Fire Prevention And Protection, 10% Flashcards
A systematic approach to fire protection systems’ inspection, testing and maintenance should follow guidelines established by the manufacturer and what organization?
NFPA
The National Fire Protection Association
US-based technical and educational organization
Who develops the National Building Code and National Fire Code in Canada?
How often?
NRC
The National Research Council.
Revision & update q5 years
What is ‘Fire Load’?
Fire Load is a calculated value to determine fire risk.
The mass of materials multiplied by the calories of the materials, all divided by the area.
Higher numbers equate to higher risk.
Fire Loads are used to determine fire suppression requirements, such as sprinkler flow rates.
What is the Underwriters Laboratories of Canada?
An independent, not-for-profit
Tests products and adds a stamp to demonstrate that product has met requirements.
Who are Factory Mutual?
FM is a group of 4 insurance companies that provide engineering and inspection services, as well as standards development.
They stipulate good loss control practices as a requirement for issuance of manufacturing insurance.
Discuss EMA and FEMA.
FEMA is the federal agency in the US responsible for emergency management.
The PSEPC (public safety and emergency planning Canada) is the Canadian FEMA. They operate under the Emergency Management Act (EMA)
What is the CSA?
Canadian Standards Association?
A Canadian Not-For-Profit association that develops standards.
Most organizations that develop standards are not-for-profits
Define Fire Resistance in construction safety
How the building structure is designed to handle normal fire loads.
Contain the spread of smoke and fire gases.
Prevent excessive heat flow over a reasonable period of time.
Define Combustibility in construction safety
Three aspects:
- fuel contributed
- flame spread
- smoke developed
Define Fire Load in construction safety
Measurement of maximum heat produced if all combustibles in an area burn.
Used to calculate levels of fire suppression.
Define Compartmentalization in construction safety
Method of controlling fires through use of firewalls and fire resistant windows/doors.
What is a means of egress?
The method of exiting somewhere.
What is the NFPA 101 Life Safety Code
The National Fire Protection Association (US-based)
guidelines for occupancies, means of egress, and building fire protection requirements.
What is a point of safety as used in the NFPA 101 Life Safety Code?
A location that is protected by an automatic sprinkler system either within the exit enclosure or in another portion of the building that is separated by smoke barriers and a 30+ minute fire resistance rating.
What is the fire tetrahedron?
Fire triangle - evolved
Fuel
Heat
Oxygen
Chemical Chain Reaction
How much oxygen is in the normal environment?
21%
What materials release oxygen in decomposition?
Oxidizing chemicals, such as silver nitrate
How is a fire started?
Heat is transferred to a fuel by:
- conduction
- convection
- radiation
If the heat transferred is equal or greater than the ignition temperature, then combustion will start
What are the four stages of fire?
- Incipient
Immediately after ignition. - Growth
Fire heat ignites more fuel through convection and radiation. - Fully Developed
Fire spreads over all available fuel and temperatures reach peak.
Available oxygen is rapidly consumed. - Decay
Fire consumes all available fuel and temperatures begin to decrease.
What are the most common causes of accidental fires?
1, Cooking
2, Heating equipment
3, Electrical
4, Smoking materials
What is the most common cause of death in fires?
Smoke inhalation (not the burns).
What are 3 types of physical explosion?
- Compressed Gas Vapour Explosion
- Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapour Explosion (BLEVE)
- Rapid Phase Transition Explosion
What is a Compressed Gas Vapour Explosion?
When there is a release of pressurized gas from a ruptured pressure vessel.
What is a BLEVE? (context, explosion)
Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapour Explosion.
A pressure vessel, containing high temperature liquid ruptures. The liquid is suddenly released and instantaneously boils and expands as is transitions from high to low pressure.
What is a Rapid Phase Transition Explosion?
When a cryogenic liquid is exposed to a hotter environment.
What are 3 types of chemical explosion?
- Homogeneous Chemical Explosions
- Deflagration
- Detonation
What is a Homogeneous Chemical Explosion?
When a chemical reaction takes place throughout an entire material all at once.
What is Deflagration?
An exothermic reaction which produces heat that moves from hot reaction gases to unreacted material.
This is usually accompanied by fire.
*Deflagration and detonation can occur together.
What is Detonation?
A transfer of energy caused by the compression of a high velocity and high temperature shockwave. These are always destructive and associated with fire.
*Deflagration and detonation can occur together
What are the five components required for a dust explosion?
Fuel
Dispersion/mixing
Confinement
Oxidant
Ignition Source
What is the main strategy of a fire safety management program?
According to NFPA 550.
Objectives:
- Life Safety
- Property Conservation
- Business Continuity
Achieved by:
- Prevention of fire ignition
- Management of Fire Impact
What are the 8 elements of a fire safety program?
- Inspections
- Education and Training
- Fire Suppression
- Emergency Services
- Evaluation of Fire Possibility
- Fire Prevention
- Reports and Record Keeping
- Communication
Identify two agencies that provide 24 hour HAZMAT spill information in Canada.
CHEMTREC
- Created by chemical industry
- Primarily in North America
CANUTEC
- Canadian
- Operated by Transport Canada under TDG Act
Differentiate fixed temperature and rate of rise heat detectors.
Fixed temperature detectors (spot detectors and line detectors) are intended for use in small areas.
Rate of rise detectors are best where a relatively fast developing fire is expected.
What are common types of smoke detectors?
Ionizing radiation detectors use alpha radiation to detect invisible and visible smoke particles. (immersion 241)
*particularly useful to detect earliest stages of a fire
Photoelectric smoke detectors use a beam of light to detect visible smoke.
Discuss flame detectors.
Flame detectors are used to “see flames”.
- IR Flame Detectors
very sensitive, fast to respond, can false alarm with sunlight or other IR. - US Flame Detectors are not sensitive to heat/sunlight etc.
React to welding flashes and other UV sources. Can be blinded by thick smoke or vapours.
Discuss air sampling smoke detectors.
Often considered to be the most reliable and valid measure of fire intensity.
Common in data centers and server rooms.
Continuous draw of air from sampling points to a sensor with a xenon lamp which senses air particulates.
How do wet pipe water sprinklers work?
Water in pipes under pressure.
An ampule of a glycerin liquid expands & ruptures when heated - causing water release.
Water release is usually 20-25 gallons per minute.
How do dry pipe water sprinklers work?
Air or nitrogen in pipes under pressure.
An ampule of a glycerin liquid expands & ruptures when heated - causing release of the air which is then followed by water.
Water release is usually 20-25 gallons per minute.
System must be dried and recharged after use.
Disadvantage is ~60s delay in water being released.
Advantage is no risk of water freezing in pipes.
What is a deluge sprinkler system?
Sprinkler heads are always open. System is activated by another system (electric, pneumatic or hydraulic).
When the other system activates the sprinklers - all sprinklers activate.
What is a pre-action sprinkler system?
Combination of a dry-pipe system and a deluge system.
- Glycerin ampules are at sprinkler heads
- Air/nitrogen in pipes
- A central system must activate water supply
- If fire detected, then central system activates water supply, and only sprinkler heads with ruptured ampules release water.
This system is used in areas with high-value water sensitive materials.
What precautions are required for sprinkler system maintenance/inspection?
- Must notify fire department
- Recommended to be at less busy times (evenings/weekends
- Alternative water/firefighting tactics should be in place in case of emergency
What are the three most common type of sprinkler head?
- Glass bulb heads
- Fusible link heads
- Deluge heads
Glass bulb contain glycerin and will rupture at a set temperature.
Fusible links have metal links held together by solder. Solder will melt at known temperature.
Deluge are always open.
What are some basic standpipe and hose systems?
Standpipes can be wet or dry systems.
Dry systems only contain water when active and have a variety of automatic/manual types.
What are the classes of fire extinguishers?
- Class A
Wood, paper, cloth, trash, ordinary materials
(ash) - Class B
Oil, gasoline, paint
(black smoke) - Class C
Electrical
(current) - Class D
Metals
(dent / durable) - Class K
Cooking oils, animal fats
(kitchen)
Discuss water and foam as used in firefighting.
Water reduces heat to fight fire.
Foam separates oxygen from fire by smothering.
Most common film foaming:
AFFF - aqueous film-forming foam
FFFP - film forming fluoro-protein foam
Discuss types of fire extinguishers.
CO2 - removes oxygen from fire with a very cold discharge of CO2
Use on
Dry chemicals interrupt the chemical chain reaction of a fire.
Use on A, B, and C fires.
Dry Powder extinguishers spread monoammonium phosphate, which spreads over the flames, melts and creates a barrier between heat and oxygen.
Use on type D fires only.
Wet chemicals remove heat and create a batter between oxygen and fuel.
Use on A and/or K fire depending upon chemical type.
Clean Agent & Halogenated extinguishers interrupt the fire chemical reaction.
Use on type D & C fires. Sometimes A, B, and C.
Water mist extinguishers remove heat from fire. Steam then helps reduce oxygen. They are a clean alternative to Clean Agent extinguishers.
Cartridge operated dry chemical extinguishers interrupt the chemical chain reaction and create a barrier between oxygen and fuel.
Use on A, B, C fires
What are the 5 basic responsibilities of fire brigades?
- Supervise evacuation drills
- Operate firefighting equipment
- Provide on-scene emergency first aid and CPR
- Conduct inspections
Implement emergency shutdown procedures
What is ICS and what is it for?
Context: emergency management.
Incident Command System
Creates a command center to handle incidents without being hindered by jurisdiction/political boundaries.
1 - Ensure responder safety
2 - Ensure achievement of objectives
3 - Ensure efficient use of resources
Courses are common:
ICS 100 (basic support roles)
ICS 200 (for people working in ICS)
ICS 300 (for supervisors within ICS)
ICS 400 (Command staff within ICS)
Discuss safety officers within ICS
There is only one safety officer in an ICS (incident command system)
- monitor safety conditions
- assess hazards
- develop measures to assure safety
- advise commander on safety issues
- work closely with operations
What is a backdraft?
Rapid introduction of oxygen into an oxygen depleted combustion environment.
Can be considered to be a type of flashover.
What are combustible liquids and flammable liquids?
Combustible liquids have a flashpoint of 100°F.
Flammable liquids have a flashpoint below 100°F and have a vapour pressure less than 40 psi.
What is a flashover?
A transition to a state of total surface involvement in a fire of combustible materials within an enclosure.
What is a flashpoint?
The lowest temperature at which a liquid fuel will give off enough vapour to mix with air and burn.
note: fuel will not burn as a liquid.
What are flammable limits & ranges?
(flammable explosive limits)
There are lower flammable limits and upper flammable limits.
UFL/LFL
aka UEL/LEL (explosive)
The difference between them is the flammable range.
What is pyrophoric?
(context fire safety)
A material that can ignite spontaneously when exposed to air.
What is Public Safety Canada
A federal Canadian organization mandated to assist Canadians and communities in protecting themselves from emergencies and disasters.
Operating under the Emergency Management Act.
What is pyrolysis?
Pyrolysis is where heat causes the production of “free radicals” from a fuel. The “free radicals” are released from the fuel and burn in a gas form, creating the flame of a fire.
What are the three forms of heat transferrance?
Conduction (direct contact)
Convection (through a medium such as a gas or liquid)
Radiation (electromagnetic waves)
What are the four basic categories of ignition?
Thermal
Electrical
Chemical (exothermic reactions)
Mechanical (friction or material fractures)
In ICS, what are the:
ICP
Base
Staging Area
Camp
- Incident Command Post (ICP)
(primary tactical level where incident command functions are performed. There may be more than one ICP and they may be within the Base) - Base
(location of primary logistical functions. There can only be one base) - Staging Area
(where resources are placed while awaiting tactical assignment) - Camp
(eating & sleeping area for personnel)
