A
fire accident can reduce a property to rubbles in hours ~ it can cause damage to property, goods and
sometimes to fatalities and bodily
injuries to humans too. A Fire Insurance
Policy provides financial compensation for loss or damage arising out of
fire. Negligence and indifference too
contribute a big way and there are potential physical hazards of fire.
While
elimination of fire hazard entirely may not be possible, fire safety would
reduce to a large extent, the potential hazard of loss caused by fire. Fire safety measures include those that are
intended to prevent ignition of an uncontrolled fire, and those that are used
to limit the development and effects of a fire after it starts. Insurers analyse and rate the risks based on
risk potential, probability of occurrence, severity of damage and many other
factors. The method of rating special
hazards is more complex. For better
managed risks, they do offer discounts and one of the primary questions in any
proposal is about the – fire fighting equipments available and the proximity to
a Fire station.
Portable
Fire extinguishers (PFE) are small hand held appliances that are used to put
out fires in the very early stage of their inception. There are different types
of extinguishers in use and their classification is based on the types of fires
on which they are effective. Hence an understanding of the types of fire is
very essential in selecting the appropriate type of extinguisher for use in a
particular location.
In
old theatres, one would have observed bright
red coloured buckets containing sand and water. A fire extinguisher, is an active fire
protection device used to extinguish or control small fires, often in emergency
situations. As we all know, Fire needs “oxygen,
heat and fuel” and primarily fire extinguishers put out fire by taking away one or more elements of the fire triangle. There are various types of fire – say of
wood, cloth, plastics; oil, gas, flammable liquids; electrical and the
like. Depending on the type of fire, the
extinguishers also vary – there are : water and foam fire extinguishers;
equipments using Carbon Dioxide; dry chemicals; wet chemicals; dry powders and
many other agents.
In some
industries, hydrant systems are installed.
As a measure of safety, the primary requirement would be at least two extinguishers in every area/ room,
distributed over the entire floor that they are available within 15 meters. One
9 litre water / sand bucket is to be provided for every 100 square meter of
floor area and one 9 litre water type extinguisher is to be provided for every
six buckets or part thereof with a minimum of one extinguisher and two buckets
per compartment of the building.
While the
occurrence of ‘fire’ could be unpredictable, controlling the damage depends on
availability of fire fighting equipments, trained personnel, availability of
water hydrants, space to reach, emergency exits and the like. Every Risk Manager would advise that hand
equipments are installed in places easily accessible and people trained in
using these equipments, in case of a fire.
While the Insurers have been advising on the type of equipment to be
kept in the insured premises, this newsitem from
MailOnline might change the way of ‘safety equipments’ as fire can be
extinguished using ‘SOUND’…. Yes, handheld gadget using pressure waves to
remove oxygen from flames.
Students at
George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia, made the device that works because
low frequency noise separates oxygen from fuel ! The report that appeard in MailOnline on 26th
Mar 2015 states that the thumping bass lines that go along with rap songs may
exasperate some reluctant listeners, but such low noises can be used to put out
fires. Two engineering students have built a handheld device that uses sound to
extinguish flames - and the breakthrough could one day revolutionise
firefighting. It works because the low frequency noise, which they liken to the
'thump' of hip-hop music, separates oxygen from fuel to stop a fire from
burning.
A pair of
engineering students has built a handheld device that uses sound to extinguish flames,
which they claim could one day revolutionise firefighting. It transmits low
frequency sound waves between 30 and 60 Hertz from the nozzle. The waves
'agitate' the air to effectively separate oxygen from the fuel. The 20lb (9kg) device, which would not look
out of a place in Ghostbusters film, was created by engineering students Seth
Robertson and Viet Tran from George Mason University. Initially, both students thought big speakers
and high frequencies would douse a fire.
‘But it's low-frequency sounds - like the thump-thump bass in hip-hop
that works,’ Mr Tran said. He joked that rappers like 50 Cent could probably
douse a fire, explaining that low frequency sound waves between 30 and 60 Hertz
work best. When the device is used, humans with hearing between the typical
range of 20 to 20,000Hz can hear the blast of sound. In particular, the
acoustic field created by sound increases the air velocity around a flame. As
this velocity rises it thins what's known as the flame's 'boundary layer'. This
layer is where the combustion occurs
Seth
Robertson and Viet Tran from George Mason University were inspired to create their gadget after
watching a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) video showing how
two giant tubes of sound waves can put out fire. However, unlike the agency, the students
managed to squeeze the idea into a portable device. The device is powered by a pack worn on a
strap over the shoulder. The new device has benefits such as being free of
toxic chemicals and not subjecting buildings to water damage, and not
subjecting buildings and other property on fire to water damage. Mr Robertson added: ‘Fire is a huge issue in
space [where] extinguisher contents spread all over. But you can direct sound
waves without gravity’. The pair built
the prototype using $600 (£400) of its own money. More work will be required because the sound
extinguisher has so far only been tested on small controlled blazes, using
alcohol as fuel.
Interesting
~ learning for everyone including Insurers
With regards
– S. Sampathkumar
27th
Mar 2015.
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