Ch. 7: Reading Smoke Flashcards
Smoke leaving a structure has four key attributes:
volume, velocity (pressure), density, and color
The product of incomplete combustion that includes an aggregate of solids, aerosols, and fire gases that are toxic, flammable, and volatile.
smoke
What can help the ISO determine the size and location of the fire, the effectiveness of fire streams, as well as the potential for a hostile fire event like a flashover?
A comparative analysis of the attributes of smoke.
What is a by-product of incomplete combustion, specifically particulates (solids) that were suspended in a thermal column?
Smoke
What is an explosive aggregate of solids, aerosols, and gases?
smoke
Good thing: The products of combustion are minimized because the burning process is more complete.
“Open flaming”
What happens when materials can only absorb so much heat before it starts to break down and “off-gas” without flaming?
Smoke becomes flammable.
_________ is extremely flammable and ultimately dictates fire behavior in a building.
Smoke
What are the two triggers that may cause accumulated smoke to ignite?
The right temperature and the right mixture.
What will the ignition of flame spread across surfaces of contents do to fire?
The fire spreads with the smoke flow.
What tells you how intense the fire is about to become as opposed to how bad it currently is?
Watching the smoke.
An event that can catch firefighters off guard and endanger them: flashover, backdraft, smoke explosions, and rapid fire spread.
Hostile fire event
All gases reach their ignition temperature at virtually the same time due to rapid heat buildup in the box.
Flashover
What event will show warning signs of turbulent smoke flow, rollover, and autoignition outside?
Flashover
What is suspected when there is sucking or puffing witnessed near a box?
Backdraft
What event happens when a spark or flame is introduced into trapped smoke that is below its ignition temperature but above its flashpoint?
Smoke explosion
What event happens when smoke reaches sustaining temperatures that are above the fire point of prevalent gases?
Rapid fire spread
The ISO must study the warning signs of hostile fire events and watch for the signs as part of the reading smoke process.
The ISO must study the warning signs of hostile fire events and watch for the signs as part of the reading smoke process.
Warning signs -
- Turbulent smoke flow
- Rollover
- Autoignition outside
Flashover
Warning signs -
- Yellowish-gray smoke
- Bowing, black stained windows
- Signs of extreme heat on outside of box/compartment
Backdraft
Warning signs -
- Smoke that is being trapped above the fire
- Signs of a growing fire
- Signs of smoke starting to pressurize
Smoke explosion
Warning signs -
- Increase in smoke speed
- Smoke flowing from hallways and stairways faster than a firefighter can move
Rapid fire spread
What type of approach must an ISO take by watching the four smoke attributes?
A proactive approach
What can help the ISO understand fire behavior?
By comparing the smoke volume, velocity, density, and color.
What by itself tells very little about a fire, but it sets the stage for understanding the amount of fuel that are off-gassing in a given space?
smoke volume
A hot clean-burning fire.
Emits very little visible smoke
A hot, fast moving fire in an underventilated building.
Shows a tremendous volume of smoke.
What burns slowly and emits lots of smoke (typically of a lighter color)?
Dampened materials
The movement of smoke through a building that is rapid and violent and that has expansive velocity (sometimes referred to as “agitated,” “boiling,” or “angry” smoke); indicates that the building (or compartment) cannot absorb more heat and is precursor warning sign of a flashover.
Turbulent smoke flow
What characteristic means a flashover is likely to occur?
turbulent smoke flow
What is a precursor to flashover?
turbulent smoke flow
The “speed” at which smoke leaves a building is reffered to as ___________.
velocity
What is an indicator of pressure that has built up in the building?
smoke velocity
What are the two things from a practical fire behavior point of view that can cause smoke to pressurize in a building?
Heat or smoke volume
What is caused by the rapid molecular expansion of the gases in the smoke and the restriction of this expansion by the box (compartment)?
turbulent smoke flow
When smoke is leaving the building, its velocity is caused by?
Heat if it rises and then slows gradually.
What does smoke caused by restricted volume do?
Immediately slows down and becomes balanced with outside airflow.
What does the smooth and stable flow of smoke through a building indicate?
The building (or compartment) is still absorbing heat.
If the box is still absorbing heat, the heat of the smoke is subsequently absorbed, leaving a more stable and smooth flow characteristic that is referred to as ________ _________ _________.
laminar smoke flow
What word is used to describe the smooth movement of a fluid, and smoke is basically fluid when moving through a building?
“laminar”
What is the most important smoke observation?
Whether the smoke’s flow is turbulent or laminar.
What is ready to ignite and indicates a flashover environment that may be delayed by improper air mix?
Turbulent smoke
What can help the fire officer determine the location of the fire?
Comparing the velocity of smoke at different openings of the building.
What visual of smoke tells you its closer to the fire?
Faster smoke
What tells you how hot it is and where the fire is?
Velocity
What smoke attribute tells you how bad things are going to be?
Density
What refers to the thickness of the smoke?
density
What attribute of smoke tells you how much fuel is laden in the smoke?
density (thickness)
The thicker the smoke, the more spectacular the flashover or fire spread will be.
The thicker the smoke, the more spectacular the flashover or fire spread will be.
What attribute also sets up fuel continuity?
smoke thickness