Chapter 21 Wildland and Ground Cover Fires Flashcards
Fuels located more than 6 ft (2 m) off the ground, usually part of or attached to trees.
Aerial fuels
A direct method of suppressing a wildland or ground cover fire that involves two teams of fire fighters establishing anchor points on each side of the fire and working toward the head of the fire until the fire gets “pinched” between them; also known as the pincer attack.
Anchor, flank, and pinch attack
A strategic and safe point from which to start constructing a fire control line. An ______ _____ is used to reduce the chance of fire fighters being flanked by fire.
Anchor point
A structure, part of a structure, or general geographic location within a fire scene, in which the “point of origin” of a fire or explosion is reasonably believed to be located.
Area of origin
A fire set along the inner edge of a fire control line to consume the fuel in the path of a wildland fire or change the direction of force of the fire’s convection column.
Backfire
A portable fire extinguisher usually consisting of a 5-gal (19-L) water tank that is worn on the user’s back and features a hand-powered piston pump for discharging the water.
Backpack fire extinguisher
An area that has already been burned.
Black
A foam system that combines air under pressure with foam solution to create foam.
Compressed air foam system (CAFS)
A long-handled rake constructed with hardened triangular-shaped steel teeth that is used for raking a fire control line down to soil with no subsurface fuel, for digging, for rolling burning logs, and for cutting grass and small brush.
Council rake
An area, as defined by the authority having jurisdiction [typically a width of 30 ft (9 m) or more], between an improved property and a potential wildland fire where combustible materials and vegetation have been removed or modified to reduce the potential for fire on improved property spreading to wildland fuels or to provide a safe working area for fire fighters protecting life and improved property from wildland fire.
Defensible space
A method of wildland fire attack in which fire fighters focus on containing and extinguishing the fire at its burning edge.
Direct attack
A list of situations published by the National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) and used to assess whether or not a wildland firefighting assignment is safe to conduct.
Eighteen watch out situations
A method of wildland fire attack in which the control line is located along natural fuel breaks, at favorable breaks in the topography, or at considerable distance from the fire, and the intervening fuel is burned out.
Indirect attack
An unburned area surrounded by fire.
Island
Fuels that provide vertical continuity between the ground and the tops of trees or shrubs, thereby allowing fire to move with relative ease.
Ladder fuels
A mnemonic that stands for Lookouts, Communications, Escape routes, and Safety zones. Fire fighters should ensure that the components of ____ are in place before attacking a wildland fire to reduce the risk associated with fighting these types of fires.
LCES
A hand tool used for constructing fire control lines and overhauling wildland fires. One side of the head consists of a five-toothed to seven-toothed fire rake; the other side is a hoe.
McLeod
A method of attack in which the control line is located parallel to the fire edge, at a distance of about 5 to 50 ft (1.5 to 15 m) form the fire. The intervening fuel usually burns out as the fire control line moves alongside the fire but ca also burn out with the main fire.
Parallel attack
A deep indentation of unburned fuel along the fire’s perimeter, often found between a finger and the heat of the fire.
A supplemental mechanism that enables a fire engine to operate a pump while the engine is still moving.
Power take-off shaft
A hand tool that combines an adze and an axe for brush removal.
Pulaski axe
The side opposite the head of the fire. Also called the heel of the fire.
Rear of the fire
A hand tool used for constructing fire control lines and overhauling wildland fires. The tool is similar to an oversized garden hose.
Reinhart
The ratio between the amount of water vapor in the gas at the time of measurement and the amount of water vapor that could be in the gas when condensation begins, at a given temperature.
Relative humidity
Debris resulting from natural events such as wind, fire, snow, or ice breakage; or from human activities such as building or road construction, logging, pruning, thinning, or brush cutting.
Slash
A new fire that starts outside areas of the main fire, usually caused by flying embers and sparks.
Spot fire
Partially decomposed matter that lies beneath the ground, such as roots, moss, duff, and decomposed stumps.
Subsurface fuel
Fuels that are close to the surface of the ground, such as grass, leaves, twigs, needles, small trees, logging slash, and low brush. Also called ground fuels.
Surface fuels
A set of systematically organized rules developed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service task force to reduce danger to firefighting personnel.
Ten standard firefighting orders
The land surface configuration.
Topography
Land in an uncultivated, more or less natural state and covered by timber, woodland, brush, and/or grass.
Wildland
An unplanned fire burning in vegetative fuels.
Wildland fire
The line, area, or zone where structures and other human development meet or intermingle with undeveloped wildland or vegetative fuels.
Wildland/urban interface
An area where improved property and wildland fuels meet with no clearly defined boundary.
Wildland/urban intermix
Unplanned and uncontrolled fires burning in vegetative fuels that sometimes include structures are called
A. ground cover fires.
B. aerial fires.
C. wildland fires.
D. urban fires
C. wildland fires.
The partly decomposed organic material on a forest floor is called
A. ground duff.
B. slash.
C. medium fuel.
D. heavy fuel.
A. ground duff.
Fuel that are located close to the surface of the ground are considered
A. aerial fuels
B. subsurface fuels.
C. supersurface fuels.
D. surface fuels.
D. surface fuels.
Which term describes the relative closeness of wildland fuels?
A. Fuel compactness
B. Fuel continuity
C. Fuel volume
D. Fuel moisture
B. Fuel continuity
The three causes of wildland fires are natural accidental and
A. intentional fires.
B. occupational fires.
C. combusuon fires.
D. mechanical fires.
A. intentional fires.
The study of elevation and the position of both natural and human-made features is known as
A. geography.
B. geology.
C. physiology.
D. topography.
D. topography.
As wildland and ground fires grow and reach into areas with new fuel, the traveling edge of the fire is called the
A. heel of the fire.
B. head of the fire.
C. rear of the fire.
D. arm of the fire.
B. head of the fire.
An unburned area between a finger and the traveling edge of the fire is called a(n)
A. island.
B. lapse.
C. pocket.
D. spot fire.
C. pocket.
Which combination tool is used to create a fire line?
A. McLeod fire tool
B. Adze
C. Pulaski axe
D. Halligan tool
A. McLeod fire tool
A firefighting attack that involves building a fire line along natural fuel breaks, favorable breaks in topography, or at considerable distance from the fire and burning out the intervening fuel is called a(n)
A. mounted attack.
B. indirect attack.
C. direct attack.
D. counterattack.
B. indirect attack.
A firefighting attack that requires only one team of fire fighters is called a(n)
A. pincer attack.
B. backfiring attack.
C. flankmg attack.
D. indirect attack.
C. flankmg attack.
The f1refighting attack most often used for large wildland and ground fires that are too dangerous or d attack 1s the a irec1
A. pincer attack.
B. backfiring attack.
C. flankmg attack.
D. indirect attack.
D. indirect attack.
A firefighting attack that requires two teams of fire fighters attacking both flanks of a wildland fire is called a(n)
A. pincer attack.
B. backfiring attack.
C. flanking attack.
D. counter attack
A. pincer attack.
How much water do small apparatus used for fighting wildland fires typically carry?
A. 800 gallons
B. 200-300 gallons
C. 2000 gallons
D. 50-100 gallons
B. 200-300 gallons
What is the top priority in a wildland fire attack?
A. Containment
B. Extinguishment
C. Minimization of damage
D. Safety
D. Safety
The technique used to remove fuel by burning is called
A. adze.
B. backfiring.
C. direct attack.
D. flanking.
B. backfiring.
_________ conditions have a major impact on the behavior or wildland fires.
Weather
Vegetative fuels can be located _________ , _________ or _______ the ground.
under, on, above
Fires spread more _________ in fine fuels than in heavy timber and brush.
quickly
The relative _________ is the ratio of the amount of water vapor present in the air compared to the maximum
amount the air can hold at a given temperature.
humidity
_______ -wing aircraft can take on a load of water from a lake and apply it to the fire.
Fixed
_________ and _________ fires can advance quickly and can change directions quickly.
Wildland, ground
For small fires with a light fuel load, ______ may be an effective firefighting tactic.
Backpack pump extinguishers
The location where a wildland or ground fire begins is called the _________ .
area of origin
A(n) _______ fire is a new fire that starts outside the perimeter of the main fire.
spot
The second side of the fire triangle is _________ .
oxygen
True/False
The fire triangle consists of the elements fuel, oxygen, and heat.
True
True/False
Fine fuels have a small surface area relative to their volume.
False
True/False
The amount of moisture in a fuel is related to the season of the year.
True
True/False
When relative humidity is high, the moisture from the air is absorbed by vegetative fuels, making them less susceptible to ignition.
True
True/False
Fire shelters can be carried in a protective pouch on a fire fighter’s belt.
True
True/False
Wildland fires are unplanned and uncontrolled fires burning in vegetative fuel that sometimes includes structures.
True
True/False
Roots, moss, duff, and decomposed stumps are examples of heavy fuels.
False
True/False
The two most critical weather conditions that influence a wildland fire are moisture and wind.
True
True/False
Rising of heated air in a wildland fire will preheat the fuels above the main body of the fire.
True
True/False
A direct attack on a wildland fire is made by attacking the left flank of the main body.
False
