FIRE TRIANGLE,

FIRE TETRAHEDRON &

NFPA
POLLUTION CONTROL &
PLANT SAFETY
FIRE TRIANGLE
The fire triangle or combustion
triangle is a diagram for
understanding the necessary
ingredients for most fires.
The triangle illustrates the 3
elements a fire needs to ignite:
Heat
Fuel
Oxidizing
agent (usually oxygen).
The fire extinguishes by
removing any one of the
elements.
A fire naturally occurs when all
elements are present and
combined in the right mixture.

FIRE TRIANGLE
HEAT
Without sufficient heat, a fire cannot begin, and it cannot
continue.
Heat can be removed by the application of a substance which
reduces the amount of heat available to the fire reaction.
This is often water, which requires heat for phase change from
water to steam.
Introducing sufficient quantities and types of powder or gas in the
flame reduces the amount of heat available for the fire reaction in
the same manner.
FIRE TRIANGLE
FUEL
Without fuel, a fire will stop.
Fuel can be removed naturally, as where the fire has consumed all
the burnable fuel, or manually, by mechanically or chemically
removing the fuel from the fire.
The fire stops because a lower concentration of fuel vapor in the
flame leads to a decrease in energy release and a lower temperature.
Removing the fuel thereby decreases the heat.
FIRE TRIANGLE
OXIDISING AGENT
Oxygen is the most common oxidizer, especially that is found in
ambient air.
Without sufficient oxygen, a fire cannot begin, and it cannot
continue.
With a decreased oxygen concentration, the combustion process
slows down.
In most cases, there is plenty of air left when the fire goes out so this
is commonly not a major factor.
FIRE TETRAHEDRON
FIRE TETRAHEDRON
The fire tetrahedron represents the addition of a
component, the chemical chain reaction, to the 3 already
present in the fire triangle.
Once a fire has started, the resulting exothermic chain
reaction sustains the fire and allows it to continue until or
unless at least one of the elements of the fire is blocked.
Combustion is the fourth element and is the chemical
reaction that feeds a fire more heat and allows it to
continue.
As soon as we remove one of the 4 elements of the
tetrahedron, combustion stops.
NFPA (NATIONAL FIRE
PROTECTION ASSOCIATION)


The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) is
a United States trade association (albeit with some
international members) that creates and maintains private,
copyrighted, standards and codes for usage and adoption
by local governments.
This includes publications from model building codes to
the equipment utilized by firefighters while engaging in
hazmat response, rescue response, and some firefighting.
NFPA (NATIONAL FIRE
PROTECTION ASSOCIATION)
The mission of the International nonprofit
NFPA, established in 1896, is to reduce the worldwide
burden of fire and other hazards on the quality of life by
providing and advocating consensus codes and standards,
research, training, and education.
Codes and Standards NFPA is responsible for 300 codes
and standards that are designed to minimize the risk and
effects of fire by establishing criteria for building,
processing, design, service, and installation.
NFPA (NATIONAL FIRE
PROTECTION ASSOCIATION)
Some of the most widely used codes are:
NFPA 1, Fire Code: Provides requirements to establish a reasonable
level of fire safety and property protection in new and existing
buildings.
NFPA 54, National Fuel Gas Code: The safety benchmark for fuel
gas installations.
NFPA 70, National Electric Code: The world's most widely
used

and accepted code for electrical installations.
NFPA 101, Life Safety Code: Establishes minimum
requirements for new and existing buildings to protect building
occupants from fire, smoke, and toxic fumes.

NFPA (NATIONAL FIRE
PROTECTION ASSOCIATION)
NFPA Standards (partial list):
NFPA 70 National Electrical Code (NEC)
NFPA 72 National Fire Alarm Code
NFPA 704 Standard System for the Identification of
the Hazards of Materials for Emergency Response
NFPA 921 Guide for Fire and Explosion
Investigations