Chapter 1 - Overview of Fire Detection and Suppression Systems

Question 1

• To cause to become less harsh or hostile; to make less severe, intense or painful; to alleviate.

Answer 1

Mitigate

p 7

Question 2

Fire prevention is the elimination of all hostile fires through ____________, ____________, and _____________.

Answer 2

education, engineering, and enforcement

p 7

Question 3

Fire prevention also involves ______________ modification that prevents or mitigates the threat from hostile fires.

Answer 3

behavior

p 7

Question 4

Fire protection systems can be divided into two broad categories: ?

Answer 4

fire detection and fire suppression

p 8

Question 5

• System of detection devices, wiring, and supervisory equipment used for detecting fire or products of combustion and the signaling that these elements are present.

Answer 5

Fire Detection System

p 8

Question 6

• System designed to act directly upon the hazard to mitigate or eliminate it, not simply to detect its presence and/or initiate an alarm.

Answer 6

Fire Suppression System

p 8

Question 7

The ________ ____________ of a fire and the signaling of an appropriate alarm remains the most significant factor in preventing large losses due to fire.

Answer 7

early detection

p 8

Question 8

Fire detection can be either _________ or _________.

Answer 8

passive or active

p 8

Question 9

__________ fire protection can be a part of building construction such as a concrete firewall or sprayed on structural fire protection.

Answer 9

Passive

p 8

Question 10

This type of fire protection system requires some type of outside intervention or mechanical support such as electricity or a water supply ?

Answer 10

Active fire detection and suppression systems

p 8

Question 11

The first fire alarm system was installed around ______. This was a municipal alarm system that used the ____________ to notify FDs of a fire.

Answer 11

1851 / telegraph

p 9

Question 12

The first commercially successful automatic fire sprinkler was patented in ______.

Answer 12

1872

p 9

Question 13

In _______, George Andrew Darby, an electrical engineer, patented the first heat indicator, which sounded a fire alarm when activated.

Answer 13

1902

p 9

Question 14

This early device paved the way for today’s battery-powered smoke alarms, which were introduced in _______ by Kenneth House and Randolph Smith.

Answer 14

1969

p 9

Question 15

In 1947, President Harry S. Truman commissioned ?

Answer 15

The President’s Conference on Fire Prevention

p 11

Question 16

The current concept of the Three E’s of Prevention - ___________, ____________, and ____________ - came as a result of The Presidents Conference.

Answer 16

education, engineering, and enforcement

p 11

Question 17

President Nixon convened what commission in the 1970s ?

Answer 17

The National Commission on Fire Prevention and Control

p 12

Question 18

The National Commission on Fire Prevention and Control produced the famous report entitled ____________ ___________.

Answer 18

America Burning

p 12

Question 19

America Burning resulted in the passage of the ?

Answer 19

Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974

p 12

Question 20

Overview of fire protection systems:

• Five basic categories:
  
  1. Automatic fire ____________ and ________ systems
  2. Automatic fire ____________ systems
  3. Manual fire ________ systems
  4. Manual fire ______________ systems
  5. ________ control / _________ systems

Answer 20

1. detection and alarm
2. suppression
3. alarm
4. suppression
5. Smoke / exhaust

p 12-13

Question 21

• These systems are activated by smoke, high temperatures, or radiant heat and alert the occupants in the building and/or the FD to the fire. These systems do not slow the growth of the fire or reduce the amount of smoke produced.

Answer 21

Automatic fire detection and alarm systems

p 12

Question 22

• These systems actually work to suppress the fire hazard by applying a fire-suppressing medium to the fire. There is no need for human intervention for their effectiveness. This reduces the hazard to the occupants and to the building and its contents.

Answer 22

Automatic fire suppression systems

p 12

Question 23

• These systems require activation by individuals upon discovery of a fire.

Answer 23

Manual fire alarm systems

p 12

Question 24

• This category includes standpipes (both vertical and horizontal), fire hoses, and fire extinguishers. These mechanisms require an individual to operate them in order to perform their function.

Answer 24

Manual fire suppression systems

p 13

Question 25

• These systems mechanically remove smoke and other products of combustion from the structure.

Answer 25

Smoke control / exhaust systems

p 13

Question 26

___________ and _______ establish the minimum level of safety that should be present in a structure.

Answer 26

Standards and codes

p 13

Question 27

A ___________ is a set of principles, protocols, or procedures that is developed by committees through a consensus process. ____________ describe how to do something or provide a minimum set of principals that should be followed.

Answer 27

standard / standards

p 13

Question 28

A collection of rules and regulations enacted by a legislative body to become law in a particular jurisdiction ?

Answer 28

Code

p 14

Question 29

The main difference between a standard and a code is the level of ______________ that they provide.

Answer 29

enforcement

p 14

Question 30

_________ provide a model or desired level of performance, and _________ make them enforceable.

Answer 30

Standards / codes

p 14

Question 31

In order to be enforceable by law, standards and codes must be adopted by the ?

Answer 31

AHJ

p 14

Question 32

Building and fire codes can be adopted in two ways. The first is by ______________, where the entire code is copied into a regulation. The other method is by ___________, where the regulation states that the referenced code is legally enforceable as part of the fire and life safety regulations.

Answer 32

transcription / reference

p 14

Question 33

Many standards are ___________ __________, which mean that a group of experts has developed and agreed upon the standard before it is adopted.

Answer 33

consensus standards

p 14

Question 34

• Method by which an AHJ adopts a code in whole to become a new regulation.

Answer 34

Transcription

p 14

Question 35

• Method by which an AHJ refers to a code in a regulation and states that the code is legally enforceable.

Answer 35

Reference

p 14

Question 36

• Rules, principles, or measures that are established through agreement of members of the standard-setting organization.

Answer 36

Consensus Standard

p 14

Question 37

The _______ publishes the majority of the consensus standards used in the US and Canada.

Answer 37

NFPA

p 15

Question 38

Since the _______, the NFPA has published a variety of standards and other documents dealing with fire prevention and building safety.

Answer 38

1880s

p 15

Question 39

The ________________ ______ __________ is a membership association dedicated to building safety and fire prevention.

Answer 39

International Code Council

p 15

Question 40

Most US cities, counties and states that adopt codes choose the international codes developed by the ?

Answer 40

ICC

p 15

Question 41

According to estimates by the NFPA and USFA, U.S. home usage of smoke alarms rose from less than _____ percent in 1975 to at least _____ percent in 2000. At the same time, the number of home fire deaths was ?

Answer 41

10 / 95 / cut nearly in half

p 16

Question 42

The NFPA states that a properly installed and maintained automatic sprinkler system will reduce the average property loss from fire by ?

Answer 42

one-half to two thirds

p 16

Question 43

According to the USFA, property losses are _____ percent less in buildings that are protected with fire sprinklers compared to those without sprinklers.

Answer 43

85

p 16