Fire Types & Fire Extinguishers

In accordance with British Standard EN 2 fires are classified into 6 types:

Class 1 => Fires involving solid materials. (Usually organic matter such as paper, wood etc. This type of fire can be dealt with foam, water or extinguishers.)

Class 2 => Fires involving liquids or liquefiable solids.(Liquids or liquefiable solids such as oils, paints and fats. This type of fire can be dealt with extinguishers of foam. Carbon dioxide extinguishers are also best suitable for a fire involving electrical equipment.)

Class 3 => Fires involving gases. (Gases. Dry powder extinguishers can be used on Class 3 fires.)

Class 4 => Fires involving metals.(Metals such as aluminium, sodium, magnesium or potassium. Only specially trained personnel using special equipment can tackle such fires, fire extinguishers are not effective in this type of fires)

Class 5 => Fires involving cooking oils or fats.(Involving cooking fats and oils. Special extinguishers are available but it's best if specially trained people handles this type of fire.)

United Kingdom: Fire Departments

Fire Departments in UK.

1. Avon Fire and Rescue Service
2. Bedfordshire and Luton Fire and Rescue Service
3. Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service
4. Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service
5. Central Scotland Fire and Rescue Service
6. Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service
7. Cleveland Fire Brigade
8. Cornwall County Fire Brigade (CCFB)
9. County Durham and Darlington Fire Rescue Service
10. Cumbria Fire Rescue Service
11. Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service
12. Devon Fire and Rescue Service (DFRS)
13. Dorset Fire and Rescue Service
14. Dumfries and Galloway Fire and Rescue Service
15. East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service (ESFRS)
16. Essex County Fire and Rescue Service (ECFRS)
17. Fife Fire and Rescue Service
18. Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service (GFRS)
19. Grampian Fire and Rescue Service (GFRS)
20. Greater Manchester County Fire Service (GMCFS)
21. Guernsey Fire and Rescue Service
22. Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service (HFRS)
23. Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service
24. Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service (HFRS)
25. Highlands and Islands Fire and Rescue Service (HIFB)
26. Humberside Fire and Rescue Service (HFRS)
27. Isle of Man Fire and Rescue Service
28. Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service
29. Isles of Scilly Fire and Rescue Service
30. Jerseys Fire and Rescue Service
31. Kent Fire and Rescue Service (KFRS)
32. Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service (LFRS)
33. Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service
34. Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue Service
35. London Fire Brigade (LFB)
36. Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue Service (LBFRS)
37. Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service
38. Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service
39. Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service
40. North Wales Fire and Rescue Service
41. North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service (NYFRS)
42. Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service (NFRS)
43. Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS)
44. Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service (NFRS)
45. Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service
46. Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service
47. Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service (RBFRS)
48. Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS)
49. Somerset Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS)
50. South Wales Fire and Rescue Service
51. South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service
52. Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service
53. Strathclyde Fire and Rescue (SFR)
54. Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service
55. Surrey Fire and Rescue Service
56. Tayside Fire and Rescue
57. Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service
58. Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service
59. West Midlands Fire Service (WMFS)
60. West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service (WSFRS)
61. West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service
62. Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service

New Fire Safety Rules

New fire safety rules, the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 will be enforced in England and Wales on October 1st 2006

Employers should start thinking about new fire safety responsibilities which come into force in October or face the risk of prosecution.

The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 means any employer responsible for "any premises in England and Wales where people gather" will have a duty to ensure the safety of everyone who uses their premises and those in the immediate vicinity who may be at risk if there is a fire.

The legislation covers nearly every type of building, structure and open space except for private homes and individual flats in a block or house, although communal areas will be affected.

Anyone responsible for premises must carry out a fire safety risk assessment by 1 October 2006. The Fire and Rescue Service will carry out inspections and failing to comply with the order may lead to a fine or up to two years imprisonment.

Steps Needed For Fire Risk Assessment

Fire Risk Assessment helps to determine the dangers from fire and chances of fire occurring at your work place.

Five steps needed to take for Fire Risk Assessment

Step 1 => Identify potential fire hazards in the workplace.

=> sources of fuel & ignition

=> work processes

Step 2 => It's better to decide who might be in danger (visitors, employees)

Step 3 => Evaluate the risks and take necessary fire precautions.

=> Are existing fire safety measures adequate in case of fire?
=> control of ignition sources/sources of fuel

=> fire warning/detection

=> means of escape and fighting fire

=> testing and maintenance of fire precautions

=> fire safety training of employees

Step 4 => Record your findings and update it about your findings to employees.

=> Prepare emergency plan, update and trail employees.

Step 5 => Keep the assessment under review and revise it time to time whenever necessary.

Steps Are Needed To Save Lives

In UK alone, 100,000 accidental fires in populated buildings resulting in over 700 fatalities. Steps are needed to save lives. Fire safety is now being given extra focus which is reflected in a new Fire Safety Order which comes into force in April 2006. As per this new legislation it's required for employer to carry out fire safety risk assessment and act upon it's findings.

This can be done in-house or left to the professionals.

Fire Safety Engineering

Fire Safety Engineering also known as Fire Protection Engineering is engineering and science to protect people and their surroundings or enviornment from the destructive effects of Fire.

Discipline of Fire Safety/Protection Engineering includes:

1. Active fire protection (It includes manual or automatic fire detection techniques)

=> Fire or Smoke Detection Systems.

=> Heat Detector

=> Alarm System

2. Passive fire protection (It includes techniques to slow down the spread of fire)

=> Fire and Smoke Barriers

=> Space Separation

=> Fire Resistant Walls

3. Smoke Control

4. Building Design and Space Planning

5. Fire Prevention Programs

6. Risk Analysis

In practice, fire safety/protection engineers typically identify risks and design safeguards that aid in controlling, preventing, and mitigating the effects of fires.

Safety Rules: Fire Risk Assessment

New fire safety rules affecting all non-domestic premises in England and Wales came into force on 1 October 2006.

A fire risk assessment helps you to identify all the fire risks and hazards in your premises. You can then decide to do something to control them.

Now question arises who do the risk assessment for me?

Risk assessment is to be done by a person who has had sufficient training and has good knowledge and experience of fire safety.

If you manage, own or you are the responsible person for shops, offices, factories, hotels, hospitals, care homes and so on, you must complete a seperate fire risk assessment for each building. In fact the Fire Precautions (Workplace) Regulations cover all premises that people have access to except for single domestic premises.