Editing Firefighting (section)

{{Short description|Actions to prevent damage from fire}}
{{other uses|Firefight (disambiguation){{!}} Firefight}}
[[File:Fire inside an abandoned convent in Massueville, Quebec, Canada.jpg|thumb|upright=1.35|Firefighters douse a burning building in [[Massueville, Quebec|Massueville]], Canada.]]

'''Firefighting''' is a [[profession]] aimed at controlling and extinguishing [[fire]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Firefighting {{!}} Definition & Meaning |url=https://www.dictionary.com/browse/firefighting |access-date=17 August 2023 |website=[[Dictionary.com]]}}</ref> A person who engages in firefighting is known as a [[firefighter]] or fireman.<ref name="ncs">{{cite web|url=https://nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk/advice/planning/jobprofiles/Pages/firefighter.aspx|title=Firefighter|publisher=National Careers Service (UK)|date=13 September 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161012140857/https://nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk/advice/planning/jobprofiles/Pages/firefighter.aspx|archive-date=12 October 2016}}</ref> Firefighters typically undergo a high degree of technical training.<ref name="ncs"/><ref>{{cite web|title=Recruitment « UK Fire Service Resources|url=http://www.fireservice.co.uk/recruitment|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161125050051/http://www.fireservice.co.uk/recruitment|archive-date=25 November 2016|access-date=30 November 2016}}</ref> This involves structural firefighting and [[wildland firefighting]]. Specialized training includes [[aircraft firefighting]], shipboard firefighting, [[aerial firefighting]], maritime firefighting, and proximity firefighting.

Firefighting is a dangerous profession due to the toxic environment created by [[combustible material]]s, with major risks being smoke, [[oxygen deficiency]], elevated temperatures, [[poisonous]] atmospheres, and violent air flows.<ref>{{cite web|publisher=Government of Canada, Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety|date=2018-11-17|title=Fire Fighter: OSH Answers|url=http://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/occup_workplace/firefighter.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161126090838/http://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/occup_workplace/firefighter.html|archive-date=26 November 2016|access-date=30 November 2016}}</ref> To combat some of these risks, firefighters carry [[self-contained breathing apparatus]]. Additional hazards include [[falling (accident)|falls]] – a constant peril while navigating unfamiliar layouts or confined spaces amid shifting debris under limited visibility – and [[structural collapse]] that can exacerbate the problems encountered in a toxic environment.

The first step in a firefighting operation is reconnaissance to search for the origin of the fire and to identify the specific risks. Fires can be extinguished by water, fuel or [[oxidant]] removal, or chemical flame inhibition; though, because fires are classified depending on the elements involved, such as grease, paper, electrical, etcetera, a specific type of [[fire extinguisher]] may be required. The classification is based on the type of fires that the extinguisher is more suitable for. In the United States, the types of fire are described by the [[National Fire Protection Association]].