Chapter 1

Question 1

The biggest threat to firefighters in highrise fires is?

Answer 1

Running out of air and dying

Question 2

For those in command of highrise fires, the threat of failure is?

Answer 2

Higher than at any other type of incident

Question 3

While training in other facets of firefighting has greatly improved through the years,

Answer 3

Highrise training remains universally weak.

Question 4

For many, preparing or highrise fires ends with?

Answer 4

The implementation of highrise firefighting SOP’s.

Question 5

SOP’s are often based on generations of?

Answer 5

Faulty traditions

Question 6

Departments often pattern their SOP’s after?

Pg 2

Answer 6

Those of larger departments, assuming departments with lots of highrises are experts in the field.

Question 7

The reasons fire departments are unable to provide effective highrise training are real and valid. Some of the leading causes are:

Answer 7

The infrequency of highrise fires
Technology outpacing fire service knowledge
A general lack of effective resource material for highrise training.

Question 8

Fire department leaders are regularly dealt more problems than they can manage so they are forced to?

Answer 8

Prioritize

Question 9

Fire department put highrise training on a back burner where it stays until?

Answer 9

Their firefighters perform poorly at a high profile highrise fire.

Question 10

Pressure regulating valves (PRVs) are?

Answer 10

Standpipe hose valves engineered to limit the discharge pressure to a certain proportion off their intake pressure, regardless of how much pressure is pumped into them.
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Question 11

Few firefighters know that in todays buildings standpipe outlet pressure may range from?

Answer 11

40 psi to well over 200 psi.

Question 12

Most fire departments have a standard hose and nozzle pack prepared for all highrise fires, even though:

Answer 12

Each pack requires a narrow pressure range and dont operate effectively outside that range.
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Question 13

The manner in which a buildings ventilation system responds to its alarm system is:

Answer 13

Extremely influential in the outcome of fire incidents.

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Question 14

In many buildings, firefighters are expected to:

Answer 14

Interface with ventilation control panels for smoke management.
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Question 15

Most firefighters are unfamiliar with the threat of being trapped in elevators by?

Answer 15

Shunt trip devices

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Question 16

Features firefighters arent ready for include?

Answer 16

Looped sprinkler zones or preaction systems
Automatic gaseous suppression systems
Battery rooms
Microwave transmitting devices
Mysterious ways stack effect influences emergency operations.

Question 17

Fire department leaders can hardly be expected to train their firefighters on things when?

Answer 17

They dont know they exist

Question 18

There are a number of publications related to highrise firefighting but they tend to skirt widely around the meaty issues of highrise systems,

Answer 18

How to respond to alarms and how firefighters should interact with them.

Question 19

Fire departments are largely unable to provide effective highrise training,

Answer 19

No matter how good their intentions

Question 20

THe information they need just hasnt been available. Without it, they dont have the tools for teaching about highrise systems and without understanding building systems,

Answer 20

Firefighters are seriously handicapped.

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Question 21

For the most part, self training is limited to 2 options, neither is very good:

Answer 21

They can concentrate on visiting highrise buildings hoping to learn from the building engineers,
Or they can seek the secrets of highrise firefighting from more experienced firefighters.
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Question 22

Visiting buildings is much more productive when firefighters:

Answer 22

Already know how building systems work, what the possible system configurations are and how they may respond to alarms.

Question 23

The problem with building engineers is they:

Answer 23

Almost never know much about their emergency systems.

Question 24

Unless firefighters know which pointed questions to ask, and are willing and able to guide the engineer through the research process:

Answer 24

They arent likely to learn much

Question 25

The primary highrise training tool for many firefighters is:

Answer 25

The advice of older, more experienced firefighters.

Question 26

Historically, the guidance of seasoned firefighters is:

Answer 26

A valuable tool. But for highrise training it has limited value.

Question 27

Without specific education and training we are:

Answer 27

Products of our own experiences and those experiences form our approach to future events.

Question 28

Older firefighters guidance is based on:

Answer 28

Their own experiences no matter how narrow and on advice they previously received from other firefighters.

Question 29

In large part highrise training by seasoned firefighters is:

Answer 29

The passing on of traditional ideas and tactics.

Question 30

Always get in and hit the fire fast. Speed is everything.

Answer 30

History shows it to have been the first misstep in a number of disastrous highrise fires.

Question 31

The biggest problem with the hellbent approach is?

Answer 31

The failure to consider the possibility of building occupants in the attack stairwell above the fire floor.

Question 32

Be quick to ventilate the building by getting those roof hatches open….

Answer 32

Most buildings dont have roof hatches, many have no means of vertical ventilation.
At many fires the smoke will never rise to the top of the building making roof ventilation a waste of valuable firefighters and effort.

Question 33

You have to shut down the ventilation system to prevent smoke from being blown through the building….

Answer 33

In many buildings, shutting down the system is highly detrimental, actually facilitating vertical smoke migration. Really it is often more desirable to turn fans on than it is to turn them off.

Question 34

The most endangered building occupants are on the fire floor, the floor above and the top floor of the building.

Answer 34

This is a common misstatement in fire department sop’s and in highrise firefighting publications.

Question 35

The configuration o building systems combines with the fire’s location and the nature of stack effect determine?

Answer 35

Which floors are most threatened by smoke. The top floor is often not one of them.

Question 36

Smoke doesnt always rise to the top floor and it is a waste of?

Answer 36

Time and personnel to focus search efforts on a clear floor.

Question 37

Kill elecrical power to the building immediately….

Answer 37

It is extremely detrimental to completely kill power to a building.
Elevators, building fire pumps, smoke removal fans, stairwell pressurization fans and other crucial systems all operate electrically.

Question 38

To gain full control of the elevators, switch them to bypass.
When elevators are switched to by pass the are:

Answer 38

Locked into everyday automatic mode, bypassing the alarm system and preventing them from going to into the firefighters service mode

Question 39

The purpose of firefighters service mode is to?

Answer 39

Prevent civilians and firefighters from being delivered to their death on the fire floor by automatic elevators. Activating “bypass” locks them into the dangerous automatic mode.

Question 40

Supplement the buildings fire pump by pumping into standpipe system.

Answer 40

There is no such thing as supplementing a building’s fire pump.

Question 41

Fire department connections tie into the system downstream of the?

Answer 41

Building pump.

Question 42

A one way check valve prevents water in the system from?

Answer 42

Escaping through the fire department connection. It also prevents the fire department from pumping into the system unless it exceeds the pressure on the system side of the check valve.

Question 43

A second check valve prevents water in the system from?

Answer 43

Flowing back into the buildings fire pump.

Question 44

Both the building fire pump and a fire department pumper must exceed?

Answer 44

The pressure on the system side of its check valve to move water into the system.

Question 45

Only the pump generating the most pressure on its check valve will?

Answer 45

Move water into the system.

They cannot supply the system simultaneously making supplementation impossible.

Question 46

When pumping into a standpipe system, calculate pump pressure at a rate of 5 psi per floor plus the desired standpipe outlet pressure.

Answer 46

This method is invalid
This manner of calculating fire department pump pressure often results in pressures too low to even get water into the standpipe system, much less provide adequate fire streams.

Question 47

The first inclination is to?

Answer 47

Follow instincts developed through years of ordinary structural firefighting by rushing to get water on the fire, with no consideration of the big picture.

Question 48

The tendency is to fail to consider how rash actions such as flooding stairwells with thick, toxic smoke

Answer 48

May endanger the lives of building occupants

Question 49

Rushing water to the fire sometimes works this eye on the fire approach…

Answer 49

Commonly makes a bad situation infinitely worse.

Question 50

Complacency is a primary danger in?

Answer 50

Highrise firefighting.

Question 51

Firefighters who are not mentally prepared are very likely to?

Answer 51

Rush to the fire, with no regard for building occupants, often mounting an attack on a fire that they cannont put out because they either dont have enough hose, they run out of air and have to abandon the effort or the fire is too intense for their hose line to handle. This knee jerk reaction response has been the death of civilians and firefighters alike.

Question 52

There are 2 crucial points to remember in fighting highrise fires.

Answer 52

This first is that the priorities of highrise firefighting are the same as any other structure fire:
Rescue endangered people, protect exposures with confining the fire and last extinguish the fire.
The second crucial point is that highrise fires should be approached much like hazardous materials emergencies.

Question 53

The wrong initial action is often:

Answer 53

Worse than no action at all.

Question 54

Success or failure hinges on?

Answer 54

The actions of the first fire companies. It is imperative that certain information be gained before rushing to get water on the fire.

Question 55

The functions of ventilation systems, elevators, and fire protection systems dramatically affect?

Answer 55

The outcome of highrise firefights.

Question 56

How do they get that information during a full-scale emergency?

Answer 56

By far the best way is with a good prefire plan.

Question 57

Asking the right question is a big part of?

Answer 57

Highrise fire management.

Question 58

Combined with a firm commitment to the priorities of highrise firefighting (fire rescue, confining the fire and finally extinguishment) the knowledge empowers?

Answer 58

A fire officer fostering genuine confidence and authority. Gaining that kind of confidence requires some effort, some study of the highrise world.

Question 59

What should your immediate concern be about falling glass on a highrise?

Answer 59

You must move quickly to find alternate entrances and exits for firefighter and civilians to prevent falling glass injuries

Question 60

What should your first action be?

Answer 60

A highrise fire requires a tremendous firefighting force. The need is immediate so the first thing you should do is assume command and call for additional alarms.

Question 61

It is irresponsible for firefighters to?

Answer 61

Take civilians into elevators when a building is on fire.