Fire control

For an article about controllers for the firing of weapons, see Fire-control system

Fire control consists of depriving a fire of fuel, oxygen or heat. The standard way is to remove heat by spraying the burning solid fuels with water from a fire-hose. Some fuels float on water, and are actually spread by water (such as gasoline). Some departments can use chemical dust even on large fires. These are preferable because the property damage can be so much less than with water. Petroleum fires are more often smothered with foam. In electrical fires, the crucial thing is to turn off the electricity.

Most fires spread as hot gases move through the structure. Some fires can be controlled or limited by venting these gases to the outside either horizontally through windows and doors or vertically through existing openings or by cutting holes in the structures roof. This can aggravate a fire if it introduces new oxygen, or permits a draft past fuel or structure, so it should be attempted only by veteran fire fighters.