Why is water so vital to fire fighting? This one question alone is the purpose for this entire research paper. There are many topics that could be covered, but, let’s highlight some of the most important characteristics of water as a fire suppression agent. The use of water is vital in fire fighting, but let us look deeper into the relationship with regards to fire suppression.
If you reflect back to science class in elementary school, you probably remember that the Earth is made up of 71% water and of that percent, 96.5% of all water is in the oceans. Another number that is staggering to think on is that the 71% of water on Earth equals to 326 million trillion gallons, that total is mind blowing and almost impossible to rationalize. But,
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According to Wikipedia the term drafting water refers to the use of suction to move a liquid such as water from a vessel or body of water below the intake of a suction pump. Drafting water. (2015, April 20). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drafting_water A rural fire department or farmer might draft water from a pond as the first step in moving the water elsewhere. The most common method of accessing water is by hooking up to a fire hydrant. There are actually different color coded fire hydrants, these color codes represent how many gallons per minute that particular fire hydrant is capable of producing. A blue colored hydrant can produce 1,500 GPM or greater, a green colored hydrant can produce 1,000 GPM or greater, a yellow colored hydrant can produce 500 to 1,000 GPM or greater and a red hydrant can produce up to 500 GPM. One of the first challenges that firefighters face when they arrive at a fire is finding a suitable water source that provides enough water for the type of fire they are fighting. Common sense tells us a car on fire will require much less water than a burning apartment building. There are formulas used by firefighters that will tell them approximately how much water is needed to fight a given fire. This allows for quick decision making when they are deciding which hydrant to access. Fire Hydrant Colors Actually Mean Something. (2013, January 09).
Thousands upon thousands of acres are lost in forest fires every year. We always hear about the dramatic losses caused by forest fires and are often concerned by them. There are so many horrible effects from fires and most of them affect so many people. Studies have shown that out of all of the different methods to decrease fire damage, prescribed burns are the most affective. Many people would argue that they are not as affective because they cause so many health problems. Although that is a very important view and may seem valid, those health issues are not as extreme as one might think. People should look at the majority of the benefits form prescribed burns and they will see how affective and important they are. Prevention is the key to society these days and is definitely an important factor in saving lives. If more lives can be saved as well as land and wildlife, prescribed burns may be the better way to go about forest fires. Although, prescribed burns are better for the environment in order to prevent drastic forest fires, severe damage to timber and extreme death of wildlife; some people feel it affects the health of a firefighter too much and it causes too many long term effects.
Since the early 1980’s Grimwood (2000) has studied and implemented the use of water fog spray directly into the fire gas layers from a fog nozzle, also termed (3-D) water fog, developed by the Swedish Fire service. Grimwood reviews studies and tests conducted by the U.S. Navy. Compared to a straight stream attack using a smooth bore nozzle three significant observations were recorded, the time spent fighting fire was reduced, the working heart rates of the firefighters were reduced, and peak body temperatures of the firefighters were lowered, while implementing the (3-D) water fog technique from a fog nozzle. The author indicates that over the last 10-20 years Line of duty Deaths (LODD) from flashovers, or ignition of the fire gases, in the United States, has increased, while in Sweden there has been a decrease in LODD’s since the uses of fog nozzles was adopted during this same time period. Grimwood evaluates several spe...
# Coleman, Ronny J., et al.Fighter's Handbook: Essentials of Firefighting and Emergency Response. Delmar/Thompson Learning, Stamford, CT, 2000.
The most pressing issue facing Detroit, in regard to fire, is the steady amount of burning vacant or delipidated buildings, and second to that is the high rate of home fires. For the purposes of this project, the capabilities of
Water is the life blood of every living creature on earth. Approximately 70 percent of the earth's surface is covered with water. Through the wonders of nature, water can take on many different forms. It is easy to understand the significance water plays in our lives, but it may be difficult to understand the water that exists below the earth's surface. This water is called groundwater.
The ocean takes up about 71 percent of the world, and, oddly enough, if someone can’t grasp how massive that is, it is also 1.3 billion cubic kilometers, holding over 99 percent of area that
Although fire is linked to human life, as it is essential for survival, not only its use for food, security and warmth, particularly in the extreme cold weather
Humans depend on water for survival and it is a very important part of our daily lives.
This 80,000 pound powerhouse was just purchased by the Swarthmore Fire & Protective Association. Equipped with a 100-foot aerial and a 2000 gallon per minute (gpm) Hale single stage pump, Tower 14 can knock down just about any fire.
There is a global shortage of drinking water. A person might wonder how this can be if seventy percent of the earth’s surface is covered by water. Most of the Earth’s water is unsuitable for human consumption. Ocean water is salt water, which makes up 97.5% of all water on the planet. Freshwater is only 3.5% of all the water on Earth.
Water is on of the most precious natural resources that exist on our planet. “It is delivered from the atmosphere in the form of rain, snow, hail, fog, and condensation and returns to the atmosphere by evaporation and transpiration” (Hannigan 1969). Although many of us love activities that have to do with water, we disregard it and pollute out rivers, lakes and oceans. Slowly but surely we are going to harm out planet till no return. Protecting and conserving nature will secure a better future. 71% of earth is covered with oceans. Sounds like a lot right? Imagine ...
Earth is the only planet in the Solar System that has liquid water. The ocean contains ninety seven percent of the earth’s water and covers almost three quarters of the planet. There are four different oceans, the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, and the Arctic. Tides and currents occur in all three of these oceans. Many different kinds of fish and mammals also make their homes in these oceans. All of these oceans are connected to each other in some way. Humans find oceans to be very interesting, beautiful, and exploring.
Earth is made up of approximately 71% of water. A majority of this water is from the oceans. It is estimated that one fifth of the planet includes oxygen made by plants. The Earth floats around on its axis in 23.434 hours, that being said it takes the earth 365.26 days to circle the sun. Air is around the Earth it thins out the farther it is from the surface.
On the other hand, if there is no wind, the fire may burn itself to the ground
Less than 1% of the water supply on earth can be used as drinking water. By the time a person feels thirsty, his or her body has lost over 1 percent of its total water content. About 25,700 litres (6,800 gallons) of water is required to grow a day's food for a family of four. A child dies every 8 seconds from water-related diseases.