Shopping on line can be easy, simple and save you lots of money. It can also take a lot of your time, frustrate you, and result in unwanted purchases. Now the same can be said for regular high street shopping, but with the vast opportunity presented by the Internet it will pay you to spend a few minutes reading this and understanding how to better optimize your Fire shopping experience:
1. Compare - without doubt the biggest advantage that the Fire offers shoppers today is the ability to compare thousands of Fire at a time. This is a great thing, but not necessarily all the time! Too much can be daunting at times so take advantage of the great comparison sites and where possible let them do the hard work for you.
2. Research - if it has been said it will be on the internet. Ignorance is no longer a justifiable reason for buying the wrong thing. Take the time to research in detail everything that you could possible want to know about
3. Testimonials - don't know anybody that has bought a Fire? Wrong! If the Fire is good the internet will let you know. Use the Internet as a friend and get testimonials before you buy.
4. Questions - Got a question about Fire then search the Forums, FAQ's, Blogs etc. Don't be afraid to ask .....
5. Reputation - Never heard of the company selling Fire? Don't worry, no reason why you should know every company in the world, but you know someone that does! Use the internet to find out what people are saying about Fire and build up a picture of their reputation for sales, returns, customer service, delivery etc.
6. Returns - still worried that even after all of the above your Fire wont be what you want? Check out the returns policy. There is so much competition now that someone, somewhere is bound to offer the terms that you are comfortable with.
7. Feedback - happy with your Fire then let people know, after all you are depending on others people input in your buying decision, so why not give a little back.
8. Security - check for the yellow padlock on the Fire site before you buy, and the s after http:/ /i.e. https:// = a secure site
9. Contact - got a question about Fire, or want to leave a comment then check out the sites contact page. Reputable companies have them and respond.
10. Payment - ready to pay for your Fire, then use your credit card or PayPal! Be aware of companies that don't accept them, there may be genuine reasons but given the huge amount of choice you have when buying online there is no reason at all not to buy via credit card or PayPal.
Fire is an oxidation process that releases energy in varying
intensity in the form of
light (with wavelengths also outside the visual spectrum) and
heat and often creates smoke. It is commonly used to describe either a fuel in a state of combustion (e.g., a campfire, or a lit
fireplace or stove) or a violent, destructive and uncontrolled burning (e.g., in
buildings or a wildfire). The discovery of
making fire is considered one of humankind's most important advances, allowing higher
hominids to ward off wild animals, cook food, and control their own source of light and warmth.
Chemistry
Broadly speaking there are two types of fire,
flame and
smoldering fires, and they exhibit traits unique to themselves.
Flaming
which is ignited prior to consumption.Flaming fires involve the rapid oxidation of a fuel (combustion) with associated flame, heat, and light. The flame itself occurs within a region of gas where intense exothermic reactions are taking place. An exothermic reaction is a chemical reaction whereby heat and energy are released as a substance changes to a more stable chemical form (in the case of fire, usually generating carbon dioxide and water). As chemical reactions occur within the fuel being burned, light is usually emitted as photons are released by the oxidation of the fuel. Depending upon the specific chemical and physical change taking place within the fuel, the flame may or may not emit light in the visible spectrum. For example, burning alcohol or burning hydrogen are usually invisible although the heat given off is tremendous.
The visible "clear" flame has no mass. What we see as a flame is actually energy (photons) being released in the form of light by the oxidation of the fuel. The color of the flame is dependent upon the energy level of the photons emitted. Lower energy levels produce colors toward the red end of the light spectrum while higher energy levels produce colors toward the blue end of the spectrum. The hottest flames are white in appearance. The
colored fire may also be affected by chemical elements in the flame, such as
barium giving a green flame test. The flame color depends also on the unoxidized carbon particles. In some cases there is a partial fuel oxidation due to oxygen lack in the central part of the flame, where combustion reactions take place. In such cases the unoxidized hot carbon particles emit radiation in the light spectrum, resulting in a yellow/red flame, such that of common house fireplace.
Smoldering
A smoldering fire is a
flameless form of combustion, deriving its heat from oxidations occurring on the surface of a solid fuel. Two common examples are glowing coals and cigarettes. Smolder propagates in a creeping fashion over solid fuels or inside porous fuels, and the temperature and heat released are low in comparison to a flaming.
Chemical Reaction
Fires start when a flammable and/or a combustible material with an adequate supply of oxygen or another oxidizer is subjected to enough heat. This is commonly called the fire triangle. No fire can exist without all three elements being in place.
Burns
Fire causes extreme pain in forms of 1st 2nd and 3rd degree burns. 1st burns only some of the epidermis, 2nd burns all of the epidermis and some of the dermis, and 3rd burns clean through the dermis and epidermis and kills all nerve receptors. This is why 3rd degree burns often do not hurt.
The common fire-causing sources of heat include:
- sparks
- another fire (such as an explosion)
- a fire in the oven or fireplace
- a lit match, lighter or cigarette
- sources of intense thermal radiation (such as sunlight or an incandescent light bulb)
- Joule heating, friction or exhaust gas from mechanical or electrical machinery
Once ignited, fires can sustain their own heat by the further release of
heat energy in the process of
combustion and may propagate, provided there is a continuous supply of oxygen and
fuel.
Fire can be extinguished by removing any one of the elements of the fire triangle. The traditional extinguishant of water acts by cooling the combusting material to stop the reaction, whereas a Carbon Dioxide extinguisher acts by starving the fire of oxygen.
The unburnable solid remains of a combustible material left after a fire are called ash, soot or cinder.
Flame
A flame is an exothermic, self-sustaining, oxidizing chemical reaction producing energy and glowing hot matter, of which a very small portion is Plasma (physics). It consists of reacting gases and solids emitting visible and
infrared light, the frequency spectrum of which depends on the chemical composition of the burning elements and intermediate reaction products.
In many cases, such as the burning of
organic matter, for example wood, or the incomplete
combustion of gas, incandescent solid particles called
soot produce the familiar red-orange glow of 'fire'. This light has a continuous spectrum. Complete combustion of gas has a dim blue color due to the emission of single-wavelength radiation from various electron transitions in the excited molecules formed in the flame. For reasons currently unknown by scientists, the flame produced by exposure of zinc to air is a bright green, and produces plumes of
zinc oxide. Usually oxygen is involved, but
hydrogen burning in chlorine also produces a flame, producing hydrogen chloride (HCl). Other possible combinations producing flames, amongst many more, are
fluorine and hydrogen, and hydrazine and nitrogen tetroxide.
The glow of a flame is complex. Black body is emitted from soot, gas, and fuel particles, though the soot particles are too small to behave like perfect blackbodies. There is also photon emission by de-excited
atoms and molecules in the gases. Much of the radiation is emitted in the visible and
infrared bands. The color depends on temperature for the black-body radiation, and on chemical makeup for the
emission spectra. The dominant color in a flame changes with temperature. The photo of the forest fire is an excellent example of this variation. Near the ground, where most burning is occurring, the fire is white, the hottest color possible for organic material in general, or yellow. Above the yellow region, the color changes to orange, which is cooler, then red, which is cooler still. Above the red region, combustion no longer occurs, and the uncombusted carbon particles are visible as black smoke.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) of the United States has recently found that
gravity plays a role. Modifying the gravity causes different flame types. Spiral flames in microgravity, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, 2000. The common distribution of a flame under normal gravity conditions depends on
convection, as soot tends to rise to the top of a general flame, as in a candle in normal gravity conditions, making it yellow. In
Weightlessness, such as an environment in outer space, convection no longer occurs, and the flame becomes spherical, with a tendency to become more blue and more efficient (although it will go out if not moved steadily, as the CO2 from combustion does not disperse in microgravity, and tends to smother the flame). There are several possible explanations for this difference, of which the most likely is that the temperature is evenly distributed enough that soot is not formed and complete combustion occurs. CFM-1 experiment results, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, April 2005. Experiments by NASA reveal that
diffusion flames in microgravity allow more soot to be completely oxidized after they are produced than diffusion flames on Earth, because of a series of mechanisms that behave differently in microgravity when compared to normal gravity conditions. LSP-1 experiment results, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, April 2005. These discoveries have potential applications in
applied science and
industry, especially concerning
fuel efficiency.
In combustion engines, various steps are taken to eliminate a flame. The method depends mainly on whether the fuel is oil, wood, or a high-energy fuel such as jet fuel.
Typical temperatures of fires and flames
- Oxyhydrogen flame: 2000 °C or above) (3645 °F) "Flame Temperature Measurement"
- Bunsen burner flame: 1300 to 1600 °C (2372 to 2912 °F) "Flame Temperatures"
- Blowtorch flame: 1,300 °C (2372 °F) "Pyropen Cordless Soldering Irons"
- Candle flame: 1000 °C (1832 °F)
- Smoldering cigarette:
- Temperature without drawing: side of the lit portion; 400 °C (750 °F); middle of the lit portion: 585 °C (1110 °F)
- Temperature during drawing: middle of the lit portion: 700 °C (1290 °F)
- Always hotter in the middle.
Temperatures of flames by appearance
The temperature of flames with carbon particles emitting light can be assessed by their color: "A Book of Steam for Engineers", The Stirling Company, 1905
- Red
- Just visible: 977 °F (525 °C)
- Dull: 1290 °F (700 °C)
- Cherry, dull: 1470 °F (800 °C)
- Cherry, full: 1650 °F (900 °C)
- Cherry, clear: 1830 °F (1000 °C)
- Orange
- Deep: 2010 °F (1100 °C)
- Clear: 2190 °F (1200 °C)
- White
- Whitish: 2370 °F (1300 °C)
- Bright: 2550 °F (1400 °C)
- Dazzling: 2730 °F (1500 °C)
Controlling fire
's fire, used primarily for
forging iron.The ability to control fire is one of humankind's great achievements.
Making fire to generate heat and light made it possible for people to migrate to colder climates and enabled people to
cooking food — a key step in the fight against disease. Archaeology indicates that ancestors or relatives of modern humans might have controlled fire as early as 790,000 years ago. The Cradle of Humankind site has
evidence for controlled fire from 1 to 1.8 million years ago. "UNESCO - Fossil Hominid Sites of Sterkfontein, Swartkrans, Kromdraai, and Environs" By the
Neolithic Revolution, during the introduction of grain based
agriculture, people all over the world used fire as a tool in landscape management. These fires were typically
controlled burns or "cool fires", as opposed to uncontrolled "hot fires" that damage the soil. Hot fires destroy plants and animals, and endanger communities. This is especially a problem in the forests of today where traditional burning is prevented in order to encourage the growth of timber crops. Cool fires are generally conducted in the spring and fall. They clear undergrowth, burning up
biomass that could trigger a hot fire should it get too dense. They provide a greater variety of environments, which encourages game and plant diversity. For humans, they make dense, impassable forests traversable.
The first technical application of the fire may have been the extracting and treating of metals.There are numerous modern applications of fire. In its broadest sense, fire is used by nearly every human being on earth in a controlled setting every day. Users of internal combustion vehicles employ fire every time they drive. Thermal power stations provide electricity for a large percentage of humanity.
The use of fire in
Conventional warfare has a long
military history. Hunter-gatherer groups around the world have been noted as using grass and forest fires to injure their enemies and destroy their ability to find food, so it can be assumed that fire has been used in warfare for as long as humans have had the knowledge to control it.
Homer detailed the use of fire by Greek
commandos who hid in a
Trojan Horse to burn Troy during the Trojan war. Later the
Byzantine Empire fleet used Greek fire to attack ships and men. American and British warplanes destroyed the German city of
Dresden on February 14, 1945 by creating a firestorm, in which a ring of fire surrounding the city was drawn inward by an updraft caused by a central cluster of fires. In the Vietnam War, the Americans dropped napalm from the air. More recently many villages were burned during the
Rwandan Genocide.
Aerial bombing of cities, including
firebombing using
incendiary bombs, was also used frequently during
World War II.
Molotov cocktails are cheap to construct and are commonly used as well.
Fire and fuel
in the People's Republic of China.Setting
fuel aflame releases usable energy.
Wood was a
prehistory fuel, and is still viable today. The use of
fossil fuels, such as petroleum,
natural gas and
coal, in
fossil fuel power plants supplies the vast majority of the world's electricity today; the International Energy Agency states that nearly 80% of the world's power comes from these sources. "Share of Total Primary Energy Supply", 2002; International Energy Agency The fire in a
power station is used to heat water, creating steam that drives
turbines. The turbines then spin an
electric generator to produce power.
The burning of wood is often the first association to the word "fire". It is common in a
developing countries for wood to be the primary energy source as well. For instance, in Africa, 65% of the energy used comes from the burning of biomass. "Energy in Africa - Chapter 3", United States Department of Energy information administration What is less obvious is that wood burning power stations are less environmentally destructive than the fired oil power station in two major respects: first, wood is a renewable resource, especially if trees are grown in a modern, sustainable way; second, the
carbon dioxide emissions are negligible because no more carbon dioxide can be produced by burning than was removed by photosynthesis during production of the wood. Thus, over a 100-year timescale, the effect is carbon-neutral. The Straight Dope: What exactly is fire?. Adams, C. (2002). Retrieved December 19, 2004.. E.ON is soon to build a 44 megawatt wood fired power station in the United Kingdom for these reasons. "How Can Burning Wood Help Reduce Global Warming",
The Guardian
Fire protection and prevention
Fire fighting services are provided in most developed areas to extinguish or contain uncontrolled fires. Trained firefighters use
Fire apparatus, water supply resources such as
water mains and
fire hydrants, and an array of other equipment to combat the spread of fires.
Model building
Codes require
passive fire protection and
active fire protection systems to minimize damage resulting from a fire. To maximize fire safety of buildings, building products, materials and furnishings in the
United States are tested for fire resistance, Combustion and flammability. The same applies to
upholstery,
carpeting and plastics used in vehicles and
Containerizations. Buildings, especially schools and
tall buildings, often conduct fire drills to inform and prepare citizens on how to react to a building fire.
Purposely starting destructive fires constitutes
arson and is a criminal offense in most jurisdictions.
Some jurisdictions operate systems of classifying fires using code letters. Whilst these may agree on some classifications, they also vary. Below is a table showing the standard operated in Europe and Australasia against the system used in the United States.{]s such as
wood, cloth,
rubber,
paper, and some types of plastics.]s or liquifiable solids such as
gasoline,
petroleum,
paint, some waxes & plastics, but
not cooking fats or oils]es, such as natural gas, hydrogen,
propane, butane [metals, such as
sodium,
magnesium, and [potassium agent is used to control the fire| Class E| Class C|-| Fires involving cooking fats and oils. The high temperature of the oils when on fire far exceeds that of other flammable liquids making normal extinguishing agents ineffective.| Class F| Class K|}
Practical uses
- Fire has been used for light, heat (for cooking, survival and comfort) and protection for thousands of years.
- Fire-stick farming
- Fire is used for cremation.
- Fire is used for welding.
- Fire is used for celebration (birthday candles)
- Back-burning for fighting fires
- Controlled burn-offs for preventing wildfires
- Controlled burn-offs to clear land for agriculture
See also
References
Citations
External links
- How Fire Works at HowStuffWorks
- What exactly is fire? (from The Straight Dope)
- On Fire, an Adobe Flash-based science tutorial from the NOVA (TV series)
- Early human fire mastery revealed BBC article on archaeological discoveries
- Flames in microgravity
- Spiral flames in microgravity
- moebuildingcontrol.co.uk - UK Guidance on fire safety codes and fire engineering
- Smokey Bear- Prevent Wildfires
- Fun Uses with Fire with a Rubens' Tube
Fire is an
oxidation process that releases energy in varying
intensity in the form of light (with wavelengths also outside the visual spectrum) and heat and often creates
smoke. It is commonly used to describe either a
fuel in a state of combustion (e.g., a
campfire, or a lit fireplace or
stove) or a violent, destructive and uncontrolled burning (e.g., in buildings or a
wildfire). The discovery of
making fire is considered one of humankind's most important advances, allowing higher
hominids to ward off wild animals, cook food, and control their own source of light and warmth.
Chemistry
Broadly speaking there are two types of fire,
flame and
smoldering fires, and they exhibit traits unique to themselves.
Flaming
which is ignited prior to consumption.Flaming fires involve the rapid oxidation of a fuel (combustion) with associated flame,
heat, and
light. The flame itself occurs within a region of gas where intense exothermic reactions are taking place. An exothermic reaction is a chemical reaction whereby heat and energy are released as a substance changes to a more stable chemical form (in the case of fire, usually generating carbon dioxide and water). As chemical reactions occur within the fuel being burned, light is usually emitted as photons are released by the oxidation of the fuel. Depending upon the specific chemical and physical change taking place within the fuel, the flame may or may not emit light in the visible spectrum. For example, burning alcohol or burning hydrogen are usually invisible although the heat given off is tremendous.
The visible "clear" flame has no mass. What we see as a flame is actually energy (photons) being released in the form of light by the oxidation of the fuel. The color of the flame is dependent upon the energy level of the photons emitted. Lower energy levels produce colors toward the red end of the light spectrum while higher energy levels produce colors toward the blue end of the spectrum. The hottest flames are white in appearance. The
colored fire may also be affected by
chemical elements in the flame, such as
barium giving a green
flame test. The flame color depends also on the unoxidized carbon particles. In some cases there is a partial fuel oxidation due to oxygen lack in the central part of the flame, where combustion reactions take place. In such cases the unoxidized hot carbon particles emit radiation in the light spectrum, resulting in a yellow/red flame, such that of common house fireplace.
Smoldering
A smoldering fire is a
flameless form of combustion, deriving its heat from oxidations occurring on the surface of a solid fuel. Two common examples are glowing coals and cigarettes. Smolder propagates in a creeping fashion over solid fuels or inside porous fuels, and the temperature and heat released are low in comparison to a flaming.
Chemical Reaction
Fires start when a flammable and/or a combustible material with an adequate supply of
oxygen or another
oxidizer is subjected to enough heat. This is commonly called the fire triangle. No fire can exist without all three elements being in place.
Burns
Fire causes extreme pain in forms of 1st 2nd and 3rd degree burns. 1st burns only some of the epidermis, 2nd burns all of the epidermis and some of the dermis, and 3rd burns clean through the dermis and epidermis and kills all nerve receptors. This is why 3rd degree burns often do not hurt.
The common fire-causing sources of heat include:
Once ignited, fires can sustain their own heat by the further release of heat energy in the process of combustion and may propagate, provided there is a continuous supply of
oxygen and fuel.
Fire can be extinguished by removing any one of the elements of the fire triangle. The traditional extinguishant of water acts by cooling the combusting material to stop the reaction, whereas a Carbon Dioxide extinguisher acts by starving the fire of oxygen.
The unburnable solid remains of a combustible material left after a fire are called ash, soot or cinder.
Flame
A flame is an exothermic, self-sustaining, oxidizing chemical reaction producing
energy and glowing hot matter, of which a very small portion is Plasma (physics). It consists of reacting gases and solids emitting visible and
infrared light, the frequency spectrum of which depends on the chemical composition of the burning elements and intermediate reaction products.
In many cases, such as the burning of
organic matter, for example wood, or the incomplete combustion of gas,
incandescent solid particles called
soot produce the familiar red-orange glow of 'fire'. This light has a continuous spectrum. Complete combustion of gas has a dim blue color due to the emission of single-wavelength radiation from various electron transitions in the excited molecules formed in the flame. For reasons currently unknown by scientists, the flame produced by exposure of zinc to air is a bright green, and produces plumes of zinc oxide. Usually oxygen is involved, but
hydrogen burning in
chlorine also produces a flame, producing
hydrogen chloride (HCl). Other possible combinations producing flames, amongst many more, are
fluorine and hydrogen, and hydrazine and nitrogen tetroxide.
The glow of a flame is complex. Black body is emitted from soot, gas, and fuel particles, though the soot particles are too small to behave like perfect blackbodies. There is also
photon emission by de-excited
atoms and
molecules in the gases. Much of the radiation is emitted in the visible and
infrared bands. The color depends on temperature for the black-body radiation, and on chemical makeup for the
emission spectra. The dominant color in a flame changes with temperature. The photo of the forest fire is an excellent example of this variation. Near the ground, where most burning is occurring, the fire is white, the hottest color possible for organic material in general, or yellow. Above the yellow region, the color changes to orange, which is cooler, then red, which is cooler still. Above the red region, combustion no longer occurs, and the uncombusted carbon particles are visible as black smoke.
The
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) of the
United States has recently found that
gravity plays a role. Modifying the gravity causes different flame types. Spiral flames in microgravity, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, 2000. The common distribution of a flame under normal gravity conditions depends on convection, as soot tends to rise to the top of a general flame, as in a candle in normal gravity conditions, making it yellow. In
Weightlessness, such as an environment in outer space, convection no longer occurs, and the flame becomes spherical, with a tendency to become more blue and more efficient (although it will go out if not moved steadily, as the CO2 from combustion does not disperse in microgravity, and tends to smother the flame). There are several possible explanations for this difference, of which the most likely is that the temperature is evenly distributed enough that soot is not formed and complete combustion occurs. CFM-1 experiment results, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, April 2005. Experiments by NASA reveal that diffusion flames in microgravity allow more soot to be completely oxidized after they are produced than diffusion flames on Earth, because of a series of mechanisms that behave differently in microgravity when compared to normal gravity conditions. LSP-1 experiment results, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, April 2005. These discoveries have potential applications in applied science and
industry, especially concerning
fuel efficiency.
In combustion engines, various steps are taken to eliminate a flame. The method depends mainly on whether the fuel is oil, wood, or a high-energy fuel such as jet fuel.
Typical temperatures of fires and flames
- Oxyhydrogen flame: 2000 °C or above) (3645 °F) "Flame Temperature Measurement"
- Bunsen burner flame: 1300 to 1600 °C (2372 to 2912 °F) "Flame Temperatures"
- Blowtorch flame: 1,300 °C (2372 °F) "Pyropen Cordless Soldering Irons"
- Candle flame: 1000 °C (1832 °F)
- Smoldering cigarette:
- Temperature without drawing: side of the lit portion; 400 °C (750 °F); middle of the lit portion: 585 °C (1110 °F)
- Temperature during drawing: middle of the lit portion: 700 °C (1290 °F)
- Always hotter in the middle.
Temperatures of flames by appearance
The temperature of flames with carbon particles emitting light can be assessed by their color: "A Book of Steam for Engineers", The Stirling Company, 1905
- Red
- Just visible: 977 °F (525 °C)
- Dull: 1290 °F (700 °C)
- Cherry, dull: 1470 °F (800 °C)
- Cherry, full: 1650 °F (900 °C)
- Cherry, clear: 1830 °F (1000 °C)
- Orange
- Deep: 2010 °F (1100 °C)
- Clear: 2190 °F (1200 °C)
- White
- Whitish: 2370 °F (1300 °C)
- Bright: 2550 °F (1400 °C)
- Dazzling: 2730 °F (1500 °C)
Controlling fire
's fire, used primarily for forging iron.The ability to control fire is one of humankind's great achievements. Making fire to generate heat and light made it possible for people to migrate to colder climates and enabled people to
cooking food — a key step in the fight against
disease. Archaeology indicates that ancestors or relatives of modern humans might have controlled fire as early as 790,000 years ago. The Cradle of Humankind site has evidence for controlled fire from 1 to 1.8 million years ago. "UNESCO - Fossil Hominid Sites of Sterkfontein, Swartkrans, Kromdraai, and Environs" By the Neolithic Revolution, during the introduction of grain based agriculture, people all over the world used fire as a tool in landscape management. These fires were typically controlled burns or "cool fires", as opposed to uncontrolled "hot fires" that damage the soil. Hot fires destroy plants and animals, and endanger communities. This is especially a problem in the forests of today where traditional burning is prevented in order to encourage the growth of timber crops. Cool fires are generally conducted in the spring and fall. They clear undergrowth, burning up
biomass that could trigger a hot fire should it get too dense. They provide a greater variety of environments, which encourages game and plant diversity. For humans, they make dense, impassable forests traversable.
The first technical application of the fire may have been the extracting and treating of metals.There are numerous modern applications of fire. In its broadest sense, fire is used by nearly every human being on earth in a controlled setting every day. Users of internal combustion vehicles employ fire every time they drive. Thermal
power stations provide electricity for a large percentage of humanity.
The use of fire in
Conventional warfare has a long
military history. Hunter-gatherer groups around the world have been noted as using grass and forest fires to injure their enemies and destroy their ability to find food, so it can be assumed that fire has been used in warfare for as long as humans have had the knowledge to control it. Homer detailed the use of fire by Greek commandos who hid in a
Trojan Horse to burn
Troy during the
Trojan war. Later the Byzantine Empire fleet used
Greek fire to attack ships and men. American and British warplanes destroyed the German city of Dresden on February 14, 1945 by creating a firestorm, in which a ring of fire surrounding the city was drawn inward by an updraft caused by a central cluster of fires. In the Vietnam War, the Americans dropped
napalm from the air. More recently many villages were burned during the
Rwandan Genocide. Aerial bombing of cities, including
firebombing using incendiary bombs, was also used frequently during World War II. Molotov cocktails are cheap to construct and are commonly used as well.
Fire and fuel
in the
People's Republic of China.Setting
fuel aflame releases usable energy. Wood was a
prehistory fuel, and is still viable today. The use of
fossil fuels, such as petroleum, natural gas and coal, in fossil fuel power plants supplies the vast majority of the world's electricity today; the International Energy Agency states that nearly 80% of the world's power comes from these sources. "Share of Total Primary Energy Supply", 2002; International Energy Agency The fire in a
power station is used to heat water, creating steam that drives
turbines. The turbines then spin an
electric generator to produce power.
The burning of wood is often the first association to the word "fire". It is common in a developing countries for wood to be the primary energy source as well. For instance, in
Africa, 65% of the energy used comes from the burning of biomass. "Energy in Africa - Chapter 3", United States Department of Energy information administration What is less obvious is that wood burning power stations are less environmentally destructive than the fired oil power station in two major respects: first, wood is a renewable resource, especially if trees are grown in a modern, sustainable way; second, the carbon dioxide emissions are negligible because no more carbon dioxide can be produced by burning than was removed by photosynthesis during production of the wood. Thus, over a 100-year timescale, the effect is carbon-neutral. The Straight Dope: What exactly is fire?. Adams, C. (2002). Retrieved December 19,
2004.. E.ON is soon to build a 44 megawatt wood fired power station in the
United Kingdom for these reasons. "How Can Burning Wood Help Reduce Global Warming", The Guardian
Fire protection and prevention
Fire fighting services are provided in most developed areas to extinguish or contain uncontrolled fires. Trained
firefighters use
Fire apparatus, water supply resources such as
water mains and fire hydrants, and an array of other equipment to combat the spread of fires.
Model building
Codes require passive fire protection and active fire protection systems to minimize damage resulting from a fire. To maximize fire safety of buildings, building products, materials and furnishings in the
United States are tested for fire resistance,
Combustion and flammability. The same applies to upholstery,
carpeting and
plastics used in
vehicles and Containerizations. Buildings, especially
schools and
tall buildings, often conduct fire drills to inform and prepare citizens on how to react to a building fire.
Purposely starting destructive fires constitutes
arson and is a criminal offense in most jurisdictions.
Some jurisdictions operate systems of classifying fires using code letters. Whilst these may agree on some classifications, they also vary. Below is a table showing the standard operated in Europe and Australasia against the system used in the United States.{]s such as wood, cloth,
rubber,
paper, and some types of plastics.]s or liquifiable solids such as gasoline, petroleum, paint, some
waxes & plastics, but
not cooking fats or oils]es, such as
natural gas, hydrogen, propane,
butane [metals, such as sodium,
magnesium, and [potassium agent is used to control the fire| Class E| Class C|-| Fires involving cooking fats and oils. The high temperature of the oils when on fire far exceeds that of other flammable liquids making normal extinguishing agents ineffective.| Class F| Class K|}
Practical uses
- Fire has been used for light, heat (for cooking, survival and comfort) and protection for thousands of years.
- Fire-stick farming
- Fire is used for cremation.
- Fire is used for welding.
- Fire is used for celebration (birthday candles)
- Back-burning for fighting fires
- Controlled burn-offs for preventing wildfires
- Controlled burn-offs to clear land for agriculture
See also
References
Citations
External links
- How Fire Works at HowStuffWorks
- What exactly is fire? (from The Straight Dope)
- On Fire, an Adobe Flash-based science tutorial from the NOVA (TV series)
- Early human fire mastery revealed BBC article on archaeological discoveries
- Flames in microgravity
- Spiral flames in microgravity
- moebuildingcontrol.co.uk - UK Guidance on fire safety codes and fire engineering
- Smokey Bear- Prevent Wildfires
- Fun Uses with Fire with a Rubens' Tube
Fire Gateway - Home
Welcome to the Fire Gateway, developed by the Government in partnership with the Fire & Rescue Authorities to give easier access to services, help improve community safety and ...
Fire
In September 1666, much of London vanished in the Great Fire. This website tells the story of the fire – and its legacy – and shows how its devastation ...
UK Fire Service Resources
An insight into the UK Fire Service from recruitment to fire safety. Includes chat room and forum.
Cheshire Fire & Rescue Service : Home : Home Page
Provides a history of the force together with recruitment, the role of firefighters, search and rescue, news, contacts and station locations . Also provide a collection of online ...
Fire Net
Website for the British Fire Service. Includes marine and aviation fire fighting.
Fire Net Electronic Pages (British Fire Brigades)
The details contained on this page are details which are freely available on individual Local Authority Fire Brigades, such as Title, Address, Phone and Fax Numbers.
London Fire Brigade | homepage
Third largest firefighting organisation in the world responsible for protecting life and property from fire within Greater London . Provides advice for home, business, and schools ...
London Fire Brigade | Recruitment, become a London firefighter
Take a moment to find out more about becoming a firefighter. You'll find more information from the links under the 'firefighter recruitment' title on the right hand side of this ...
Fire Radio
Dance and rhythmic contemporary hits for Bournemouth and Poole. Programme, music and presenter information, local news and sports, song request form and listen online.
Fire.co.uk - Fire Extinguishers
Buy Fire Extinguishers Here. ... Welcome to Fire.co.uk. Browse for Fire Extinguishers below, Use the keywords on the left or use the search box to find information on FIRE ...