Fire Officer Handbook of Tactics Part 1 Flashcards
What is the most basic principle of firefighting
Human life takes precedence over all other concerns
Removing an adult victim via portable ladder requires
At least one person on the ladder and in one in the room with the victim
After _____ minutes without oxygen, victims likely suffer brain damage
Four, any longer, death is nearly certain
More lives have been saved by _______ then all other means
Properly positioned and operated hose lines
When insufficient personnel, perform tasks that
Protect the greatest number of human lives first
What advances in treatment of smoke inhalation make it important that we don’t write off civilians too early
Hydrogen cyanide antidotes and Hyperbaric oxygen therapy
Priority of victim removal
Immediate vicinity of the fire-Directly above the fire-Top floor (work back down)-Below the fire
Search of ___ and ___ from fire floor to roof must be immediate priority
Staircases and connecting public hallways
Victims that may have to be removed immediately, even if not in any immediate danger
Emotionally agitated or threatening to jump
What can reduce or eliminate life hazard
Aggressive coordinated fire attack
Ways to reduce life hazards
Remove victims-Vent to draw fire away-Confine fireUsually the best way is to put the fire out
Apartment door must be kept shut until ____ , then advance hoseline for extinguishment
Occupants clear stairway
Sequence of actions for fire incidents
Locate-Confine-Extinguish
What do you need to know before committing yourself to operations
Precisely where you are going
Last rule for firefighting
Let circumstances dictate procedure
When enough personnel are available to perform engine and ladder functions, they must carry out
a coordinated fire attack
Evaluation of problems and conditions that effect the outcome of a fire. Also includes info gathered during preplanning
Size up
When does a proper size up begin and end
When the alarm is received and until the emergency is under control
If a building (brick/wood joist Type 3 or standard wood frame type 5, not lightweight) has been exposed to heavy fire for ___ or more, it may be too dangerous to enter
20 minutes
List of factors affecting size up
ConstructionOccupancyApparatus/PersonnelLife HazardWater SupplyAuxiliary AppliancesStreet ConditionsWeatherExposuresArea (Height)Location/Extent of FireTimeHeight or Hazmat
Factors that will change life hazard (4)
Time of dayOccupancyLocationExtent of Fire
Best method for dealing with high life hazardsWays to accomplish this (4)
Reduce the hazard long before the incident-Occupancy load restrictions-Improve exit facilities-Fire doors/partitions-(Best method) Wet pipe automatic sprinklers
We should only undertake aggressive tactics in response to
High civilian life hazard
About ___ ff killed per 100,000 residential firesAbout ___ ff killed per 100,000 store fires
416
Large spaces should alert ff to possibility of
truss construction (severe collapse hazard)
Most effective way to recall preplan information
Computer aided dispatch
Ways to convey hazards to incoming crews (4)
Dispatcher can read it to units as part of alert-Flash message on video display terminal-Teletype to each unit-Repeat message over radio channels one minute after initial alarm
Hope is not an effective strategy, you have to
plan for the bad things that could happen
Biggest impact time has on ff
elapsed time since the fire began
One of the key elements of size up is our estimate of
how long the fire has been burning and evaluate structures strength in terms of fire resistance
Key indicator of the likelihood of structural collapse
Elapsed burn time
Most difficult of ff traps to predict
Collapse
When does the 20 minutes start (with regard to collapse potential in a fire in Class 3 or 5 structure)
when the fire has reached flashover and is attacking the structural elements
Fire that has not vented from a single window has not been at flashover for very long, generally under
a minute or two
A fire that has not vented or is only out of one or two windows, is usually confined to one room and has been at flashover for
1 to 5 minutes
Fire venting out on two floors typically means (with regard to time elapsed)
prolonged burning (>10 min) or use of accelerant
A sign of advanced fire is burning through
wooden walls
What can cause fire to attack joists or stair stringers from both the top and bottom simultaneously
liquid accelerants
Most important decision you will make as an IC
ordering crews out
Aggressive attack until first in units begin coming out-a problem with this method is
Air bottle method (Class 3 and 5 only)Lightweight construction
What building materials/characteristics have been proven to collapse with as little as 5 minutes fire exposure (4)
-Plywood I-beams-2x4 gusset plate trusses-composite wood/steel trusses-most class 2 buildings with metal C joists or bar joists
It should be dept policy that fire that has reached flashover stage in these lightweight buildings will only be fought from ___ until ___ and ___
defensive positionsfire is knocked downbuilding can be examined
Unprotected steel can fail in as little as
5 minutes
System where dispatcher keeps track of elapsed time and prompts the IC. Forces the IC to recognize time is passing and evaluate/verbalize progress
Time mark system
Time interval radio reports allow (2)
Superior officers to monitor conditions-units responding on additional alarms to be alerted to potential problems and actions that may be required
Implications/Concerns of construction (4)
Degree of compartmentation-Degree to which building contributes to fire load-Number of hidden voids-(Most important) Ability to resist collapse when threatened by fire
Greater compartmentation results in (3)
slower fire spread-difficulty stretching hoselines-chopped up rooms leading to disorientation
Fire that attacks class 2 buildings does not usually separate connections, instead, the steel
weakens/sags
Building class/type where walls, partitions, columns, floors, and roofs are noncombustible. Designed to withstand the effects of fire for a limited time and prevent its spread
Class/Type 1 - Fire Resistive
Building class/type where walls, partitions, columns, floors, and roofs are noncombustible, but less fire resistance than Class 1. Not designed to withstand effects of fire or prevent spread
Class/Type 2 - Noncombustible
Building class/type with masonry or other noncombustible walls with two hour fire resistance rating
Class/Type 3 - Ordinary (Brick and Wood Joist)
Building class/type where exterior walls are masonry or other noncombustible with two hour fire resistance rating. Interior columns, beams, girders and heavy timber
Class/Type 4 - Heavy Timber
In Class/Type 4 construction, columns must be minimum of ___. Floors and roofs are heavy plank at a minimum of ___ inch. Heavy fire load but excellent ___.
8”x8”3”collapse resistance
In true mill construction, a subset of heavy timber, the lack of ___ makes firefighting less complex than ordinary buildings
hidden voids
Building class/type made of wood or other combustibles. Less prone to collapse than noncombustible, more prone to extension
Class/Type 5 - Wood Frame
Two obvious concerns during size up that indicate the max potential fire area
area and height of building
What can help determine true size of a structure (2)
early reports from roof level -party walls are visible from the roof and can tip off ff to irregular shapes/sizes
What has great influence on the tactics used to control a serious fire
physical location of the fire
Locations that create special firefighting problems…why?-top floor of brick/wood joist-below grade-beyond reach of ladder
void space above the Top floor-lack of horizontal ventilation and entire operation performed in hazardous atmosphere limiting working time-access and exterior ventilation problems
Even if the original call reported fire on a different floor, don’t ___
bypass a floor with smoke without investigating the source
If you encounter a full floor of hot smoke and find no fire, there’s a good chance you are ___.Classic indicator of
Above the fireCellar fire
If all floors are pushing heavy smoke and no visible fire, expect fire to be in the
cellar
If heavy, dirty smoke is pushing out of the chimney, especially during non-heating seasons, look at the ___ right away
cellar
Color of smoke indicating presence of petroleum based product
Black smoke
Larger volumes of black smoke at the roof often signal
involvement of the roofing materials
Light to moderate quantities of black smoke in the basement indicate an
oil burner malfunction
Historically, black smoke from residential means ___, that is no longer reliable due to ___.
accelerantplastics
Type of smoke produced when Class A material-has sufficient oxygen-doesn’t have sufficient oxygen
gray to light brown-large amounts of dark grey or yellow…indicative of backdraft especially if under pressure
Heavy rolling clouds, violently twisting skyward indicate (2)
extremely hot smoke from intense fire-frequently followed by fire igniting through openings where smoke is issuing.
Wispy smoke indicates fire in ___ stage
incipient
Smoke that is settling or hanging in low spots indicates
cold smoke; sprinkled areas or fire that is partially or fully extinguished
FF next priority following life hazard
protection of exposures
At times, the conditions that dictate taking a defensive mode isn’t the building or exposure, it is
a limitation on apparatus/personnel or water supply
Most residential rooms have a fire load of ___ lbs of fuel per sq ftLibraries - ___-___ lbs fuel per sq ft
525-30
Each pound of ordinary combustibles gives off ___ to ___ BTU’s when totally consumed
7,000 to 10,000
Each gallon of water absorbs ___ BTU when heated from, 70 degrees to steam
9275
Water application rates increase roughly ___ with plastics
0.5
___ is advantageous to reducing damage to structural elements as well as aiding in search for victims
Speedy knockdown
The presence and serviceability of ___ deserve high priority in any size-up
auxiliary systems
Two immediate ways to reduce the likelihood of a loss in situations where available water delivery systems aren’t enough to extinguish the fire
Survey area in advance and determine minimum required fire flows and develop adequate water delivery systems to apply it.-(much preferred) ensure automatic sprinklers are installed
