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1.1: Fire Behavior and Fire Dynamics Defined

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    Fire Behavior

    Fire behavior for this course refers to the way that a fire interacts with the fuel and oxygen available and the environment in which the fire is in. Understanding fire behavior is what guides tactics and strategies on the fire ground, as well as helps to keep firefighters safe.

    Fire Dynamics

    The key element to understanding fire behavior on any fireground is by having a comprehensive knowledge of fire dynamics.

    Fire dynamics is defined by the National Fire Protection Association as “The detailed study of how chemistry, fire science, and the engineering disciplines of fluid mechanics and heat transfer interact to influence fire behavior.”1​

    A large part of understanding fire dynamics is through knowledge of the scientific principles that influence all aspects of fire. This knowledge begins with understanding the scientific terminology associated with burning.

    This course will spend a significant amount of time covering terminology and then connecting these terms and principles to fire behavior. Success in this course will depend largely on knowledge and understanding of the terminology and the scientific principles associated with those terms.

    References

    1. ​National Fire Protection Association. (2024). NFPA 921: Guide for fire and explosion investigations. https://link.nfpa.org/free-access/publications/921/2024

    This page titled 1.1: Fire Behavior and Fire Dynamics Defined was last modified on Fri, 21 Aug 2026 02:07:56 GMT and is shared under a CC BY-NC 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Robert Smith.

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      Author
      Robert Smith
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    2. Tags
      1. fire behavior
      2. fire dynamics