How do you extinguish a fire?

Answer 1

Generally speaking, we extinguish a fire by removing air (oxygen) so the fire cannot breathe, we remove fuel that is being burned, or we remove thermal energy from the fire so that combustion cannot be sustained. There are a number of different tactics and strategies that firefighters use to suppress a fire. Additionally, there are a number of different types of fire, and the effective firefighter will adjust an approach to be more effective for a given situation.

We call upon our knowledge of the fire triangle to chart a course toward successful fire suppression. We know that a fire needs fuel to burn, heat to cause the fuel to burn, and oxygen in the air to sustain combustion. To attack a fire, a firefighter usually aims to "break" the fire triangle by removing on of the three "legs" that supports the fire triangle. By suffocation, cooling or the removal of the fuel, we can break the fire triangle and put out a fire.

Most of us know about special situations where a modified system or approach is necessary for suppression to be effective. In the case of burning metals, water is often not used as it actually supports the chemical reactions in combustion. Water isn't a good idea for burning liquids, either. Likewise, it is wise to use something else other than water on electrical fires. But the basic strategy is essentially the same. Discover the things at work in a given fire and pick a way to remove or inhibit the actions of one or more things so the fire can be controlled and extinguished.