Ch 10 Reading Buildings Flashcards
As applied to building size-up, _____ refers to likelihood that people are occupying a given structure
Building status
The primary difference between a vacant building and an abandoned building is vacant buildings are ______
- Likely to still be in an acceptable condition in terms of structural integrity and marketability
- absence of contents and window treatments, removed signage, and empty parking lot
Boarded up windows and doors, vegetation, overgrowth, vermin, infestation, and obvious structural degradation or visual clues. This may lead you to classify a building as vacant or abandoned?
Abandoned
What sign indicates to Firefighters that the structure may be sound but interior operations should be limited to a quick search for squatters by permission of the Incident Commander only?
A red placard with a single white diagonal slash
Specific to the building, the building size-up Factors or Clue should include? (5)
- size and Use
classification (initial
size-up) - basic Construction
considerations (360) (verify & amend) - building Status (360)
- what is Burning
(180/360) - fireground Clock (360)
UCSBC
Of all of the factors that should be included under the heading of important size-up considerations, the determination of this should be of PARAMOUNT importance.
What is burning?
If fire is exposing _____ structural MEMBERS for more than _____ minutes, rethink interior and/or roof operations
Lightweight – 5 minutes
Conventional – 15 to 20 minutes
What are the four terms used for building status?
- Occupied
- Unoccupied
- Vacant
- Abandoned
The six tactical challenges are?
- forcible Entry
- Fire spread
- Search
- Ventilation
- Collapse
- specific Hazards
EFSVCH
Three factors dictate fire spread
- internal Geometry of
building - Fire load
- The heat (exhaust) and
air (intake) flow path
GeFiFlow
This involves the process of EVALUATING current and changing conditions and making JUDGEMENTS about the risks and integrity of the various portions of a building. This also sets the stage for predicting partial, localized, and general collapses.
Building triage
The human life threshold is _____ degrees Fahrenheit for _____ minute(s)
- 300°F
- 1 minute
Two kinds of size up
- Initial – 180
- Expanded – 360
During suppression operations, there are three factors that are working against fireground personnel:
- Gravity wants to flatten
the building - The fire is weakening the
building - Water weighs 8.35 lbs
per gallon
When evaluating your elapsed time (step 4) concerning predicting collapse, this includes two clocks:
- Pre-arrival clock –
unknown - Fire ground clock –
known
The first building size-up clue you’ll receive when dispatched to a reported building fire is the ___.
Building address
As part of a 360 or three-sided walk around, a good officer will visually scan the building exterior with attention to what 3 things:
- Building construction
considerations - Smoke and fire
conditions - Status of the building
Of UCSBC, this is CSB
Of all the items that the author recommends you look for in your initial size-up, this is one of the most visible attributes of a building that can be readily identifiable from the street.
Facade (false mansard)