seegongsik
Grade 4 (age 9-10)

grade 4 Fire and Safety

A campfire and the candles on a birthday cake both need fuel, oxygen, and a temperature high enough to catch fire, all at the same time. These three are called the fire triangle, and taking away just one puts the fire out: spraying water lowers the temperature, and covering it with a blanket cuts off the oxygen. If a fire starts, shout "Fire!" to warn everyone, get out low with your nose and mouth covered, use the stairs, and call your emergency number (such as 911 or 999). In the first picture, take the three parts away one at a time to see how the fire goes out; in the second, compare which part each firefighting tool removes.

What does a fire need?

🔥 The fire triangle
①Fuel: anything that burns, such as wood, paper, oil, or gas
②Oxygen: it is in the air, so fire burns well where air can reach it
③Heat above the ignition point: every material has a temperature at which it starts to burn
④If any one of the three is missing, the fire will not start or will go out

How to put out a fire

🧯 Three ways to put out a fire
①Cooling: spray water to bring the temperature below the ignition point
②Smothering: cover the fire with a blanket or a lid to block the oxygen
③Starving: shut off the gas or move the fuel away
④Pouring water on an oil fire makes the oil spatter and spread the fire, so cover it with a lid or a fire blanket instead
⑤To use an extinguisher, pull the pin, aim the nozzle at the fire, squeeze the handle, and sweep from side to side

Escaping from a fire

🚨 If a fire starts
①Shout "Fire!" to warn the people around you
②Call your emergency number (such as 911 or 999) as you get out
③Smoke rises, so keep low and crawl if you need to
④Cover your nose and mouth with a wet cloth or your sleeve to breathe in less smoke
⑤Take the stairs, not the lift, which can lose power or fill with smoke

Summary

The fire triangle
Fire = Fuel + Oxygen + Heat above the ignition point
A fire burns only when all three are there
How firefighting works
Putting out a fire = removing one of the three
Cooling (water) / Smothering (blanket) / Starving (moving the fuel away)
When escaping
Keep low + Cover nose and mouth + Use the stairs
Get out quickly and away from the smoke
🎯 Key points
①A fire needs fuel, oxygen, and heat above the ignition point all together
②Taking away just one of the three puts it out
③To use an extinguisher: pin → nozzle → handle
④In a fire, call the emergency number and escape low, using the stairs
⑤Learn the escape routes at home and at school ahead of time

Examples and Unit Test

Example 1
You put a glass over a candle, and a little later the flame went out. Why?
1
A fire needs fuel, oxygen, and heat above the ignition point all together.
2
The flame used up the oxygen inside the glass, and no fresh air could get in, so it went out.
▸ The oxygen was cut off (smothering)
The bigger the glass, the more oxygen is inside, so the candle burns a little longer.
Example 2
Why does water work well on a fire burning wood or paper?
1
When water hits the fire, it takes heat away and lowers the temperature below the ignition point.
2
Once the temperature drops, the heat part of the fire triangle is gone, so the fire goes out (cooling).
▸ Water lowers the temperature (cooling)
Water removes the heat, and a blanket removes the oxygen.
Unit-test style
Which statement about putting out fires is correct?
①Adding more oxygen puts a fire out
②Removing the fuel puts a fire out
③Raising the temperature puts a fire out
④A fire does not need oxygen to burn
⑤Things catch fire easily even below their ignition point
▸ ② Removing the fuel puts a fire out
1
Taking away any one part of the fire triangle puts the fire out, so removing the fuel works (starving).
2
Oxygen has to be blocked (①), the temperature has to be lowered (③), a fire must have oxygen to burn (④), and things catch fire only at or above their ignition point (⑤).
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