Fire protection exercise

Fire protection exercise

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An exit route is a structural means by which an escape from within the building is provided to the place of safety outside the building. It should be continuous and unobstructed. An appropriate escape route has three parts; exit access, exit, exit discharge

An exit access is the part of exit that leads to the exit route while exit is that portion of the exit route that is set apart and distinct in order to provide safe travel to the exit discharge. Exit discharge is the end of an exit route that leads to the outside to a street, a walk way, or fire assembly point. Whatever the place it leads it must be to a place where people can find refugee and are safe (Brueckner, 1981).

An effective escape route must have the following characteristics and values. One, it must be free from explosives and other furnishing that are easily flammable. This is so that the safety of the people can be kept for some time as they make their way to a place of safety outside a building. A good exit route must also be unlocked from inside without any alarms required before the door can be opened this is because an alarm may fail (Brueckner, 1981).

An appropriate exit route must also have the capacity that is sufficient for the occupants of a building. This is in order that it can support the maximum number permitted for every floor. An exit route must also be unobstructed free from any material or equipment that may hinder people from an easy exit to the place of safety.

There is need to develop an action plan because it enables one to educate employees about the type of possible emergencies and the courses of action to be taken for each and every emergency encountered in a company.

An emergency action plan also provided guidelines and procedure to people who are involved in emergencies such a rescue and operation. It provides them with a sense of direction about what is needed and how they can access any equipment they might need in case of an emergency operation. An emergency plan also enables employees to assign duties and have people in place among the employees who can be reached for information in case of emergency. These employees are trained to help in emergency and lead others to safety (Brueckner, 1981).

A fire prevention plan has the following elements must have names of job titles of employees charged with the responsibility to maintain equipment that are used in the prevention or control ignition sources. It must also provide procedures of how to control accumulation of combustible waste material. A fire prevention plan must also have a list of all major fire hazards; provide procedures on proper handling and storage of hazardous material and fire protection equipment necessary for controlling each hazard. Lastly, it must also provide procedures of how to maintain a heat producing equipment in order to prevent and control accidental ignition and fires.

There are many types of fire extinguishers and are classified according to the type of fire they extinguish. Water and foam extinguisher is good for type A fires only. It works by removing the heat element from the fire while foam also isolates oxygen from other elements. Carbon dioxide extinguisher is suited for types B & C fires. It works by isolating oxygen from other elements in the fire triangle and also removes the heat (Brueckner, 1981).

Dry chemical fire extinguishers can work for both type, A,B &C. They work by disrupting the chemical reaction of the fire triangle. Wet chemical extinguishers work by creating a barrier between oxygen and the fuel element in a fire triangle.

Dry powder extinguisher is the best for putting fires that start in the garage because it is multipuporse.It can work on fire type, A, B & C and it also has an advantage of subsequent disposal. Portable fire extinguisher are to be maintained to function properly when need arises. Some routine maintenance practices include visual inspection. This meant to ensure that each portable extinguisher is at its designated place and can perform when needed. Hydrostatic testing is another maintenance practice is where a portable extinguisher is tested with water or another non-compressible fluid this is to avoid failure or rapture of the cylinder. Monthly inspection records of the extinguishers must be kept including those needing corrective action. Portable fire extinguishers are also supposed to be recharged and when that is done, a tag should be put on the extinguisher indicating the yea and month that recharging took place.

Reference

Fire safety. (2013). Occupational Safety and Hygiene, 235-235.

Brueckner, J. K. (1981). Congested public goods: The case of fire protection. Journal of Public Economics, 15(1), 45-58.