Firefighting is the act of extinguishing destructive fires. A firefighter fights these fires to prevent destruction of life, property and the environment. Firefighting is a highly technical profession which requires years of training and education in order to become proficient.
Hazards caused by fire
The primary risk to people in a fire is smoke inhalation (breathing in smoke; most of those killed in fires die from this, not from burns). The risks of smoke include:
-
suffocation due to the fire consuming or displacing all the oxygen from the air.
-
poisonous gases produced by the fire;
-
aspirating heated smoke that can burn the inside of the lungs.
Obvious risks stem from the effects of heat. Even without contact with the flames (conduction), there are a number of comparably serious risks: burns from radiated heat, contact with a hot object, hot gases (e.g., air), steam and hot and/or toxic smoke.
The heat can make pressurised gas cylinders and tanks explode, producing what is called a BLEVE (Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapor Explosion).[. Some chemical products can also explode. Explosions can cause physical trauma or potentially serious blast or shrapnel injuries. |
Weblinkindia.net -