CHAPTER 1
Introduction to
Fire Safety
Individuals working in the field
of fire safety should have a ba-
sic working knowledge of fire
science. This chapter has a key
goal of giving the reader a ba-
sic perspective of fire science
and types of practices avail-
able to counter fire incidents.
This chapter will also provide
a perspective to the reader
about the size and trend of fire
accidents in India.
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Fuel
Oxygen
When a fire starts, a chemical
reaction is needed to sustain it.
Therefore, for a fire to sustain,
it needs fuel, oxygen, heat and
chemical reaction. These four
variables represent the fire tet-
rahedron. As mentioned, four
fire extinguishing principles ex-
ist.
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Control the Fuel
Control the Oxygen
Control the Heat
Control the Chemical Reaction
Heat
(Fig 1.1 - Picture of Fire Tetrahedron)
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