 2013 which highlighted the significance of this issue. [11] The briefing referred to several major factory fires, including the 2012 Dhaka garment factory fire in the Tazreen Fashion factory and other examples of fires in Bangladesh, Pakistan [12] and elsewhere, compared the incidence of fire safety issues in a manufacturing context, and highlighted the need for buyers, suppliers and local fire safety enforcement agencies all to take action to improve fire safety within the supply chains for ready-made garments and other products. The briefing recommended that buyers seek greater visibility of fire safety and other risks across the supply chain and identify opportunities to improve standards: "buyers can encourage change through more responsible and consistent practies". [11]

Fire safety plan

Fire escape plan of a hotel in Taiwan. Century Hotel - Fire Escape Plan.jpg
Fire escape plan of a hotel in Taiwan.

A fire safety plan is required by all North American national, state and provincial fire codes based on building use or occupancy types. Generally, the owner of the building is responsible for the preparation of a fire safety plan. Buildings with elaborate emergency systems may require the assistance of a fire protection consultant. After the plan has been prepared, it must be submitted to the Chief Fire Official or authority having jurisdiction for approval. Once approved, the owner is responsible for implementing the fire safety plan and training all staff in their duties. It is also the owner's responsibility to ensure that all visitors and staff are informed of what to do in case of fire. During a fire emergency, a copy of the approved fire safety plan must be available for the responding fire department's use.

In the United Kingdom, a fire safety plan is called a fire risk assessment. [13]

Fire safety plan structure

Use of fire safety plans

Fire safety plans are a useful tool for fire fighters to have because they allow them to know critical information about a building that they may have to go into. Using this, fire fighters can locate and avoid potential dangers such as hazardous material (hazmat) storage areas and flammable chemicals. In addition to this, fire safety plans can also provide specialized information that, in the case of a hospital fire, can provide information about the location of things like the nuclear medicine ward. [14] In addition to this, fire safety plans also greatly improve the safety of fire fighters. According to FEMA, 16 percent of all fire fighter deaths in 2002 occurred due to a structural collapse or because the fire fighter got lost. [15] Fire safety plans can outline any possible structural hazards, as well as give the fire fighter knowledge of where he is in the building.

Fire safety plans in the fire code

In North America alone, there are around 8 million buildings that legally require a fire safety plan, be it due to provincial or state law. [16] Not having a fire safety plan for buildings which fit the fire code occupancy type can result in a fine, and they are required for all buildings, such as commercial, industrial, assembly, etc.

Advances in fire safety planning

As previously stated, a copy of the approved fire safety plan shall be available for the responding fire department. This, however, is not always the case. Up until now, all fire plans were stored in paper form in the fire department. The problem with this is that sorting and storing these plans is a challenge, and it is difficult for people to update their fire plans. As a result, only half of the required buildings have fire plans, and of those, only around 10 percent are up-to-date. [16] This problem has been solved through the introduction of digital fire plans. These fire plans are stored in a database and can be accessed wirelessly on site by firefighters and are much simpler for building owners to update.

Insurance companies

Fire is one of the biggest threats to property with losses adding up to billions of dollars in damages every year. In 2019 alone, the total amount of property damage resulting from fire was $14.8 billion in the United States. [17] Insurance companies in the United States are not only responsible for financially covering fire loss but are also responsible for managing risk associated with it. Most commercial insurance companies hire a risk control specialist whose primary job is to survey property to ensure compliance with NFPA standards, assess the current risk level of the property, and make recommendations to reduce the probability of fire loss. Careers in property risk management continue to grow and have been projected to grow 4 to 8% from 2018 to 2028 in the United States. [18]

See also

Related Research Articles

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A fire sprinkler system is an active fire protection method, consisting of a water supply system providing adequate pressure and flowrate to a water distribution piping system, to which fire sprinklers are connected. Although initially used only in factories and large commercial buildings, systems for homes and small buildings are now available at a cost-effective price.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Fire Protection Association</span> International nonprofit organization

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) is a U.S.-based international nonprofit organization devoted to eliminating death, injury, property, and economic loss due to fire, electrical, and related hazards. As of 2023, the NFPA claims to have 50,000 members and 9,000 volunteers working with the organization through its 250 technical committees.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Honolulu Fire Department</span>

The Honolulu Fire Department (HFD) provides fire protection and first responder emergency medical services to the City & County of Honolulu, Hawaii, United States, under the jurisdiction of the Mayor of Honolulu. Founded on December 27, 1850, by Kamehameha III and Alexander Cartwright, the Honolulu Fire Department serves and protects the entire island of O'ahu, covering over 600 square miles (1,600 km2) of territory, home to more than 880,000 residents and over 4 million annual visitors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NFPA 704</span> Hazard symbol used by emergency personnel to identify the risks posed by hazardous materials

"NFPA 704: Standard System for the Identification of the Hazards of Materials for Emergency Response" is a standard maintained by the U.S.-based National Fire Protection Association. First "tentatively adopted as a guide" in 1960, and revised several times since then, it defines the "Safety Square" or "Fire Diamond" which is used to quickly and easily identify the risks posed by hazardous materials. This helps determine what, if any, special equipment should be used, procedures followed, or precautions taken during the initial stages of an emergency response. It is an internationally accepted safety standard, and is crucial while transporting chemicals.

The publication Life Safety Code, known as NFPA 101, is a consensus standard widely adopted in the United States. It is administered, trademarked, copyrighted, and published by the National Fire Protection Association and, like many NFPA documents, is systematically revised on a three-year cycle.

Firefighting jargon includes a diverse lexicon of both common and idiosyncratic terms. One problem that exists in trying to create a list such as this is that much of the terminology used by a particular department is specifically defined in their particular standing operating procedures, such that two departments may have completely different terms for the same thing. For example, depending on whom one asks, a safety team may be referred to as a standby, a RIT or RIG or RIC, or a FAST. Furthermore, a department may change a definition within its SOP, such that one year it may be RIT, and the next RIG or RIC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fire sprinkler</span> Component that discharges water to protect buildings

A fire sprinkler or sprinkler head is the component of a fire sprinkler system that discharges water when the effects of a fire have been detected, such as when a predetermined temperature has been exceeded. Fire sprinklers are extensively used worldwide, with over 40 million sprinkler heads fitted each year. In buildings protected by properly designed and maintained fire sprinklers, over 99% of fires were controlled by fire sprinklers alone.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Electrical equipment in hazardous areas</span> Electrical equipment in places where fire or explosion hazards may exist

In electrical and safety engineering, hazardous locations are places where fire or explosion hazards may exist. Sources of such hazards include gases, vapors, dust, fibers, and flyings, which are combustible or flammable. Electrical equipment installed in such locations can provide an ignition source, due to electrical arcing, or high temperatures. Standards and regulations exist to identify such locations, classify the hazards, and design equipment for safe use in such locations.

The International Code Council (ICC) is a nonprofit standards organization that creates the International Building Code (IBC), a model building code, as well as the International Residential Code (IRC), and other model codes. The IBC has been adopted for use as a base code standard by most jurisdictions in the United States.

Fire prevention is a function of many fire departments. The goal of fire prevention is to educate the public on the precautions that should be taken to prevent potentially harmful fires from occurring. It is a proactive method of preventing fire-based emergencies and reducing the damage caused by them. Fire prevention education can take the form of videos, pamphlets, and banners. Often, the messages and lessons are simple tips. Many fire departments will have one or more Fire Prevention Officers, which may also be a routine duty of firefighters.

A placard is a notice installed in a public place, like a small card, sign, or plaque. It can be attached to or hung from a vehicle or building to indicate information about the vehicle operator or contents of a vehicle or building. It can also refer to paperboard signs or notice carried by picketers or demonstrators.

Fire protection is the study and practice of mitigating the unwanted effects of potentially destructive fires. It involves the study of the behaviour, compartmentalisation, suppression and investigation of fire and its related emergencies, as well as the research and development, production, testing and application of mitigating systems. In structures, be they land-based, offshore or even ships, the owners and operators are responsible to maintain their facilities in accordance with a design-basis that is rooted in laws, including the local building code and fire code, which are enforced by the authority having jurisdiction.

Active fire protection (AFP) is an integral part of fire protection. AFP is characterized by items and/or systems, which require a certain amount of motion and response in order to work, contrary to passive fire protection.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Passive fire protection</span> Component or system to passively prevent the spread of fire

Passive fire protection (PFP) is components or systems of a building or structure that slows or impedes the spread of the effects of fire or smoke without system activation, and usually without movement. Examples of passive systems include floor-ceilings and roofs, fire doors, windows, and wall assemblies, fire-resistant coatings, and other fire and smoke control assemblies. Passive fire protection systems can include active components such as fire dampers.

A fire class is a system of categorizing fire with regard to the type of material and fuel for combustion. Class letters are often assigned to the different types of fire, but these differ between territories; there are separate standards for the United States, Europe, and Australia. The fire class is used to determine the types of extinguishing agents that can be used for that category.

Within the context of building construction and building codes, occupancy is the use of a building for the shelter or support of persons, animals or property. A closely related meaning is the number of units in such a building that are rented, leased, or otherwise in use. Lack of occupancy, in this sense, is known as vacancy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Combustibility and flammability</span> Ability to easily ignite in air at ambient temperatures

A combustible material is a material that can burn in air under certain conditions. A material is flammable if it ignites easily at ambient temperatures. In other words, a combustible material ignites with some effort and a flammable material catches fire immediately on exposure to flame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dust explosion</span> Rapid combustion of fine particles suspended in the air

A dust explosion is the rapid combustion of fine particles suspended in the air within an enclosed location. Dust explosions can occur where any dispersed powdered combustible material is present in high-enough concentrations in the atmosphere or other oxidizing gaseous medium, such as pure oxygen. In cases when fuel plays the role of a combustible material, the explosion is known as a fuel-air explosion.

Home safety is the awareness of risks and potential dangers in and around a home that may cause bodily harm, injury, or even death to those living there.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Class B fire</span> Class of fire

In fire classes, a Class B fire is a fire in flammable liquids or flammable gases, petroleum greases, tars, oils, oil-based paints, solvents, lacquers, or alcohols. For example, propane, natural gas, gasoline and kerosene fires are types of Class B fires. The use of lighter fluid on a charcoal grill, for example, creates a Class B fire. Some plastics are also Class B fire materials.

References

  1. ↑ "Fire Extinguisher Use". Life Safety Systems. Retrieved 2020-11-12.
  2. ↑ "Planning , Drawing & Designing". matrixfireengineers.com. Retrieved 2020-11-12.
  3. ↑ Paleja, Ameya (22 August 2022). "A fireproof wood achieves the highest class in burning test thanks to an invisible coating". interestingengineering.com. Retrieved 18 September 2022.
  4. ↑ "An invisible coating to make wood 'fireproof'". Nanyang Technological University via techxplore.com. Retrieved 18 September 2022.
  5. ↑ "Fire Safety". Fire Protection Specialists. Archived from the original on 19 January 2014. Retrieved 17 January 2014.
  6. ↑ "Articles - Fire Code | Safety Media Inc". safetymedia.com. Retrieved 2020-11-12.
  7. ↑ "NFPA eLearning On-line catalog". Archived from the original on 2009-01-16. Retrieved 2008-05-10.
  8. ↑ "September 2011". Magazine. Archived from the original on July 8, 2018. Retrieved 2020-11-06.
  9. ↑ "Buy NFPA 1035: Standard on Fire and Life Safety Educator, Public Information Officer..." catalog.nfpa.org. Retrieved 2020-11-12.
  10. ↑ "Lithium-Ion Battery Safety". www.nfpa.org. Retrieved 2024-04-11.
  11. 1 2 https://www.nyc.gov/assets/fdny/downloads/pdf/codes/dangers-of-lithium-ion-batteries.pdf
  12. ↑ Zia ur-Rehman, Declan Walsh and Salman Masood, More Than 300 Killed in Pakistani Factory Fires, New York Times, published 12 September 2012, accessed 28 May 2022
  13. ↑ "Fire safety in the workplace". GOV.UK. Retrieved 21 August 2021.
  14. ↑ "Fire Safety in Buildings". www.researchgate.net.
  15. ↑ https://www.usfa.fema.gov/downloads/pdf/publications/firefighter-fatalities-2002.pdf
  16. 1 2 "10 participating in or in a victim of horseplay". www.coursehero.com. Retrieved 2024-04-11.
  17. ↑ "NFPA report - Fire loss in the United States". www.nfpa.org. Retrieved 2020-10-21.
  18. ↑ "Changing Smoke Detector batteries".
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