6 Size Up For Truck Operations Flashcards
pg 150
Although it can be described in many different ways, Size up is simply the process:
of making careful observations and drawing reasonable conclusions from them.
Note: Size-up is an ongoing process on the fire ground until the incident is terminated.
pg 150
In general the Size up of a structure fire begins with:
Preincident familiarization and planning long before the fire is reported.
Size-up is an ongoing process on the fire ground until the incident is terminated.
pg 150 Pre-incident planning on a particular building, firefighters should consider the following: 1. building factors (4) 2. Water Supply(2) 2. occupancy factors (2) 4. Resourses (3)
1. -Building factors Size Construction Age, condition Access -2. Water supply availability capability 3-Occupancy info Life safety Hazards 4-Resources needed availability capability
pg 152
Size up for a structure fire typically starts when
Initial dispatch.
fire fighters begin to develop a mental image of the problem with which they are confronted on the information received in the initial dispatch.
pg 152
Size-up for a structure fire incident typically start with the initial dispatch. Size up factors to consider when responding: (4)
- Type of incident
- Location
- Time- Work, sleep, school, weekend or day, holiday
- Weather
Pg 152
Size up for a structure fire incidnet typically starts with the initial dispatch. Factors that are the most important while responding: (4)
- type of incident
- location of incident
- time
- weather
note: of these factors, the time of day, day of week, season of the year and weather are especially critical.
pg 152
At night, a house and business life hazard occupancy are
People sleeping or living in home
Business probably closed, no life hazard unless apt above
Pg 152 Time of day can effect response by
Changing response time based on pedestrian or vehicle traffic or construction.
pg 153
Day of week affects size up because
Some places are only open on weekdays, evenings, or are busier on weekends, maybe closed Sunday
pg 153-154
Seasons affects size up because
- Seasons may have decorations,
- increased traffic,
- increased fire load or
- people other than usual at houses or locations
pg 155
The size-up on arrival includes certain basic factors that need to be addressed and questions that need to be answered.
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?
pg 155
After a report on condition has been transmitted, an IAP developed, and on-scene resources deployed, fire fighters must continue to monitor fire and building conditions and evaluate the effectiveness of control efforts.
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 (3)
- 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
pg 156
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
pg. 158
When analyzing smoke, firefighters should look for certain common characteristics.
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
pg158
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
pg 162
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.
pg 162
If 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
pg 164
In an attic fire, what allows air in, feeding the fuel but also provides an exit for products of combustion.
Attic vents
pg 165
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 may be far from an opening
pg 165
A basement fire can be hidden until floor collapse in what type of floor
Lightweight concrete
pg 165-166
Typically the living room adn kitchen are on the ground floor and the bedrooms are on an upper floor, especially during the late night or early morning hours, may trap those sleeping in rooms on an upper floor.
Most common fire spread issue in townhouses:
Shared open stairway from bottom to top floor.
because their primary exit (the Stairway) acts as a chimney that channels fire and smoke upward into the upper floor hallway.
From a life safety standpoint, laddering the upper floor window, front and rear is usually a very high priorty
pg 166
from a life safety stand point, what is the highest priority for laddering a town home?
Ladder the upper floor windows front and rear
pg 166
Fire spread concerns in townhouses
Fire in lower floor can spread fast to upper ones because of open stairway, exposing the bedrooms
pg 166
From the standpoint of size-up, victorians contain one or more of each of the undesirable characteristics already discussed. While many of these ornate buildings are still single family dwellings or have been converted to office or retail space, many of the larger ones have been:
converted to apartment houses.
Victorians are typically of balloon-frame construction which lends itself to rapid fire spread.
pg 166
from the standpoint of size-up victorians contain one or more of each of the undesirable characteristics already discussed. they have many features that make them vulnerable to fires starting and spreading rapidly. These features include (4)
Remodeling void spaces,
balloon frame,
substandard wiring
walls made dehydrated wood
pg 168
Fire during office hours inside office buildings are often small because
They are discovered early by staff or possibly extinguished prior to arrival
pg 168
Whether single-story or high-rise, fires in office buildings can often be difficult to accurately size up. If a small fire is well-contained that has smoldered for many hours- may also pose a potential:
An office building or warehouse filled with smoke may not indicate a large fire. It May be
Backdraft situation.
pg 169
As described in the case histories cited earlier, one of the things that firefighters must assess in their initial and ongoing size-up of a burning building it is collapse potential. Making such an assessment involves both of the foregoing factors:
Assessing collapse potential involves determining:
age of the building
type of construction
effects of the fire
p.153
Because of differences in response times and differences in occupant loads, the need for laddering buildings and conducting search and rescue ops may increase or decrease because of the?
Day of the week
p. 158 Volume
+Some __________ produce large volumes of smoke from relatively small fires
Petroleum Products
p.160
+Firefighters must not base their size up on?
Any single observation
p.162
+A second roof constructed over an existing roof that can greatly hinder FF’s efforts to vertically ventilate is called?
Rain Roof
p.165
+Built of fire resistive materials usually extending from the foundation up to and through the roof, designed to limit fire spread.
Fire Wall
p.166 Townhomes
+Most common fire spread problem related to typical townhouse design and allows fire to spread from ground floor to upper floor?
Open Stairway
p.167
+Single family residences that are between 5,000 and 10,000 sq ft or larger are referred to as?
Large Dwellings
p.171
+If facilities that house hazardous materials are not round the clock operations, what is a high priority for firefighters?
Obtaining and maintaining emergency call lists
