ABSTRACT
The demand for fire protection required by a community takes two forms: a potential demand and a realised demand. The first form is concerned with ‘hazards’ which have the potential to initiate the occurrence of fires and cause damage to life and property. When fires actually occur, the potential demand is converted into realised demand. Fire prevention activities and protection measures, passive and active, are aimed at reducing the adverse effects arising from potential demand. The fire services are also involved in these activities to some extent but their main responsibility is to meet the realised demand effectively by putting out fires, rescuing people and carrying out salvage operations.
