American Petroleum Institute

Fighting Fires in and Around Flammable and Combustible Liquid Atmospheric Storage Tanks - Third Edition
 N PUBL 2021

Annotation

Scope and Objectives: The scope and principal value of this publication is to teach interested fire fighters about various kinds of aboveground atmospheric storage tanks and methods that could be used to fight flammable and combustible liquid tank fires. It includes emergency planning and mutual aid so that a total plan for tank fire fighting can be developed. It includes flammable and combustible liquids with low flash points, such as gasoline, and those with high flash points, such as lube oil and asphalt.

This publication presents practical tank fire-fighting guidelines based on industry experience concerning the following:

a. Prefire planning for fighting fires involving horizontal and vertical atmospheric storage tanks.

b. Precautions and guidance in strategy and tactics for fighting fires in and around flammable and combustible liquid atmospheric storage tanks.

c. Fire-fighting agents useful on fires in and around storage tanks.

This publication specifically excludes consideration of the following:

a. Personal protective equipment.

b. Pressurized gases.

c. Nonmetallic tanks.

Fire prevention technology and types of fire protection equipment and maintenance data are outside the scope of this publication. They are covered in publications such as NFPA 11, NFPA 30, and API Publication 2005 (see 1.4 and Appendix A).

It should be understood that this document provides basic guidelines. Its application must remain flexible to relate to conditions as they occur.