S-57
Safety makes sense: in fire prevention

by F. R. Willsey, Safety Specialist, Agricultural Engineering Department
"THREE CHILDREN TRAPPED IN BURNING HOME"; "EXPLOSION RIPS HOME APART, FOUR DIE"; "FORTY HEAD OF CATTLE DESTROYED IN BARN FIRE".
Every hour, fire destroys or damages 67 homes in our country. Every hour and twenty minutes, one person--most frequently a child or elderly person--dies in a dwelling fire.
Fires of all kinds claim a total of nearly 12, 000 lives each year. In Indiana alone almost 200 die annually from this cause. About 150 of these perish in home fires.
Fortunately, the situation isn't hopeless. Accidental fires represent failure to follow simple rules of safety. Fire prevention doesn't happen automatically. There are rules to understand and things to be done.
The best time to fight a fire is before it starts. Don't you give fire a place to start on your property.
CLASSES OF FIRES
There are three major classes of fires.
It is important to understand the differences
between the various classes in order to do a better job of either preventing fires or stopping them. To be able to stop or extinguish fires is probably the most important reason for knowing about the classes of fires. This part of the problem is discussed more thoroughly in Mimeo S-37 entitled Safety Makes Sense When Fighting Home Fires.
In the prevention of fires it also helps to know that:
/Class A fires/ involve such fuels as wood, paper, cloth, trash, grass, straw and hay.
/Class B fires/ are fires in flammable liquids such as gasoline, kerosene, greases, oils, paints and solvents.
/Class C fires / are those fires in live electrical wiring or equipment. If it is possible to shut off the electricity to the problem area then the fire can be treated as a Class A or B fire.
Questions About Fire Safety
1.	THE FIRE TRIANGLE. Three elements are necessary for any fire to burn. They are known as the fire triangle. Can you name these three elements?
2.	Consider how the fire triangle applies to ironing. First of all there is a natural supply of oxygen in the air. This is necessary
if the person doing the ironing is able to survive. Heat is supplied by the iron. The clothes and ironing board cover are fuel.
If all three necessary items are present why doesn't fire always occur.
3.	What are some of the ways that the heat is controlled during the ironing process?
4.	The clothes and other fabrics that are to be ironed, the ironing board cover, and the ironing board itself are all sources of fuel in the ironing process. What are some fire safe-guards for these materials?
Cooperative Extension Service, PURDUE UNIVERSITY, Lafayette, Indiana