Firefighters

Firefighters use a variety of knowledge, skills and experiences to do all the things they are called on to do. Aside from putting the wet stuff on the red stuff, they provide emergency medical aid as well as rescue us from the most dire situations. They have specific training that prepares and qualifies them to do what they do, and these will include "book learning" as well as a lot of practical things that they master by doing. They will also have a sufficient level of physical fitness to do what they do. Firefighters will have a modest (but solid) academic background that includes what we know as fire science. The chemistry and physics of fire are things the firefighter will have to have a handle on. We'll also expect the firefighter to have some competence in math, so he can do something like make quick calculations regarding firefighting hydraulics. You can't be on the fire ground facing a wall of flames trying to recall what was in the book regarding flow rates.

A lot of what a firefighter does includes medical aid; that's the largest portion of his work. The science associated with anatomy and physiology is necessary knowledge for the first responder. And don't even think about becoming a fire investigator if you don't have a solid (advanced) academic background in the sciences. There are a myriad of physical evolutions that the firefighter will have to perform competently. From pulling a hose to deploying a ladder, he's got to do it all. Imagine a firefighter strapping on breathing apparatus incorrectly and entering a smoke-filled space. Now the rest of the crew has to get that person out as well as continue the search or rescue operation. Cutting people out of vehicles, using ropes to rescue individuals, and even getting cats out of trees are on the plate a firefighter carries through the buffet line. Even when the beacons aren't on ('cause fire companies don't go code three to do inspections), the firefighter will have to be thinking. His knowledge of fire codes and of the ways fires start and evolve will allow him to coach business people into making their workplaces safe. He'll teach school kids about emergency preparedness and the fundamentals of safety, so they can take that home (hopefully to apply it). He is a beacon lighting the way to increased awareness of the many hazards we face daily and often forget about. He reminds us that he can help us, that we take care of our own. But he also reminds us we must shoulder the burden of personal responsibility for a modest level of personal safety and readiness for disasters that do happen in our communities. The professional firefighter will have an arsenal of knowledge and skill to apply on the fire ground or disaster scene. These assets will be gathered through a variety of activities from sitting in a classroom to spraying water across an empty parking lot. This first responder will be a lifelong learner to improve his competence, and will be a tireless booster of fire safety and emergency preparedness in his home and throughout his community.

Electrical fires are usually caused a defect in an electrical system that causes a part to get very hot, igniting nearby combustible material. A typical defect is a loose connection of a wire onto a terminal, which causes overheating and/or sparks.

Undersized and overloaded wiring is one of the main causes of household electrical fires. The next most common reason is cracked and crumbling rubber insulation on the conductors of old cables which should have been replaced twenty years ago.

More detail

Resistance in an electrical circuit produces heat and ultimately results in temperatures great enough to cause flammable material to ignite. Typically poor connections, overloading and conductor breakdown are the major culprits in causing electrical fires.

Overloading occurs when too much demand, such as plugging multiple electrical appliances into a single receptacle, is put on a circuit. Poor connections occur when a connection is loose or fails to make full contact of a connector surface, such as when a power cord is not plugged fully into a receptacle and partially hangs out.

Conductor breakdown occurs for a number of reasons such as corrosion, ionization, insulation breakdown and metal degradation. All metal will eventually degrade over time and fail to conduct electricity effectively. As it degrades a conductor increases its resistance and in turn, produces more and more heat each time it is used. In most cases a conductor will just simply stop conducting electricity before it can threaten an electrical fire. But sometimes this process results in a flash-over point occurring before total failure and then on-going arcing occurs which generates enough heat for ignition if some flammable material is close enough to this electrical arcing.

Although electrical fires are relatively rare, they do occur when the wrong conditions exist. Usually these conditions are easily preventable with a little common sense and observation: never plug more than one plug into a receptacle; if you smell a burning smell near anything electrical or if you see any evidence of burning such as a black coating of soot on a receptacle, do not ignore it, have it repaired immediately.

If you are plagued with electrical problems then have a licensed electrician determine if the wiring has deteriorated enough to require replacement.

In all cases, if you suspect an electrical problem or have doubts about the safety of any electrical device then stop using it and have it checked out.

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As always, if you are in doubt about what to do, the best advice anyone should give you is to call a licensed electrician to advise what work is needed.

Before you do any work yourself,

on electrical circuits, equipment or appliances,

always use a test meter to ensure the circuit is, in fact, de-energized.

IF YOU ARE NOT ALREADY SURE YOU CAN DO AN ELECTRICAL JOB

SAFELY AND COMPETENTLY

REFER THE WORK TO QUALIFIED PROFESSIONALS.