Fire Terminology

Terminology related with Fire.

Fire: Fire is rapid oxidation of combustible matter, so rapid that the heat of reaction is
unable to get dissipated to the surrounding atmosphere at the same rate as is being produced.

Oxidation: It is the chemical combination of oxygen with the fuel. It is an exothermic reaction.

1. Fire Ball:     A spherical mass of flame that sometimes occurs when a large quantity vaporized flammable liquid suddenly catches fire.

2. Fire Bat:      A canvas paddle used to beat out grass fires.

3. Fire Beater: A birch broom or piece of rubber or wire netting attached to a long handle, used to beat out grass and brush fires.

4. Fire Blanket:         A non-combustible cloth of asbestos or one treated with fire retardant chemical, used to wrap around clothing fire victims to smother the flames.

5. Fire Brand: Hot, flaming or glowing solids, generally of cellulosic material, rose by strong convective currents and carried by high winds in large scale fires. Fire brands are common sources of spot fires.

6. Fire Break:

• A natural barrier to fire spread or cleared and sometimes ploughed/cultivated strip of land in a forest serving the same purpose.
• An open space between buildings, stocks of combustible materials, stored goods and the like serving to interrupt the spread of fire.

7. Fire Check Door:  It is a door assembly to check or halt the spread of fire and to meet the stability and integrity of the building.

8. Fire Curtain:         A specialized treated curtain that forms a fire barrier between the stage and auditorium.

9. Fire Damper:        A device that automatically seals off air flow through part of an air handling system in order to restrict or block the passage of heat and combustion products. The device usually consists of a flap or shutter controlled by a fusible link.

10. Fire Door:   A fire resistive door, including its frame and hardware, which under standard test conditions, meet the fire protective requirements for the location in which it is to be used, usually a self-tripping door that close automatically when a fire is detected, or an alarm is actuated.

11. Fire Drill:

• It is a practice exercise by a fire service unit in firefighting procedures and the use of firefighting equipment.
• A practice evacuation of a building in the manner to be followed by the occupants in case of fire and other emergencies.

12. Fire Escape:        

• A continuous path of travel to the ground, or other safe area or refuge, for use if fire of other emergency conditions make normal exists unusable.
• A separate means for leaving a building in case of a fire, such as chute, emergency fire exit etc.

13. Fire Flow:   The flow rate of water available in mains pump required for firefighting excluding the normal consumption water.

14. Fireproof: 

• The material’s property i.e. iron, which does not burn or decompose when exposed to ordinary fire.
• To treat a combustible material with a fire retardant (fire stopper) to reduce the fire hazard.

15. Fire Propagation: The spread of fire through or over a combustible medium. This is a phenomenon that depends on the ignitibility, flame spread and heat release characteristics of the material.

16. Fire Retardant:     A substance or treatment that reduces the flammability of a materials. Some common fire retardants used for wood, cloth, etc. are ammonium phosphate, mono ammonium sulphate, borax, boric acid, zinc chloride, sodium dichromate, etc.

17. Fire Separation:   Floor or wall without openings, or with enough protected openings that acts as a barrier against the spread of fire from one area of building to another.

18. Fire Suppression: The activity involved in controlling and reducing a fire by constructing fire breaks, back firing, applying fire retardant, etc. as opposed to direct fire extinguishment.

19. Fire Tower:

• A fire department training tower.
• An independent stairway attached to a building used as a fire escape and as a means of access for firefighting.

20. Fire Trap:    A building or structure where exits and firefighting equipment are not enough to fight the fire and its own interior layout becomes a major hazard to life in case of fire.

21. Fire Wall:    A fire resistant solid wall which provides to delay or restrict the spread of fire for a specified period of time.