Chapter 6: Calculating Required Fire Flows Flashcards

1
Q

What is the definition of Required Fire Flow (RFF)?

A

The amount of water that must be applied to the fire in order to control and/or extinguish it in a reasonable amount of time.

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2
Q

What are the 3 methods of determining required fire flow for manual fire fighting operations?

A
  1. The Iowa State Formula;
  2. The National Fire Academy Formula;
  3. The Insurance Services Office Formula
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3
Q

Who correctly theorized that if water could be broken up into little drops and discharged across the fire, it would absorb the heat and dilute the burning gases?

A

Glenn Griswold

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4
Q

Griswold settled on an impinging-stream designed nozzle that created optimally small droplets of water at pressures between _____ and _______ psi?

A

50 and 275 psi

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5
Q

Griswold founded the:

A

Fog Nozzle Company

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6
Q

Griswold’s company produced nozzles called the:

A

Griswold Fognozl (Also called the California Fognozl)

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7
Q

His Coast Guard research involved inserting fog streams via applicator pipes into completely closed rooms (except a small exhaust opening) containing oil fires:

A

Lloyd Layman

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8
Q

Lloyd Layman’s fire attack method was the:

A

Indirect attack

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9
Q

Lloyd Layman’s fire attack method does not work well on:

A

Incipient fires

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10
Q

Floyd Nelson and Keith Royer founded the:

A

International Society of Fire Service Instructors

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11
Q

What are the 2 fundamental principles was the Iowa State Formula based on?

A

1) 1 gallon of water will produce, with a margin of safety, 200 cubic feet of steam
2) 1 gallon of water will absorb, with a margin of safety, all of the heat that can be produced with the O2 available in 200 cubic feet of normal air

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12
Q

1 cubic foot of pure O2 combined with ordinary fuels produces ____ BTUs?

A

535 BTUs

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13
Q

Air contains __% of oxygen?

A

21%

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14
Q

Flame production stops when O2 levels drop below __%

A

15%

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15
Q

Only __% of air is available for heat production

A

7%

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16
Q

The number of BTUs produced by 1 cubic foot of air is:

A

37 BTUs

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17
Q

1 gallon of water converted to 200 cubic feet of steam absorbs _____ BTUs?

A

9,330 BTUs

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18
Q

Royer and Nelson concluded that 1 gallon of water can absorb all of the heat produced by _____ cubic feet of air?

A

200 cu. ft

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19
Q

Nelson and Royer determined that the maximum time required for effective use of the adjustable fog nozzle is:

A

30 seconds

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20
Q

The National Fire Academy is a:

A

Federal government agency (Department of Homeland Security)

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21
Q

This “quick calculation” formula can be used as a tactical tool to determine fire flow requirements on scene:

A

National Fire Academy Formula

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22
Q

The NFA advises that the NFA formula is considered reliable only if __ floors or fewer are on fire:

A

4 floors

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23
Q

Before exposures or other additions, the NFA formula is:

A

Square footage of one floor of the structure divided by 3

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24
Q

If more than one floor is involved and before exposures and other additions, the NFA formula is:

A

Square footage of one floor of the structure divided by 3, multiplied by the number of floors

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25
Q

When using the NFA formula, you should add __% of fire flow for each side of the building with exposures?

A

25%

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26
Q

In buildings of fire-resistive construction, if other floors are not yet involved but are threatened by possible extension of fire, those floors should be considered an:

A

Exposure;

Add 25% of fire flow for each exposure

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27
Q

This formula has never been validated by definitive scientific or practical testing:

A

The NFA Formula

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28
Q

Their mission is to provide useful and reliable risk evaluation info to property insurance companies:

A

The Insurance Services Office

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29
Q

Fire fighters use this formula to calculate fire flow in manual fire fighting the least?

A

The Insurance Services Office Formula

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30
Q

This formula was not designed to be used on the fire ground:

A

The Insurance Services Office Formula

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31
Q

When using this formula to determine fire flow in manual fire fighting, the user has to determine the construction type of the involved structure:

A

The Insurance Services Office Formula

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32
Q

The Insurance Services Office Formula is not applicable to these structures:

A

1 and 2 family dwellings not exceeding 2 stories

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33
Q

When calculated and applied properly, in manual fire fighting, this fire flow formula is generally considered the most reliable:

A

The Insurance Services Office Formula

34
Q

The constant number extrapolated during the research to develop the Insurance Services Office Formula is:

A

18

35
Q

When using the Insurance Services Office Formula, what is the coefficient used for wood frame construction?

A

1.5

36
Q

When using the Insurance Services Office Formula, what is the coefficient used for ordinary construction?

A

1.0

37
Q

When using the Insurance Services Office Formula, what is the coefficient used for heavy timber construction?

A

0.9

38
Q

When using the Insurance Services Office Formula, what is the coefficient used for noncombustible construction?

A

0.8

39
Q

When using the Insurance Services Office Formula, what is the coefficient used for fire resistive construction?

A

0.6

40
Q

In the Insurance Services Office Formula, A is the:

A

Area of the floor

41
Q

In the Insurance Services Office Formula, C is a:

A

Coefficient related to the type of construction for the occupancy in question

42
Q

List the coefficients related to construction type for use in the Insurance Services Office Formula in consecutive order:

A
  1. Wood frame construction: C = 1.5
  2. Ordinary Construction: C = 1.0
  3. Heavy Timber Construction: C = 0.9
  4. Noncombustible construction: C = 0.8
  5. Fire-resistive construction: C = 0.6
43
Q

In the Insurance Services Office Formula, all floors are included in the area except:

A

Basements

44
Q

In the Insurance Services Office Formula, if the building is constructed of fire-resistive materials and its vertical openings are unprotected, consider the ____ largest successive floor areas as its area:

A

6

45
Q

In the Insurance Services Office Formula, if the building is constructed of fire-resistive materials and its vertical openings are properly protected, consider the ____ largest successive floor areas as its area:

A

3

46
Q

The Insurance Services Office recommends that the calculated fire flow be rounded to the nearest ___ gpm if the flow is less than ____ gpm, and to the nearest ___ gpm if the flow is greater than ___ gpm?

A
  1. 250 gpm
  2. 2,500 gpm
  3. 500 gpm
  4. 2,500 gpm
47
Q

In the Insurance Services Office Formula, the minimum fire flow planned for any structure should be:

A

500 gpm

48
Q

In the Insurance Services Office Formula, the maximum fire flow, depending on the type of structure, should be:
______ gpm for wood frame construction;
______ gpm for ordinary and heavy timber construction;
______ gpm for non-combustible construction;
______ gpm for fire-resistive construction;
______ gpm for a normal one-story building of any type of construction

A
8,000 gpm;
8,000 gpm;
6,000 gpm;
6,000 gpm;
6,000 gpm
49
Q

In the Insurance Services Office Formula, the factors that require adjusting the fire flow include:

A
  1. The level of fire hazard
  2. The presence of sprinkler protection
  3. Exposures
50
Q

In the Insurance Services Office Formula, when adjusting fire flow for additional factors, the maximum fire flow may be increased to ______ gpm:

A

12,000 gpm

51
Q

In the Insurance Services Office Formula, when adding to the flow for fire hazard level, the basic fire flow may be reduced up to ___ percent for low-fire-hazard occupancies or increased up to ___ percent for high-fire-hazard occupancies?

A

25%;

25%

52
Q

In the Insurance Services Office Formula, when adding to the fire flow for automatic sprinkler systems, the basic fire flow may be reduced by ____ percent for complete auto-sprinkler protection, and up to ___ percent for buildings made of fire-resistive or non-combustible materials and have a low fire hazard:

A

50%;

75%

53
Q

In the Insurance Services Office Formula, a percentage should be added to the adjusted fire flow for structures exposed within _____ feet of the fire area under consideration?

A

150 feet

54
Q

In the Insurance Services Office Formula, when adjusting the fire flow to incorporate exposures, the total percentage shall be the sum of the percentages for each side, bu shall not exceed ___ percent of the fire flow?

A

75%

55
Q

In the Insurance Services Office Formula, an exposure 50 feet from the fire building requires an additional __ percent per side?

A

15%

56
Q

In the Insurance Services Office Formula, wood frame structures separated by less than ___ feet shall be considered one fire area:

A

10 feet

57
Q

In the Insurance Services Office Formula, normally an unpierced party (common) wall may warrant up to a ___ percent exposure charge?

A

10 percent

58
Q

In the Insurance Services Office Formula, where wood shingle roofs could contribute to spreading fires, add ___ gpm:

A

500 gpm

59
Q

In the Insurance Services Office Formula, any noncombustible building is warranted a ___ coefficient?

A

0.8 coefficient

60
Q

In the Insurance Services Office Formula, if residences are continuous as with row houses and town homes, a minimum fire flow of ____ gpm is recommended:

A

2,500 gpm

61
Q

Comparatively, manual firefighting is much less efficient than:

A

Automatic Sprinkler Systems

62
Q

Each sprinkler will flow about __ to __ gpms?

A

8 to 15 gpms

63
Q

In general, the NFPA indicates that 5 or fewer activated sprinklers extinguish more than __ percent of all fires in sprinklered buildings:

A

90 percent

64
Q

Required flow rates for automatic sprinkler systems include only the amount of water the system is designed to flow:

A

On its own. Not to include the supplemented amount at the fdc

65
Q

What are the 2 methods of designing sprinkler systems recognized by NFPA 13?

A
  1. Pipe schedule method

2. Hydraulic calculation method

66
Q

NFPA 13 limits new sprinkler systems being designed by the pipe schedule method to occupancies of less than _____ square feet?

A

5,000 square feet

67
Q

The primary advantage for using the pipe schedule method for designing sprinkler systems is:

A

The ease of calculation, particularly with smaller systems

68
Q

This method of designing fire sprinkler systems tend to use larger pipe and therefore is the less economical method:

A

Pipe schedule method

69
Q

The pipe schedule method does not take this into consideration:

A

Friction loss

70
Q

NFPA 13 requires extra hazard occupancies to use this method for designing sprinkler systems?

A

Hydraulically calculated method

71
Q

Buildings over 5,000 square feet in size may have a pipe schedule sprinkler system if they have a residual pressure of ___ psi available at the top line of sprinklers for both occupancy classes:

A

50 psi

72
Q

This method of designing fire sprinkler systems involves using mathematical calculations to determine the required piping and other design factors:

A

Hydraulic Calculation Method

73
Q

Which class of standpipes are equipped with 2 1/2” discharges?

A

Class 1

74
Q

If a high rise structure is equipped with a single Class 1 standpipe, that system is required to have a minimum available flow rate of ___ gpm without being boosted by the fire department?

A

500 gpm

75
Q

If a high rise structure is equipped with more than one Class 1 standpipe, the first system must have an available flow of ___ gpm, and each additional standpipe must have available ___ gpm, up to a maximum of ____ gpm?

A

500 gpm;
250 gpm;
1.250 gpm

76
Q

A high rise structure with a Class 1 standpipe requires a pressure of at least ___ psi at its most hydraulically demanding discharge?

A

100 psi

77
Q

A structure that is not considered a high rise that is equipped with a class 1 standpipe is allowed to achieve its flow requirements by being supplied by:

A

The fire department

78
Q

This class of standpipe is designed to be used by building occupants and usually have ___ feet to ___ feet of unlined ____ inch cotton fire hose?

A

Class 2;
75-100 feet;
1 1/2 inch

79
Q

Class 2 standpipes require a flow of ___ gpm at a minimum of ___ psi, with no increased requirements for having multiple standpipes?

A

100 gpm;

65psi

80
Q

Class 3 standpipe water supply requirements are:

A

Identical to those for Class 1 standpipes

81
Q

Class 3 standpipe systems are a:

A

Combination of class 1 and class 2 systems