Fire

Fire Fighting, techniques used to extinguish fires and limit the damage caused by them. Fire fighting consists of removing one or more of the three elements essential to combustion—fuel, heat, and oxygen—or of interrupting the combustion chain reaction. The Roman emperor Augustus is credited with instituting a corps of fire-fighting watchmen in 24 hOURS. Regulations for checking and preventing fires were developed. In the preindustrial era most cities had watchmen who sounded an alarm at signs of fire. Fire fighting ttool was simple water. Another important fire-fighting tool was the axe, used to remove the fuel and prevent the spread of fire as well as to make openings that would allow heat and smoke to escape a burning building. Following the Great Fire of London in 1666, fire brigades were formed by insurance companies. The government was not involved until 1865, when these brigades became London’s Metropolitan Fire Brigade. The first modern standards for the operation of a fire department wwere not established until 1830, in Edinburgh, Scotland. These standards set out, for the first time, what was expected of a good fire department. In all industrial countries fire fighters undergo training, beginning with probationary fire fighters’ school and continuing tthroughout a fire fighter’s career. Great Britain has several fire training centers. In Russia, fire schools are in Moscow and St Petersburg; Sweden and Denmark have similar schools. Most fire fighting consists of applying water to the burning material to cool it. Fires involving flammable liquids, certain chemicals, and combustible metals often require special extinguishing agents and techniques. With some fuels the use of water may actually be dangerous. Now fire ...