A Practical Understanding of Fire Behavior And a thought outside the box. By John Mark Piper
The Conceptual Evolution Jones and Bartlett Publishers begin their introduction to “The Fundamentals of Fire Fighter Skills” by suggesting that extinguishing fire is both a science and an art. This fact is clearly evident when looking at the conceptual evolution of firefighting. In the beginning, the first uncontrolled fire incidents involving early man were most likely a “save your own” response of “retreat to beat the heat!” But as the knowledge and understanding of fire science increased, so did the creative elements of preventing it and extinguishing it. Thus, a more proactive and aggressive approach to the containment, control and extinguishment of fire evolved - the art and science of fire fighting. At first glance of today’s firefighter responsibilities and daily duties might lead one to wonder why this vocation is referred to as “Fire Fighting”. The actual time a “firefighter” spends physically extinguishing fire is minuscule compared to the time he/she spends on other tasks such as maintaining tools, answering emergency medical calls, responding to vehicle accidents and miscellaneous calls for assistance or 911 calls reporting the smell of something burning that turns out to be baby’s pacifier melted over the heating element of the dish washer. A more in-depth look however, reveals that Firefighters actually wage the fire battle 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, 365 days per year. And, we do so, on every conceivable front. From educating the public and enforcing strict building codes to relentless training and learning new data, fire fighters are most successful if out-of-control fire is prevented by never reaching an ignition point. Benjamin Franklyn put it best when he coined the phrase, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”. Though not as exciting as an interior fire attack, firefighters wage their battle on as many layers as possible with all means possible on a continuous basis. Why? Because out of control fire usually leads to disaster and devastation. The first Phase: The first phase toward training for the battle begins with a basic understanding of fire science which focuses on understanding the principals of the Fire Tetrahedron. In the scientific world, fire requires four components which together make up the fire tetrahedron: 1. Fuel 2. Heat 3. Oxygen 4. Chemical Chain Reaction Before the Fire Tetrahedron, the Fire Triangle outlined the three components necessary to create fire: fuel, heat and Oxygen. As knowledge of fire grew, the Fire Triangle expanded