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The Combustion Reaction
Fire Basics
Mr. McNiff
CHS
o Combustion is a rapid ______________ reaction
o The combination of ______________ and ______________ to form carbon
dioxide, water, and heat
o Chemical reactions that give off heat are called ______________ reactions
o ______________ combustion reactions produce poisonous carbon monoxide
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Necessary Components for Combustion
o Combustion requires a number of ______________ as shown by the fire triangle,
tetrahedron, and pentagon
o The fire triangle shows the essential components as: ______________,
______________, & ______________
o The fire tetrahedron adds free ______________ reactions (chain reaction)
o The fire pentagon adds an ______________ source
o There are two ways to ______________ a combustion reaction:
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Adding water to ______________ heat
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Adding fire retardants to interrupt the ______________ reaction process.
Nature of Fuels
o Common fuels can be classified as ______________, ______________ or
______________
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______________ – fuels include hydrogen gas, natural gas, methane, and
propane

______________ – fuels include gasoline, fuel oil, kerosene, and ethanol

______________ – fuels include wood,
coal, charcoal
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Characteristics of Fuels
o ______________ point– is the lowest temperature at which a liquid produces
enough vapor to be ignited by a small flame
o ______________ point (self-ignition temperature) is the temperature at which
there is enough heat to cause combustion even in the absence of a source of
ignition
o ______________ Range– is a measure of the percentage of fuel that, when mixed
with air, is needed to sustain combustion