6 Size Up For Truck Operations Flashcards
If unfamiliar with type of construction in district firefighter should
Observing the types of construction and pre incident planning
Size up is simply
Process of making careful observations and drawing reasonable conclusions from them
Size up begins with
Pre plan
Size up process begins and continues through
Pre plan, dispatch, arrival, during operations
Size up considerations during pre plans
Building factors Size Construction Age, condition Access Water supply Capacity Occupancy info Life safety Hazards Resources
Size up for a structure fire typically begins when
Initial dispatch
Size up factors to consider when responding
Type of incident Location Time Work, sleep, school, weekend or day, holiday Weather
Size up factors that are the most important while responding
Time of day
Day of week
Season
Weather
At nightm, a house and business life hazard occupancy are
People sleeping or living in home
Business probably closed, no life hazard unless apt above
Time of day can effect response by
Changing response time based on pedestrian or vehicle traffic or construction.
Day of week affects size up because
Some places are only open on weekdays, evenings, or are busier on weekends, maybe closed Sunday
Seasons affects size up because
Seasons may have decorations, increased traffic, increased fire load or people other than usual at houses or locations
Size up factors on arrival
What happened? Fire, explosion, lightning
What is happening now? Read fire smoke and building
What is likely to happen? Fire behavior, building collapse
Are resources on scene and en route sufficient? Need more?
Following size up factors to consider during fire suppression
What effect have initial resources had on fire
Are more resources needed
Are different tactics needed
IC must consider these during initial size up
Is immediate intervention needed to save lives
What are the risks to firefighter and other responders.
Are resources immediately available or will their response be delayed
Niosh recommends size up to include the following
Fire size and location Length of time fire burning Conditions on arrival Size of building Age of building Presence of combustibles Occupancy Renovations or modifications Previous known fires Dead loads that may affect structural integrity Adjacent exposures Resources at scene or available
Proper size up greatly reduces the chances of
Firefighter injuries or death
Smoke is the result of
Incomplete combustion and is considered unburned fuel
The most common characteristics of smoke are
Volume
Color and density
Air flow (pressure)
In general the greater the volume of smoke the bigger
And more intense The fire is
Black smoke indicates what is burning
Petroleum rubber or plastics
Light grey yellow or brown smoke means
Wood and ordinary combustibles
If smoke and gasses are confined in a fire it builds up what
Pressure
Higher the pressure of smoke the greater
The smoke movement, pressure equals force and speed
Older brick buildings, also knows as unreinforced masonry, trap
Heat and smoke inside and are prone to wall collapse
To know what has been renovated and changed, how can ff be kept up to date
Frequent or regular pre plans
This type of fire may be unaffected by vertical ventilation efforts
Fire burning between drop ceiling and actual ceiling.
Of a firefighter is crawling in a smoke filled Victorian home and can touch the ceiling with a 6’ pike pole what is he touching
Probably touching a drop or false ceiling
In an attic fire, what allows air in, feeding the fuel but also provides an exit for products of combustion.
Attic vents
Attic fires in large commercial attics can be difficult to locate because
The smoke may travel a considerable distance before venting through an opening. Fire bay be far from an opening
A basement fire can be hidden until floor collapse in what type of floor
Lightweight concrete
Most common fire spread issue in townhouses
Shared open stairway from bottom to top floor
Laddering priority for townhouses
Ladder the upper floors because that’s where the bedrooms are and the likely path of fire spread
Fire spread concerns in townhouses
Fire in lower floor can spread fast to upper ones because of open stairway, exposing the bedrooms
Larger Victorian houses may have been converted into
Office or apartment spaces
Victorian fire hazards
Remodeling void spaces, balloon frame, substandard wiring
Fire during office hours inside office buildings are often small because
They are discovered early by staff or possibly extinguished prior to arrival
An office building or warehouse filled with smoke may not indicate a large fire. It May be
A small well contained fire that has been burning for some time, increasing backdraft potential
Assessing collapse potential involves determining
Age
Type of construction
Effects of fire
When sizing up an occupancy life safety of who is highest priority
Firefighters and occupants
