Dangerous factors of fire: what to look for in the first place?

The fire is an indescribable disaster and in itself - the buildings suffer, the material values (property, money, equipment) accumulated by families for decades are being destroyed. Uncontrollable fire harms the health and life of every living being. But at the same time there are dangerous fire factors that are not so obvious for a person who rarely meets or does not collide at all with such catastrophic nuisance.

Clearly, the first of such factors is the fire and its attendant temperature. It is they who cause the main damage to real estate, human health and its property. But after them go the other dangerous factors of the fire, and ahead of all - lack of oxygen. Even schoolchildren from the chemistry-physics course know that combustion is possible only in the presence of this gas. And with an open fire, especially if its area is large, oxygen is consumed at an unthinkable speed. Because of what begins its lack, causing oxygen starvation. At the initial stage, it leads to an accelerated heartbeat, a decrease in brain activity, and impaired coordination. With a very low level of oxygen, death occurs almost instantaneously.

Chemical factors

Fire hazards include smoke, carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide. CO ₂ (carbon dioxide) does not smell and has no color, but if it is more than 10% in the air, people lose consciousness and can not get out of the flames engulfed in the house. Carbon monoxide is even more insidious and dangerous - even its insignificant concentration within half an hour kills a person no worse than combat chemical agents. Smoke is included in the sad list called "dangerous fire factors" due to the fact that it greatly complicates the orientation in a smoke-filled room. The person spends more time to get out on the street, and therefore the probability of getting burns or poisoning by the listed products of burning considerably increases.

Physical factors

Dangerous factors of fire - this is destruction (collapse of buildings or some production structures). And here the risk is not only breaking, say, concrete walls, but also their debris, which can scatter over a very considerable distance.

Secondary fire hazards

In addition to the fragments already mentioned, it is worth remembering liquids that can be sprayed from a high temperature. Moreover, their temperature can be higher than the boiling point of water. Then spreading and scattering of toxic, and even radioactive, materials from the damaged equipment is possible. No less dangerous and torn wires, especially with high voltage (from the electric shock during a fire many people die). And, of course, here you can include panic and despair, because of which those trapped in the fire trap are thrown from the upper floors of the skyscrapers, often a minute before the emergence of rescuers.

Prediction of danger

When extinguishing fires of fire, forecasting of dangerous fire factors can greatly benefit. So, if any chemical plant burns, it is logical to assume that the air will contain a huge amount of toxic chemical compounds. Knowing what exactly the plant produces, you can stock up in advance with drugs that reduce toxic effects. If the parking lot or gas station has caught fire, it's clear that first of all you need to extinguish what might explode.