Wind-driven building fires are hazardous to firefighters and fire fighting equipment. Fire can cause great damage to lives and property. It should be extinguished as soon as possible. But the wind is the thing that ignites the fire to a great extend. A proper supply of oxygen by the wind to fire brings a challenging phase for firefighters. It is not a problem but a big issue that has been associated with several firefighters’ fatalities.
The direction and quantity of airflow into windows affect the rate of heat release inside a fire compartment and the spread of fire. There might be windows on the other side of the fire compartment or there is another source of air, which are the factors that dramatically influence the rate of burning. In tall buildings, the Stack effect is a major cause of the spreading of fire. Momentum and inertia forces may also exist inside the building that directly affects the intensity of fire phenomena. The temperature difference is another root cause of the spread of fire.
The wind-driven forced fire is also a killer of firefighters and a drastic situation you need to plan for, train for, and equipped for. Firefighter really put their lives in danger to fight and extinguish the fire. But they are not getting that much credit they deserve. Here are some common precautions and preventions that we can adopt to avoid such incidents.
- While designing any tall building, a fire safety plan should be adopted sincerely with utmost perfection. If possible take help from fire safety analyzers.
- There should be Water sprinklers, Smoke detectors, Fire alarms installed at every possible point.
- Fire extinguishers must be available on every floor and the employees of the building should be trained on how to use the fire extinguisher.
- There should be a proper escape plan preset up and explained clearly. All employees should know about the escape plan.
- Training the firefighters and security of the company about how their actions may influence internal air dynamics.
- Training in tactical deployment issues example, selecting points of entry.
Such fire can cause great damage to lives and property. So many firefighters lost their lives dealing with such fires. So Prevention is necessary to save lives.
