Firefighting Course: Learn about the Causes, Consequences and Prevention Measures for Electrical Fires

In South Africa, there are approximately 35 000 to 40 000 recorded fires every year, and it is further estimated that more than one million people experience burn injuries throughout the continent. In the City of Cape Town alone, more than 210 people died in residential fires between 2019 and 2022 - notably, these terrifying numbers do not even account for all of the fires in informal settlements that proliferated elsewhere. Clearly, South Africans require better fire prevention measures, safer fire practices, and more trained professionals to help them combat the horrifying consequences of fire. Read this article to learn how EMCARE’s firefighting course would be incredibly beneficial in combatting fires, particularly electrical fires.

Common Causes of Electrical Fires:

Misuse of electrical products, poor electrical installation, defective fuses, faulty wiring, the use of improper equipment, overloaded systems, dated motors and sub-standard electrical products are all contributing factors to unfortunate electrical fires. These fires cause property damage, infrastructural collapse, financial losses, injury and death. Hence, it is incredibly important to be aware of the dangers of electrical fires. Below we will expand and elaborate on some of the most common causes of electrical fires, all of which any firefighting course students will be taught to deal with accordingly:

• Portable Heaters
  
  Many people tend to forget to turn their heaters off before going to sleep or leaving the house. When a portable heater is placed too close to flammable materials - such as next to curtains, beds, couches or carpets - it risks fire. Furthermore, people tend to use their portable heaters as drying racks for wet laundry or fabrics. However, flammable fabrics and textiles should always be kept far away from heaters.
  
  Electrical fires caused by portable heaters happen significantly more often during Winter when people leave their machines running for extended periods of time. Gas heaters are also particularly dangerous, as they can spill large amounts of carbon dioxide, which can slowly and silently poison the residents of your home. Radiator-type heaters are preferable because they diffuse heat over the entire surface area of the room, instead of heating a small area extensively.
  
  
• Outdated appliances
  
  If you haven’t replaced your old stoves, fridges, kettles or toasters, then you’re more at risk of experiencing an electrical fire. Standard safety regulations cannot be upheld if an appliance is past its warranty and the quality of the materials has been compromised. The cost of this negligence can be severe.
  
  Old appliances tend to have faulty wires or frayed cords where the power to insulate electricity decreases. When an appliance is old and outdated, it loses its insular capacity and consequently becomes more flammable, especially if it is used in conjunction with other faulty appliances or extension cords. If the appliance is part of a certain age, then it will not be possible to repair it. However, it is still worthwhile having an electrician check your appliances to see whether it would be possible to upgrade them.
  

• Overloaded Electrical Circuits
  
  With so many devices and appliances that require electricity, you’ll notice that there are often scenarios where too many appliances or devices are plugged into the same power systems. This in turn leads to overvoltages and surges. Overvoltages can not only cause major damage to your electronic devices and appliances, but they can also spark fires.
  
  The unrestricted use and abuse of extension cords, for example, is a massive fire threat that many tend to overlook. Placing an excessive burden on a single socket or extension cord is dangerous and poses a threat to the safety of residents. If you don't have enough outlets, then consider installing more with the help of an electrician.
  
  
• Light Fixtures
  
  Light bulbs have to be installed into a fixture that can handle their wattage. It is unwise, and very dangerous, to place a lightbulb into a light fixture that was not made to accommodate that bulb’s wattage. Residents should always ensure that they match the wattage recommendations for their light bulbs and fixtures.
  
  Much like heaters, it is also important to make sure that the lampshades or materials surrounding lightbulbs are conducive to heat. Placing flammable materials around a light bulb with high wattage is a fire hazard. If a person starts an electrical fire as a result of a covered lightbulb, then it will be necessary to call someone with experience in a firefighting course to help mitigate the situation.
  

ESKOM Power Outages Cause Electrical Fires:

ESKOM has introduced load shedding more frequently throughout 2022. When power outages occur, and then the electricity suddenly comes back on, plugged-in appliances will experience a sudden surge of current and a start-up voltage strike. This, in turn, tends to damage appliances that are not protected by surge protectors or high-voltage protection plugs.

Sudden interruptions in the flow of electrical currents can cause surges, where too much voltage is delivered to the appliances and consequently causes the appliance to short-circuit and fault. Many South African residents have recently seen their fridges, television sets, gate motors, washing machines, pool pumps and more get destroyed as a result of these switch interruptions during load shedding.

With load shedding as such a common occurrence, we’ve seen more people try to combat power outages with generators. However, generators also let off emissions and heat that can spark fires. Unfortunately, these kinds of freak accidents are a common occurrence during load shedding. As a substitute for electrical power, many people turn to kerosene, paraffin or candles, but these are also massive fire hazards.

Types of Burns:

When fires break out, humans and animals become susceptible to terrible burns. Burns are caused by a variety of factors, depending on how the victim came into contact with the particular source of heat. For example, most people experience thermal burns quite often due to contact with hot metal, steam or boiling liquids; other burn causes include radiation, friction, sunlight, chemical burns and electrical burns. Based on the length of time that contact was made, and the heat of the source, burn patients can experience the following kinds of burns.

• First-Degree Burns
  
  Also known as superficial burns, these mild injuries only affect the outer layers of the skin. The epidermis, the outer-most layer of the skin, will become red and the victim will experience some sensitivity, irritation and pain. These burns can be treated domestically.
  
  
• Second-Degree Burns
  
  These burns affect both the epidermis and the dermis, which is the lower layer of skin beneath the outermost layer. Blisters and scarring are more severe with these kinds of burns. They can also cause the victim stinging pain, swelling and redness.
  
  
• Third-Degree Burns
  
  Third-degree burns are often determined by their colour. These kinds of burns affect the epidermis, dermis and the deeper tissues beneath them, causing discoloured, charred skin. These kinds of burns often leave patients feeling numb. Other side effects of these more serious burns are nausea, vomiting, and light-headedness.
  
  
• Fourth-Degree Burns
  
  These are the most serious of all the burns, as they can damage your underlying muscles and nerves, and even affect your bones. Fourth-degree burns leave patients paralysed at times, and these kinds of burns usually coincide with shock and physiological trauma. These burns generally need to be treated in medical centres.
  
  

Burn treatment ranges anywhere from aloe vera, to ibuprofen, to antibiotics, to skin grafting. Depending on the cause of the burn, medication will be administered accordingly by a registered professional or paramedic. In these scenarios, it is vital to respond as quickly as possible so as not to cause the patient to go into shock or lose consciousness. Furthermore, medical professionals should always be alerted about burn cases, especially to mitigate the chances of the wound leading to sepsis, tetanus, hypovolemia, hypothermia, bone and joint problems, nerve damage or respiratory issues.



The Hazardous Consequences of Fire:

Not only is fire incredibly dangerous to humans, but it also has severe impacts on the environment. The smoke that is released from a burning fire is incredibly detrimental to a human’s lung health, and if a person inhales enough smoke, they risk death regardless of whether or not they came into contact with the actual flames of the fire plume. Fire needs air for combustion, so a burning fire will also use up all of the available oxygen at a very fast pace.

Smoke inhalation coupled with a lack of oxygen is fatal. Resultantly, people and animals within the vicinity will be unable to breathe. It is also environmentally damaging, as it releases harmful chemicals in and amongst the surrounding environment. When a fire plume picks up momentum, there is a high likelihood that there will be severe air and water contamination in the vicinity.

Toxic water runoff, burnt environmental discharge and scorched materials can all be extremely hazardous for animals and humans to come into contact with. Fire effluents in the air, water and or terrestrial environments are a degrading source of pollution. This pollution can destroy critical resources and threaten the health and safety of communities, habitats and endangered vegetative landscapes.

Fire Prevention with EMCARE:

Fortunately, EMCARE provides a fire prevention service in the form of a firefighting course. These services are critical in a country plagued with high rates of fires in informal settlements and electrical fires during load shedding. These courses are highly effective, as they take students through the theoretical and practical applications of firefighting.

Depending on whether you’d like to become a professional or volunteer firefighter, you can pick a firefighting course that’s unique to your wants and needs. No matter which EMCARE firefighting course you pick, you can rest assured that it is accredited by the Department of Labour, the Department of Mineral Resources, the Health and Welfare Sector Education and Training Authority, as well as the Local Government Sector Education Training Authority. Below is a list of the options available when you choose to participate in a firefighting course with EMCARE:

• Basic Fire Awareness Course
• Basic Firefighting Course
• Advanced Firefighting Course
• Hazardous Material Handling Course
• Fire Fighter 1 and Hazmat Awareness Course
• Fire Fighter 2 and Hazmat Operations Course
• Breathing Apparatus Course
• Advanced Breathing Apparatus Course
• Confined Space Entry Course


Protect Yourself and Others With a Firefighting Course from EMCARE

With EMCARE’s firefighting course, you can learn how to identify fire risks, classify types of fires and burns, as well as how to prevent and put out fires. Through these classes, you can learn about fire behaviour such as radiation, convection, flashover and backdraught. These classes will not only be theoretical but also practical in their application, as trainers will take you through a series of guided, safe exercises. EMCARE’s trainers and course coordinators are qualified to protect you and assist you as you come to terms with fire identification and management.

Taking a firefighting course with EMCARE is a noble way to spend your time. Once you conclude the course, you’ll have a certification and qualification next to your name for years to come. These qualifications could open up new career opportunities for you, or they could simply offer you the skills you need to help your community when they’re in danger. Either way, taking a firefighting course with EMCARE will equip you with the skills you need to handle any kind of fire, be it a wildfire or an electrical fire.