firefighting

firefighting, activity directed at limiting the spread of fire and extinguishing it, particularly as performed by members of organizations (fire services or fire departments) trained for the purpose. When it is possible, firefighters rescue persons endangered by the fire, if necessary, before turning their full attention to putting it out.

Firefighters, skilled in the use of specific equipment, proceed as rapidly as possible to the site of the fire; in most urban areas, fire stations housing a company of firefighters and their equipment occur frequently enough that an alarm receives a response within two or three minutes. Most fire services in towns inhabited by 5,000 persons or more will dispatch an engine company (pumper), a truck company (ladder truck), and a rescue vehicle to the scene. If the fire involves a structure occupied by many persons, two or more companies may respond to the first alarm. The first firefighters arriving will assess the fire to determine the techniques to be used in putting it out, taking into account the construction of the burning building and any fire protection systems within it.

Systematic firefighting involves four steps: protection of currently uninvolved buildings and areas; confinement of the fire; ventilation of the building; and extinguishment of the fire. Pathways by which the fire could spread are closed off, and the leading edge of the flame is controlled by the application of water or other cooling agents. Openings are made to permit the escape of toxic combustion products and hot air; this step (ventilation) must be conducted with keen judgment so as to permit the firefighters access to the fire without causing its intensification or risking a smoke explosion (the result of admitting fresh air to a space in which a high concentration of unburned fuel particles is present in a hot, oxygen-depleted atmosphere).

The final stage of fighting a fire is extinguishment. The firefighting force uses water streams mixed with appropriate extinguishing agents to quench the remaining flames. When this is accomplished, the firefighters initiate salvage of the structure by removing smoke and water from the interior and protecting undamaged materials.