Fire Alarm Flashcards
What are the four methods of extinguishing a fire?
Starvation, Cooling, Smothering, Interference
What is starvation?
Depriving the fire of fuel (combustible materials)
What is cooling?
Depriving the fire of heat (applying water)
What is smothering?
Depriving the fire of oxygen
What is interference?
Applying extinguishing agents such as dry chemical
What is a pool fire?
A pool of liquid on a flat surface that is ignited
What is the average time for flashover to occur?
3-5 minutes
What is flashover?
When the heat at the top of the room meets the heat at the bottom of the room, the difference in temp causes an almost instantaneous combustion.
During fire spread, what catches on fire, the fuel or the vapour?
The vapors. Fire can be spread to different materials and objects without direct contact with a flame because the carbon gases ignite
What are the three types of ‘common’ fires?
Ordinary combustibles, flammable liquids, electrical fires
What are the two types of ‘specialty’ fires?
Combustible metals, kitchen/cooking oils
What is a class A fire?
Ordinary combustibles.
- wood, paper, cloth
- Picture is garbage can or wood burning
What is a class B fire?
Flammable liquids.
- For use on gas or oil in a barrel
- Picture is a gas can
What is a class C fire?
Energized electrical equipment.
- C for Current
- Picture is an electrical cord
What is a class D fire?
Combustible metals
- magnesium, potassium, titanium
- Picture is an I beam
What is a class K fire?
Kitchen fires
- cooking oils, fats, or grease
- Picture is a pan on fire
What happens if you use the wrong class of extinguisher on a fire?
Causes exothermic reaction
What is an exothermic reaction?
A chemical reaction that occurs in the form of light or heat.
Ex) adding water to an oil fire causes water to heat extremely fast to the point of steam, steam combusts with oil and causes an explosion
What does PASS stand for?
Pull, aim, squeeze, sweep
What are dry chemicals good for extinguishing?
Chemical reactions between heat and fuel
- Class A, B, and C
What are foam extinguisher agents good for?
Removes oxygen from the equation, good for preventing flashover
- Class A, B, and K
What is the only class that water should be used to extinguish?
Class A, combustible materials
What is the only extinguishing agent allowed for Class D fires?
Class D powder (M28 and L2)
What are wet chemical extinguishing agents used for?
Class A, and Class K fires
What are carbon dioxide extinguishing agents used for?
Class B and class C
What are the only two types of approved extinguishing agents for Class C fires?
Dry chemical and carbon dioxide
What is the main advantage of carbon dioxide extinguishing agents?
Removes heat and dissipates oxygen, removing two of the required four ingredients for a fire, and also leaves no residue
What are the four distinct stages of a fire?
Incipient, smouldering, flame, heat
What is the incipient stage of a fire?
No visible smoke, flame, or heat. Produces ‘aerosols’ (very small changes in particles).
Ionization detector is used on this stage
What is smouldering stage of a fire?
Smoke, but no heat or flame. A fire can smolder for hours. Smoke detector is used for this stage.
What is the flame stage of a fire?
Visible flames, more heat but very little or no smoke.
UV/IR detector would be used in this stage
What is the heat stage of a fire?
Lots of smoke, flame, and heat, as well as toxic gasses.
Transition from stage flame to heat is flashover
Heat detector would be device used
Why is smouldering the deadliest stage of a fire?
Smouldering consumes oxygen and replaces it with toxic gases such as carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, hydrogen cyanide
Who determines the type of FA system used in any building?
BC Building Code. Determined by size of building and type of occupancy
Who publishes the standards for device installation and verification testing?
Underwriters Laboratories of Canada (ULC)
Who gives power to inspect FA installations for compliance?
BC Fire Marshal Act
Who is the Authority Having Jurisdiction?
BC Fire Marshal Act
Which section of the BC Fire Code outlines timelines for fire extinguisher inspection?
Section 6.2
Visually inspected monthly, professionally tested annually
Which detectors from the four stages of a fire are considered life saving devices?
Devices from stages 1 and 2
What does Fire Safety System mean?
Any system whose primary function is to warn against, prevent, or minimize the spread of fire, help evacuate the building occupants and contain or extinguish the fire.
What are the three types of fire safety systems?
Architectural, Mechanical, and Electrical
What is the architectural fire safety system?
Containment, fire resistance rating of structure
What is mechanical fire safety systems?
Automatic extinguishing systems, standpipe and hose systems, smoke removal
What is the electrical fire safety system?
Fire detection and alarm systems, emergency exit lighting, elevator recall
Which standard references How many, where, and how to install system components?
CAN/ULC S524 Standard for the Installation of Fire Alarms
Which standard tells how to verify systems?
CAN/ULC S537 Standard for the Verification of Fire Alarm Systems
What are the major groups of classification of buildings?
Assembly, institutional, residential, business and personal service, mercantile, industrial
When is a FA system required regardless of building classification?
-More than three storeys
- Occupant load larger than 300 excluding open air stadiums
- College or childcare facility with occupant load of more than 40
- Contained use area like prison
- Rec buildings or dining halls
- Licensed beverage establishment with occupant load of over 150
- Industrial areas
- Residential occupancy with sleeping acommodation for more than 10 people
What are the three main parts of every FA system?
IDCs, Control Panel, SDC’s
What is an IDC and its function?
Initiating Device Circuits.
- Acts an input to FA control unit
- Mostly automatic detectors like heat, smoke, or flame detectors
- Flow switch responds to movement of water inside sprinkler pipes.
- Integrated with systems like pull stations
What is an SDC and its function?
Signaling Device Circuit
- Acts as output
- Produces audible and/or visual alarm ex) bells and speakers, strobes, sirens
- Used to stimulate eyes and ears
What are the main functions of the FACU?
- Accept low current signals from initiating devices
- Operate audible and visual signal devices
- Provide electrical supervision of all field wiring
- Perform other ancillary and auxiliary functions
What are the two sources of energy required for FACU?
Primary and Standby
What is Primary Power?
Hard wired, AC connection to power
What is Standby Power?
Battery backup system. If power is lost for 15 seconds then backup/standby power comes on
What are Annunciators and their function?
- A visual/audible device that indicates alarms and other conditions. Located at the main entry of a building.
- Provides clear indication of zone and fault in the alarm system
What are Ancillary devices?
Building components and devices that are not part of the FA system, but controlled by it to serve life saving function
ex) Magnetic door latch, elevator recall or capture, mag lock release, damper control for HVAC, fan control
What are the requirements for a backup battery capacity?
Able to be in standby mode for 24 hours, and in alarm for 5 minutes
What is an Auxiliary Circuit?
Ties from the FACU to the City-tie module (CTM). Upon activation of alarm, relay will notify the monitoring service/fire department
What are the three types of communication styles for FA systems?
Simplex, Half-duplex, Full-duplex
What is simplex communication?
One directions, sends > receives
What is half-duplex communication
Exists between the FACU and the remote annunciator. Can be in both directions but only one direction at a time.
What is full-duplex communication?
Exists between FACU and all firefighter telephones in a system. Communication in both directions at the same time