University Fire Safety Report: Stages of Fire and Inspection Phases

This report provides a detailed overview of fire safety, covering the four distinct stages of fire: incipient, growth, fully developed, and decay. It explains the characteristics of each stage, emphasizing the factors influencing fire development and the associated dangers. The report also outlines the various phases of a fire safety inspection, including the administrative and planning phase, general physical inspection, extinguisher inspection, standpipe, fire hose, and control valve inspection, sprinkler system inspection, hazardous material inspection, and alarm system inspection. Each phase is described, highlighting the key elements and checks required to ensure fire safety and prevention within a building or facility. The report references key literature in the field, such as works by Buchanan & Abu (2017), Gerard, Barber & Wolski (2013), Hurley et al. (2015), and Purkiss & Li (2013), to support the information presented.

Running head: PHYSICAL SECURITY
PHYSICAL SECURITY
Name of Student
Name of University
Author Note

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Different stages of fire
There are a total of four distinct stages of fire namely incipient stage, growth stage,
fully developed stage and decay stage. The different stages here mentioned are in sequence of
time i.e the incipient happens first and decay at last.
Incipient
The first stage of fire is called incipient which begins when the oxygen gets in touch
with heat and fuel and starts to ignite as a result of a chemical reaction and the fire
starts(Buchanan & Abu, 2017). This process is also called as “Ignition”(Purkiss & Li, 2013).
Ignition is generally small kind of fire which breaks out without any external influence. If fire
is recognized at this stage then it is easy to assure safety.
Growth
It is the second stage of the fire where structures of a building catches fire and oxygen
is used to fuel the fire. Various factors influence the growth of the fire and its devastation
capabilities. The factors are combustible materials, ceiling height and so on. It is the stage
where the fire where flashover can occur and can damage a lot.
Fully developed
The stage is when the fire is at its peak and it may trap people when breaks out in any
household ore factory. It is the hottest of four phases of fire and the most dangerous as well.
Which, can cause several casualties and loss of properties.
Decay
This stage is the last stage and usually the longest stage of a fire in terms of time, the
stage of decay is the stage at which there is a notable decrement in amount of oxygen
available or fuel or any combustible material, which slowly decreases the fire end put an end

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to it. Two dangers which occur most commonly during this decay stage are first the presence
of non-flaming combustible materials or fluids, which has potential possibility of leading to
a new fire if it is not totally extinguished. Secondly, there is the danger of a backdraft when
oxygen is reintroduced to a volatile, narrow area.
What are the phases of a fire safety inspection?
There are various phases of fire safety inspection process those are
Administrative and planning phase
The phase of the safety inspection is about checking the fire extinguishing plans and
the emergency exit plan. If proper fire safety inspection is done or not(Hurley et al., 2015). If
there is basic fire fighting training for the employees of an organization.
General physical inspection phase
This step is the checking process of whether the fire exit is clearly marked and
unobstructed always.
Extinguisher inspection phase
The fire extinguishers which are installed inside the building are inspected and their
working condition is also checked. The number of extinguishers is also checked along with
special extinguishers in the places where fire can break out easily.
Stand Pipe, Fire Hose, and Control Valve inspection phase
This step includes checking process of the tamper switches which, are used and
connected to an integrated alarm system, monitor all control valves installed inside the
building. Are all control valves inspected and tested at least once in a year by a licensed
vendor or trained technician to ensure those equipments stay in working condition and works
effectively in emergency condition(Gerard, Barber & Wolski, 2013). The condition and

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functionality of all stand pipes, control valves, and fire hoses are checked and also
accessibility of them. It is also checked whether fire hoses has been inspected according to
manufacturer’s suggestion or any standard procedure, for wear and decay?
Sprinkler system inspection phase
The step is about checking the sprinkler system. Are all the flow switches tested and
in working condition.
Hazardous material inspection phase
It is checked whether the hazardous materials are stored in any place which might
cause fire to break out.
Alarm system inspection phase
It is checked if the system is examined by trained professionals or not and the whether
the system is responsive or not as it is very crucial for the alarm system to be quick.

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Reference
Buchanan, A. H., & Abu, A. K. (2017). Structural design for fire safety. John Wiley & Sons.
Gerard, R., Barber, D., & Wolski, A. (2013). Fire safety challenges of tall wood buildings.
National Fire Protection Research Foundation.
Hurley, M. J., Gottuk, D. T., Hall Jr, J. R., Harada, K., Kuligowski, E. D., Puchovsky, M., ...
& WIECZOREK, C. J. (Eds.). (2015). SFPE handbook of fire protection engineering.
Springer.
Purkiss, J. A., & Li, L. Y. (2013). Fire safety engineering design of structures. CRC Press.