Chapter 15 Fire Control Vocabulary

Question 1

Booster Hose/Line

Answer 1

Non-collapsible rubber-covered, rubber-lined hose usually wound on a reel and mounted on an engine or water tender and used for the initial attack and extinguishment of incipient and smoldering fires. This hose is most commonly found in 1/2 - 3/4 - and 1- inch diameters and is used for extinguishing low-intensity fires and mop-up. Also called Hard Line and Red Line.

Question 2

Smoke

Answer 2

Visible products of combustion resulting from the incomplete combustion of carbonaceous materials and composed of small particles of carbon, tarry particles, and condensed water vapor suspended in the atmosphere, which vary in color and density depending on the types of material burning and the amount of oxygen

Question 3

Direct Attack (Structural)

Answer 3

Attack method that involves the discharge of water or a foam stream directly onto the burning fuel

Question 4

Indirect Attack (Structural)

Answer 4

Directing fire streams toward the ceiling of a room or building in order to generate a large amount of steam. Converting the water to steam absorbs the heat of the fire and cools the area sufficiently for firefighters to safely enter and make a direct attack on the fire.

Question 5

Combination Attack

Answer 5

Battling a fire by using both a direct and an indirect attack. This method combines the steam-generating technique of a ceiling level attack with an attack on the burning materials near floor level.

Question 6

Master Stream

Answer 6

Large-caliber water stream usually supplied by siamesing two or more hoselines into a manifold device or by fixed piping that delivers 350 gpm ( 1 400 L/min) or more.

Question 7

Aerial Ladder

Answer 7

A rotating, power-operated ( usually hydraulically) ladder mounted on a self-propelled automotive fire apparatus.

Question 8

Aerial Ladder Platform

Answer 8

A power-operated (usually hydraulically) aerial device that combines an aerial ladder with a personnel-carrying platorm supported at the end of the ladder.

Question 9

Articulating Aerial Platform

Answer 9

Aerial device in which the structural member support (two or more booms) is hinged and operates in a folding manner. A passenger-carrying platform is attached to the working end of the device.

Question 10

Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapor Explosion (BLEVE)

Answer 10

Rapid vaporization of a liquid stored under pressure upon release to the atmosphere following major failure of its containing vessel. The failure of the containing vessel is the result of over-pressurization caused by an external heat source causing the vessel to explode into two or more pieces.

Question 11

Liquefied Petroleum Gas

Answer 11

Any of the several petroleum products, such as propane or butane, stored under pressure as a liquid.

Question 12

Polychlorinated Biphenyl

Answer 12

Toxic compound found in some older oil-filled electric transformers.

Question 13

Blitz Attack

Answer 13

To aggressively attack a fire from the exterior with a large diameter ( 2^1/2 inch or larger) fire stream

Question 14

Rapid Intervention Crew (RIC)

Answer 14

Two or more fully equipped and immediately available firefighters designated to stand by outside the hazard zone to enter and rescue firefighters inside, if necessary.

Question 15

Topography

Answer 15

Physical configuration of the land or terrain

Question 16

Direct Attack (Wildland)

Answer 16

Operation where action is taken directly on burning fuels by applying an extinguishing agent to the edge of the fire or close to it.