Fire Protection Fundamentals

Steven G. Liescheidt, P.E., CCS, CCPR

Course Outline

This seven hour online course discusses how establish the scientific principles underlying fire science and effective fire protection measures. The student will learn such how to identify pertinent fire safety objectives, recognize the range of hazards presented by fires, identify factors affecting the fire performance of materials and how to develop effective design solutions to reduce hazards.

This course includes a multiple-choice quiz at the end, which is designed to enhance the understanding of course materials.

Learning Objective

At the conclusion of this course, the student will:

• Fire Loss Statistics;
• Regulatory Framework;
• Fire Protection Engineering;
• Fire Safety Objectives;
• Fire Hazards;
• Fire Performance of Materials;
• Fundamentals of Fire Science;
• Fire Tetrahedron;
• Fire As a Chemical Reaction;
• Types of Fuels;
• Flaming Combustion;
• Ignition Sources;
• Dynamics of Fire;
• Heat Transfer In Fires;
• Room Fire Dynamics;
• Principles of Fire Protection;
• Fire Safety Concepts Tree;
• Fire Detection – Alarm Systems, Detection Devices, Concerns;
• Fire Suppression – Theory and Methods;
• Automatic Suppression Systems; and
• Suppression By The Fire Services.
  
  

Intended Audience

This course is intended for mechanical and fire protection engineers.

Benefit for Attendee

Attendee of this course will be able to better understand the theory and applications of fire suppression systems from both a design and installation perspective.

Course Introduction

The objective of this course is to familiarize engineering students and engineers with the basic principles related to fire protection. The course introduces fire protection issues related to the safeguarding of life and property against fire loss. The course describes the fundamental principles of fire science and of the dynamics of fire growth in buildings and demonstrates how a sound understanding of these is necessary before viable fire protection measures can be implemented.

Course Content

This course is primarily based on Fire Protection – NIOSH Instructional Module SHAPE – Safety/Health Awareness for Preventative Engineering, NIOSH Publication Order No.9637770:

Fire Protection Fundamentals

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Course Summary

The primary focus of this course is to describe current fire safety practices and regulations; however, a brief account is given of the emerging discipline of fire protection engineering. Although this source document is dated May 1997 the engineering, physics and science principles discussed are timeless in nature.

Related Links

For additional technical information related to this subject, please visit the following websites:

National Fire Protection Association – www.nfpa.com
Fire.Gov – www.fire.gov
National Institute of Science and Technology – www.nist.gov

Quiz

Once you finish studying the above course content, you need to take a quiz to obtain the PDH credits.

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DISCLAIMER: The materials contained in the online course are not intended as a representation or warranty on the part of PDH Center or any other person/organization named herein. The materials are for general information only. They are not a substitute for competent professional advice. Application of this information to a specific project should be reviewed by a registered architect and/or professional engineer/surveyor. Anyone making use of the information set forth herein does so at their own risk and assumes any and all resulting liability arising therefrom.

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