Chapter 1

Question 1

Fire triangle

Answer 1

Heat- lightning,humans
Fuel-everything
O2- only thing that can’t be removed

Question 2

Fire behaviour triangle

Answer 2

Fuel- fine or heavy, arrangement and continuity, fuel moisture
Topography- aspect(facing sun or not, direction, flat or slopes
Weather- wind, temperature, rh, rain

Question 3

Temperature

Answer 3

As temp rises, more moisture evaporates and fuels get dryer

Question 4

RH

Answer 4

Amount of moisture in the air. When high, forest fuels absorb moisture from air, when low fuels release moisture into air.
Highest during morning and late night. Lowest during late afternoon-
Flammable

Question 5

Crossover

Answer 5

RH is less or equal to the ambient air temp. Can increase fire and alter strategies

Question 6

Inversions

Answer 6

Cold air on valley floor and warm air on top of it. Fire burns lower intensity on cool floor but if it reaches warm air intensity grows rapidly

Question 7

Wind

Answer 7

Drys fuels
Direction and speed affect spread rates, direction, and shape of fire
Affects amount and distance of spotting
Increase o2 to fire

Question 8

Cumulonimbus cloud

Answer 8

Passing over fire causes extreme wind shifts

Question 9

Rain

Answer 9

Affects moisture

Question 10

Downdrafts

Answer 10

Bring more o2 to fire and winds. Causes flare ups and changes direction of fire spread

Question 11

Fuel moisture content

Answer 11

Determines burn potential cause it affects ignitability. Lower moisture = more ignitable

Question 12

Curing

Answer 12

Drying of grasslands or crops when they die. Fire has minimal spread when material is less than 50%

Question 13

States of fuel

Answer 13

Live/green and dead

Question 14

Live/green fuels

Answer 14

Always have some moisture,

Question 15

Dead fuels

Answer 15

Primary drive of all wildfires. Fine dead fuels soak up rain, moisture from air and dry out quicker. Medium and large fuels take more rain to increase moisture

Question 16

Fine fuels

Answer 16

Cured grass, leaves, things smaller than 0.6cm Ignite easily, respond quick to wind and humidity

Question 17

Medium fuels

Answer 17

1-7 cm, dry slower than fine, more energy to ignite but burn longer, needed to hear heavy fuels

Question 18

Heavy fuels

Answer 18

Large woody materials greater than 7cm, hard to ignite and burn slow, longer to change moisture

Question 19

Fuel load

Answer 19

Dry weight of combustible materials per unit area

Question 20

Arrangement

Answer 20

Distribution of combustible materials in a particular fuel type. Fuel compactness and continuity impact transfer of heat, rate of combustion, fire spread, fire intensity

Question 21

Coniferous trees

Answer 21

Pine. Hold dead fuels like needles so more likely to burn.

Question 22

Topography

Answer 22

Physical features of earths surface. Hills, valleys, lakes form patterns. Patterns limit or encourage fire spread

Question 23

Slope

Answer 23

Upward or downward slant of surface.
Fuel is heated, dries quick. Fire will spread up, steeper the more fire spread. Radiation increased cause flames tilted toward fuel, convection increased due to hot air rise

Question 24

Aspect

Answer 24

Direction slope faces. Influences amount of solar radiation fuels receive, type of vegetation on slope, moisture, temp, winds, RH

Question 25

Elevation

Answer 25

Temp decreases with elevation, RH increases, winds increase. Winds are drastically diff between valley and ridge top. Fine fuels at high.

Question 26

Shape of country

Answer 26

Lay of land effects fire behaviour.

Question 27

Bay

Answer 27

In between two fingers

Question 28

Finger

Answer 28

Elongated burn area projecting from main body resulting in jagged fire partern

Question 29

Flanks

Answer 29

Between head and back. Parallel to main spread direction

Question 30

Head

Answer 30

Greatest spread rate on downwind or upslope part of fire

Question 31

Heel

Answer 31

Opposite of head. Slowest fire spread

Question 32

Island

Answer 32

Area of unburned fuels located within fire perimeter

Question 33

Types of fires

Answer 33

Ground, surface, crown

Question 34

Ground fire

Answer 34

Burns in ground fuel layer. Smoulders

Question 35

Surface fire

Answer 35

Surface layer excluding crown area. Smouldering, creeping, running

Question 36

Crown fire

Answer 36

Advances through crown fuels in conjunction with a surface fire.

Question 37

Smouldering

Answer 37

Fire without visible flame. No signs of spreading

Question 38

Creeping

Answer 38

Fire spread slowly through surface fuels. Low flames

Question 39

Running

Answer 39

Rapid spreading fire. Defined head

Question 40

Spotting

Answer 40

Smaller fire carried outside perimeter of main fire by wind, fire whirl or convection column

Question 41

Heat transfer

Answer 41

Burning fuels heat unburned fuels to their ig temp and combustion occurs

Question 42

Convection

Answer 42

Movement of masses of hot air

Question 43

Conduction

Answer 43

Physical contact

Question 44

Radiation

Answer 44

Straight lines from warm surfaces to cooler surroundings

Question 45

CFFWI System

Answer 45

Ratings of fire potential based off of weather. Temp, RH, wind speed and rain

Question 46

FWI System

Answer 46

Based off of fine fuel, duff moisture codes and drought code. Initial spread, buildup and fire weather indexes

Question 47

Head fire intensity

Answer 47

Rate of heat energy released per unit time per unit length of fire front

Question 48

Head fire intensity classes

Answer 48

Class 4,5,6 head fires need to be fought with an anchor point

Question 49

Grass fire behaviour guide

Answer 49

Good for judging fire behaviour in grasslands with severe burning conditions. Uses wind