Chapter 2: Personal Protective Equipment, Hazards and Hazard Mitigation Flashcards
Standard Operating Procedure (SOP)
Formal methods or rules to guide the performance of routine functions or emergency operations. Procedures are typically written in a handbook, so that al firefighters can consult and become familiar with them.
Foot protection should provide the best protection against likely hazards that the rescuers will encounter:
heat, punctures, and impact
NFPA requires that rescue personnel wear ____ if they are likely to contact bodily fluids during a vehicle extrication.
medical exam gloves inside their leather or extrication gloves
The actual duration of respiratory support provided by a SCBA bottle depends on ____
the individual wearer’s physiological and psychological conditioning.
What are the types of Air-purifying respirators
- Particulate removing
- Vapor and gas removing
- Combination particulate removing and vapor and gas removing
Canister or cartridge respirators pass air through a ____, ____, or ____ to remove specific contaminants from the air.
filter, sorbent, or combination of these
APR’s should be worn only in ____ where the hazards present are ____ and at least ____ percent oxygen is present.
- controlled atmospheres
- completely understood
- 19.5%
Responders should be able to answer the following questions before deciding to use APR’s
- What is the hazard?
- Is the hazard a vapor or gas?
- Is the hazard a particle or dust?
- Is there some combination of dust and vapors present?
- What concentration levels are present?
What are the three primary limitations of APR’s?
- Limited life of its filters and canisters
- Need for constant monitoring of the contaminated atmosphere
- Need for a normal oxygen content of the atmosphere before use
Many vehicle hazards can be grouped into what two categories?
- Hazards from energy sources
* Hazards from beneficial systems
Isolate and manage conventional fuel systems using the following techniques:
- Place wheel chocks in front of and behind tires preventing unexpected movement
- Apply the emergency brake
- If the vehicle has an automatic transmission
- Place the gear selector in park
- Turn off the ingnition
- Remove the key
- If the vehicle has a manual transmission
- Turn off the ignition
- Remove the key
- Place the gear shift in the lowest gear
- Eliminate any ignition sources
If a vehicle is equipped with a smart key system and rescuers are unable to disable the 12 volt battery, ____
locate and remove the key from the area surrounding the vehicle. Be aware of the potential for a second smart key.
An alternative fuel is ____
a fuel that is not entirely derived from petroleum products.
Examples of alternative fuels
- Propane/ liquefied petroleum gas (LPG)
- Natural gas
- Auxiliary fuel cells
- Alcohol/ gasoline blended mixtures
- Biodiesel
- Aircraft fuel
When dealing with alternative fuels, rescuers have to exercise further mitigation techniques.
- Monitor the atmosphere
- Stay clear of vapor clouds
- Once the vehicle is secured and ignition sources are eliminated
- locate, access, and manually turn off the fuel at the tank shut-off valve.
Hybrid electric vehicles may contain as much as ____ of DC current
800 volts
Rescuers should always assume that every hybrid electric vehicle is ____ despite a lack of engine noise.
powered up
The most desirable method for disabling a hybrid electric vehicle is to ____
shut down the vehicle with the switch and key system.
Disconnecting or cutting the 12 volt negative and positive battery cables in a hybrid electric car will ____
open relays to isolate the high voltage system.
Defoggers can ____ during window removal.
produce sparks or shock a person
Laminated safety glass consists of ____
two sheets of glass bonded to a sheet of plastic sandwiched between them.
Impact with Laminated safety glass produces ____. In addition ____ created from cutting this glass creates respiratory hazards.
- multiple long, pointed shards with sharp edges.
* any fine dust
Tempered glass is most commonly used in ____
side windows, and some rear windows.
Crushable bumpers are not a hazard until ____
the fire is out.
When ____ cool after being exposed to the heat of a fire, beads of a clear liquid form on their surface. This liquid appears to be water but is actually ____.
- crushable bumpers
* concentrated hydrofluoric acid
Magnesium vehicle components:
- alloy wheels
- Valve covers
- Steering columns
- Mounting brackets on antilock braking systems
- Transmission casings
- Engine blocks
- Frame supports
- Exterior body components
Beneficial vehicle systems are:
any system or component of a vehicle that provides benefit to and/ or enhances the safety and comfort of the vehicle occupants.
The safest manner in which to deal with SRS devices is ____
to give them space.
The ABC’s of dealing with SRS:
- Always respect the deployment path of any type of airbag, rollover protection system, or SRS.
- Be aware that there is no way to make an undeployed airbag, ROPS, or SRS safe.
- Caution must be paramount in cutting or manipulating any vehicle equipped with airbags, ROPS, or SRS.
SRS are concealed within ____, and require rescuers to ____ to identify ____ prior to cutting.
- the vehicles interior trim pieces
- peel and peek
- stored gas and canister type inflators, and other components
Seatbelt pretensioners tighten belts as ____
the frontal impact airbags deploy
Once a seatbelt is cut, remove ___ so that they cannot strike anyone if the system suddenly activates.
the buckle and excess belt
Seat belt pretensioners in most modern vehicles deploy using ____
pyrotechnic devices.
The pyrotechnic pretensioning device is usually located:
near the bottom of the B post at the base of the seat belt.
If pretensioners are heated during vehicle fires it ____
can explode.
Most modern airbag systems detect :
- The occupant’s weight and position
- If the seat belt is buckled
- The vehicle’s speed and area of impact
What are the airbag safe practice guidelines?
5, 10, 12, 18, 20
- 5 inches for side impact and knee bolsters
- 10 inches for driver frontal airbags
- 12 to 18 inches for curtain airbags
- 20 inches for passenger frontal airbags
When mitigating supplemental restraint systems during extrication operations, these guidelines should be followed.
- Do not cut inflators
- Peel away interior trim and peek before cutting (peel and peek)
- Work with the safety systems that are not around them.
- Maintain situational awareness of airbag locations and appropriate airbag deployment zones while working in and around the vehicle.
When reaching into a vehicle to remove or turn off the ignition, rescuers should ____ to avoid the path of the airbags.
reach from behind the steering hub
Always use caution when working around airbags. ____ can cause these systems to detonate without an electrical source.
Static electricity
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration ( NHTSA)
Agency within the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) that publishes annual summary reports of fatal highway accidents.
Driver and front passenger airbags can be ____, ____, or ____ systems.
single, dual-stage, or dual-depth systems.
Single stage airbags
deploy at a standard rate every time they deploy
Dual-stage airbags
utilize sensors that use this information to determine if the airbag should deploy using its full capacity or a diminished deployment to reduce the possibility of injuring lighter smaller occupants.
Dual-depth airbags
Work the same way as dual-stage systems, but have two airbags. One airbag is the normal size while the other one is smaller and located inside the larger bag.
____ airbags can deploy only once. ____ and ____ airbags are equipped with two inflator devices.
- single stage
* dual-stage and dual-depth
Front impact airbags deploy in ____ at speeds in excess of ____ with an inflating force of over ____.
- 0.05 seconds
- 200 mph
- 3000 psi
Side impact airbags deploy at rates ____ than front impact airbags.
even higher
The sound of airbag deployment is in the range of ____ to ____ decibels for ____ second.
- 165 to 175
* 0.1 second
The amount of time needed for the airbags reserve power to drain varies from ____ to ____. The average time is ____
- 1 second to 30 minutes
* less than 5 minutes.
Passenger fontal airbag inflators containing ____ reach temperatures in excess of ____.
- sodium azide
* 1200°
When airbags deploy the interior of the vehicle and those inside may be covered with a fine white powder containing ____ and ____ or ____ that was used to lubricate the airbag during deployment.
- Sodium Azide
* Talcum powder or cornstarch
Sodium azide converts to ____ when wet, and can cause minor irritation of the throat and eyes, or ____ in those who are predisposed.
- sodium hydroxide, a highly alkaline powder that becomes ordinary lye
- asthma attack
Sodium azide that has not been converted to sodium hydroxide is ____
extremely toxic
Electrical wiring for airbag systems are sometimes identified by ____
Yellow tape, insulation, or tags
In dual stage and dual depth systems, each airbag operates ____, so accidentally activating one of them ____.
- Independently
* does not activate both.
Head Protection Systems (HPS) ____ after deployment.
- remain inflated
HPS typically use compressed gas inflators stored in steel or aluminum cylinders at pressures of ____ to ____ or higher.
2500 to 4000 psi
HPS cylinders are usually located in the ____.
A-post, roof rail, and C-post
Rollover Protection Systems pop up and extend behind passangers when the vehicle exceeds ____ from horizontal, a lateral angle limit of ____, a longitudinal angle of ____, a 3G acceleration force, or become weightless for at least ____
- 23°
- 62°
- 72°
- 80 milliseconds
If the power is not interrupted during stabilization and extrication of vehicles with air ride suspension systems, the system may try ____
to auto level the vehicle.
Never ____ beneath a vehicle with an air ride suspension system without ____ in place.
- put any part of your body
* proper stabilization
Do not cut yellow colored or yellow tagged cables in an airbag system. Doing so may ____
deploy armed airbags
Approach vehicles from a ____ angle. Remain aware of the various fire and explosion hazards that are on/in a vehicle.
45 deree
Fuel spills are common after vehicle crashes, and any ____ should be recognized and isolated before addressing any other concerns.
ignition sources
Vehicle accidents are full of possible ignition sources, some of these sources include:
- Downed power lines
- Vehicle batteries and electrical systems
- Static energy sources
Methods of isolating possible ignition sources at vehicle accidents.
- Cordon downed wires
- Disable battery and electrical systems
- Avoid pyrotechnic devices
- Protect struts from excessive heat or physical damage
- Consider appropriate apparatus and tool placement
- Atmospheric monitoring
If both struts attached to a bumper explode simultaneously, they can launch the bumper and/or struts ____.
100 feet or more from the vehicle
When the front or rear bumper of a vehicle is exposed to heavy flame impingement, all personnel should ____
stay out of the danger zone - directly in front of and to each side, a distance equal to the length of the bumper.
For fire protection at vehicle extrication incidents it is recommended that at least one ____ and ready for use by ____.
- 1 1/2 inch hoseline be charged
* at least two firefighters equipped with full PPE.
Fire control strategy for vehicle fires.
- Establish command
- Perform a 360
- Ensure an apparatus is protection the scene
- Ensure that personnel and apparatus are positioned uphill and upwind
- Determine hazards and initiate appropriate control measures
- Monitor the atmosphere with a multi gas detector
- Advance the appropriate size hoseine with the appropriate type of extinguishing agent
- Advance at a 45° angle
- Extinguish the fire
- Overhaul and investigate
A ____ is the best most appropriate form of fire protection at a vehicle incident.
pre-connected hoseline, preferably foam capable
What is the extinguishing agent of choice for fires involving all types of hydrocarbon or solvent fuels:
Alcohol resistant - aqueous film forming foam (AR-AFFF)
When combustible metals are encountered during vehicle fires, firefighters should ____
utilize copious amounts of water
Alcohol/ gasoline blended fuels are ____.
water soluble gasoline blends
Alcohol fuels do not react to standard fire fighting methods. Water ____ the alcohol, producing a ____.
- dilutes
* running fuel fire
Ethanol and methanol fires burn ____, and produce ____, making them hard to see during daylight hours. Using ____ can help locate the fire. Use ____ to extinguish the fire.
- bright blue
- little smoke
- a thermal imager
- AR-AFFF
In the presence of a natural gas fire, it is recommended to ____
allow the fire to burn off all the fuel as long as no lives or exposures are threatened.
When water is applied directly to an LNG fire it ____ increasing ____, therefore increasing ____.
- warms the liquid
- the amount of vapor production
- the intensity of the fire
Control LNG fires by using ____
- Purple K dry chemical agent or high expansion foam on the surface of the fire.
Rescuers should exercise caution when performing extrication operations around LNG in order to ____
prevent their release and ignition.
Use ____ to extinguish a CNG fire, use ____ to disperse CNG vapor clouds.
- water or foam
* a fog stream
____ is the third most common vehicle fuel type after gasoline and diesel.
Propane
How should hydrogen fuel fires in vehicles be handled:
- Locate the fires with a thermal imager as they are not easily seen.
- Do not extinguish hydrogen fuel fires, protect exposures and allow the fuel to burn off.
Bio diesel fuel
A yellow liquid with an odor of cooking oil that is non-toxic, biodegradable, and sulfur free. Biodiesel can be used in any vehicle designed to use diesel.
Extinguishing agent for Lead-acid batteries
Carbon dioxide, foam, or dry chemical
Extinguishing agent for Nickel metal hydride batteries
Class D extinguisher (metal X or similar)
Extinguishing agent for Lithium-ion batteries
Dry sand, sodium chloride powder, graphite powder, or copper powder
The most common hazardous materials found at passenger vehicle incidents are ____
the fuels that propel the vehicles.
Before approaching a crashed medium or heavy truck, ____
stop a safe distance away and use binoculars to look for hazardous materials labels or placards.
Pedestrians fleeing the scene may be the first indication of the need to ____
stop and assess the scene before approaching.
