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Firefighting is the process and profession of extinguishing fires. Firefighting is important in urban areas where firefighters are on constant standby; in wildland areas, and on board ship.
Note: this mostly discusses urban firefighting. See wildfire for a discussion of forest fires.
Firefighting has several basic skills: prevention , self-preservation , rescue, preservation of property and fire control. Firefighting is further broken down into skills which include size-up, extinguishment, ventilation, and salvage and overhaul. Search and Rescue, which has already been mentioned, is performed early in any fire scenario and many times is in unison with extinguishment and ventilation.
Prevention attempts to ensure that no place simultaneously has sufficient heat, fuel and air to allow ignition and combustion. Most prevention programs are directed at controlling the energy of activation (heat). Fire suppression sprinkler systems have a proven record for controlling and extinguishing unwanted fires. Many fire officials recommend that every building, including residences, have sprinklers. Correctly working sprinklers in a residence greatly reduce the risk of death from a fire. With the small rooms typical of a residence, one or two sprinklers can cover most rooms.
Self-preservation is critical. The basic technique firefighters use is to know where they are, and to avoid hazards. Current standards in the United States require that firefighters work in teams, using two-in, two-out whenever in an IDLH (Immediately Dangerous to Life or Health) environment. Tools are generally carried at all times, and a special device called a PASS device is commonly worn to alert others when a firefighter stops moving for a specified period of time. In the United States, the National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) sets a number of standards for firefighters. These standards may be adopted as law by state or local governments, or enforced by the firefighting organizations on their own.
Rescue consists of searching, and then removing people that are alive. Animals may also be recovered, if resources and conditions permit. Generally triage and first aidFirst aid is a series of simple, life-saving medical techniques that a non-doctor or layman can be trained to perform in medical emergencies, before the intervention of emergency medical technicians or doctors. It is best to obtain training in first aid b are performed outside. The general form of rescue is to shuffle through the structure with the right hand against the wall, or utilizing a tool. Many fire departments follow a two-in, two-out rule, and in a large room the second person would follow behind the first, usually on their immediate left. This is called a right hand search. There is also a left hand search, which is the same thing except the right and left are reversed. Rescuers must remember to search beds and cupboards, and to identify themselves to victims. Many children are very frightened of fire-fighters in breathing masks.
Rescue may also involve the extrication of victims of motor vehicle accidents. Here firefighters use spreaders, cutters, and rams, tools more commonly known as the Jaws of LifeThe Jaws of Life or Hurst Tool is a line of tools originally developed by Hurst Performance and now under the registered trademark of Hale Products, Inc. The hydraulic spreader, originally invented in 1972 as an extrication tool for the race car industry. More technical forms of rescue include subsets such as rope rescueRope rescue is a subset of technical rescue that involves the use of Nylon kernmantle ropes, anchoring and belay devices, friction rappel devices, mechanical advantage, and other specialized equipment to reach victims and safely recover them. In the USA,, confined space rescueConfined space rescue is a subset of technical rescue that involves the rescue and recovery of victims involved in situations where there is a confined space, which is defined by OSHA as follows: # Having limited or restricted means of entry or exit # Is, and trench rescue . These types of rescue are often extremely hazardous and physically demanding.
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