- •Contents
- •Text 1 the nature of fire
- •3. Read and translate the text.
- •4. How do you say these expressions in English? Find their equivalents in the text below.
- •5. Answer the following questions:
- •6. Match Part 1 with Part 2.
- •Text 2 fire protection engineering
- •1. Look through the texts below and define the main areas of fire protection engineering application.
- •2. Choose one of the applications find out more information at home and inform your groupmates on this application.
- •3. Look through the texts again and make up a list of the terms concerning the fields of fire protection engineering. Learn them and let your groupmate check your knowledge. Text 3 fire awareness
- •1. Make up a list of the words and word – combinations highlighted in the text. Learn them.
- •2. How do you say these expressions in English? Find their equivalents in the text below.
- •3. Read the text carefully and complete the list of the terms given in Ex. 2. Fire prevention
- •4. Read and translate the text below and highlight the terms concerning fire safety. Check them with your groupmates. Fire hazards
- •5. Translate the sentences into Russian:
- •1. Before reading the text, name some tasks that every member of the family has to perform to keep home fire safe. Use from the list below:
- •2. While reading the text write out new words, translate them with a dictionary.
- •4. Give the English equivalents of the following:
- •6. Translate into English:
- •Text 5 forest fires
- •1. Read the interview and make a list of the reasons for forest fires.
- •2. Find the English equivalents to the following words.
- •3. Translate from Russian into English.
- •4. Use these expressions to tell how to extinguish a forest fire:
- •5. Imagine you are the Russian emergency ministry spokesman in the text. Give a two-minute speech about forest fires. Text 6 the modern fire service
- •3. Read and translate the text.
- •4. Answer the following questions.
- •5. Translate sentences from Russian into English.
- •6. Tell about modern fire service using the following vocabulary.
- •Text 7 current firefighting practice
- •3. Read and translate the text.
- •4. Answer the following questions.
- •5. Speak about complicated working conditions of modern firemen. Text 8 water pumps and hose lines
- •3. Read and translate the text.
- •4. Answer the following questions.
- •5. Speak about various types of equipment used by firemen. Text 9 safety and cutting equipment
- •3. Read and translate the text.
- •4. Answer the following questions.
- •5. Tell your speech partner about safety and cutting equipment used by fire brigades. Text 10 training procedures
- •3. Read and translate the text.
- •4. Answer the following questions.
- •5. Imagine you are a recruit. Tell your group mates about your training procedures.
- •Text 2 Fire Facts
- •Text 3 Basic types of fire extinguishers
- •Text 4 Fire Protection Engineering
- •Text 5 Five Famous Forest Fires
- •Glossary
- •References
Text 2 Fire Facts
The United States has one of the highest fire death rates in the industrial
world...13.1 deaths per million population.
Between 3,500 and 4,000 Americans lose their lives each year, and another
20,000 to 30,000 are injured as a result of fire.
Between 1.5 and 2 million fires occur each year. Many others go unreported, causing additional injuries and property loss.
Fires may smolder for hours before bursting into flame, but then consume an entire room in two minutes.
Direct annual property loss due to fire averages between $9- and $14 billion.
Nationwide, the peak months for fire fatalities are November through March.
Fire kills more Americans than floods, hurricanes, tornadoes and earthquakes combined.
New York City alone has more fires than the entire country of Japan.
A fire department responds to a fire somewhere in the United States or
Canada every 16 seconds.
Fires double in size every 30 seconds.
A smoke alarm could save you in a fire.
90 people die each year because their smoke alarm is not working.
Most fires start when people are cooking.
Every 3 days someone dies from a fire started by a cigarette.
Broken electrics start about 7,000 fires a year.
(http://www.ehs.iastate.edu/publications/manuals/fireguide.pdf)
Text 3 Basic types of fire extinguishers
The two most common types of extinguishers in laboratories are pressurized dry chemical (Type BC or ABC, left) and carbon dioxide (CO2, right) extinguishers. You may have other "clean agent" extinguishers besides CO2, particularly if your workplace has sensitive electronic devices such as computers. Those who work with flammable metals may also have a specialized Class D dry powder extinguisher for use on fires (in a pinch, a bucket of dry sand will do, but you really should have a Class D unit if you work with such materials). Water-filled extinguishers are not acceptable for chemistry laboratory use. If you have a water-filled extinguisher in your laboratory, have it replaced immediately by contacting your campus or corporate Fire Marshal's office.
If you are not familiar with fire extinguishers and have not been trained in their use, DO NOT attempt to use them! If you work in a laboratory you should have received this training (it is usually a state or federal OSHA requirement); if not contact your supervisor immediately.
Here are some typical extinguishers and their uses:
Water extinguishers (not pictured and not found in laboratories) are suitable for class A (paper, wood etc.) fires, but not for class B, C and D fires such as burning liquids, electrical fires or reactive metal fires. In these cases, the flames will be spread or the hazard made greater! Water mist extinguishers are suitable for class A and C; see below. Water extinguishers are effective on pool chemicals provided that they are correctly stored away from electrical hazards and equipment; see the blue box below for more on pool chemicals.
Dry chemical extinguishers are useful for either class ABC or class BC fires (check the label) and are your best all around choice for common fire situations. They have an advantage over CO2 and "clean agent" extinguishers in that they leave a blanket of non-flammable material on the extinguished material which reduces the likelihood of reignition. They also make a terrible mess - but if the choice is a fire or a mess, take the mess! Note that there are two kinds of dry chemical extinguishers:
Type BC fire extinguishers contain sodium or potassium bicarbonate.
Type ABC fire extinguishers contain ammonium phosphate.
CO2 (carbon dioxide) extinguishers are for class B and C fires. They don't work very well on class A fires because the material usually reignites. CO2 extinguishers have an advantage over dry chemical in that they leave behind no harmful residue. That makes carbon dioxide a good choice for an electrical fire involving a computer or other delicate instrument. Note that CO2 is a bad choice for a flammable metal fires because CO2 reacts with these materials. CO2 extinguishers are not approved for class D fires!
Metal/Sand Extinguishers are for flammable metals (class D fires) and work by simply smothering the fire. The most common extinguishing agent in this class is sodium chloride, but there are a variety of other options. You should have an approved class D unit if you are working with flammable metals. The following types of class D extinguishing units are available through our on-line store, Safety Emporium.
(http://www.ilpi.com/safety/extinguishers.html)