Information
The following information was summarised from various sources for your convenience.
Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material in the chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction products. The fire can be extinguished by any of the following:
In contrast, fire is intensified by increasing the overall rate of combustion. Typical temperatures of fires and flames
The temperature of flames with carbon particles emitting light can be assessed by their color:
The fossil record of fire first appears with the establishment of a land-based flora in the Middle Ordovician period, 470 million years ago, permitting the accumulation of oxygen in the atmosphere as never before, as the new hordes of land plants pumped it out as a waste product. Fire has also been used for centuries as a method of torture and execution, as evidenced by death by burning as well as torture devices such as the iron boot which could be filled with water, oil, or even lead and then heated over an open fire to the agony of the wearer. These fires were typically controlled burns or "cool fires", as opposed to uncontrolled "hot fires" which damage the soil. Hunter-gatherer groups around the world have been noted as using grass and forest fires to injure their enemies and destroy their ability to find food, so it can be assumed that fire has been used in warfare for as long as humans have had the knowledge to control it. In the latter war, incendiary bombs were used by Axis and Allies alike, notably on Tokyo, Rotterdam, London, Hamburg and, notoriously, at Dresden, in the latter two cases firestorms were deliberately caused in which a ring of fire surrounding each city was drawn inward by an updraft caused by a central cluster of fires. Protection and prevention
Fire fighting services are provided in most developed areas to extinguish or contain uncontrolled fires. Trained firefighters use fire apparatus, water supply resources such as water mains and fire hydrants or they might use A and B class foam depending on what is feeding the fire. Fire prevention also includes education to teach people how to avoid causing fires. Model building codes require passive fire protection and active fire protection systems to minimize damage resulting from a fire. The most common form of active fire protection is fire sprinklers.
moebuildingcontrol.co.uk - UK Guidance on fire safety codes and fire engineering
Palmdale is a city located in the north-central reaches of Los Angeles County, California, United States. The first community within the Antelope Valley to incorporate as a city (on August 24, 1962), Palmdale is separated from Los Angeles by the San Gabriel Mountain range. As of January 1, 2010, the population was estimated at nearly 152,622 according to the state department of finance (which issues the population number on May 1 of each year) making Palmdale the sixth largest, and fastest growing city in Los Angeles County. While Palmdale is still a part of Los Angeles County, the urbanized centers of Palmdale and Los Angeles are separated by the San Gabriel mountain range, which is about 40 miles (60km) wide. Palmdale is the largest and principal city of the Antelope Valley, and the fourth largest city overall in the Mojave Desert by population, outstripped only by Las Vegas, Henderson, and North Las Vegas, Nevada. As the population of Palmdale began to increase after relocation, water became scarce, until November 5, 1913 when the California Los Angeles Aqueduct system was completed finally by William Mulholland, bringing water from the Owens Valley into Los Angeles County. In August 1962, the township of Palmdale officially became the city of Palmdale with the incorporation of 2square miles (5km2) of land around the present day civic center. So under a joint use agreement with the military, the Los Angeles Department of Airports, now called Los Angeles World Airports, built a 9,000 square foot (800 m) terminal on leased land that opened in 1971, creating present day LA/Palmdale Regional Airport which the City of Palmdale has taken control of in an effort to establish reliable air service in the region. In 1977, Palmdale built its first municipal building, the Palmdale City Library. Throughout the eighties and even the nineties, Palmdale was the fastest growing city in California and second fastest growing city in the nation. However, even with the high number of foreclosures, the city remains the fastest growing city in Los Angeles County, and the fastest growing large city in the State of California. Education Kindergarten Grade 12 schools The City of Palmdale has three separate elementary school districts and one high school district:
Law and government Local government Palmdale is a charter city governed under the council / manager form of local government. Recreation and cultural services include the Palmdale City Library , the Senior Citizens Center, Larry Chimbole Cultural Center, Palmdale Playhouse and Art Gallery, Dry Town Water Park, Palmdale Amphitheater, Best of the West Softball Complex, Hammack Activity Center, Palmdale Oasis Park Recreation Center, Marie Kerr Park Recreation Center, Joe Davies Heritage Airpark at Palmdale Plant 42, and four swimming pools. Public safety The city is policed by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department under a formal contract with the County of Los Angeles and has its municipal judicial system intertwined with the Los Angeles County Superior Court. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD) operates the Palmdale Station in Palmdale. County representation The Los Angeles County Department of Health Services operates the Antelope Valley Health Center in Lancaster, serving Palmdale. State Route 122 (SR 122) is a planned north / south freeway from eastern Palmdale, passing east of Edwards Air Force Base to SR 58 near California City. Sites of interest
Neighborhoods and districts The area in and around Palmdale is unofficially divided up into 11 separate areas: Downtown or Old Town Palmdale (civic center), Trade & Commerce Center (the main shopping district near where the Antelope Valley Mall is located), Desert-View Highlands (old county area), Anaverde (west end-formerly City Ranch), Rancho Vista (old Bolz Ranch), Ritter Ranch (far west end), Sun Village (far east end-part County), Harold (old settlement near Lake Palmdale-part County), Quartz Hill (northwest end-part County), Lake Los Angeles (farthest east end-part County), and Leona Valley (farthest west end-part County). According to the United States Census Bureau the city has a total area of 105.1square miles (272.2km), of which, 104.59square miles (271.8km) of it is land and 0.15square miles (0.4km) of it is water (the size of man-made Lake Palmdale, the most visible and scenic part of the municipal water supply system) .
Nearby Mojave Desert communities Other cities and towns in the Palmdale vicinity include:
Economy The most important industry for Palmdale is the aerospace industry. However in recent times, other manufacturing companies have relocated to Palmdale seeking more affordable land, proximity to Palmdale Airport, and special tax breaks. The special tax breaks granted for companies that relocate to Palmdale is due to the city having the Antelope Valley Enterprise Zone and the Palmdale Federal Foreign Trade Zone. The Palmdale Trade and Commerce Center is home to many other major manufacturing, industrial, corporate offices and other employers, as well as home to the Palmdale Auto Mall. Employers Largest employers
The following companies also have a large employee base in Palmdale but do not release official figures for their numbers:
Looking south from the hills near Tierra Subida Avenue, late January snow can be seen at the higher elevations.
Palmdale Amphitheater is a 10,000 seat outdoor amphitheater hosting the Starlight Concert Series with world famous performers on evenings in the summer
Palmdale Civic Center (Poncitlan Square and the Larry Chimbole Cultural Center)
Joe Davies Heritage Airpark at Palmdale Plant 42 and next-door the Air Force Flight Test Center Museum's Blackbird Airpark Annex show off displays of various aircraft built or tested at Palmdale Air Force Plant 42
Palmdale Schoolhouse at McAdam Park, the only remaining building of the original village of Palmenthal in the late 1800s
Thursday Night on the Square features an outside market, live entertainment, various arts and crafts, refreshments, and children's activities on Thursday Nights in the summer
Mac and Me (1988) Palmdale was mentioned in the movie as a nearby city to the location of the alien, Mac's, landed spacecraft. Knight, former pilot, astronaut, and politician and first elected Palmdale Mayor
Buddy Montgomery, musician - pianist and jazz, member of the Montgomery Brothers
Debbie Rowe, mother of 2 of Michael Jackson's children and ex - wife of Michael Jackson
The Geography of Suburban Sprawl in the Antelope Valley: an in depth study of the valley's historical development and recent (1995) urban conditions
Joe Davies Heritage Airpark at Palmdale Plant 42 (City's static display airpark/museum)
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