5 ms·

I was also a volunteer firefighter around those years as well but we had to learn the definition of fire using the fire triangle [0]. It is a simple model to r

I was also a volunteer firefighter around those years as well but we had to learn the definition of fire using the fire triangle [0]. It is a simple model to reason about fire and how to extinguish it: just remove any of the three components (oxygen, heat or fuel). [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_triangle https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_triangle

stoolpigeon 10y ago
That's what I was taught in the Navy for my various firefighting courses - along with types of fires, how to handle the various types, and so on. Very useful stuff.
OscarCunningham 10y ago
Halon fire extinguishers are interesting in that they disrupt the chemical reaction of the fire directly. There's still fuel, heat and oxygen, but they just don't react.
- couchand 10y ago
  And that is a great example of Spolsky's Law of Leaky Abstractions.
  - harperlee 10y ago
    Although to be fair the link that was provided also adds the "chain reaction" in a fire tetrahedron.
- leetrout 10y ago
  And fun/scary fact- they DON'T work on lithium ion batteries... I think it might slow it down but it doesn't stop them. https://batterybro.com/blogs/18650-wholesale-battery-reviews/19673027-plane-safety-systems-are-confirmed-to-not-stop-lithium-ion-battery-fires https://batterybro.com/blogs/18650-wholesale-battery-reviews...
- hermitdev 10y ago
  When I was an intern, I worked in IT for a Fortune 500 company. They'd recently decommissioned their old tape loaders for the mainframe and had moved to an automated tape silo, so no longer had need for the tape room. They converted the tape room that was connected into a conference room, but they didn't disconnect the HALON. Although, smoking wasn't allowed in the facility anyway (this was early 2000s), they always made a point to remind us visitors (the data center was a several hour drive from corporate) to not smoke, and if the alarm went off, you had about 10 seconds to exit the room before the door automatically shut, with no way to exit from the inside and all oxygen would be evacuated from the room, and you would die a horrible, horrible death. I always tried to get a seat as close to the door as possible.
  - mianos 10y ago
    Locking doors and oxygen removal would have been just a fun story. Halogen gas, at a concentration needed to disrupt a fire, is only mildly dangerous and you don't need to remove the air when you are using halogen. The halogen does not work by displacement but actually disrupts the combustion process. No need to lock the doors.

stoolpigeon 10y ago

That's what I was taught in the Navy for my various firefighting courses - along with types of fires, how to handle the various types, and so on. Very useful stuff.

OscarCunningham 10y ago

Halon fire extinguishers are interesting in that they disrupt the chemical reaction of the fire directly. There's still fuel, heat and oxygen, but they just don't react.

couchand 10y ago
And that is a great example of Spolsky's Law of Leaky Abstractions.
- harperlee 10y ago
  Although to be fair the link that was provided also adds the "chain reaction" in a fire tetrahedron.
leetrout 10y ago
And fun/scary fact- they DON'T work on lithium ion batteries... I think it might slow it down but it doesn't stop them. https://batterybro.com/blogs/18650-wholesale-battery-reviews/19673027-plane-safety-systems-are-confirmed-to-not-stop-lithium-ion-battery-fires https://batterybro.com/blogs/18650-wholesale-battery-reviews...
hermitdev 10y ago
When I was an intern, I worked in IT for a Fortune 500 company. They'd recently decommissioned their old tape loaders for the mainframe and had moved to an automated tape silo, so no longer had need for the tape room. They converted the tape room that was connected into a conference room, but they didn't disconnect the HALON. Although, smoking wasn't allowed in the facility anyway (this was early 2000s), they always made a point to remind us visitors (the data center was a several hour drive from corporate) to not smoke, and if the alarm went off, you had about 10 seconds to exit the room before the door automatically shut, with no way to exit from the inside and all oxygen would be evacuated from the room, and you would die a horrible, horrible death. I always tried to get a seat as close to the door as possible.
- mianos 10y ago
  Locking doors and oxygen removal would have been just a fun story. Halogen gas, at a concentration needed to disrupt a fire, is only mildly dangerous and you don't need to remove the air when you are using halogen. The halogen does not work by displacement but actually disrupts the combustion process. No need to lock the doors.