Question 865 Deck Safety

The correct answer is A) cooling the fire below the ignition temperature. Water spray puts out fires primarily by cooling the burning materials below their ignition temperature, thereby stopping the combustion process. The water absorbs heat from the fire, reducing the temperature of the fuel and surrounding area. This interrupts the fire triangle (fuel, oxygen, heat) and extinguishes the flame. The other answer choices are incorrect because they do not accurately describe the primary mechanism by which water spray extinguishes fires. Removing oxygen (B) or combustible material (C) may contribute to extinguishing the fire, but cooling below the ignition temperature is the primary method. Diluting combustible vapors (D) is not the main way that water spray puts out fires.