The fire theory part of the course consists of

Fire Theory
Extinguishing equipment
Technical fire detection
Evacuation

Fire theory

For a fire to start, a fair amount of oxygen, fuel and heat are required. This is called the fire triangle. Access to oxygen has a major impact on the fire and without oxygen it suffocates. Adding more oxygen increases the combustion, like when you blow on glowing charcoal. If there is too little oxygen, the fire often goes out. The fuel can be wood, paper, plastic, gasoline or gas or even the gases that develops in a fire. Anything can start to burn if it gets to a sufficently high temperature. To ignite the fuel, some kind of heat source is needed. This could be a lit match, short circuit in electrical equipment or a lightning strike. Different fuels require different amounts of heat to ignite.

Fire triangle

Causes of fire

The most common causes of fires, in a building are the following:

Forgotten stove
Technical issue
Arson
Heat transfer
Chimney fires
Smoking
Candles
Sparks
Ignition

All of these can occur in our buildings, and therefore it's important to pay attention and follow guidelines. For example, don't leave candles unattended.

Fire smoke

Fire smoke, also known as fire gas, contains many different substances that negatively affects the environment and our bodies. The smoke also constitutes an obstacle to evacuation since it makes facilities warm and difficult to orient in. To reduce the inhalation of smoke, crawl out of the room/building. Should you hear or see something in the smoke, tell the firefighters so you don't risk your own life by entering the smoke again.

Fire spread

There are a number of substances in the smoke that are flammable, which means that the smoke can be the fuel in the fire triangle. If a sufficient amount of fumes accumulate, they are flammable. What ignites the fumes may be the initial fire or some other ignition source. The fumes are a major source of fire spread within buildings. To prevent, or at least delay, the spread of smoke between the premises, close the doors to the fire and other spaces.

Fire smoke affects the body

Fire smoke contains carbon dioxide that stimulates breathing. This means that if we inhale the smoke, the carbon dioxide level in the blood will rise and stimulate further breathing. It becomes a vicious circle and in the end, it may mean that we don't get enough oxygen and become unconscious. There is also carbon monoxide in the fire smoke. One problem with carbon monoxide is that it binds 150-300 times more easily to the red blood cells than oxygen. Even relatively low levels of carbon monoxide in the blood poses danger. Even hydrogen cyanide can be found in fire smoke. The gas is acutely toxic to humans and quickly leads to unconsciousness. Other gases that may be present in fire smoke and adversely affect us are nitrogen oxides and dioxins. Keep in mind that just three breaths in a smoke-filled environment may be enough to become unconscious.

Our environment

Even if the fire smoke doesn't catch fire, property damage can be severe because the smoke is so hot that it melts things, make things dirty or contains corrosive substances, including hydrochloric acid. The environment is also affected by the fact that the fire smoke contains substances which eventually acidify soil and water.

Extinguishing equipment

If a fire should occur, it's good to know what extinguishing equipment is available. If you know where it is and how to properly use the equipment, you can prevent a fire from spreading and getting bigger.

Fire extinguisher

There are different types of fire extinguishers and you should know what types they are and what extinguisher you can use on what material.

Powder extinguisher is the extinguisher that works on everything. It makes a mess while using it but it's the one that most insurance companies recommend. They mean that it will be cheaper to clean the powder than to build a brand new house.
Liquid extinguisher works on solid materials, for example paper, wood and textiles.
Carbon dioxide extinguisher works on flammable liquids and electrical installations.

How to use a fire extinguisher

Pull the pin
Aim nozzle at base of fire
Squeeze the handle
Sweep nozzle side to side until the fire is out.
Do not get too close to the fire, remember to keep the wind at your back.

What types of fire extinguishers do you have at your workplace?

Fire blanket

A supplement that should be included with the fire extinguisher is the fire blanket. Recommended fire blanket must measure 120 cm x 180 cm and should be in a visible and easily accessible place. When using a fire blanket, it's important not to throw the blanket on the fire. Instead, place it firmly over the fire. Then press with your hands on the blanket to smother the flames. Should it start to burn on a person, try to get the person down on the ground and start by putting the blanket on from the head and down. It is important to ensure that the blanket closes tightly and the oxygen supply is cut off. When you remove the blanket always start from the bottom, because if there are flames left, they should not be allowed to flare in the face of the person.

Indoor fire hydrant

In some of Uppsala University's facilities there are indoor fire hydrants. An indoor fire hydrant has a length of 25 or 30 m. It should be close to evacuation routes as it's easier to access them from a relatively safe place. Indoor fire hydrants have unlimited extinguishing agent, are easy to use and have a long throw length. The use of an indoor fire hydrant will allow you to extract as much hose as you need and by opening a valve adjacent to the nozzle, you will get water to the nozzle and you can start putting out the fire.

Technical fire detection

There are different types of equipment that you can use to detect or prevent a fire at an early stage. In this lesson we will name some of the most common technical fire detectors in our facilities.

Fire and evacuation alarm

In the vast majority of Uppsala University's premises, there are fire and evacuation alarms that are connected to the emergency services. A fire alarm has the purpose of early detection of a fire, while an evacuation alarm has the purpose of initiating evacuation in the event of a fire or other danger. There are different types of fire detection. Some detectors react to smoke and others to heat. It is also possible to activate the fire alarm manually by pressing the fire alarm button.

Sprinkler

The sprinkler's purpose is to automatically extinguish or control a fire so it doesn't spread further. It should start as early as possible so that conditions detrimental to evacuation don't accrue and also to minimize severe property damage. Only the sprinkler heads exposed to the fire are activated. The sprinkler is also triggered if the glass in the sprinkler head is broken.

Evacuation

Evacuation is something that is strongly associated with fire, which is not always the reason for having to evacuate a building. A good thing to keep in mind is that an evacuation alarm can be triggered due to some kind of threat or other serious event. When you hear the alarm it's good to find out why it sounds. Think about where your nearest escape route is.

Evacuation in case of alarm

When the alarm sounds, act as following if no other routines are available:

Save whomever or whatever you can, as long as you're not risking your own safety
Warn others in the building.
Call 112 from a safe place.
Try to put out the fire if you judge that you are capable of doing so.
Evacuate the room and bring the people you see along the way.
Reassemble at the specified location.

Evacuation plan

The evacuation plans are usually posted close to the entrances to a building, by the elevator or at the beginning of a new corridor. Take a look at the evacuation plan and see where the nearest emergency exit are, where fire extinguishers are, and where the fire alarm buttons are placed. Also look up where the assembly point is. If you know this, you can help others to get out of the building if the alarm sounds.

Action card

Something all workplaces should have is an evacuation strategy. If you don't want to make your own, there is documentation from the Security and Safety Division that you can take a look at. One strategy that can be used is action cards with information on what to do in the event of an evacuation. This is based on voluntary evacuation leaders where the first person takes a card and distributes the other cards to others nearby. It is important to cooperate and help each other to save lives in a critical situation.

Evacuation package

Thank you for completing the course Basic fire safety training.

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