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The key to fire safety is simply to prevent fire starting in the first place but an understanding of what makes fire is essential to understand how to prevent it.
Fire
 The basic things required for fire include: some kind of fuel, oxygen and heat. This is known as The Fire Triangle. Without any of of these three parts, the fire will not start or continue to burn.
Fire is a self sustaining chemical reaction that by its very nature will grow. This growth can be relatively slow to begin with, but will soon increase so that many fires will involve a whole room within a matter of minutes.
The largest risk to life with fire is not because of the heat and flames but because of the smoke. With a typical bonfire or barbecue, the smoke is allowed to escape and disperse in the air, but with a fire in a building, the smoke is trapped inside and can reach toxic levels very rapidly (incidentally, smoke contains things like soot, carbon monoxide gas and many other toxic substances).
Many fires can easily reach hundreds, if not thousands, of degrees Celsius at the seat of the fire. Such temperatures can do major damage to building structures. The smoke given off by the fire can permanently scar walls with a impervious coating if certain materials are involved in the fire (a common example is the plastic used in some stackable chairs).
Classes of fire
Fires can be categorised depending on the materials that are involved. This is commonly used for the markings and ratings found on fire extinguishers. The classes are:
- Class A - fires involving materials such as wood, paper and textiles. These usually burn with embers, giving off considerable amounts of smoke but not much heat.
- Class B - fires involving flammable liquids or solids that liquify (such as candle wax). These usually burn freely, giving off much heat.
- Class C - fires involving gas. These usually burn freely, giving off much heat.
- Class D - fires involving flammable metals.
- Class F - fires involving cooking oils or fats.
There is also an unofficial category of "Class E", which is used to indicate that the fire involves live electrical equipment. This category is never used on its own as an electrical fire will always include other classes of fire.
How fire can start
Potential fire sources include anything that gets hot, gives off sparks or has naked flames - whether in the normal operating condition or if a fault should develop. Typically, heaters and electrical equipment, cooking appliances and candle flames could cause a fire in a Place of Worship. There is also a risk that an arsonist could set light to things in the building, possibly helping the fire by adding a fuel, like petrol.
When these things are placed close to flammable materials, there is a greater risk of fire than if they were separated. This leads onto the first "rule" of fire prevention - avoid placing things that could catch fire close to the things that could ignite the fire or remove the ignition source completely. An example of this would be to place candles on a stone surface using holders made out of metal.
Sometimes, this rule is difficult or impossible to implement, in which case we need to use a second technique. Fire proofing can make many materials resistant to fire and is usually easily applied. As a rule of thumb, natural materials (like wood) do not need fire proofing but man-made materials (like fabric and carpet) need to be fire resistant.
Special fire resistant paints are available and the one that has the best fire retardant qualities is known as "Class 0". Fabrics and other materials may be coated in special fluids that are available from theatre supplies companies and some large retailers.
Awareness of fire hazards
Preventing fire from starting simply requires you to be aware of the things that could catch fire and those things that could start a fire and then taking action to reduce the possibilities as low as possible. Some practical things that you could consider are listed below:
 Candles are often used in Places of Worship. Only ever use proof holders and keep them clear of flammable materials. Children should normally not be encouraged to light or put out candles, unless they are very closely supervised. It is recommended that the candle flame is enclosed, for example, in glass. It is also recommended that the number of candles be kept to the minimum possible.
 Look after all you equipment and keep the building in a good state of repair. Dust can be a good source of fuel for fire so ensure lighting and heating equipment is kept clean. Electrical equipment needs to be tested for electrical safety and the installation wiring should be inspected periodically.
Equipment like heaters must be treated with care. Do not use radiant bar heaters and avoid heaters that use flames (except for purpose designed boilers). Heaters must be fixed onto non-flammable surfaces (for example, when they are mounted under pews). Portable heaters must be fitted with a safety cut-out.
Lighting situated for the organ (both for the use of someone playing the organ and for those who tune or maintain the instrument) needs to be low-powered, preferably fluorescent or compact-fluorescent "low energy" lamps. Use high-powered stage lighting with care - keep it away from wood, fabrics and other materials that could catch fire especially floor mounted "par cans".
Some cleaning chemicals, paints and many other chemicals that are used in Places of Worship are flammable. Some things like bottled gas need special attention and should be stored in well ventilated areas, preferably outside and away from pools of water to stop the containers rusting.
Do not store rubbish, bins and skips next to the outside of the building as a fire could easily spread to the whole building. A fire directly outside the building can easily spread to inside the building. Do not light fires close to your Place of Worship, and don't place things like bins or skips next to the building.
Flower arrangements can become tinder dry if they are too close to a heater, light or candles. Don't light candles directly below flower arrangements and ensure that the flame is always well away from foliage.
Smoking can cause fires and could set off a smoke detector on a fire alarm system. If possible, ban smoking from the building or restrict smoking to one or two rooms.
Arson attacks affect many Places of Worship each year and preventing this kind of attack is usually a simple matter of improving security, like fitting new locks on the front door. Keep anything that could be used to start a fire locked away - including matches, candles and cleaning chemicals and ensure that items that could be of interest such as artefacts and communion wine are locked away.
Exit Routes
The most important thing you have in your building are your exits and fire exits, along with all the corridors and areas that make up the exit routes. People in the fire safety industry know these areas as 'Means of Escape'. You need to take extra special care to prevent a fire starting or spreading in these areas in your Place of Worship.
For this reason, there are strict rules about what you cannot have in these areas because they might hamper evacuation. The list includes:
- Portable heating equipment (including electric heaters) or heating equipment that uses naked flames;
- Lighting equipment that is not part of the fixed mains wiring;
- Clothes, coats and furniture;
- Bins and rubbish bags;
- Notice boards (unless small and the notices are kept firmly pinned onto the board).
Many building have 'fire doors' that are designed to prevent the spread of smoke and fire throughout the building. These doors are typically provided to protect exit routes and it is very important not to prop or wedge these doors open, even through the self closing mechanism might be an inconvenience.
If you have doors that open inwards, these can hamper evacuation. When large numbers of people are present, make sure that there are some people ready to open the doors to let people out in case of fire or they might need to be secured open. Doors like fire exits need to open outwards and must be easy to open (for example, they should be fitted with "push bar to open" panic bars).
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