Page 5 - LEARN NOT TO BURN MAGAZINE by STEM XII-Group 5

ELEMENTS OF A

FIRE TRIANGLE

H

eat – A heat source is responsible for the initial ignition of fire,

and heat is also needed to maintain the fire and permit it to

spread. Heat allows fire to spread by removing the moisture from
nearby fuel, warming surrounding air, and preheating the fuel in its

path, enabling it to travel with greater ease. Heat can be removed by
the application of a substance which reduces the amount of heat

available to the fire reaction. This is often water, which requires heat

for phase change from water to steam.

F

uel – Fuel is any kind of combustible material, and is

characterized by its moisture content (i.e. how wet the fuel is), size

and shape, quantity, and the arrangement in which it is spread over
the landscape. The moisture content determines how easily that fuel

will burn. Fuel can be removed naturally, as when the fire has

consumed all the burnable fuel, or manually, by mechanically or
chemically removing the fuel from the area.
o

xygen – The oxidizer is the third component of the chemical
reaction. In most cases, is simply comprised of the ambient air,

and in particular one of its components, oxygen. Air contains about

21% oxygen, and most fires require at least 16% oxygen content to
burn. By depriving a fire of air, it can be extinguished.

3 Learn Not to Burn DECEMBER 2020