Fire Prevention in Office Buildings - The How and Why of Fires


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Workplace Safety Videos :: Fire Prevention in Office Buildings - The How and Why of Fires

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Fire Prevention in Office Buildings - The How and Why of Fires	Last Updated: Saturday, June 25 2011
By Charlie Bentson King - Tuesday, May 24 2011	Comment(s): 0 \| Overall Rating:

Every year fires in business facilities kill 5000 people, injure 80,000 and cost business over 11 billion dollars. Unfortunately, most fires are caused by lack of adequate training or carelessness. Following proper safety procedures in the office will help your facility avoid the tragic circumstances of a fire. Fire safety training is imperative in every workplace.

In the 19th century entire cities were destroyed by fire because they were made completely of wood, however today there are a number of things which make the workplace safer. We now have fire resistant building materials, smoke detectors and sprinkler systems. Yes, despite all of these advances in technology we still have a significant risk of fire where we work. Today, we have toxic materials in our buildings which can cause other series problems. Chemicals, plastics and other poisons gases can form with a fire.

The best way to fight a fire is to prevent it. Prevention requires that you know what causes things to burn - heat, fuel and oxygen. Removing any of these three elements will stop a fire.

Fire starts with the ignition source - heat. Heat can be generated by open flames, electrical circuits, overheated equipment or unshielded surfaces. Once the fire starts it generates more heat and becomes larger and as long as there is enough fuel and oxygen present it will spread.

Fuel can be solids like paper, wood and some metals; flammable liquids; or ignitable gases. The vapors coming off of a flammable material are what produce flames. The more oxygen there is available to the fire, the more the fire will burn. As a fire grows, it continues to draw in oxygen from other areas easily getting out of control engulfing everything until one of the three elements is gone - heat, fuel, oxygen.

This is how a fire is extinguished - the pattern is broken by removing one of the three elements. Fire is usually put out by applying substances that remove the heat or the oxygen from the fire. The fuel that is fueling the fire is what determines how it is extinguished. This is critical because applying the wrong extinguishing agent to a fire could make things worse. Water will extinguish paper and wood, but can cause burning liquids to spread and will conduct electricity. Knowing the proper extinguishing agent is critical in fire safety.

Don't be part of one the devastating office fires that occur every year. Learn as much as you can about fires and how to put them out and follow your sites safety guidelines when dealing with equipment and materials that could start fires. Fire safety is everyone's responsibility.

Charlie Bentson King is a Vice President for Workplace Safety Videos - a distributor of safety videos and safety DVDs

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