When answering the question “Which of the following are ignition sources“, you must first understand what ignition sources are.
What are Ignition Sources
Ignition sources comprise anything or material that can generate enough heat, develop a spark, or a naked flame to start a fire when every other condition is met.
The ignition source is one of the three (3) components of the fire triangle which comprises – Oxygen, Fuel, and Ignition source.
Here is a brief excerpt on the fire triangle from one of our previous articles:
What is a Fire Triangle
The fire triangle is a model which is used to explain the concept of fire generation. As a triangle has three (3) sides, the fire triangle uses the three (3) sides to display the three (3) basic elements required to start a fire.
The fire triangle or combustion triangle is a simple model for understanding the necessary ingredients for most fires.
The triangle illustrates the three elements a fire needs to ignite: heat (Ignition source), fuel, and an oxidizing agent (usually oxygen). A fire naturally occurs when the elements are present and combined in the right mixture. A fire can be prevented or extinguished by removing any one of the elements in the fire triangle. For example, covering a fire with a fire blanket blocks oxygen and can extinguish a fire. In large fires where firefighters are called in, decreasing the amount of oxygen is not usually an option because there is no effective way to make that happen in an extended area.
21 Examples of Ignition Sources
Here are examples of ignition sources:
- Electrical sparks
- Static electricity
- Naked flames
- Hot surfaces
- Impact
- Friction
- Lightning;
- The heat of compression;
- Chemical reactions
- High energy radiation
- Overloaded electrical circuits
- Electric heaters
- Overclocked electrical equipment
- Overheating machinery
- Blowtorches
- Cigarettes
- Cigarette lighters
- Gas/electrical hobs/stoves
- Glowing embers
- Electric lamps
- Soldering irons
This list is not exhaustive as there are other ignition sources not captured in this blog post, but understanding what an ignition source is will help you spot which is and which is not an ignition source.
Characteristics of Ignition Sources
An ignition source must pose at least one (1) of the following characteristics:
- Cannot generate heat
- Cannot generate a spark and
- Cannot generate or has an open flame.
Answer for – Which of the following are ignition sources?
The question – Which of the following are ignition sources?
The answer will be any of the options that can trigger a fire outbreak. Any option that has any of these characteristics:
- Cannot generate heat
- Cannot generate a spark and
- Cannot generate or has an open flame.
Conclusion
Every ignition source must have the ability to trigger a fire outbreak and to do this it must be able to either generate heat, generate a spark, or generate an open flame.
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