Lecture 12 - Fires 1 Flashcards
what are the general effects fire have
property damage
environmental effects
economic damage
loss of life
land damage
power outages
direct and indirect financial damage
what types of fire are common in Australia and why
wildfires or bushfires
ground is dry and easily ignitable
what is a megafire
a wildfire that burns more than 100,000 acres of land
why do we collect fire stats in the UK
help monitor number of and characteristics of fires
considers causes and effects so these can be mitigated in the future to reduce human and financial costs
overall goal = reduce fire related deaths, injury and damage to ensure public safety
how are statistics in the UK about fires collected
using the IRS system - incident recording system
why has there been a decrease in the total incidents related to fires
decrease overall in number of fires
false alarms get recorded as fire attended incidents in reporting
presence of more non fire related incidents attended = cats in trees
more implementation of smoke alarm systems or better ones - legislation made these mandatory
why may there be an increase in fires in the uk during a finacial crisis
people set fire to things to get insurance claims
why are there more dwelling fires than other types
people tend to be at home most of the time
give 4 of the main causes of fires in dwellings
the misuse of equipment
faulty appliances - cheaper to buy
placing things too close to heat sources
cooking
what new products recently introduced have lead to a decrease of household fires
air fryer opposed to deep pan/fat fryers
fire safe cigarettes - vapes (also less people smoke now)
what has made a huge difference to the number of fires in the UK - causing downward trends
the introduction of legislation
- most materials used in homes need to be fire retardant
- smoke alarms
sprinklers set to automatically go off
fire services alerted sooner as a result of fire alarms
reduction in drug and alcohol use
preventative work and more education
less smoking in population
change in cooking habits
what are some things that are still contributing to upwards trends in fires
aging population
overcrowding of building
arson
what is an environmental factor that has an impact on the number of fires
the season
wet springs allow for more plant growth = more fuel to burn
winter sees more chimney fired
what is the definition of a primary fire
all fires in buildings, vehicles and outdoor structures or any fires involving casualties or rescues or fires attended by 5 or more appliances (response vehicles)
what is the definition of a secondary fire
majority of outdoor fires unless they involve casualties or rescues, property loss or 5 or more appliances attend
also includes fires in derelict buildings
