What Fire Equipments Could save our life

Firefighters couldn’t do their jobs without help from a variety of special tools. Technology has made it possible for firefighters to climb to great heights, walk through raging fires unscathed, and perform feats of strength that would have been impossible a few decades ago. Here’s an overview of the fire rescue equipment that might save your life someday.

Fireproof Clothes. Firefighters’ clothing is something of an engineering miracle in itself. Firefighters wear jackets, gloves and trousers made from material that’s highly resistant to heat, burning, melting and scorching heat—while still being breathable and flexible. It’s made from a unique combination of Kevlar—which provides the flexibility and breathability—and a material called Nomex, invented by Dupont in the 60’s. There’s a variety of clothing available for firefighters and appropriate for different jobs, including trousers, shirts, coats, and full-body jumpsuits.

Both Kevlar and Nomex have interesting properties. Kevlar is five times stronger than steel. Nomex carbonizes when exposed to extreme heat, creating a thick barrier that protects the skin from intense heat.

Ladders. A firefighter’s ladder is more than a simple wooden construction that’s leaned against a wall. Firefighters rely on turntable ladders mounted on the back of a fire truck or lorry. This ladder is designed to pivot on its mount, allowing it to reach greater heights and allow access from many different angles of approach. Turntable ladders are telescopic and most operate via hydraulic levers or under pneumatic power. Many of these ladders are equipped with built-in water guns that can spray as much as 3500 litres per minute. They may also come equipped with buckets giving firefighters and rescuees a stable place to stand.

Hoses. The hoses attached to a firetruck can carry an astonishing amount of water—thousands of litres per minute. They’re also rescue tools in themselves; they can be adjusted to spray a mist or fire extinguishing foam to adjust for different types of fires, and the spray is so strong that they can also be used to knock down walls.

Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus. These are the masks firefighters wear that allow them to breathe inside buildings filled with flame and toxic smoke. Like scuba diving gear, a self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) relies on a high-pressure tank containing a portable supply of breathable air.

Hydraulic rescue tools. These tools give emergency rescue personnel the ability to lift enormously heavy objects and cut through steel. They’re usually used in the process of rescuing people from small, enclosed spaces. They may be used for high-powered cutting, spreading and lifting. They’re powered by hydraulic pumps that might be manually operated, automatic, or built into the tool itself. A hydraulic spreader-cutter combination tool can cut open metal or lift a car. Jaws of Life, a cutting tool widely used in the U.S., can take the roof off a car in two minutes or less. Spreader tools can be used to widen even small cracks between two large objects, open a car door or tightly closed panels.

Firefighters use a wide range of fire equipment to rescue fire victims and extinguish fires—these are only a few. These high-tech toolboxes allow firefighters to fight fires many storeys off the ground, cut through steel, and breathe in buildings filled with toxic smoke. With them, they can extinguish more fires—and save more lives.

Fire Safety Clothings

Every tool firefighters bring to the scene of a fire is designed to withstand extreme heat, harsh chemicals, and dangerous conditions. This is true even of the clothes they wear. No material is completely fireproof, but firefighters’ clothes are designed to provide a fire-resistant shield that protects them against extremely high temperatures for a long period of time.

Firefighters’ clothes are typically made of a combination of Nomex—a material that provides extreme heat and fire protection, actually carbonizing in the presence of heat and creating a thick barrier that protects the skin—and Kevlar, a material that adds flexibility and breathability to allow firefighters to perform strenuous work even in difficult conditions. Here’s an overview of the gear firefighters wear when they respond to a call.

Fire kit. Also referred to as “turnout gear” or “bunker gear,” this refers to firefighters’ outer protective gear, which is highly fire resistant clothing. The term can be used to mean trousers, boots and jacket, or the entire system of protective clothing and equipment. According to tradition, the trousers and boots are traditionally stored by the firefighter’s bunk at the fire station for quick access. The trousers are typically stored crumpled around the boots so firefighters can step quickly into the boots and pull the trousers up.

Most fire brigades assign firefighters a jacket and trousers as part of their fire kit. This combination allows firefighters to take the jacket off if needed to cool off. Ordinarily, the fire kit’s job is to provide insulation from outside air—so they’re very hot.

Some fire brigades, however, assign a full-body suit that covers both upper and lower body. While this can’t be removed in situations where full-body protection isn’t needed, it also provides better protection from hot gasses, since there’s no gap between the top and bottom garments.

Boots. Firefighters use boots made of rubber or leather. They’re designed for extra toughness, fitted with safety toes and a midsole plate assuring puncture-resistance in case the firefighter steps on a nail or other sharp object. The rubber or leather is treated to be extremely fire resistant.

Helmets. A firefighter’s helmet is designed to protect the firefighter’s head from falling debris, as well as extreme heat. The helmet is made with a hard shell made to provide protection against heat, steam, electrical shocks and other hazards. Some come equipped with built-in goggles or visors to protect the eyes and face.

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Protective hoods. Helmets are designed for heat and hazard protection, but they don’t cover the ears, neck, and a significant part of the face. When full-body protection is needed, firefighters wear a hood that completely covers the areas not protected by the helmet. These are made from Nomex knit fabric—the same material that provides heat and fire protection on a firefighter’s fire kit and other fire resistant clothing.

The fire resistant clothing firefighters wear is designed to perform miracles. It allows firefighters to walk into burning buildings, rescue victims and extinguish fires without risk of serious injury or death. It can be very hot and heavy to wear, but the protection is worth it.

6 fire safety tips for your home

Does your family know what to do to prevent fires from happening in the home? And do they know what to do if a fire’s already started? Here are six fire safety tips for kids and adults that will keep your family safe in case of a fire—and help prevent fires from starting in your home in the first place.

Have an escape plan. It’s important to have a fire escape plan worked out that’s simple and easy for your kids to follow. Have in mind at least two escape routes from every room, in case one way out is blocked. The windows in your house must be easy to open—don’t paint them over or nail them closed. Be sure you have fire-proof ladders available and easily accessible to everyone who sleeps on the second floor. Make sure your kids know the drill—practice “escaping” the house via different routes and meeting at a designated spot a safe distance from your home. If your family is familiar with the escape plan before they need to use it, chances are likely it will go smoothly if you ever do.

Never leave cooking food unattended. Cooking fires are the most common causes of fatal residential fires. Be sure never to leave food cooking on the stove unattended. Keep flammable materials including wooden utensils and cloth away from stoves, and be sure to roll up long sleeves when you cook.

Keep fire extinguishers in key places. Keep a fire extinguisher on every floor in your home, with at least one all-purpose fire extinguisher in the kitchen, basement, garage and any workshop areas. Be sure all adults and older children in your family know how to use one. To use a fire extinguisher, pull the pin, aim the fire extinguisher at the base of the fire, squeeze the lever slowly and move the nozzle in a side-to-side motion.

Make sure kids know what to do. Many young children will panic in case of fire and hide in a closet or under a bed. Make sure your kids are well versed in fire safety tips. They should know to crawl under the smoke to escape a burning building, to touch doors (not doorknobs) to see if they’re hot and to choose another exit if they are, cover their mouths and noses with a moist towel to keep from getting overwhelmed by smoke, and never to go back into a burning building or stop to take objects out of one.

Get regular inspections. Your chimneys, heating flues, and home heaters should be inspected on a yearly basis. Chimney fires are extremely hot and difficult to extinguish. They are not unusual and can occur from buildup that occurs naturally from wood stoves, fireplaces, or heating units in the home.

Be careful with candles. Candles are a primary cause of fires in the home. They’re easy to tip over, and young children and pets can both knock over a candle easily and cause a fire hazard. In addition, many candle holders heat to dangerous temperatures and are not fire-safe once the wick of the candle burns down. Never leave a candle burning unattended, and don’t allow your children to have candles or incense in their rooms. Be sure to keep matches in a safe place where kids can’t get to them.

In addition to these tips, be sure your fire detectors are working correctly and have batteries—and be sure the batteries are changed at least once a year. Follow these tips, and you should be able to keep your family safe from fire in the home.

7 unexpected causes of house fires

Think your house is safe from fire? Think again. These are the facts about house fires: homes are full of fire hazards, some of which can be easily predicted and recognized—and some of which can’t. Even if you keep your matches under lock and key and never leave an unattended pot cooking or candle burning, you could be at risk in other ways. Here are a few causes of house fires that you may not be aware of.

Wall outlets. They look perfectly innocent—but your wall outlet could easily be the cause of house fires. If you notice when you plug in your appliances that the plugs fit loosely in the socket, you should get the outlets repaired immediately. Wall outlets that fit plugs loosely can cause overheating, which could easily lead to a fire if the problem is ignored. If you encounter this problem, check to see if the outlet is warm, unplug all appliances from the outlet, and call an electrician.

Faulty electrical wiring. Electrical appliances occasionally come with defects that can cause electrical fires on their own. However, the most common cause of house fires in the home caused by appliances is definitely caused by poor maintenance and overloaded power strips and circuits. Never plug in too many high-powered appliances on one circuit—it’s a definite risk of fire.

Extension cords. Extension cords can wear out and fray, exposing wiring to flammable materials and causing electrical fires. Don’t use an electrical cord on a regular basis for a high-powered appliance for more than a few weeks; call an electrician and get an extra outlet installed in a more convenient location instead. In addition, never hide your extension cords behind furniture or beneath a rug. It can get walked on under rugs, fraying the casing; in addition, you won’t be able to tell that the cord is getting hot—a warning sign of malfunction and fire risk—until it’s too late.

An unlandscaped yard. You don’t need a perfectly green yard to keep your home safe from fire. But you do need to clear away any dry, grown-in weeds, trees and bushes surrounding your home. Flammable flora can catch fire from a stray spark from your chimney, a lightning bolt, or heat from a discarded cigarette, among other threats—and if dry vegetation is too close, the fire could transition to your house. It only takes an unpredictable spark and a sudden, stiff wind to push a fire out of control.

Fire is highly unpredictable, and it can take only seconds for a fire to rage out of control. Keep an eye out for warm extension cords, loose wall outlets, too much brush and overgrowth around your house, and other hazards that could cause a devastating fire. With the right amount of vigilance and observance of fire prevention best practices, you should be able to keep your home, property and family safe from fire.