Nigeria Highway Code
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​Section B: VEHICLE FIRE PREVENTION, DRILLS

We are all acquainted with fire as a source of heat, light and power, and as one of the most dangerous things to play with, Every year, so many people die by fire.

Good worth millions of naira and vehicles are destroyed, thereby causing interruption to business and business and productions.
Every automobile fire is an environmental pollution, the wastage; "national lose", and its prevention, a national dirt.

​Definition of fire

Fire:-ls a rapid combination of two or more substances which produce heat, light, smoke and carbon.

Before fire could occur, oxygen, heat and fuel must be present.
  1. Oxygen: This is the gas that supports burning
  2. Heat: Is the sufficient temperature needed for ignition of fire
  3. Fuel: Is any combustible material (s) i. e Solid, Liquid, and Gas, This is to say that fuel can exist in any of the three states of matter: Oxygen, heat, and fuel form, what is called the FIRE TRIANGLE.
When an automobile fire or any fire is deprived of any of these. the fire goes off

classes of fire:

For easy identitification and extinction purpose, fire is classified into four categories and they are

Class A

​Fire involving free burning materials like wood, paper, textiles, etct WATER is the best extinguisher agent in form ofjet or spray.

​Class B:

Fire involving flammable substances like petrol, paint. grease, etc, fall under class B fire, Fire under this category could best be extinguished with LIQUID FOAM extinguisher.

Dry chemical powder, Carbonoioxide extinguisher and dry sand are also good materials that can put off class B fire.

Class C:

Fire involving combustible gases or liquefied petroleum like propane, Butane, etc. They can best be extinguished with Dry chemical powder and Carbon Dioxide fire extinguishers; water in spray form could be used to cool down the cylinder

Class D

Fire involving metals, e.g Potassium, Aluminium, Magnesium, Zink, etc. They can best be extinguished with Dry Chemical Powder fire extinguisher or Dry sand.

Automobile Fire

An automobile can start to burn because of so many things such as from electrical sparks, faulty wiring, over heating etc
  1. In most cases the fire usually starts from the engine compartment
  2. As soon as an automobile fire is discovered, switchoff and safely discharge the passengers.
  3. Reach out for your fire extinguisher, open the bonnet gently and discharge fire extinguisher directed to the base of the fire
  4. The battery terminals may be disconnected to avoid more sparks

A jet of water may be necessary for passenger compartment fire. Also, the cooling of the tank with water spray may be necessary to prevent busting. All moving vehicles should be stopped and made to switch off the engine

All vehicles should park within reasonable distance from the leaking tanker

Allow only vehicles with spark arrestor fixed to their exhaust pipe to move across

Discourage/stop everybody within the vicinity from smoking Contact fire Brigade as soon as possible

Apply foam orjet spray or sand to dissolve the already leaded fuel. Improvise and stop the leaking.

If the petrol tanker is on fire, clear people from the vicinity and call fire Brigade. Don't fire the fire leave it for the experts.

​Types of Extinction:

​Cooling

Water can be used to reduce the temperature of the burning material(s) below ignition point or the flash point

​Smothering

​Excluding air or the supporter of combustion by the use of foam or fire blanket.

​Starving

​The act of removing the burning material to a safe place thereby avoiding its spread

To Operate a Fire Extinguisher

Hold it up-right and do the following:
  1. Pull the safety pin/break cartridge
  2. Aim horn at the base fire
  3. Press/squeeze nozzle
  4. Discharge at the base of flame

Fire prevention is in everyone's utmost interest, Fire that begins from your own property can spread to others and can cause a lot of inconveniences to the general public
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Nigeria Highway Code, 2015-2023