Common Products of Combustion
Firefighter I
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Combustion
• Combustion – a rapid and self-sustaining chemical
process that yields heat, light, usually in the form of
flame, and other products including smoke and fire
gases (i.e. fire) (IFTSA, 2008)
• Modes of combustion
– Are differentiated based on where the reaction is occurring
• Flaming combustion
– Is oxidation that involves fuel in the gas phase
– Requires liquid or solid fuels to be vaporized
• Non-flaming or smoldering combustion
– Is oxidation that occurs on the surface of some solid fuels, particularly
those that are porous and can char
» Charcoal
» Some types of fabric and upholstery
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Four Common
Products of Combustion
• Heat/heat energy
– Is a danger to anyone directly exposed to it
•
•
•
•
Burns
Damage to the respiratory tract
Dehydration
Heat exhaustion
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Four Common
Products of Combustion (continued)
• Flame (light)
– Is the luminosity created by the flame
– Does not pose a hazard
– Note: The flame is the fire itself. It burns and
spreads the fire by direct contact and through the
heat that is produced by the combustion of the fuel
(See: transfer of heat)
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Four Common
Products of Combustion (continued)
• Smoke
– Is an aerosol composed of gases, vapor, and solid
particulates
– Is toxic to human life – poses a respiratory hazard
caused by its irritants
– Contains a wide range of irritants that depend upon the
type of fuel
• Irritants in smoke are the substances that cause
– Breathing discomfort
– Inflammation of the eyes, respiratory tract, and skin
• Fire gases that are toxic to human life are found in smoke
• The toxic effects of smoke inhalation result from the
interrelated effect of all the toxic products present
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Four Common
Products of Combustion (continued)
• Fire Gases
– Contain toxic gases and flammable gases
– Are generally colorless
– Common (toxic) fire gases
• Carbon Monoxide (CO)
– Is a byproduct of the incomplete combustion of organic materials
– Is probably the most commonly encountered product of combustion in
structure fires
– Is identified as the cause of death for civilians and firefighters without
respiratory protection
– Is an asphyxiant
• Hydrogen cyanide (HCN)
– Is produced in the combustion of materials containing nitrogen, also found
in smoke
– Acts as a chemical asphyxiant, preventing the body from using oxygen at
the cellular level
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Four Common
Products of Combustion (continued)
• Fire Gases (continued)
– Common (toxic) fire gases (continued)
• Carbon dioxide (CO2)
– Is a product of the complete combustion of organic materials
– Acts as a simple asphyxiant by displacing oxygen
– Acts as a respiratory stimulant that increase the respiratory rate
• Combustion produces many other common toxic gases,
the specific compositions of which
– Vary from fuel to fuel
– Have various toxic effects
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Four Common
Products of Combustion (continued)
• Fire Gases (continued)
– Flammable gases
• Present during some structural fires
• Result from the incomplete combustion of some fuels
• Are dangerous when mixed with the right concentration
of oxygen because they can
– Increase the fire load
– Make the fire burn more completely
» When this happens the luminosity of the flame is lost
» The lack of luminosity makes the flame difficult to see,
which puts firefighters at a greater risk of injury or death
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Introduction to Human Respiration
• Basic Anatomy
– Nose
– Mouth
– Pharynx (throat)
– Larynx (voice box)
– Trachea (windpipe)
– Bronchi (two branches off of the trachea that go
into each lung)
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Introduction to Human Respiration
(continued)
• Basic Anatomy (continued)
– Lungs
• Anatomy within the lungs
– Bronchioles – air passages that connect the bronchi and the alveoli
– Alveoli – small air-containing compartments located at the end of
the bronchioles where respiratory gases are exchanged with the
pulmonary capillaries
– Pulmonary capillaries – the small blood vessels that surround the
alveoli
• Primary function is gas exchange
– Inhalation of oxygen for cellular respiration
– Exhalation of waste products, primarily carbon dioxide
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Introduction to Human Respiration
(continued)
• The Gas Exchange
– Is a process of diffusion that occurs where the
alveoli membrane meets the pulmonary capillaries
– Diffuses oxygen into the blood stream and the high
concentration of CO2 from the deoxygenated blood
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Introduction to Human Respiration
(continued)
• Affinity of Hemoglobin to CO
– Hemoglobin – the part of blood that contains iron,
carries oxygen through the body, and gives blood its
red color
– Oxyhemoglobin (O2Hb) – when blood’s hemoglobin
combines with and carries oxygen in a loose chemical
combination
– Carboxyhemoglobin (COHb) – when CO combines
with the blood’s hemoglobin
– The affinity between CO and hemoglobin is 200 times
stronger than the affinity between oxygen and
hemoglobin
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Introduction to Human Respiration
(continued)
• Respiratory Protection – the protective
measures against respiratory hazards such as
smoke, toxic atmospheres, and oxygen
deficiency
– Toxic – being or containing poisonous material
capable of causing death or serious debilitation
– Hypoxia – a condition caused by oxygen
deficiency
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Resources
• 0135151112, Essentials of Firefighting (5th
Edition), International Fire Service Training
Association (IFSTA)
• 1439058428, Introduction to Fire Protection (4th
Edition), Klinoff, Robert
• http://www.lung.org/your-lungs/how-lungswork/?gclid=CNPersHn2LwCFdFAMgodzT0AD
A
• Do an Internet search for the following key
words: respiratory system video education with
vision
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