The best defense against fire is having a multi layered approach which includes prevention, early detection and effective fire suppression methods.
These multi layered approaches for defending against fires is to have working smoke alarms, checking the smoke alarms often and ensuring they are working and replacing batteries when needed, clearing of any flammable materials around your property and also having fire extinguishers readily available.
To prepare and defend against wildfire you should harden your home with fire resistant materials and also create a defensible space.
Use fire resistant roofing materials like metal, composite, clay or tile, enclose eaves and soffits to protect against embers and install multi pane or tempered glass in windows and doors and use fire resistant siding, fences and decks and keep gutters clean and install gutter guards.
Also create a buffer zone around your house, by removing any flammable vegetation and materials.
And never leave grills or other cooking unattended and be cautious about any open flames and smoking materials.
Things that makes a fire worse are the addition of fuel such as gasoline, propane, diesel, oil, dry fuel, dry vegetation, increased wind, high temperatures, lack of water and fire suppression systems.
Even certain chemical compounds can also intensify and make a fire worse and the addition of oxygen to the fire also can make the fire spread faster and make it harder to put out.
Oil and grease, dry materials like leave,s wood, grass etc all can burn rapidly and lead to a stronger fire and even dust like from solid materials or metals can ignite quickly and make a fire worse.
And certain chemical compounds can also intensify and make a fire worse by providing more oxygen to the fire for combustion.
Warmer temperatures can dry out fuel and make the fire spread through the easily ignitable fuel such as grass, hay etc.
The basic knowledge of fire is that fire is a rapid chemical reaction that involves the oxidation of fuel which releases heat and light.
In order for fire to occur, 3 elements have to be present which include something which can burn, oxygen from the air and also heat which initiates and sustains the fire reaction.
The 3 elements of fire are also called the fire triangle and removing any of these 3 elements from the fire will extinguish the fire.
Fire is basically a by product of a rapid combustion reaction.
The reason why fires need oxygen is because the oxygen acts as an oxidizer for the fire and enables the process of combustion.
The oxygen is combined with the fuel during combustion, which releases heat and also light in the process and without the oxygen, the chemical reaction which sustains a fire cannot occur.
Combustion is the chemical process in which a substance reacts rapidly with an oxidizer which is oxygen in fire to produce the heat and light.
Fire is made of a mixture of incandescent gases and the specific composition of the gases that fire is made up of depends on the source of fuel.
At it's core, fire is a chemical reaction called combustion in which a fuel reacts rapidly with an oxidizer such as oxygen which produces heat and light.
The visible part of the fire or flame is a mixture of the incandescent gases.
The flame of itself of a fire is made up of hot and glowing gases and carbon dioxide and water vapor which are common products of combustion along with nitrogen from the air.
And depending on the fuel and the availability of oxygen, other byproducts such as carbon monoxide, soot, "unburned carbon", and other chemicals can also be produced.
Also in hotter flames of fire, atoms as well as molecules can also become excited and also emit light as they return to a lower energy state and contribute to the flame's color and in very hot flames of fire, the gases can also become ionized and form plasma.
The triangle of fire is the 3 elements that are necessary for a fire to occur which include oxygen, fuel and heat.
The science behind starting a fire is a chemical process called combustion, which is a rapid reaction that occurs between a fuel and an oxidant which is typically oxygen to produce heat, light and various byproducts.
Fire science is focused on the Fire Triangle, which states that 3 elements are necessary for a fire to occur, which include oxygen, fuel and heat.
Heat is what provides the initial energy needed to raise the fuel to it's ignition point.
Fuel is any material that can burn, like wood, flammable liquids or paper etc.
Oxygen is what acts as the oxidizing agent to react with the fuel to start the fire.
Another science behind starting a fire is the concept of Fire Tetrahedron, which adds a 4th element, which is the chemical chain reaction.
The chemical chain reaction is a self sustaining process in which heat from the initial ignition breaks down fuel molecules and releases reactive particles that are called free radicals which further react with oxygen and creates more heat and perpetuating the fire.
other things that are involved in starting a fire are the Ignition temperature, the process of ignition, role of oxygen and the stages of a fire.
For the process of ignition and to start the fire, you have to provide sufficient heat to raise the fuel to it's ignition temperature in the presence of oxygen.
The heat source to start the fire can be anything from a spark such as from a flint and steel or friction or open flame.
After the fire is ignited, then the chemical chain reaction takes over and releases heat and allows the fire to sustain itself.
The role of oxygen is important for starting a fire and sustaining it as well as oxygen is crucial for combustion to occur as it acts as the oxidizer which reacts with the fuel.
Increased oxygen levels can also lead to more intense and faster fires.
And restricting oxygen supply such as by smothering a fire with a fire blanket can extinguish the fire.
There are also 4 stages that fire goes through which include.
The incipient stage which is the initial phase of ignition that is often characterized by smoldering or a small flame.
The growth stage which is the stage that the fire increases in size and intensity as it consumes more fuel and oxygen.
The fully developed stage in which the fire reaches it's peak intensity, burning all available fuel and oxygen.
And the decay stage which is when the fire decreases in intensity as the fuel supply for the fire runs out.