How to put out a fire

I will be talking in detail about how to put out fires below, but here are a few short notes about particular types of fires you may come across:

Camp fires
Camp fires are usually made of wood or coal, so things you can do to help put these out include:

• Separate the logs to help them finish burning faster


• Add water: Putting a camp fire out with water will do the trick. Don't be alarmed when this creates hissing sounds; this is normal. Keep pouring until the hissing and smoking subsides.
  Beware: Adding water may cause the fire to smoke. If it creates too much smoke, just let the fire burn down a bit longer before you add more water. Mix the water and wood/ coal around with a shovel to ensure they are well covered with water.


• Let the wood/ coal burn completely to ash if possible


• Cover with soil: You can cover the fire with soil afterwards, just to make sure the fire is completely out and won't re-ignite.


• Make sure the site is cold to the touch before you leave. The general rule is: "If it's too hot to touch, it's too hot to leave".

. . .

Kitchen Fires
Since the kitchen is the place in the house where open flames may be present, it can present a fire risk. The two main steps discussed below cover what to do in case of kitchen fires.

. . .

Electrical fires
The main thing to remember with electrical fires are:

• DO make sure you turn the power source off e.g. turn the power "off" on the device, unplug it, or even switch off the electricity at the mains


• DON'T use water or a water fire extinguisher (class A) to put out an electrical fire


• DON'T use a foam fire extinguisher to put out an electrical fire


• DO use baking soda or the appropriate fire extinguishers. Things you can use to put out an electical fire are discussed below, but include baking soda, powder fire extinguishers (class B), carbon dioxide fire extinguishers (class C).

. . .

Clothes fires
If you find your clothes are on fire the three keys are Stop, Drop and Roll :

• Stop: Don't run because that only fans the flames.


• Drop: The first thing to do is lie down. This is important because flames burn upwards, so if you're lying down, it makes it harder for the fire to spread and will reduce risk of damage to the head and face.


• Roll: Roll on the ground to help smother the flames.


• Others can help smother the flames by covering the flames with a heavy non-flammable material like a coat or a blanket. They can also help by patting the flames with a non-flammable material. - If there's a fire extinguisher handy, use that.
  

. . .

There are two main steps for putting out fires:

(i.) REMOVE anything which may be feeding the fire
(ii.) ADD things which can help put out the fire

Let's look at these in more detail:

Materials to remove to put out fires


Before adding something to the fire to put it out, make sure whatever is feeding the flames is removed. There are basically three things that need to be removed: the things that make up the fire triangle: fuel, heat and oxygen. Removing any of these will help put out the fire.

Here are a few examples of possible fire feeders that should be removed:

Remove fuel:
Fuel could include:
- Wood: In the case of a campfire, don't put more logs on it,
- Gas: Turn the gas valve off e.g. if you're dealing with a stove or a bunsen burner
- Other combustible materials: This includes clothes, packing material, glues, many solvents and chemicals, paints, oils, gases and even food. Food is fuel for us and is also potential fuel for fires. In the case of a kitchen fire, never throw something like flour on top of it because it may be combustible and can explode, making the fire worse.

You can also isolate the fire from fuel sources by either digging a ditch around it, or if you're in the kitchen, you can isolate it by putting the object that's on fire in the sink.

Remove electricity (a type of fuel):
In the case of an electrical fire make sure you turn off the device, either on the device or at the socket or at the mains.

Remove oxygen:
Where possible, removing oxygen will be helpful. This can be done in several ways depending on the type of fire. Some examples include:

• In oven fires, oxygen can be limited by keeping the door closed,


• In pot/ pan fires, oxygen can be deprived by putting the lid on. Use oven mitts to slide the lid on carefully. Metal lids are preferable to glass lids because glass ones may break under the heat of the flames. If you don't have a lid handy, you can put a metal cookie tray on top of the flaming pan instead. Alternatively you can soak a kitchen towel with water, wring it out so that it's damp but not soaking, and put it on top of the pot to act as a lid if you don't have one at hand. Then give it time to deplete itself of oxygen. Don't open the lid until the pot has cooled completely.


• Avoid feeding the flames by swatting at them with a towel or something, because this only gives them more air, and more oxygen.


• Do not take the flaming pot outside without a lid on it because this will only expose it to more oxygen.


• Shut down any exhaust fan that's working around the stove because this can fan the flames.


• If the fire is on you, don't start running because that will only fan the flames with oxygen

Removing the heat:
If the fire is in a pot on the stove, turn the stove off and take the pot off the stove.

Remove potential spreaders of fires
Other than combustible materials, fire spreaders include explosive materials like aerosol cans or pressurized containers.

Materials you can use to put out fires

Water

Water is the most commonly thought of way to put out fires, but is it really always the best option? For some fires, adding water can actually make the fire worse! So it's good to know a little about this.

When should you use water to put out a fire?
Water is suitable for fires that are burning the following:
- Wood e.g. campires
- Paper,
- Textiles like clothes or rags
- Some solid materials e.g. trash

In these cases, water cools the fire, and without heat eventually the fire stops burning. The way water takes the heat away is by using the fire's heat to evaporate. As the energy is used to evaporate the water, less energy is available for the flames until eventually the fire can no longer be sustained.

When should you avoid using water to put out a fire?
Avoid using a water to extinguish a fire in the following cases:

• If the fire is on liquid e.g. a grease or oil fire. Adding water to grease that is on fire will only make the burning grease float on top of the water. The addition of water may only serve to splatter burning grease or help it ooze further afield, spreading the fire.


• If the fire is electrical - This should be avoided because water conducts electricity and can lead to you getting shocked.


• If it is a metal fire

Soil / Sand

Pouring soil or sand on top of a fire can help starve the flames of oxygen, helping to put it out. Covering the flames will not necessarily put them out at once so don't just bury the fire and leave because the fire may still be burning underneath. Add the soil or sand

gradually

and add more until you see the flames subside till the fire is out and the site is cool to the touch. If it's too hot to touch, it's too hot to leave.

. . .

Baking soda (or salt)

For kitchen fires you may have baking soda or salt handy. These can be helpful in putting out the flames by acting in a similar way to a powder fire extinguisher, depriving the flames of oxygen. Adding baking soda is suitable even for grease fires and electrical fires although you may need a lot of baking soda to put out a fire.

. . .

Create fire breaks
Fire breaks help slow down the fire until you figure out how to deal with it.

If the fire is outside, and you have no water at hand, you can dig a trench around the fire to slow it down.

. . .

Fire extinguishers

If there's a fire extinguisher handy, it may do the trick - as long as it's the right type!

Before you learn how to use a fire extinguisher, first be aware of the different fire extinguisher types.

The first thing to know is that not all fire extinguishers are the same. In some cases though, the wrong extinguisher can make the flames grow, so it's very important to know what kind of fire responds to which type of extinguisher.

There are several main types of fire extinguisher, and here is a selection of them:

1.) Water fire extinguisher (class A, sometimes marked with a red band)

How do water fire extinguishers work?
They work exactly like water on its own would: by cooling the flames, taking away the heat element of the fire triangle. No heat, no fire

What kind of fire is put out by water fire extinguishers?
Fires that are burning the following:
· Wood
· paper,
· textile like clothes or rags
· some solid materials e.g. trash

The principles are simlar to those for plain water, as described above.

When should you avoid using a water extinguisher?
Avoid using a water fire extinguisher in the following cases:
· If the fire is on liquid e.g. a grease or oil fire. Adding water to grease that is on fire will only make the burning grease float on top of the water.
· If the fire is electrical - This should be avoided because water conducts electricity
· If it is a metal fire

2.) Powder fire extinguisher (class B, powder extinguishers are sometimes marked with a blue band)

How do powder fire extinguishers work?
The powder covering cuts off oxygen to the fire. Without oxygen, the fire dies down.

What kind of fire is put out by powder extinguishers?
Powder extinguishers are intended for:
· Fires on liquid (e.g. kitchen grease fires)
· and electrical fires
These are two types of fire which aren't appropriate for water extinguishers.

When should you avoid using a powder extinguisher?
Avoid use in case of metal fire

3.) Foam fire extinguisher (foam extinguishers are sometimes marked with a yellow band)

How do foam fire extinguishers work?
The foam covering cuts off oxygen to the fire. Without oxygen, the fire dies down.

What kind of fire is put out by foam extinguishers?
· These are useful in liquid fires.

When should you avoid using a foam extinguisher?
Do not use on electrical or metal fires.

4.) Carbon Dioxide fire extinguisher (class C, sometimes marked with a black band)

What kind of fire is put out by carbon dioxide extinguishers?
· Liquid fires (e.g. grease fires)
· Electrical fires

When should you avoid using a carbon dioxide extinguisher?
· Metal fires

5.) Fire extinguishers for metal fires (class D)
These are specialized extinguishers for dealing with fire of combustible metals like aluminium, sodium, magnesium or zinc.

6.) Combination extinguishers
These may be single extinguishers that fall into more than one "class". A good one to have around the kitchen is one that is a combination class A, B and C.

Now that you know a bit about the types of fire extinguishers, here are the basic protocols of how to use one:

1.) Stand about 8 feet away from the fire. This is especially important for grease fires because the extinguisher can have quite a lot of pressure and spraying a fire with an extinguisher when standing too closely can actually spread the fire.

2.) Pull the pin to release the lock, and/ or press the lever of the fire extinguisher

3.) Establish where the fire extinguisher emissions come out and point the nozzle at the fire. Squeeze the handle and keep it squeezed as you sweep the emissions over the fire, sweeping it from side to side over the flames until the fire has been put out.

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