7. Overcoming Firefighter Equipment Challenges

Question 1

____ is the most important component of the turnout gear.

Answer 1

The thermal liner

Question 2

The thermal layer and moisture barrier account for up to ____ of the thermal protection performance.

Answer 2

75%

Question 3

Thermal liners work by ____

Answer 3

trapping air in and between layers of non woven material that is quilted.

Question 4

The ideal combination of thermal liner material offers ____

Answer 4

wick ability, mobility, comfort, and moisture management.

Question 5

Thermal liners that contain multilayer non woven materials absorb ____ moisture, and remain ____, ____, and ____.

Answer 5

• less

* Drier, thinner, and lighter

Question 6

The ____ provides resistance to water, chemicals, and viral agents.

Answer 6

moisture barrier

Question 7

The moisture barrier is constructed with ____

Answer 7

an expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) permeable film barrier laminated to a woven or non woven flame resistant material.

Question 8

The outer shell of turnout gear provides ____ of the total thermal protection and shielding of the inner components.

Answer 8

25% to 30%

Question 9

The outer shell of turnout gear provides ____ and protection from ____ and ____.

Answer 9

• flame resistance

* cuts and abrasions.

Question 10

Although the conditions in which they work are often different, all firefighters, regardless of their specific jobs, can aid their protection by choosing base layers that offer an ____

Answer 10

increased thermal protection.

Question 11

Garments made of materials that ____ are very detrimental to the wearer.

Answer 11

can melt

Question 12

Cotton base layers are not detrimental to the wearer, but do not assist in wicking and will hold moisture, potentially adding to the risk of ____

Answer 12

steam burns

Question 13

NFPA ____ establishes not only the minimum performance requirements for PPE, it also specifies the test methods by which the PPE will be measured.

Answer 13

1971

Question 14

During the forced air oven test, materials shall not melt, drip, or ignite after exposure to ____ for ____ minutes and fabrics cannot shrink more than ____ in any direction.

Answer 14

• 500 degrees F
• 5 minutes
• 10%

Question 15

NFPA 1971 specifies that firefighting turnouts must have a minimum of ____ TPP (thermal protective performance) rating

Answer 15

35

Question 16

If your gear has a TPP rating of 35 you only have ____ seconds to retreat to safety, extinguish, or kill the flashover before the rapidly progressing fire burns you.

Answer 16

17.5 seconds

Question 17

PPE must have a CCHR rating of at least ____.

Answer 17

25

Question 18

All protective gear that is more than ____ years old must be retired and replaced.

Answer 18

10 years old

Question 19

Advanced inspection of all personal turnout gear ensembles and ensemble elements be conducted at a minimum of every ____, or whenever ____.

Answer 19

• 12 months

* routine inspections indicate that a problem may exist.

Question 20

After incidents where firefighters are exposed to toxic gases from smoke, members should consider wiping down skin in the area of ____, ____, ____, ____, and other heavily exposed areas with remoistened wipes.

Answer 20

neck, jawline, hands, face,

Question 21

The most important factor in the selection of turnout gear is to ____.

Answer 21

match the specific fabric combination and specifications of turnout garments with key department criteria

Question 22

To provide the maximum amount of protection for the firefighters wearing them, turnout garments must balance the need for ____ and ____.

Answer 22

thermal protection and for reducing the stress that the gear adds.

Question 23

____, ____, ____, ____, ____, and ____ are all important considerations when selecting turnout gear.

Answer 23

Mobility, breathability, comfort, moisture protection, thermal protective performance, and total heat loss

Question 24

The required overlap between the turnout gears jacket and pants is at least ____

Answer 24

2 inches

Question 25

What positions is the overlap between the turnout jacket and pants measured?

Answer 25

1. Standing, hands together, reaching overhead as high as possible
2. Standing, hands together, reaching overhead, with body bent forward at 90 degree angle, to the left or right and back.

Question 26

The weakest link of the protective ensemble is ____

Answer 26

the SCBA mask.

Question 27

____ cannot be used to assess structural integrity from above.

Answer 27

Thermal imagers

Question 28

Firefighters should wear their radio ____, ____, with the radio ____, with the antenna ____, and with the lapel mic wiring ____. When in this position, ____ appears out of the jacket at the ____.

Answer 28

• on a strap
• under the jacket
• just below the jacket
• naturally canted away from the body
• completely protected. under the jacket.
• just the mic
• top and oriented in a way that makes it easy to utilize.

Question 29

Three critical reasons why the radio pocket is unsafe.

Answer 29

1. Radio signal loss
2. Portable radio ejection
3. Melting of the remote speaker mic (RSM)

Question 30

____ is the weakest or least protected part of the portable radio.

Answer 30

Remote speaker mic (RSM)

Question 31

When the RSM melts they often short in such a way that ____

Answer 31

the affected radio transmits continuously, creating an open mic situation, therefore jamming all communications on the fireground.