Understanding The Fire Triangle And Its Parts
Sep 7th, 2011 by admin
The first thing you need to understand about the fire triangle is that all three parts are required for a fire to exist. If you take away any of the three and the fire goes out.
The first part is Fuel. That can be a solid fuel like wood or paper; a liquid fuel like gasoline or cooking oil; or a flammable metal like magnesium. However, unless you work in a a lab you probably won-t run into flammable metals very often.
The second part is Oxygen. In most fires this comes from the air around us. In some chemical fires the oxygen is released through the chemical reaction that drives the fire.
The third part is Heat. The source of the heat might be a lit match, an over heated electrical outlet, or a dropped cigarette. Even the sun-s rays, when focused thru a lens hanging in a window can generate enough heat, under the right conditions to start a fire.
Putting out a fire is simply removing one of the three parts of the triangle. When you blow out a candle you are removing the heat or if you pour dirt on a campfire you cut off its oxygen supply.