Fire Chemistry

Course Description

Couch Courses “ATPC 2111 Fire Chemistry” course is a self-paced, online fire course training system with continuous enrollment. Fire Chemistry is a 45-hour fully online course that is part of the required coursework for Fire Inspector 2 and Fire Investigator certifications and the opportunity to work on your degree through a partnership with Columbia Southern University.

Successful completion of the course work here in our online training system, along with other components of the Florida Fire Inspector 2 and Fire Investigator series, will qualify students to sit for certifications through the Florida Bureau of Fire Standards and Training. This course will also qualify as 45 hours of CEUs toward Florida Fire Code Administrator, Florida Fire Inspector I, II, and Florida Fire Instructor I, II, and III certifications.

“ATPC 2111 Fire Chemistry” will familiarize students and arson investigators with the different forms of matter and energy, common substances, and how they relate to fires. The chemical formulas of flammable and combustible substances, their bondings and separations, as well as the different chemical reactions related to fire and oxidation, are covered. Particular emphasis is placed on the specific substances used by arsonists to ignite and accelerate burnings.

This course covers the following topics:

  • Fire Dynamics in the 21st Century
  • Fire Basics (NIST & UL Research on Fire Behavior)
  • Math as it relates to calculations and conversions
  • NIST & UL Research – Case Studies
  • Fires from Gas Phase Fuels
  • Fires from Liquid Phase Fuels
  • Fires from Solid Phase Fuels
  • Explosions
  • Reactive Hazards
  • Fire Modeling

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

  • Develop an understanding of why chemistry is important and how it relates to arson investigation and the fire service.
  • Identify the physical properties of the three states of matter.
  • Develop a basic understanding of chemical compounds and explain fire’s physical and chemical properties.
  • Develop an understanding of the basic terms associated with chemistry, the dynamics of fire, laws of matter, energy, density, temperature and heat, pressure, expansion of gases and liquids, and the general properties of the gaseous state.
  • Develop basic skills necessary for metric conversion and calculations concerning chemical materials’ density, energy, pressure, and expansion.
  • Identify the differences between the chemical forms of matter and be able to relate to elements by their place on the Periodic table.
  • Demonstrate the basic calculations necessary for understanding chemical compounds and their reactions using the English and Metric systems.
  • Categorize the components of fire.
  • Explain the effects and dangers of air movement on the combustion process.
  • Discuss various materials and their relationship to fire as fuel.

Required Textbook (not included):  Fire Dynamics (2nd Edition); 2016; Gorbett, Pharr, and Rockwell; Brady Publishing ISBN-13:  9780133842708

Couch Courses recommends you order your Textbook online before signing up for the course to prevent any delays in starting the coursework.

Accreditation: Columbia Southern University agreement:
This course will convert to the 3 hr. college class: FIR 2303 Fire Behavior and Combustion

All class offerings have been pre-approved by the Bureau of Fire Standards and Training. Upon successful completion of the class, your grade will be entered into your FCDICE Course History.

Certifications Served:
For a full and current list of state certifications that this course will assist in achieving, please visit our BFST Certifications page.

Continuing Education Units (CEUs): 45 hours toward Fire Code Administrator, Firesafety Inspector, and Fire Service Instructor.

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