Fire Safety Management Flashcards
types of extinguishing agents
water, co2, powder, foam, wet chemicals, halon
Advantages of water as an extinguishing agent
- at regular temperatures, water is a relatively stable liquid.
- Water has high specific heat capacity and good latent heat of vaporisation
- relatively cheap & easily available
- when converted to steam, its volume increases by about 1600 times.
- used to cool by removing the heat source.
Disadvantages of water as an extinguishing agent
- Contains impurities (when applied more than necessary, may cause damages to goods and property)
- Can conduct Electricity
- Cannot be used on fires involving burning metals and radioactive substances.
Advantages of CO2 as an extinguishing agent
- Non-combustible
- Does not conduct electricity
- Does not react with most substances
- Non toxic in small concentration and leaves no residue.
- Can penetrate and spread to all parts of the fire area, easily liquefied and bottled under pressure.
- Used to smother by cutting off supply of oxygen.
Disadvantages of CO2
- Use on general fires is limited.
- For deep seated fires, a high concentration and much longer holding time is required.
- Not visible, a danger to humans in high concentration
- Should not be used in occupied spaces unless arrangements are made to ensure safe evacuation before discharge.
Advantages of Wet Chemicals as an extinguishing agent
- Best fire-fighting medium for fire involving cooking fats.
- Has a Class A rating and a Class F (cooking oils, fats lard, etc.) rating
- Water content of the wet chemical evaporates rapidly from the surface, removing the heat from the oil. Not much clean up is needed post firefighting.
- The chemical mixes with the cooking oil and this mixture saponifies to become soap-like
- Has a low pressure applicator, ensuring the burning oil does not splash around.
Disadvantages of using wet chemicals as an extinguishing agent
- Expensive to buy and refill
- Limited usage. Must not be used on Class D fires.
Advantages of Dry Powder as an extinguishing agent
- Effective for fires involving plastics and burning metal
- Quick Knockdown
- Forms a good radiant heat barrier
Disadvantages of Dry Powder as an extinguishing agent
- Very messy, not suitable for electronic equipment
- Detrimental to health upon inhalation.
Why is Halon not used as an extinguishing agent now
Halons are highly effective in depleting the inner ozone layer and are believed to cause skin and eye irritation upon contact
Explain the 3 tier classification of Company Emergency Response Team (CERT)
- SMC, overall in charge and makes decisions
- SIC, supervise and control CERT
- CERT, conduct evacuation, first aid and initial FF
List and briefly explain the 5 Fire safety tactics used by architects seeking to fulfill the objectives of life safety and properly protection
- Preventions, educating occupants
- Communications, ensuring occupants + Fire wardens & FSM + SCDF are
informed if fire systems are triggered - Escape, FSM are to know the nearest exit straicases
- Containment, ensuring the fire can be contained
- Extinguishment, through FF equipments & provisions
Elaborate in detail your preparation at fire station prior to conducting the enforcement check and; your course of action during the enforcement check at one of the commercial premises after you had discovered that the building management had committed various or multiple fire safety violations.
- Create case in FISOPS
- Understand what to inspect and offence location
- Check the relevant approval, licence and certificates
- Bring along tablet, camera, warrant card, torchlight
- Inspection to be conducted by a team of minimally 2 inspectors
- Be polite and tactful throughout the inspection
- Record the date and time of inspection, name of inspectors, name of
the representative from the premise - Record the inspection findings via photos and descriptions
- Submission of short inspection report
- Submission of inspection report
- Follow-up actions: rectification, subsequent inspection, payment, court
action (if there are multiple violations and no action is taken by the company)
Briefly describe the definition of fire and the 4 stages of combustion.
- Fire, rapid oxidation chemical process called combustion process that
combines fuel and oxygen with the applied ignition source which produces
smoke, heat and light at varying intensities - 4 stages are Initiation, Growth, Fully developed, Decay
Describe 2 methods of smoke control
- Pressurisation (containment, purely mechanical), during fires, doors
on escape routes at times need to be opened, smoke will hence flow there and affect visibility. If doors open when pressurised, air flows out rather than smoke flowing in. When the door is closed, positive
pressure prevents smoke entry through cracks and door gaps. Air is supplied at these areas so that the air pressure is above the surrounding areas - Venting (removal, natural or mechanical), containment of smoke to the area of origin, gain time for people to escape and measures to be taken to extinguish fires. It prevents the build up of smoke layer in the building
