Fire Safety Science Digital Archive

An analysis has been made of the reports of fires at which breathing apparatus was used and which were included in a one-in-four sample of all reports from Brigades in the United Kingdom in 1955. There were 351 such incidents included in the sample, of which 37 per cent occurred in private dwellings, 22 per cent in industrial premises and 20 per cent in commercial premises, professional establishments and public institutions. The damage by fire and heat was confined to the room or compartment of origin in about 62 per cent of the incidents; in 59 per cent of the incidents the fire was controlled by the brigades in less than 20 minutes after arrival. Almost all the fires at which breathing apparatus was in use required the use of hose reel jets or jets from pumps and hydrants.