PUNJAB EMERGENCY SERVICE RESCUE 1122

FIRE SAFETY PROGRAM

DON'T LET THIS H

APPEN TO YOUR PROPERTY!

Fire, helpful and destructive to mankind, is more than a necessary evil: controlled, it provides warmth and food, but uncontrolled, it produces death and destruction.

Because of the power of fire, its unintentional origin and behavior are difficult to predict and determine.

In order to understand the behavior of fire, one must have an understanding of the chemical principles that control its origin and spread and the physical phenomena that result from its behavior.

Fire itself is a chemical phenomenon, all fuels are (synthetic or organic) chemical compounds and when fuel is ignited, the result is a chemical reaction with predictable physical effects.

FIRE consists of three basic elements, as represented by the fire triangle: HEAT, FUEL and OXYGEN.

These basic components have been recognized in the science of fire protection for over 100 years.

The diffusion flame process (fire) is a rapid self-sustaining oxidation process accompanied by the evolution of heat and light of varying intensities.

Oxygen is always present in the home.

  If, however, you can separate heat sources from fuel sources (combustibles), you will have taken the first step toward fire prevention. HEAT SOURCES - Anything that produces heat.

Damaged electrical wiringStoves Heating appliances

    FUEL SOURCES - Anything that will burn.

Clothing Curtains

Furniture Flammable liquids

The combustion reaction can be depicted more accurately by a four-sided solid geometric form called a tetrahedrontetrahedron.

TEMPERATURE

FUELUNINHIBITED CHAIN REACTION

OF COMBUSTION PROCESS

OXYGEN

The four sides represent HEATHEAT, FUELFUEL, OXYGENOXYGEN, and UNINHIBITED CHAIN UNINHIBITED CHAIN REACTIONSREACTIONS.

1.CLASS A = FIRES INVOLVING ORDINARY COMBUSTIBLE MATERIALS.Ex. Rubber, plastics, fibers, wood, papers etc.

2. CLASS B = FIRES INVOLVING FLAMMABLE LIQUIDS AND GASES.Ex. Gasoline, paints, Liquefied petroleum gas

3. CLASS C = FIRES INVOLVING ENERGIZED ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENTS.Ex. Overloading electrical system, short circuit, defective appliances

4. CLASS D = FIRES INVOLVING COMBUSTIBLE METALS.Ex. Sodium, potassium, explosives

1. COOLING / QUENCHING = REDUCTION OF TEMPERATURE.

2. BLANKETTING = REMOVAL OF OXYGEN.

3. STARVING = REMOVAL OF FUEL.

HOW DOES FIRE SPREAD?

3 WAYS OF HEAT TRANSFER

1.CONDUCTION = TRANSFER OF HEAT FROM HOT SURFACE TO A COOLER SURFACE BY DIRECT CONTACT OR THRU A CONDUCTOR.

2. CONVECTION = TRANSFER OF HEAT FROM HOT SURFACE TO A COOLER SURFACE THRU MOVEMENT HOT GASES AND LIQUIDS.

3. RADIATION = TRANSFER OF HEAT FROM HOT SURFACE TO A COOLER SURFACE THRU ELECTROMAGNETIC WAVES WITHOUT INTERVENING MEDIUM.

HOW DOES FIRE WILL INTENSIFY? THRU THE FACTORS WHICH WILL AFFECT THE RATE OF INTENSITY OF HEAT.

1. Amount of fuel available for burning.2. Calorific value of fuel3. Oxygen supply available4. Surfaced area of exposure5. Flame length produce

   AUTOMATIC HOME FIRE SPRINKLER SYSTEM

Consider installing an automatic home fire sprinkler system in your home. Sprinklers can contain and even extinguish a home fire in less time than it takes the fire department to arrive.

   INSTALL SMOKE ALARMS

  Smoke alarms save lives by warning you about a fire while there's time to escape. Install alarms on every floor of your home, including the basement, and outside each sleeping area - inside as well, if you sleep with the door closed - and test them once a month. Smoke alarms lose their sensitivity over time. Replace alarms 10 or more years old.

PLAN YOUR ESCAPE

  If there’s a fire, you have to get out fast, so be prepared. Draw a floor plan of your home, marking two ways out of each room. Go over the plan with your household so that everyone knows how to escape if there's a fire, then physically walk through each escape route. Decide on an outside meeting place in front of your home where everyone will meet after they've escaped. Practice your escape plan by holding a fire drill twice a year.

IN A FIRE, CRAWL LOW UNDER SMOKE

  Smoke and heat rise, so during a fire there's cleaner, cooler air near the floor. Always try another exit if you encounter smoke when you are escaping a fire. But if you have to escape through smoke, crawl on your hands and knees with you head I to 2 feet (30 to 60 centimeters) above the floor.

  SMOKERS' SAFETY

  Don't smoke in bed or when you're drowsy. Give smokers large, deep, non-tip ash trays, and soak butts and ashes before dumping them. If someone has been smoking in your home, check on and around furniture, including under cushions, for smoldering cigarettes.

COOK SAFELY

  Always stay with the stove when cooking, or turn off burners if you walk away. Wear clothes with snug - rolled up - sleeves when you cook to avoid catching your clothes on fire. Turn pot handles inward where you can't bump them and children can't grab them, and enforce a "kid-free zone" 3 feet around your stove when you cook.

   KEEP MATCHES AND LIGHTERS OUT OF SIGHT

Keep matches and lighters away from children. Lock them up high and out of reach, and use only child- resistant lighters. Teach young children to tell you if they find matches or lighters; teach older children to bring matches and lighters to an adult before they fall into young hands.  USE ELECTRICITY SAFELY

  Know the warning signs of problems for electrical appliances: flickering lights, smoke or odd smells, blowing fuses, tripping circuit breakers or frayed or cracked cords. Check carefully any appliances that display a warning sign, and repair or replace. Don't run extension cords across doorways or where they can be walked on or pinched by furniture.

STOP, DROP, AND ROLL

  If your clothing catches on fire, remember:

  STOP:  Don't run. Running feeds oxygen to the fire and makes it worse.

DROP:  Instead, drop immediately to the floor.

ROLL:  Cover your face with your hands and roll over and over to smother the flames. Cool the burn with cool water for 10 - 15 minutes. Call for help.

TEST DOORS BEFORE OPENING

  You can easily be overcome by heat, smoke or flames when you open a door to an area where a fire has spread.

DON'T LOCK SAFETY GATES ON WINDOWS

Fumbling for a key or combination during an emergency will reduce the opportunity for a safe exit.

Unattended cooking equipment

Improper discarding of cigarette butts

Improper wiring system

Octopus connection – overloading of circuit.

Unattended electric iron

Unattended children playing matches Mosquito coils near combustible rugs

Fire trapped window grills

Never leave a warm or hot iron unattended. An unattended iron that is on will scorch

fabric and may cause a fire.

Never leave food on a stove or in an oven unattended. Keep cooking

areas free of flammable objects such as potholders, towels and curtains.

Never disable or remove the battery from a smoke alarm. Frequently test

smoke alarms and make sure that you replace batteries regularly.

Burning candles should never be left unattended. Keep

flammable items like fabric and paper away from candles.

Store gasoline, newspapers and other

combustibles away from sources of flame.

Keep air conditioning unit on a level surface away from fabric

and other flammable items.

The fire safety plan is a very important part of the overall fire and life safety program within the building.

Its purpose is to prevent potential injuries and deaths and to protect your residential and/or company from damage or loss due to fire.

If a fire starts in your home you will be scared, but try very hard to stay calm.

Having a Fire Escape Plan, so you know what to do if there is a fire, could save your life.

Stay calm. Wake up all the members of your family.

Make your way out together, through the nearest exit.

Do not open any other doors .

If a door feels hot, DO NOT open it.

FIRE PLAN PART 1 If you are woken up by the sound of your

smoke alarm or by the sound of what you think is a fire, remember:

FIRE PLAN PART 1

When everyone is safely outside call the Fire Service from a public telephone or a neighbor’s house.

DO NOT GO BACK TO THE HOUSE for any reason until the Fire Service tells you it is safe to return.

If the fire is blocking your way or you cannot

use the stairs for any reason, you must use the second part of your Fire Escape Plan.

FIRE PLAN PART 2

In fires, there is sometimes a lot of smoke. This can kill you. If you have to go through a smoke - filled hallway or room, get down on your hands and knees and crawl under it.

Get all the family into a room from where it would be safest to drop from a window, onto a flat roof or into the garden.

ALWAYS pass children down first. Never leave children until last.

   Remember – never jump!

   Lower yourself to arms length and then drop.

   When everyone is out safely, find a telephone and dial 1122.

 If you are trapped by smoke and cannot escape through a window, use part three of your Fire Escape Plan.

FIRE PLAN PART 3 If you are trapped in a room by smoke or fire, you

need to try to stop smoke getting into the room.

Close the door.

Block any gaps into the room. Use towels, blankets or spare clothes.

If there is a telephone in the room dial 1122.

If there is no telephone, go to the window and shout for help.

Once you know you have been heard and help is on the way, stay near to the floor by the window. Smoke and heat rise so you are safer near to the ground.

If your windows are double glazed, use a heavy object and hit the window in a bottom corner. Make any jagged edges safe with a towel or blanket.

Every business establishment should have a fire safety plan, which should be reviewed with all new employees when they begin their job and with all employees when the plan is changed.

   All ignition sources (i.e., open flames, cutting torches, spark producing equipment, electric motors, heating equipment, etc.) should be controlled and contact with combustible and flammable materials must be avoided. Keep all combustible materials at least five feet from such ignition sources and all flammable liquids at least twenty feet away.

Extensive use of electrical extension cords should be avoided. Any damaged or frayed electrical wiring, equipment cords, extension cords, etc. should be removed from service immediately and replaced or repaired.

  THE FOLLOWING ARE SOME GENERAL FIRE PREVENTION PRACTICES:

BUILDING FIRE EXITS:

Each area of the building shall have at least two means of escape remote from each other that are to be used in a fire emergency. The location of exits and the path of egress should be shown on maps posted throughout the building.

Fire exit doors must not be blocked or locked to prevent emergency use when employees are within the building.

Exit routes from the building must be clear and free of obstructions. All exits are marked with signs designating exits from the building.

FIRE EXTINGUISHERS:

  Every area in the building should have a full complement of the proper type of fire extinguisher for the fire hazards present.

The fire extinguishers should be inspected annually by a fire protection equipment company and tagged with the date of inspection. If a fire extinguisher is used or discharged for any reason, it must be removed from service and replaced with another properly charged extinguisher while it is being recharged.

Employees who are expected or anticipated to use fire extinguishers should be instructed on the hazards of fighting fires, how to properly operate the fire extinguishers available, and what procedures to follow in alerting others to the fire emergency.

These employees will attempt to extinguish only small incipient fires. If a fire cannot be immediately and easily extinguished with a fire extinguisher, the employees will evacuate the building rather than try to fight the fire.

All employees who are not trained and designated to fight fires are to immediately evacuate the building at the first sign of fire or initiation of the fire alarm and are prohibited from using an extinguisher.

FIRE EXTINGUISHERS

EMERGENCY EVACUATION

If any employee discovers a fire or smoke, the employee should immediately pull the nearest fire alarm box.

If there is time and it is safe to do so, the employee will also call the front office receptionist to report the fire.

If the fire does not involve the office, the receptionist will call 1122 and report the fire to the nearest fire department. The receptionist will then make an announcement over the public address system that there is a fire, give the location of the fire and instruct all employees to evacuate the building. The receptionist will then exit the building.

EMERGENCY EVACUATION

When the fire alarm sounds or a fire is otherwise announced, all employees (except those designated and trained to use fire extinguishers) are expected to immediately exit the building by proceeding to the nearest exit in an orderly fashion.

If the nearest exit is blocked by fire or smoke, the employees should proceed to an alternate exit. There should be no running, shouting, pushing, etc. A calm orderly evacuation is the safest for all concerned.

Upon exiting the building, all employees are to proceed to the designated meeting area(s) so that they are away from the building, are not hampering access by fire fighters, and can be counted and accounted for. The designated meeting area(s) for our building is (insert the location(s) where employees are to meet outside the building). Supervisors and managers will account for all of their employees to ensure that no one is still in the building and unaccounted for.

Where needed, special procedures for helping physically impaired employees will be established. This will be done on a case by case basis when the employee is first hired or when the physical impairment first occurs.

EMERGENCY EVACUATION

EMPLOYEE TRAINING

All new employees should receive fire prevention and emergency evacuation training when they are hired. All employees should receive a refresher training and a review of this plan on an annual basis.

Fire drills, to include a practice evacuation of the building should be conducted at least annually. These drills will be used to evaluate employee response and behavior and will help us determine where more training is needed.

Those employees who are designated and authorized to use fire extinguishers to fight small fires will receive training in the proper use of extinguisher, how to extinguish a fire, the hazards involved in fighting fires, and when not to fight a fire and evacuate the area instead.

THE FOLLOWING SECTIONS SHOULD BE ESTABLISHED WITHIN THE FIRE SAFETY PLAN.

Map the complete layout of the building, verifying all the exit locations, occupied rooms, offices, incorporating the property lot and building size measurements, highlighting street access and names, noting any other vital fire fighter entry information.

Document the locations of the onsite fire extinguishers, fire hoses, standpipe stations, fire alarm system & detection devices, emergency lighting, fire pumps, sprinkler risers etc.

Describe fire alarm system specifications, including the operation sequence of the control panel and layout of all fire detection devices (i.e. heat and smoke detectors, fire bells, pull stations, also any auxiliary shuts downs, door releases and monitoring agency functions and information).

THE FOLLOWING SECTIONS SHOULD BE ESTABLISHED WITHIN THE FIRE SAFETY PLAN.

Outline the preventative maintenance program, including servicing requirements, monthly inspections and tests, performance details, and fire logging methods pertaining to the audit of all the fire protection equipment within the building.

Provide sample signage indicating overall floor plans, each exit within the building and the location of the fire extinguishers, fire hoses and stations, fire alarm & devices, emergency lighting, sprinkler systems, emergency gas and water shut off valves and electrical disconnect switches.

Outline fire drill intervals, occupant emergency evacuation procedures and alternative measures in fire emergency situations.

Indicate of all on-site fire hazards and measures to be

taken by the supervisory staff and fire wardens.

Although extinguishers can vary in size, color and type of extinguishing agent, all devices operate basically the same way.

If the fire is small and heavy smoke is NOT present and you have an exit available to you for evacuation purposes, grab the nearest appropriate extinguisher and the P-A-S-S procedure.

- PULL the pin located in the extinguisher's handle.

PA -  AIM the nozzle, horn or hose at the base of

the fire. Aim the discharge toward the base of the flames. Do not aim the fire extinguisher directly onto the source, as it may spread the flames. Begin discharging 8-10 feet away from the fire source.

SS - SQUEEZESQUEEZE or press the handle.

- SWEEP from side to side at the base of the fire until it is out.

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QUESTIONSQUESTIONS

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