The different components of a fire are heat, oxygen, fuel, and a chain reaction creating the fire.
Fire suppression methods attempt to remove or disrupt one of these elements to extinguish a fire. You
can extinguish a fire using one of these methods:
Remove the heat. Fire extinguishers commonly use chemical agents or water to remove the
heat. However, water should never be used on an electrical fire.
Remove the oxygen. Many methods use a gas, such as carbon dioxide (CO2) to displace the
oxygen. This is a common method of fighting electrical fires because CO2 and similar gasses
are harmless to electrical equipment.
Remove the fuel. Fire-suppression methods don’t typically fight a fire this way, but of
course, the fire will go out once all the material is burned.
Disrupt the chain reaction. Some chemicals can disrupt the chain reaction of fires to stop
them.
The class of fire often determines what element of the fire you will try to remove or disrupt.
Within the United States, fires are categorized in one of the following fire classes:
Class A—Ordinary combustibles. These include wood, paper, cloth, rubber, trash, and
plastics.
Class B—Flammable liquids. These include gasoline, propane, solvents, oil, paint, lacquers,
and other synthetics or oil-based products.
Class C—Electrical equipment. This includes computers, wiring, controls, motors, and
appliances. On computer-centric environment, you should especially understand that a Class C fire is from electrical equipment. You should not fight Class C fires with water or water-based materials, such as foam, because the water is conductive and can pose significant risks to personnel.
Class D—Combustible metals. This includes metals such as magnesium, lithium, titanium,
and sodium. Once they start to burn, they are much more difficult to extinguish than other
materials.
You can extinguish a Class A fire with water to remove the heat. However, water makes things
much worse if you use it on any of the other classes. For example, using water on live equipment
actually poses a risk because electricity can travel up the water stream and shock you. Additionally,
water damages electrical equipment.
Fire suppression methods attempt to remove or disrupt one of these elements to extinguish a fire. You
can extinguish a fire using one of these methods:
Remove the heat. Fire extinguishers commonly use chemical agents or water to remove the
heat. However, water should never be used on an electrical fire.
Remove the oxygen. Many methods use a gas, such as carbon dioxide (CO2) to displace the
oxygen. This is a common method of fighting electrical fires because CO2 and similar gasses
are harmless to electrical equipment.
Remove the fuel. Fire-suppression methods don’t typically fight a fire this way, but of
course, the fire will go out once all the material is burned.
Disrupt the chain reaction. Some chemicals can disrupt the chain reaction of fires to stop
them.
The class of fire often determines what element of the fire you will try to remove or disrupt.
Within the United States, fires are categorized in one of the following fire classes:
Class A—Ordinary combustibles. These include wood, paper, cloth, rubber, trash, and
plastics.
Class B—Flammable liquids. These include gasoline, propane, solvents, oil, paint, lacquers,
and other synthetics or oil-based products.
Class C—Electrical equipment. This includes computers, wiring, controls, motors, and
appliances. On computer-centric environment, you should especially understand that a Class C fire is from electrical equipment. You should not fight Class C fires with water or water-based materials, such as foam, because the water is conductive and can pose significant risks to personnel.
Class D—Combustible metals. This includes metals such as magnesium, lithium, titanium,
and sodium. Once they start to burn, they are much more difficult to extinguish than other
materials.
You can extinguish a Class A fire with water to remove the heat. However, water makes things
much worse if you use it on any of the other classes. For example, using water on live equipment
actually poses a risk because electricity can travel up the water stream and shock you. Additionally,
water damages electrical equipment.
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