Fire Science Essays (Examples)

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Essay
Fire Science Building Design Construction
Pages: 5 Words: 2045

In 1954 the first settlements were created using H-shaped blocks (Chan, 1998). Today, however, building block styles include Double H-shaped, Cruciform, Twin Tower, Trident, and Linear (Wong & Yau, 1999). These are designed to be easily constructed and work well for heating and cooling, but they are also designed to prevent a total building collapse in case of a fire. Re-engineering a process that needs some assistance has become popular in many areas of industry but the construction industry has been slow to make changes (Koskela, 1992). Much of this has to do with the fact that re-engineering usually has to do with processes, and the construction industry is primarily project based, instead (Chan & Yu, 1999).
This re-engineering to help protect against fire and other dangers, however, is expected to focus on projects that are designed for the customer and therefore work to enhance the final outcome that these…...

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Bibliography

Chan, D.W.M. And Kumaraswamy, MM. (1995). Effects of technology and site productivity on construction times of building projects in Hong Kong. Proceedings of the 16th Annual ASEM Conference, American Society for Engineering Management, 21-23 September 1995, Washington DC, USA, 309-316.

Chan, A.P.C. And Yu, A.T.W. (1999). Effecting innovation through construction process re-engineering (CPR). Australian Institute of Building Papers, 9,7-16.

Chan, D.W.M. And Chan, A.P.C. (2002). Review of design and construction innovations in Hong Kong public housing. Proceedings of the International Conference on Advances in Building Technology, Faculty of Construction and Land Use, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, 4-6 December 2002, Hong Kong, (in press).

Chan, D.W.M. (1998). Modelling Construction Durations for Public Housing Projects in Hong Kong. PhD thesis, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.

Essay
Fire Science -- Risk Management
Pages: 6 Words: 1618

According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency United States Fire Administration (1996), "Emergency medical services respond to urgent situations that are related to the health and welfare of the community's citizens. Emergency management services protect the community from the effects of natural disasters. escue teams safely remove citizens from dangerous predicaments, avoiding the risk of injury or death that untrained, unprepared citizens might face if they tried to perform that mission. Hazardous materials response teams protect the population and the environment from the effects of uncontrolled releases of hazardous materials. The common thread among the missions of all those teams is the community's need for protection from potentially harmful or undesirable events." (Federal Emergency Management Agency United States Fire Administration, 1996)
The element of fire within risk management practices is perhaps the most readily identifiable threat that organizations face today. Fire can commence at any moment, can be triggered by…...

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References

Akhter, W. (2010). Risk management in takaful. Enterprise Risk Management, 2(1), 128-128-144. Retrieved fromhttp://search.proquest.com/docview/845921496?accountid=13044

Federal Emergency Management Agency United States Fire Administration (1996) Risk management Practices in the Fire Service.

McCafferty, F. (1977, Basic elements of risk management. Management Accounting (Pre-1986), 59(1), 43-43. Retrieved from  http://search.proquest.com/docview/198689939?accountid=13044

Essay
Fire Science - Firefighting Equipment
Pages: 6 Words: 1677

In the case of the former, its purpose is to form a protective layer on fuels to raise their combustion temperature; in the case of the latter, the purpose of Triple F. is to cover the entire exposed surface of the combustible agent (Wright 1997). Certain chemical fires such as those fueled by petroleum products and byproducts, are attacked with light water consisting of water with special chemical agents allowing water to penetrate and mix more readily with high-viscosity liquids. Likewise, halon has been used where water is considered too damaging, such as in electrical environments or where expensive computer equipment is susceptible to significant water damage.
Compressed air foam (CAF), when it is available, is preferable to halon, because of environmental concerns (Jones 2008). Compressed air foam is applied in varying combinations and relative concentrations of air and water for different types of fires.

Conclusion:

Modern firefighting equipment has evolved continuously…...

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References

Finucane, J. (2007) When the Bronx Burned. Bloomington, in: iUniverse Hanrahan, B. (2008) Thermal Imaging for Fire Ground Operations. New York: Delmar.

Jones, a. (2008) Fire Protection Systems. New York: Delmar.

NFPA (2005) 1977 Standard on Protective Clothing and Equipment for Wildland Fire Fighting, 2005 Edition. Washington: NFPA

NYFD (2006) History of the New York City Fire Department. Official Website of the New York City Fire Department. Retrieved May 26, 2008, at http://www.nyc.gov/html/fdny/html/history/fire_service.shtml

Essay
Fire Science -- U S History
Pages: 6 Words: 2042

Many foresters supported Pinchot's policies along with pulp, timber and paper companies, and in fact the U.S. Forest Service (commanded by Chief Forester Henry Graves) adopted "fire control" as the "principle duty of the agency" (Fowler). However there was plenty of opposition to Pinchot's strategy of suppressing fires, both from state and federal agencies that supported "light burning" and "Indian fires" policies. By 1910, Fowler writes in the Forest Encyclopedia, the Forest Service began experimenting with "prescribed fires" but concluded that prescribed fires were more "destructive' than useful.
In 1924 Congress passed the Clark-McNary Act that allocated money to states to develop their own fire-fighting capabilities. The Smokey Bear fire-fighting campaign was launched in 1944, "teaching two to three generations of Americans that all fires are harmful to forests" (Fowler, FE). In fact, prescribed burning was "banned on many public lands in the South" for over 50 years. It wasn't…...

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Works Cited

Fowler, C. (1999). The Period of Fire Suppression and Other Fire Regimes (1890s to 1980s).

Forest Encyclopedia. Retrieved April 29, 2009, from  http://fire.forestencyclopedia.net /p/p843.

Fowler, C. (1999). Human Use of Fire in History (1540s to 1900s). Forest Encyclopedia.

Retrieved April 29, 2009, from

Essay
Fire Research on Fire Science
Pages: 2 Words: 578

A clear example of the use of this technique is the fact that the closest responder can be sent by the dispatch to a fire incident regardless of whether the responding unit is not within the particular defined region.
Water Mist:

As a significant technique in modern fire research, ultrafine water mist systems enable a more effective translation of water into steam. The steam permits a gas-like spreading that will flood the space for increased extinguishing effects (Dan, n.d.). Ultrafine water mist systems have been embraced in the use of C-gypsum wall board that entrenches moisture pellets. The fire restrictive attributes of the wall are enhanced when the surface of the gypsum board cools through exposure to heat of fire.

Compressed Air Form:

The compressed air form systems are primarily used to enhance the soaking and penetrating abilities of water to enhance its effectiveness as an extinguishing agent. Due to their huge impact…...

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References:

Barbour, J. (2007, September 28). Accelerating the Adoption of Fire Science and Related Research. Retrieved from Joint Fire Service Program website: http://www.firescience.gov/projects/05-S-07/project/05-S-07_final_report.pdf

DanDnAZ. (n.d.). Modern Fire Research and Fire Science. Retrieved February 11,

2012, from  http://dandnaz.hubpages.com/hub/Modern-Fire-Science

Essay
Fire Science Management
Pages: 2 Words: 867

fuels management in urban areas that might be affected by wildfire. Specifically, it will discuss the education of homeowners, and fuel management techniques that can reduce the risk of loss of property during a wildland fire.
With the proliferation of urban areas encroaching on wilderness areas, wildfire now is a much more common threat to homes and property. "Since 1970, more than 10,000 homes and 20,000 other structures and facilities have been lost to severe wildland fire" (Editors). Drought throughout the country has dried out forests, making them much more susceptible to wildfire. Wildland fires can be caused by any number of events, some natural, and some man-made.

Lightning is a common source of fire in natural vegetation. It is a weather phenomenon that is associated with both frontal and convectional movements of air. Lightning fire depends on the presence of dry organic materials, either in dry climates or in dry…...

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Bibliography

Ahern, Jack, and Jestena Boughton. "Wildflower Meadows as Sustainable Landscapes." The Ecological City: Preserving and Restoring Urban Biodiversity. Eds. Rutherford H. Platt, Rowan A. Rowntree, and Pamela C. Muick. Amherst: University of Massachusetts Press, 1994. 172-185.

Author not Available. "Creating a Defensible Space: A Step-by-Step Guide." Living With Fire. 2002. http://www.extension.unr.edu/fire/frontpage.html

Backes, David. "The Biosocial Perspective and Environmental Communication Research." Journal of Communication, 45.3 (1995): 147-163.

Clark, Lee, and Hardy, Kathryn D. "1996 Alaskan Wildland-Urban Interface Fire -- A Catalyst For Public Involvement." Fire Management Notes. Volume 57, No. 4, 1997.  http://www.fs.fed.us/fire/planning/fmt/fmt-pdfs/fmn57-4.pdf

Essay
Fire Behavior
Pages: 2 Words: 426

Fire Behavior
Annotated Bibliography

Deng, Tzu-Jeng, Charng-Horng Hsieh, Her-Jiun heu, Chyan Yang. (2001) A conceptual framework for improving fire-fighting service quality of a public fire department.

Includes results of a study on improving fire-fighting services by improving fire fighting and recognition techniques. Good for those interested in other than wildland fires, and those interested in going into fire management.

International Journal of Public Administration, Vol. 24, 405.

Drysdale, Dougal. (1999, October). An introduction to fire dynamics, 2nd Edition. John Wiley & ons.

Problems addressed include: the conditions necessary for ignition and steady burning of combustible materials to occur, how large a fire has to become before fire detectors and sprinkler heads will operate, and the circum- stances that can lead to flashover in a compartment.

A very comprehensive information on fire behavior, especially from an engineering viewpoint. Identifies fire science and fire dynamics and provides the scientific back- ground necessary for the development of fire safety engineering…...

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Staff. (2002) Introduction to fire behavior. University Corporation for Atmospheric Research.

Provides an overview of factors that affect the ignition and spread of wildfire. Information is presented with 3-dimensional graphics and animations as well as audio descriptions and commentary provided by a fire behavior expert.

A good description of the different weather patterns affecting fire behavior, for a management and layman audience.  http://meted.ucar.edu/fire/fwx

Essay
Fire Ecology in Ponderosa Pine
Pages: 8 Words: 2773


Prescribed Burns

There are several methods for achieving these conditions within the forest. The first is prescribed burning. The goal of prescribed burning is to reduce the amount and density of surface fuels in a controlled manner. Prescribed burns also scorch and kill the lower branches of trees, preventing laddering (Fitzgerald 2005). This technique lifts the canopy off the surface, lowering the ability of the fire to climb to the high-density crown. Prescribed burns are typically carried out in regular intervals, much like the natural low-intensity fires of the past.

One of the key difficulties in prescribed burns is that some preparation may be necessary in order to reduce the amount of fuels. Otherwise, the controlled burn could easily become an uncontrollable raging forest fire. Pruning and thinning of tree stands may be necessary in order to reduce the available fuel before the prescribed burn (Fitzgerald 2005). Mowing and grading of heavily…...

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References

1. Agee, J.K. 2002. Fire behavior and fire-resilient forests. In Fitzgerald, S.A., editor. Fire in Oregon's forests: risks, effects and treatment options. A synthesis of current issues and scientific literature. Special Report prepared for the Oregon Forest Resources Institute, Portland, or; 119-126. In Fitzgerald, Stephen. 2005. Fire Ecology of Ponderosa Pine and the Rebuilding of Fire-Resilient Ponderosa Pine Ecosystems. USDA Forest Service Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-GTR-198. [Internet]. [Cited 2009 February 19]; Available from:

197-225.  http://www.fs.fed.us/psw/publications/documents/psw_gtr198/psw_gtr198_n.pdf 

2. Brown, Richard, Agee, James and Franklin, Jerry. 2004. Forest Restoration and Fire: Principles in the Context of Place. Conservation Biology. [Internet]. [Cited 2009 February 19]; 18 (4): 903-912. Available at http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/118784304/abstract?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0

3. Fitzgerald, Stephen. 2005. Fire Ecology of Ponderosa Pine and the Rebuilding of Fire-Resilient Ponderosa Pine Ecosystems. USDA Forest Service Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-GTR-198. [Internet]. [Cited 2009 February 19]; Available at

Essay
Fire Suppression Systems
Pages: 5 Words: 1707

Fire Suppression Systems
Fire results when fuel, oxidant, and sufficient heat combine in time and place (New Zealand Institute of Chemistry, n.d.). The fuel is typically a carbon-based material like paper, wood, oil, or gas, while ambient air typically provides the oxidant in the form of oxygen. Other oxidants include nitrates, chlorates, and peroxides and therefore should never be stored alongside fuel materials. For combustion to occur the heat must sufficient to ignite the fuel. Once ignited the chemical reaction is typically extremely exothermic and becomes self-perpetuating in the presence of fuel and oxidant. If heat accumulates faster than it can be dissipated to the surrounding environment an explosion will occur.

The three ways in which heat can be dissipated is through conduction along a temperature gradient, convection due to movement of the gaseous fire matter, and radiation to other surfaces (New Zealand Institute of Chemistry, n.d.). The primary method for extinguishing…...

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References

IFSTA (International Fire Service Training Association). (2009). Fire Inspection and Code Enforcement, Seventh Edition. Stillwater, OK: Fire Protection Publications.

Knowlton, B.E. (2012). The effects of using fire-fighting foams: GC-MS pattern analysis of fire debris. (Masters of Science dissertation). Retrieved from ProQuest. UMI No. 1520731.

Moore, P.E. (1996). Suppressants for the control of industrial explosions. Journal of Loss Prevention in the Process Industries, 9(1), 119-123.

New Zealand Institute of Chemistry. (n.d.). Chemistry in fire fighting. Retrieved from  http://nzic.org.nz/ChemProcesses/environment/14C.pdf .

Essay
Science Misconception First You Have to List
Pages: 1 Words: 355

Science Misconception
First you have to list why this misconception is correct.

Misconception: Energy gets used up or runs out

Reasons why this is false: One of the basic laws of science is the Law of Conservation of Energy is that energy can be neither created nor destroyed. It can only be changed from one form to another.

Describe a non-mathematical way to help your students correct their misconception of this idea.

Suppose you were freezing in your home and wanted to get warm. You could use the Law of Conservation of Energy to warm yourself. Take some wood and put it into the fireplace. The wood has potential energy within it. Next, light a match and apply the small flame to the dry wood. By burning the wood, the potential energy from the material is released into the air and produces fire. The change from potential energy to kinetic energy gives off heat which…...

Essay
Science of Altruism the Bystander
Pages: 5 Words: 1783

hat all this shows is that "there is something about a crowd of bystanders that inhibits helping behavior" (101).
The results of Latane and Darley's research were shocking. hy do some people act in altruistic or pro-social ways while others do not? To act altruistically means to work in a way that goes beyond our selves, our own egos, and work for the benefit of someone else. A true act of altruism has two properties: It must benefit someone else and it must be potentially costly to the benefactor (Clarke 6). alster and Poliavin define altruism as, "helping behavior that is voluntary, costly to the altruist and motivated by something other than the expectation of material or social reward" (6). This definition is a good one as it makes clear that there is a great distinction between egoism and altruism. True altruism is a regard for others without the concern…...

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Works Cited

Barber, N. Kindness in a Cruel World: The Evolution of Altruism. Prometheus Books, 2004.

Print.

Changing Minds. "The Bystander Effect. Changing Minds. 2011. Web. Accessed on March 14,

2011:  http://changingminds.org/explanations/theories/bystander_effect.htm

Essay
Fire Aircraft Accidents Involving Fires
Pages: 9 Words: 2478

hen an airplane catches on fire and jet fuel is the catalyst, the amount of time that the plane and the object around it will burn is dependent on many different factors. One of the primary factors is the amount of fuel that is still contained on the plane. For instance a jet that is taking a transatlantic flight will have more jet fuel than a regional flight. Investigators would need to know this type of information so that they can estimate how much time it might take for the fuel to burn off or the types of measures that need to be taken to extinguish the fire.
Investigations can also be effected by the presence of cabin fires. According to Improved Fire- and Smoke-Resistant Materials for Commercial Aircraft Interiors: A Proceedings, (1995) post crash Cabin fires have been extensively researched. A great deal of this research has occurred in…...

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Works Cited

Aircraft Accident Investigations." Retrieved June 6, 2008 from;  http://www.enotes.com/forensic-science/aircraft-accident-investigations 

"Fire and Explosion Investigation." Retrieved June 6, 2008 from;  http://www.scsi-inc.com/FEI.html 

History and Mission. Retrieved June 6, 2008 from;  http://www.ntsb.gov/Abt_NTSB/history.htm 

Improved Fire- and Smoke-Resistant Materials for Commercial Aircraft Interiors: A Proceedings, (1995). Retrieved June 6, 2008 from;  http://books.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=4970#toc

Essay
Role Fire Has Played Throughout My Life
Pages: 7 Words: 1893

role fire has played throughout my life. Perhaps that should not be too surprising that fire should be my frame of reference. After all, I have made my living in the field of firefighting.
Fire itself is a study in contrasts. The substance that can cause searing burns also brings pleasant warmth. Its forms range from flickering candlelight to blazing infernos.

Its power to destroy and consume is matched only by its power to nurture and support life.

Even before I entered firefighting, I believe that the dual qualities of fire can be seen as a metaphor for my life. Like most young boys, I was confident but unfocused, like a flame spread in all directions. With the supreme confidence of one who thought he knew it all, I dropped out of school at ninth grade. Back then, I though that school had nothing left to teach me.

Instead, I enlisted in the…...

Essay
National Fire Plan & Community
Pages: 12 Words: 4014

The apathy of private landowners discussed earlier may be due to the feeling that one may not feel that individual efforts are important. However, the case in Waldo, Florida demonstrates just how important the actions of one individual can be in averting danger.
Bend, Oregon has developed large community efforts to help reduce fuel in the area. They open up the landfill several times a year free of charge to allow citizens to dispose of debris from thinning and pruning (NCS, 2003). Thinning and pruning around houses creates a barrier of defensible space should a fire threaten. The landscape and fire resistance efforts in Bend have become a social factor.

These case studies demonstrate how communities can be spurred into action. The study conducted by eams, Haines, & enner et al., (2005) found owner apathy as the number one obstacle that they faced in preparing communities in case of a fire.…...

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References

Bureau of Land Management (BLM)(2005) Snapshots: Successful BLM Projects Supporting the National Fire Plan. May 13, 2005. Retrieved February 23, 2009 at  http://www.blm.gov/pgdata/etc./medialib/blm/nifc/snapshots0/2005.Par.64322.File.dat/05-13-05.pdf 

Davis, C. (2001). The West in Flames: The Intergovernmental Politics of Wildfire Suppression and Prevention. The Journal of Federalism. 31-93): 97-110.

FireWise. (2009). About Firewise. National Fire Protection Association. Retrieved February 21, 2009 at  http://www.firewise.org .

FireWiseCommunities/USA. (2009). Fire wise Communities/USA. National Fire Protection Association. Retrieved February 21, 2009 at

Essay
Evolution and History of Fire
Pages: 5 Words: 1321

We have never prescribed a "let-it-blow policy for tornadoes and hurricanes, a "let-it-erupt" policy for volcanoes or a "let-it-grind" policy for glaciers. Why, then, did we need a "let-it-burn" policy for fires, or surrogate strategies like prescribed fire? Humans and fire have an inseparable history." (p.5) Agee states that the classical view of the succession of plants "...persisted much of the 20th century: the Clementsian view of regional convergence towards a vegetation life-form created by autogenic succession in the presence of stable climate." (p.6)
Agee relates that the primary obstacle to conducting an "appropriate economic analysis of fire in wilderness as understanding "the natural state" was defined by Mills in 1985 who held that the objective of wilderness policy then would be to "allow resource change to be viewed as cost or benefit." (p. 14) Agee reports that in 1983 the Wilderness Fire workshop was held in Missoula in which…...

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Aplet, Gregory H. (2006) Evolution of Wilderness Fire Policy. International Journal of Wilderness APRIL 2006 • VOLUME 12, NUMBER 1-9.

Agee, J.K. (2000) Wilderness Fire Science: A State-of-Knowledge Review. USDA Forest Service Proceedings RMRS-P-15-VOL-5. 2000.

Leong, J.C. (nd) Evolution of Fire Science. Online available at: http://140.127.33.221/mainpages/teacher/J_C_Leong/updata/lab/syllbi/fires/Lesson%20a1%20-The%20Evolution%20of%20Fire%20Science.pdf

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