Block Vi Firefighting Fundamentals

Front 1

Overview (Ref a, b)

Back 1

The primary duty of the firefighter is saving lives. The secondary
responsibility is to extinguish fires and limit the damage to aircraft,
shipboard, airfield installed equipment, and/or airfield structures.

Front 2

Fire Composition and Types (Ref a, b)
The fire triangle is a simple model that includes

Back 2

heat, fuel, and oxygen as the
key components. It has been replaced in the flre fightlng and protection
industry partially by the fire tetrahedron.

Front 3

Research in the past 30 years has indicated the presence of a fourth critical element which is the

Back 3

chemical chain reaction that takes place in a fire and
allows the fire to both sustain itself and grow. The addition of a fourth
element is what makes the triangle become a tetrahedron. The removal of anyone
of the elements prevents or extinguishes a fire.

Front 4

Fires are divided into four classes. Each class has special characteristics
and therefore requires different methods of extinguishing. It is very important to use the correct extinguishing method on each class of fire.
Class Alpha Fires:

Back 4

Occur in combustibles materials that produce an ash such as burning wood and wood products, cloth, textiles and fibrous materials,
and paper products. Effective extinguishing agents are water (H20) or
Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF).

Front 5

Class Bravo Fires

Back 5

Occur with flammable liduid substances such as gasoline,
jet fuels, oil, and other petroleum based products. Effective extinguishing
agents are AFFF, Halon 1211, Purple K Powder (PKP) and Carbon Dioxide (C02).

Front 6

Class Charlie Fires.

Back 6

Are energized electrical fires that are attacked by
using non-conductive agents. Effective extinguishing agents are:
Energized. C02, Halon, PKP, and H20 in fog patterns with a minimum
distance of 4 feet.
De-energized. Treat as a Class A, B, or D fire.

Front 7

Class Delta Fires.

Back 7

Combustible metals such as magnesium and titanium.
Effective extinguishing agents are H20 in large quantities in high velocity fog, apply water from a safe distance or from behind shelter as small explosions can occur.

Front 8

Firefighting Agents and Equipment (Ref a, b)
Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF).

Back 8

AFFF liquid concentrates consist primarily
of synthetic fluorocarbon surfactant materials that are noncorrosive and have an
unlimited shelf life when stored in a protected area. Three-percent and sixpercent
AFFF concentrate is approved for naval use. Current shipboard equipment
requires six-percent concentrate.

Front 9

Water (H20) .

Back 9

Water is not generally considered to be a suitable agent for use
in combating large aircraft fuel fires without the addition of either foam agent's
or surfactants. It has the ability, when properly applied, to cool the aircraft
fuselage and provide a heat shield for personnel. Water is also an effective agent for cooling ordnance, batteries, and Class A fires.

Front 10

Halon 1211 (Bromochlorodifluoromethane).

Back 10

Intended primarily for use on Class B
and C fires; however it is effective on Class A fires. Halon 1211 is a
colorless, faintly sweet smelling, electrically nonconductive gas that leaves no
residue to clean up. Halon 1211 extinguishes fires by inhibiting the chemical
chain reaction of the combustion process.

Front 11

Carbon Dioxide IS-Pound Portable Units and 50-Pound Wheeled Extinguisher Units.

Back 11

These units are intended primarily for use on Class Band C fires. C02 is a
colorless, odorless gas that is approximately one and one-half times heavier than
air. Fire suppression is accomplished by the displacement of oxygen to below the level that is required to support combustion.

Front 12

Potassium Bicarbonate (Purple-K-Powder or PKP).

Back 12

PKP is intended primarily for
use on Class B fires. The principal chemical in PKP is potassium bicarbonate and
the dry chemical extinguishes the flame by breaking the combustion chain. It .~
does not have cooling capabilities, therefore it will not result in permanent
extinguishing (reflash protection) if ignition sources are present.