To minimise the risk of a fire causing a disaster in your workplace, it’s important to stay fully informed on how a fire begins and how it might spread. In this article from EK Fire Protection, you’ll find out some key facts about fires, helping you to stay prepared around the clock.
How Fires Start
To begin, a fire requires oxygen, heat and fuel. Once the heat source has become hot enough for a fire to ignite, it’s only a short time before the fire starts and spreads. Fire can be disastrous for a company and its employees, so remember to keep any potential hazards stored appropriately and safely.
How Fires Spread
Fire can spread and cause danger within your workplace in three key ways. Read on to discover what they are, which will help you to understand the dangers and identify potential risks in your workplace.
Conduction
This term refers to the specific spread of fire through materials, often leading to an overwhelming problem. Heat is transferred through materials differently, depending on the specific material’s ability to conduct heat. Metals, for example, are excellent conductors that help fire spread quickly. If combustible materials come into contact with good conductors, they are likely to ignite. This is how fires can easily spread between rooms in large properties.
Convection
As one of the most dangerous ways for fire to spread through a property, it’s important to understand how convection fires work before you can take adequate precautions against them. As with all fires, the heat generated rises upwards naturally. In indoor spaces, the heat becomes trapped against the ceiling and therefore allows fire to spread easily. This creates what we would recognise as a convection fire. Convection fires are a risk for both home and work environments.
Radiation
Fires can also be spread by radiation. This process refers to the transfer of heat through electromagnetic waves in the air. When a fire begins, the heat emitted will travel in all directions until an object that can absorb it is reached, which includes combustible materials. Radiation can spread between buildings and pass through windows, helping it to damage other nearby properties.
Prevent Fires with EK Fire Protection
If you’re concerned about your property becoming the perfect environment for spreading fires, our team at EK Fire Protection is here to help. As a professional fire safety company, we can carry out a range of services to help you prevent and quickly detect any fires, from fire risk assessments to smoke alarm installations. We can also help you implement escape measures such as fire safety signage, helping you to prepare for the worst-case scenario.
Please visit our website to learn more about us and what we can do for your business at EK Fire Protection. Alternatively, our team would be happy to speak to you directly should you wish to contact us.
留言