Fire sand bucket
Encyclopedia
A fire sand bucket or fire bucket is a steel bucket
filled with sand
which is used to put out fires. Typically, fire buckets are painted bright red and have the word 'Fire' stencilled on them in white lettering. They are placed in prominent positions in rooms or corridors. They are a low-technology method of fighting small fires. The main advantages of fire buckets are that they are cheap, reliable and easy to use. The fire buckets are usually made round bottom so that they cannot be used for other purposes. Fire buckets are hung on fire bucket stands.
Fire buckets are often kept next to ovens, barbecue
s, and in government accommodation such as army barrack blocks. They are also commonly found in hyperbaric chambers. Because oil fires are resistant to water
, a fire sand bucket is used. In order to extinguish the fire, the sand in the bucket is dumped on the fire to starve it of the oxygen
it needs to stay alight. This method of fighting liquid fires has generally been replaced by modern foaming agents.
The sand from a fire bucket can also be used to absorb spills of flammable liquids and render them less dangerous, by reducing the risk of ignition and explosion. Fire buckets are often provided at petrol filling stations to absorb any small fuel spills. The fire bucket is also used as a percussion instrument
by Eugene Hütz
, the lead singer of the gypsy punk band Gogol Bordello
.
Bucket
A bucket, also called a pail, is typically a watertight, vertical cylinder or truncated cone, with an open top and a flat bottom, usually attached to a semicircular carrying handle called the bail. A pail can have an open top or can have a lid....
filled with sand
Sand
Sand is a naturally occurring granular material composed of finely divided rock and mineral particles.The composition of sand is highly variable, depending on the local rock sources and conditions, but the most common constituent of sand in inland continental settings and non-tropical coastal...
which is used to put out fires. Typically, fire buckets are painted bright red and have the word 'Fire' stencilled on them in white lettering. They are placed in prominent positions in rooms or corridors. They are a low-technology method of fighting small fires. The main advantages of fire buckets are that they are cheap, reliable and easy to use. The fire buckets are usually made round bottom so that they cannot be used for other purposes. Fire buckets are hung on fire bucket stands.
Fire buckets are often kept next to ovens, barbecue
Barbecue
Barbecue or barbeque , used chiefly in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia is a method and apparatus for cooking meat, poultry and occasionally fish with the heat and hot smoke of a fire, smoking wood, or hot coals of...
s, and in government accommodation such as army barrack blocks. They are also commonly found in hyperbaric chambers. Because oil fires are resistant to water
Water
Water is a chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O. A water molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Water is a liquid at ambient conditions, but it often co-exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state . Water also exists in a...
, a fire sand bucket is used. In order to extinguish the fire, the sand in the bucket is dumped on the fire to starve it of the oxygen
Oxygen
Oxygen is the element with atomic number 8 and represented by the symbol O. Its name derives from the Greek roots ὀξύς and -γενής , because at the time of naming, it was mistakenly thought that all acids required oxygen in their composition...
it needs to stay alight. This method of fighting liquid fires has generally been replaced by modern foaming agents.
The sand from a fire bucket can also be used to absorb spills of flammable liquids and render them less dangerous, by reducing the risk of ignition and explosion. Fire buckets are often provided at petrol filling stations to absorb any small fuel spills. The fire bucket is also used as a percussion instrument
Percussion instrument
A percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
by Eugene Hütz
Eugene Hütz
Eugene Hütz , September 6, 1972) is a Ukrainian-born singer and composer, most notable as the frontman of the critically acclaimed New York Gypsy punk band Gogol Bordello. Hütz is also a DJ and actor.-Early life:...
, the lead singer of the gypsy punk band Gogol Bordello
Gogol Bordello
Gogol Bordello is a Gypsy punk band from the Lower East Side of Manhattan, formed in 1999 and known for theatrical stage shows and persistent touring.Much of the band's sound is inspired by Gypsy music...
.
Safety issues
- It is recommended that a steel bucket is used. If a plastic bucket is used, it may crack, warp or melt.
- The bucket should be well labelled.
- The sand must also be cleaned of all flammable material.
- Act of throwing sand on a fire could cause it to be blown into eyes causing irritation
- Sometimes used as a suppressant for class D firesFire classesIn firefighting, fires are identified according to one or more fire classes. Each class designates the fuel involved in the fire, and thus the most appropriate extinguishing agent. The classifications allow selection of extinguishing agents along lines of effectiveness at putting the type of fire...
. The sand must be completely dry or the intense heat of the burning metal will quickly flash the moisture into steam, splattering the burning metal on surrounding material and the operator. - Sand cannot reliably be used to extinguish burning magnesiumMagnesiumMagnesium is a chemical element with the symbol Mg, atomic number 12, and common oxidation number +2. It is an alkaline earth metal and the eighth most abundant element in the Earth's crust and ninth in the known universe as a whole...
, sodiumSodiumSodium is a chemical element with the symbol Na and atomic number 11. It is a soft, silvery-white, highly reactive metal and is a member of the alkali metals; its only stable isotope is 23Na. It is an abundant element that exists in numerous minerals, most commonly as sodium chloride...
, lithiumLithiumLithium is a soft, silver-white metal that belongs to the alkali metal group of chemical elements. It is represented by the symbol Li, and it has the atomic number 3. Under standard conditions it is the lightest metal and the least dense solid element. Like all alkali metals, lithium is highly...
, or other strongly reducingRedoxRedox reactions describe all chemical reactions in which atoms have their oxidation state changed....
metals. These metals have the ability to strip oxygen from the sand, resulting in an even more intense fire.