The 3 things a fire needs are heat, fuel and oxygen. These three elements work together to help a fire start and take over. However, if any of the three elements are removed from a fire, then it will extinguish and no longer pose a threat.
As a business owner, it can be helpful to know about the 3 things a fire needs. It will help you better understand what you need to do in order to put out a fire and prevent it from spreading. That's why in this blog, we will explain how heat, fuel and oxygen can both ignite and extinguish a fire.
3 Things a Fire Needs
1. Heat
Heat is the first and most essential element that a fire needs. A fire can't even start or spread unless there's a significant amount of heat involved. That's why when a firefighter responds to a fire, they apply water or another cooling agent right away. It's also why fire extinguishers are usually filled with a cooling agent.
Firefighters also know to turn off the power and electricity in a burning building in order to remove the heat source. Another way to remove heat from a fire is by scraping the embers away from the fire. It's also important to put out the embers before they spread and create another fire.
2. Fuel
Fuel is the second element found in the fire triangle. The fire will need a fuel source in order to continue to burn. The fuel can be anything that's flammable such as paper, wood, fabric, chemicals or combustible materials. If you remove the fuel from the fire, then it will go out.
When fire officials conduct a controlled burn in the woods or forest, they don't have to worry about extinguishing the fire. They know once the fire consumes all of the fuel available, it will go out on its on.
3. Oxygen
Oxygen is the last element in the fire triangle. It's also one of the more important factors because oxygen is everywhere. A fire needs oxygen in order to ignite and continue to burn. So to put out a fire you can use dirt, sand or a non-flammable blanket to smother the fire.
Once you decrease the concentration of oxygen, you can interrupt the combustion process. This is harder to do when there's a larger fire that happens in an extensive area. So if you plan to remove oxygen in order to put out the fire, then only do so if it's small enough to contain.
Contact Frontier Fire
Frontier Fire is known as the leader in fire protection in Colorado and throughout the Rocky Mountain region. We help business and building owners protect their property with the top fire prevention equipment in the area. If you're in need of fire alarm, fire sprinkler or other fire protection services, then give us a call today.
