Lesson 1: What is Fire?

Glossary

What is Fire? 

We all know about and are familiar with fire, but in this unit we will develop a deeper understanding of fire.


Fire is a self-sustained oxidation of a fuel that emits heat and light.


The Elements of Fire

  • Knowing the elements, that make up fire, is useful. 
  • The video, to the right,  discusses the four elements of fire and the basic fire behavior principles.
  • Before viewing the video, review the questions in the Note It section below; these will help you focus on what is important and what you should take away from this video.

Note It   

Jot down your answers to the following questions, as you watch the video.

  1. What are the four elements in the fire tetrahedron?
  2. List two of the five fire behavior principles.
  3. Effective fire management is built on what three things?
  4. What is a common misconception of fires? (What is the major cause of death in fires?)

1.  The four elements are: fuel, oxygen, heat, and chemical reaction.
2.  The five fire behavior principles are:
  • Fire obeys the laws of physics.
  • Where there is fire there is smoke.
  • It is the vapor that burns.
  • Oxygen increases fire intensity.
  • Cooling, smothering, and starving extinguish a fire.

3.  Effective fire management is built on: prevention, protection, and suppression.

4.  Flames do not kill most people in a fire; smoke inhalation kills most people.





Fire Safety Awareness Video