Chapter 1 - Overview of Fire Detection and Suppression Systems Flashcards
- To cause to become less harsh or hostile; to make less severe, intense or painful; to alleviate.
Mitigate
p 7
Fire prevention is the elimination of all hostile fires through ____________, ____________, and _____________.
education, engineering, and enforcement
p 7
Fire prevention also involves ______________ modification that prevents or mitigates the threat from hostile fires.
behavior
p 7
Fire protection systems can be divided into two broad categories: ?
fire detection and fire suppression
p 8
- System of detection devices, wiring, and supervisory equipment used for detecting fire or products of combustion and the signaling that these elements are present.
Fire Detection System
p 8
- System designed to act directly upon the hazard to mitigate or eliminate it, not simply to detect its presence and/or initiate an alarm.
Fire Suppression System
p 8
The ________ ____________ of a fire and the signaling of an appropriate alarm remains the most significant factor in preventing large losses due to fire.
early detection
p 8
Fire detection can be either _________ or _________.
passive or active
p 8
__________ fire protection can be a part of building construction such as a concrete firewall or sprayed on structural fire protection.
Passive
p 8
This type of fire protection system requires some type of outside intervention or mechanical support such as electricity or a water supply ?
Active fire detection and suppression systems
p 8
The first fire alarm system was installed around ______. This was a municipal alarm system that used the ____________ to notify FDs of a fire.
1851 / telegraph
p 9
The first commercially successful automatic fire sprinkler was patented in ______.
1872
p 9
In _______, George Andrew Darby, an electrical engineer, patented the first heat indicator, which sounded a fire alarm when activated.
1902
p 9
This early device paved the way for today’s battery-powered smoke alarms, which were introduced in _______ by Kenneth House and Randolph Smith.
1969
p 9
In 1947, President Harry S. Truman commissioned ?
The President’s Conference on Fire Prevention
p 11
The current concept of the Three E’s of Prevention - ___________, ____________, and ____________ - came as a result of The Presidents Conference.
education, engineering, and enforcement
p 11
President Nixon convened what commission in the 1970s ?
The National Commission on Fire Prevention and Control
p 12
The National Commission on Fire Prevention and Control produced the famous report entitled ____________ ___________.
America Burning
p 12
America Burning resulted in the passage of the ?
Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974
p 12
Overview of fire protection systems:
- Five basic categories:
- Automatic fire ____________ and ________ systems
- Automatic fire ____________ systems
- Manual fire ________ systems
- Manual fire ______________ systems
- ________ control / _________ systems
- detection and alarm
- suppression
- alarm
- suppression
- Smoke / exhaust
p 12-13
- 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.
Automatic fire detection and alarm systems
p 12
- 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.
Automatic fire suppression systems
p 12
- These systems require activation by individuals upon discovery of a fire.
Manual fire alarm systems
p 12
- 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.
Manual fire suppression systems
p 13
- These systems mechanically remove smoke and other products of combustion from the structure.
Smoke control / exhaust systems
p 13
___________ and _______ establish the minimum level of safety that should be present in a structure.
Standards and codes
p 13
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.
standard / standards
p 13
A collection of rules and regulations enacted by a legislative body to become law in a particular jurisdiction ?
Code
p 14
The main difference between a standard and a code is the level of ______________ that they provide.
enforcement
p 14
_________ provide a model or desired level of performance, and _________ make them enforceable.
Standards / codes
p 14
In order to be enforceable by law, standards and codes must be adopted by the ?
AHJ
p 14
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.
transcription / reference
p 14
Many standards are ___________ __________, which mean that a group of experts has developed and agreed upon the standard before it is adopted.
consensus standards
p 14
- Method by which an AHJ adopts a code in whole to become a new regulation.
Transcription
p 14
- Method by which an AHJ refers to a code in a regulation and states that the code is legally enforceable.
Reference
p 14
- Rules, principles, or measures that are established through agreement of members of the standard-setting organization.
Consensus Standard
p 14
The _______ publishes the majority of the consensus standards used in the US and Canada.
NFPA
p 15
Since the _______, the NFPA has published a variety of standards and other documents dealing with fire prevention and building safety.
1880s
p 15
The ________________ ______ __________ is a membership association dedicated to building safety and fire prevention.
International Code Council
p 15
Most US cities, counties and states that adopt codes choose the international codes developed by the ?
ICC
p 15
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 ?
10 / 95 / cut nearly in half
p 16
The NFPA states that a properly installed and maintained automatic sprinkler system will reduce the average property loss from fire by ?
one-half to two thirds
p 16
According to the USFA, property losses are _____ percent less in buildings that are protected with fire sprinklers compared to those without sprinklers.
85
p 16
