Module 3: Basic Safety Rules and Measures in Workplace Hazards

Fire Safety
What is Fire?

Fire is a chemical reaction between a flammable or combustible material and oxygen. This process converts the
flammable or combustible material and oxygen into energy. By-products of combustion is light, smoke and other gases
which are hazardous to humans.

Fire triangle and fire tetrahedron

 Fire triangle is a pyramid/triangular shape that show the three elements of fire which are fuel or
flammable/combustible material, oxygen and source of ignition/heat.
 Fire tetrahedron is same as fire triangle but includes the fourth triangle which is the “chain reaction” which
when fire is started and propagated.

Three elements of fire:

1. Fuel – any material that will burn.

a. Combustible – is a substance having a flashpoint at or above 100°F (37.8°C)
i. Fuel oil @ 37.8°C
ii. Kerosene @ 37.8°C
iii. Quenching oil @ 185.0°C
iv. Mineral oil @ 193.3°C
b. Flammable – is a substance having a flashpoint below 100°F (37.8°C) and vapor pressure not exceeding
20psia at 100°F.
i. Gasoline @ -42.8°C
ii. Ether @ -45°C
iii. Acetone @ -17.8°C
iv. Alcohol @ 12.8°C
c. Flashpoint – the lowest temperature at which fuel begins to give off flammable vapors and form an
ignitable mixture in air.
2. Oxygen – an element used for combustion. Air is composed of 21% oxygen and 78% nitrogen.
3. Heat/Source of ignition – an element required to produce a fire. Oxygen and fuel can mixed together but in the
absence of heat source, fire cannot be created.

Prepared by: Engr. Vonson Sani S. Alarcon, Mechanical Engineer

Module 3: Basic Safety Rules and Measures in Workplace Hazards
Fire Safety
A. How to extinguish a fire?
1. Removing fuel – taking away of fuel to avoid chain reaction and stop the fire. This is difficult and
dangerous but useful to discontinue a fire.
2. Removing oxygen – suffocate the fire by using of non-combustible materials such as sand and by
reducing the concentration of oxygen by discharging carbon dioxide or other inert gases to the fire.
3. Removing heat – reduces the heat below kindling point or flashpoint to stop the release of combustible
vapors and gases and extinguish the fire. The most common agent used is water or incorporated foam.
B. Classification of fires
1. Class “A” – fires that fueled by materials that when burnt out they leave a residue in the form of ash
such as paper, wood, cloth, rubber and certain plastics. (keyword: Ash)
2. Class “B” – fires involve flammable liquids and gases such as gasoline, paint thinner, kitchen grease,
propane and acetylene. (keyword: Basa)
3. Class “C” – fires that involved energized electrical wiring or equipment (motors, computers, panel
boxes). Note that if the electricity to the equipment is cut, a Class C fire becomes one of the other three
types of fire. (keyword: Current)
4. Class “D” – fires involve combustible metals such as magnesium, sodium, titanium and certain
organometallic compounds such as alkyl lithium and Grignard reagents.
5. Class “K” – fire that involves combustible cooking fuels such as vegetable or animal oils and fats.

Fire protection

1. Fire suppression
a. Manual
i. Fire blanket
ii. Fire bucket (sand or water)
iii. Fire extinguisher
b. Automatic
i. Condensed aerosol fire suppression – same as fire sprinkler but automated spraying chemicals
like fire extinguishers
ii. Fire sprinkler – fire control and suppression using pressurized water or chemicals using spray
nozzles. Sprinkler heads have a temperature sensitive glass bulb and when the temperature
reached its limit, the bulb will be broken and the sprinkler will start to operate.
iii. Gaseous fire suppression – automatic spray of inert gases to suppress the fire
2. Detection
a. Flame detector – sensors that designed to monitor if there is a flame and may be linked into other
devices such as fire alarms and fire suppression systems. Flame detectors are more accurate than smoke
detector and heat detector. If used in industrial furnace, its application is to ensure that the furnace has
flame and if lost it suddenly, the flame detector will cut the supply to the furnace (same as flame
sensor). Flame detectors types are optical, ionization current and thermocouple.
b. Heat detector – it is a fire alarm device that notifies if there is increase in temperature. Heat detectors
used a temperature sensitive element that senses the temperature increase in an area. There are two
types of heat detector: fixed temperature and rise-of-rate. Heat detectors are not replacement for

Prepared by: Engr. Vonson Sani S. Alarcon, Mechanical Engineer

Module 3: Basic Safety Rules and Measures in Workplace Hazards
Fire Safety
smoke detectors; they are used in such place where smoke detectors cannot be installed due to dust
accumulation such as kitchen, laundry, garage, attic, etc.
c. Smoke detector – a fire alarm device that normally used commercially and in household, it notifies
people using audible or visual alarm from itself. The two types of smoke detector are: ionization type
(using Americium-241 to ionize air and determine its difference with smoke) and optical type (using
infrared, laser or sensor that detects the smoke by losing its sight).

 Provide fire exits with clear signage and also for the passage or pathways leading the fire exits
 Provide signage of “No Smoking” and other safety signage for areas with combustible or flammable materials
 Maintain good housekeeping

Fire extinguisher operation:

PASS or T-PASS

Twist the pin

Pull the pin

Aim to the root of fire

Squeeze the lever

Sweep the nozzle side by side

Prepared by: Engr. Vonson Sani S. Alarcon, Mechanical Engineer

Module 3: Basic Safety Rules and Measures in Workplace Hazards
Fire Safety

The different types of fire sprinkler system

A. Wet pipe systems

Wet pipe systems are definitely the most commonly used fire sprinkler systems. Basically it works this
way: in the event of a fire, water is provided to the piping via the sprinklers heads by an automatic water supply.
B. Dry pipe systems
These are the second most popular fire sprinkler system type. They are usually installed in unheated
buildings (like parking garages for example). Here the low ambient temperature may freeze the water in an
ordinary wet pipe system, making it useless. Therefore, in this kind of sprinkler system, the water in the piping is
replaced by air at a pressure below the water supply pressure. When one or more of the automatic sprinkler
heads is activated, it opens so the air in the piping can come out from that sprinkler. The drop of the air pressure
in the piping allows water to vent and control the fire.
C. Deluge systems
In this type of system all the sprinklers connected to the water piping are open in order to provide a
simultaneous jet of water over the entire environment in case of fire. Indeed, they are usually installed in
locations where the risk of rapid fire spread is high. In the event of fire, an alarm activates. This signals the
deluge valve to open allowing water to flow from the piping system.
D. Pre-action systems
Pre-action systems are used in places where accidental activation of the fire sprinklers should be
avoided (like museums or Data Centres, for example). There are two types of pre-action systems: single interlock
and double interlock. The first is similar to dry pipe systems in the way they operate but in this case the vent of
water is preceded by a prior fire detection event (the activation of a smoke detector for example). The system is
converted from a dry to a wet system, in order to reduce the delay of water distribution to the piping that
usually happens in dry systems. The double interlock pre-action systems are similar to deluge systems but,
unlike the latter, they are provided with automatic sprinklers. Also, they require that both a prior fire detection

Prepared by: Engr. Vonson Sani S. Alarcon, Mechanical Engineer

Module 3: Basic Safety Rules and Measures in Workplace Hazards
Fire Safety
event and automatic sprinkler activation take place before the water comes to the system piping. Otherwise,
water will not get into the piping.
E. Foam water sprinkler systems
This special kind of sprinkler system discharges a mixture of water and foam concentrate if activated.
They are generally used in case of high challenge fires, such as in the presence of flammable liquids. The foam
can be inserted in any of the systems described above.
F. Water spray systems
Water spray systems are identical to deluge systems but, unlike the latter, the first are designed to
safeguard a uniquely configured hazard (so they don’t cover all the horizontal floor area of a space). Electrical
transformers, for example, are usually protected by a water spray system.
G. Water mist systems
This kind of system is typically used in conditions where water may damage things or in case of minimal
water supplies. They are provided with a heat absorbent vapor and operate as a wet pipe, deluge, dry pipe or
pre-action system. In this case a compressed gas is used to atomize the water, so it turns into a mist.

Prepared by: Engr. Vonson Sani S. Alarcon, Mechanical Engineer