Chapter 9 Flashcards
Can range from 1 to 8 stories spread over hundreds of feet or a city block
Commercial building or warehouse
Deteriorating conditions that could signal the need for withdrawal of firefighters and a switch to a defensive operations include
- A large body of fire that is not diminishing with attacking hose lines
- Water from the hose line turning to steam with no obvious effect on the fire
- Continued or worsening high heat and/or heavy smoke conditions
A sprinkler system can affect the fire in a variety of ways
- Immediate extinguishment
- Fire control
- Or hampering, with continued spread at floor level
A specific exposure concern should be for
Structures higher than the original fire building
In commercial structures ____ and ___ is a must, and close coordination must be maintained between line advancement and ventilation
Horizontal and vertical ventilation
Row of stores with parking in front
Strip mall
Strip malls are also referred to as
Strip stores
Taxpayers
Strip malls are commonly of
Frame, ordinary, or non combustible construction
Found in urban and suburban areas. Everyday merchandise consists of many flammable hazards
Enclosed shopping mall
Below grade garages can be a problem if an attempt to evacuate all the cars occurs at one time. A build up of ____ can develop
Carbon monoxide
Magnet or anchor stores are?
Large, established stores that a mall was built adjacent to or was incorporated in the construction
A 35,000 square foot modern supermarket will require ___ to ____ pounds of refrigerant
3,000 to 5,000
Coolant acts as an ___
An asphyxiant, displacing oxygen or creating a toxic atmosphere. Coolant release can hydrogenate an area, presenting flammable concerns
_____ is used in large refrigeration systems
Ammonia
Supermarkets usually have large loads on their roofs that can increase the potential for
Early roof collapse
The steam and smoke created by burning material and the partial extinguishment by the sprinklers will
Reduce visibility to zero
Lumberyards are often located adjacent to railroad sidings or location accessible to ships. If situated on waterways the blaze will require attack from the waterside. If adjacent to railroad sidings, the railroads must
Must be shut down to ensure firefighter safety
First arriving units at a fire involving a few piles or an involved shed of lumber must make an aggressive attack on the fire from the ______ side
Leeward
2 1/2 inch hose line minimum
A fast moving lumberyard fire must be fought from
The flanks of the fire
The aim when flanking a fire is to prevent further extension
In the initial stages, the fire can be fought on the leeward side to prevent extension. As the fire involves a larger area, it must be fought from the windward side or with master streams flanking the fire on the leeward side
Structures that are more than 75 feet tall
High rise building
The best way to protect life and control or extinguish high rise fires is through the installation and maintenance of
An automatic sprinkler system
If there is multiple stairways in a building, it should be noted in the preplan if the dry standpipes are
Interconnected (looped system)
Or each standpipe riser is independent
There are different construction types of stairs in high rise buildings
- U-turn-type: consist of 2 sets of stairs connected with landings at each floor level and at halfway points between each floor
- Return stairs: consist of a straight flight of stairs that has the access and egress points from each set of stairs at a slightly different location on adjacent floors
- Scissor-type: 2 sets of straight flight stairs in a common stair shaft
- Access stairs, convenience stairs, private stairs: interconnected floors when the floors are used by same company
There are different types of fire protection systems found in high rise stairs
- Fire tower is a stairway that has access to outside air. An open air balcony protected by self-closing fire doors separates the stairs from the hallways on each floor
- There are stair shafts that contain a vestibule between the hallway and the stairs; this will exhaust any smoke that enters into a vent shaft. Referred to as a smoke proof stairway
- Enclosed stairways may prove for smoke removal when pressurized
- Some stair shafts may be pressurized
____ examined the use of PPV in high rise buildings
NIST
Communication systems that can be used in high rise incidents
- Stationary telephones
- Cellular telephones
- Hardwired systems
- Public address system
- Elevator intercoms
- Built in emergency telephone systems
High rise building today have a strong dependency on computers. The computers assist the fire department operations by
Monitoring the protective systems in the building and providing a printout or history of what has occurred in the building
There are 2 basic design concept for horizontal floor separation in high rise
- Compartmentation
- Open area or open space
The space created between the concrete and the suspended ceiling is called
A plenum
Control of the ____ during a high rise fire is critical
HVAC system
A common rule is that the elevator should not be used by firefighters if the fire is located within
The first 7 floors
Firefighters should exit the elevator at least ____ below the fire floor and then climb the stairs
2 floors below
It is not unusual for units to take ____ or longer to reach the fire area in a high rise building
15-20 minutes
The use of a stairway that contains a vestibule with a fan exhausting the smoke should be avoided if possible since it will tend to pull the fire and smoke towards the stairs and onto the firefighters as they attempt to reach the fire area
The selection of firefighting stairway should consider a pressurized stairway
The stairway containing a vestibule that exhaust smoke are ideal for evacuation
The first unit to arrive at a high rise fire must
- Do quick size up and decide best way to attack the fire
- Determine the need for specific operation
- Estimate number of personnel that will be needed
- Give comprehensive report to IC
- Initiate fire attack
Firefighters should attach their hose lines to the standpipe on _____ and stretch it up the stairs to the fire floor
The floor below the fire
The most common ways fire spreads vertically to the floors above are
- Auto-extension via the windows: fire attacks the windows of the floor above. (Area between the window is called the spandrel space)
- Lack of fire stoppage where the curtain walls meet the concrete floors (space between the concrete floor and the exterior curtain wall is called safing gap)
- Poke-through in concrete floors (holes where utilities pass)
Before attempting to ventilate a fire area by breaking a window in a high rise, one must consider
Wind direction and speed
Falling glass can travel up to _____ from a high rise building
200 feet
Wind control devices
Blankets that were secured and suspended from the windows on the floor above the fire and secured at the windows on the floor below the fire to cover failed windows
Another method was applying water from the floor below to cover window
Studies have shown that firefighters starting at ground level and carrying equipment above the 15th floor can take up to ____ minutes per floor. Firefighters reported when climbing heights over 15 floors they need rehab before engaging in a firefighting assignment
2 minutes per floor
If hose lines will be operating for a extended period of time, a sufficient number of units should be assigned to maintain continuous and uninterrupted water floor
Minimum number of crews or companies 3 units per hose line
A rule that should be strictly enforced when crews are operating on the floors above the fire floor is ?
Each firefighter should carry a spare SCBA cylinder
Initial evacuation consideration for high rise fire should target
The fire floor and 1 or 2 floors above
Marking system when searching according to this book is
1 single line the primary search is done
2 lines, an X, the secondary search is complete
Command post can be established 2 ways in a high rise incident
What are the benefits and drawbacks of lobby CP
Benefit
1. Communications are improved.
2. The IC has first hand knowledge of the events as they occur
3. Face to face with lobby control unit leader
Drawbacks
1. Fire on 1st floor, or basement can make the position untenable due to smoke
2. Small elevator lobby only
3. Access into an interior CP can be impeded by falling glass
Command post can be established 2 ways in a high rise incident
What are the benefits and drawbacks of exterior CP
Benefits
1. View of the building
2. No fire or smoke interference
3. Access easily obtained
Drawbacks
1. Bad communication
2. No face to face ; radio only
3. Difficult exterior location due to surrounding
4. Severe weather conditions
In a high rise fire RIT will operate on what floor
Floor below the fire
Staging area in a high rise building should be a minimum of ____ below the fire floor
2 floors below
At a high rise, base is established on the exterior a minimum of ___ from the fire building to prevent injury
200 feet
A minimum of 2 fire aid stations must be establish in a high rise fire where
- One adjacent to the staging to monitor firefighters as they return from upper floors to replenish their air supply and to monitor those in rehab
- Another one in the vicinity of the lobby to handle building occupants
Ground level master streams are ineffective
Above the 3rd floor
