Garden Apartment Manual Flashcards
This type of insulation can add to the fire spread as well as create a smoldering rekindle hazard
Blown-in insulation
Typically the roof truss system is supported with
the front (side A) and rear (side C) load
bearing walls.
may contribute to vertical and horizontal fire spread
Vinyl and wood
siding
Primary danger from explosion due to gas leak
Collapse and flying debris
distance used when establishing a collapse zone
1.5 times the building
Third engine should take a line to:
Floor above the fire
When examining the balcony/terrace to use as an entry point what are the considerations
The fire should typically be in the rear bedroom area.
The fire should typically be on the 1st or 2nd floor apartment.
The apartment should be accessible via no more than a 24-foot ladder.
The apartment door to the common hallway must be closed.
The apartment has a safe balcony or terrace entrance.
Garden apartments, applies to a specific group of buildings, anywhere from ____ to ____ stories in height, with each floor housing ___ to ____ units.
2-5, 1-4
What is the best means of planning vehicular access to garden apartments?
Pre-incident knowledge
During what building period were apartment complexes constructed of predominately ordinary construction with masonry walls?
1940’s and 1950’s
Most alarm systems in garden apartments are _____ alarm systems.
Local
Modern garden apartments can have ____ sprinkler systems. These are required due to height, access, or large floor area.
13R
______ _______ is the number one priority for Firefighters?
Life Hazard
Windows in the 1980’s or new construction are typically _______?
double or triple-layered, insulated glass with vinyl frames
Balconies in garden apartments with ordinary construction are of two general types. They are:
extended and recessed
_______ can contribute to vertical and horizontal fire spread and creates a severe exterior exposure problem.
Vinyl and wood siding
Lack of _________ increases the hazard for those crews attempting to locate, confine, and extinguish the fire, as well as the search and rescue for trapped occupants.
familiarity
A quick knock-down of the vinyl siding or wooden balconies from the exterior, may prevent the fire from entering through the:
Roof soffit, windows, and doors.
Vertical voids such as pipe chases in kitchens and baths are one of the ________ means by which fire extends in Garden Apartments.
Primary
In Garden Apartments, Sprinklers are normally only required in _______
Living Areas
_________ ___________ apartments are where large three or four-bedroom apartments occupy portions of quadrants A, B, and C while smaller efficiency apartments occupy part of the B and C quadrants
Wrap Around
When establishing the collapse zone, a factor of _______ times the height of the wall should be considered.
1.5
It is quite common to find storage, laundry, trash and utility rooms in the _____________ of the garden apartment building.
Basement
The second due engine shall ensure that a ______ is established.
Water Supply
Advancing the attack line in the enclosed stairwell through the front door should be ____________ if occupants of the building are actually in the stairwell.
Delayed
______ ______ allow fire issuing from windows to extend into the attic area.
Soffit Vents
Smoke issuing from the _______ ________ area of an exterior wall may indicate that fire has breached the truss floor space.
Band Board
Most common cause of fires originating in the attic/cockloft are: _____?
Lightning strikes, Electrical malfunctions, Bird nests, Roofers/Plumbers
How deep are garden apartments typically?
50 feet
Smoke showing from more than one stairwell may be an indication of a____ ?
Basement/terrace level fire
What is the most effective way to ventilate a closed stairwell?
Rooftop ventilation over the stairwell. Opening small windows in the stairwell. Through a top floor apartment after it has been cleared of occupants. Through a top floor apartment assisted by positive pressure ventilation (PPV).
The void space in flat roof construction is commonly referred to as the:
Cock loft
What is the response for a garden apartment fire?
4 engines, 2 Trucks, 1 Rescue, 2 BC, 1 EMS Supervisor, 1 command aide, 1 EMS unit
The first due engine on a second alarm reports to?
Staging area
What are the three distinct building periods?
1940s through 1950s, 1960s through 1970s, 1980s through present
Due to limited space,_________ are sufficient to handle the tasks in any one apartment
2 companies
Outside vent crews should cautiously push window air conditioners in from the outside as many fire ______have been found at the base of windows.
victims
Garden apartments built during the _____produced almost exclusively lightweight wood-frame construction containing wood stairwells and some form of combustible materials for siding.
1980s-present
In flat roofs the beams normally run from the_____of the garden apartment building to the______, typically with no parapets at the firewall separations.
Front, back
Apartment complexes built in the 1960’s and 1970’s was predominately;
Wood-frame construction with masonry veneer walls
Apartments built in the 1960’s and 1970’s have windows in the exterior walls that may not have brick veneer over or under them. Plywood or some other type of combustible siding is used over the window, which extends to the window above and all the way up to the soffit overhang. This area is called the _______________ space.
Spandrel
Light wood frame construction is subject to early failure and has two distinct factors with regards to potential for collapse. These factors are;
Presence of lightweight trusses and fire entering void spaces.
The five basic firefighting strategies are:
Rescue, Exposures, Confinement, Extinguishment and Overhaul.
Fires in the _____ of a garden apartment pose the greatest danger to occupants?
Terrance/basement level
Deployment of a cellar nozzle on basement fires would normally be avoided in:
Lightweight frame construction
The most effective method of clearing smoke from a stairway enclosed in glass is by;
Cutting a hole in the roof over the stairwell and punching out the ceiling below (vertical ventilation).
When roof top venting is ordered, someone should be assigned to a:
Safety Watch
Ladders for egress at apartment buildings will normally be thrown to the______first
Bedroom windows
Smoke issuing from the band board area of an exterior wall may indicate that a fire has breached the:
Truss floor space
In general, apparatus should position ____________________, preferably on the _____________ side of the street.
Single file / fire side
Elevated master stream operations pose a serious safety hazard. The following action(s) should be taken prior to operating this stream.
A safe zone should be established opposite from the stream and and personnel should be required to stand guard to keep everyone out.
A ________ is an indicator that a unit is occupied if it is in use.
Safety chain
What is the estimated fire flow rate for garden apartment fire?
10 GPM per 100 Square foot
Fire spread to exposure apartments_________to and _________ is a major concern
Adjacent and above
Vertical voids such as __________ are one of the primary means by which fire extends in garden apartments.
Pipe chases in kitchens and baths
Ventilation at garden apartment fires is most often accomplished via ____ and _____ openings?
Windows and balcony doors
The primary purpose of the initial attack line is typically to advance to the seat of the fire for __________ and __________:
Confinement and extinguishment
How many hose lines can be advanced over a single ground ladder?
1
________streams are more efficient in exterior exposure protection.
Narrow fog
_________ door forcing tools were developed and designed for inward opening metal frame doors
Hydraulic-style
If fire has entered the attic in lightweight truss construction, fire department members should be _________ or _____ via aerial device or tower ladder?
Supported or tethered
When ventilation of an enclosed stairwell is required, the sidewalk should be used for orientation and the hole should be placed ____ to _____ feet from the eave?
5 to 8 feet
The _____ level is usually laid out differently than the rest of the building.
Lowest level/terrace
Fire walls are constructed two types:
Masonry and gypsum board
Life safety is typically achieved through aggressive____ and____.
Interior fire attack, primary search
If fire is showing from the balcony, ladders should be placed to the:
Bedroom window
Third engine should take a line to:
Floor above the fire
If an explosion resulting from a gas leak occurs what is the primary danger?
Collapse and flying debris
The compartmentalization and the fire loading generally found within garden apartments suggest that what type of hose line is effective in extinguishment of most content fires?
1 ¾ - inch attack line
On a garden apartment fire if the first due engine arrives before the first due truck that is traveling in the opposite direction, what must happen?
The engine must stop short of the involved unit
What action may result in fire department operations being initiated in an apartment and then realizing the fire is originating from below?
Failing to identify the lowest fire floor
What type of building would make you consider advancing a hoseline to a balcony or through a terrace entrance rather than through the front door?
A garden apartment fire on a lower floor with an enclosed stairwell
During fire operations in an apartment complex what is a consideration for the engine responsible for water supply?
The water main size is reduced the further the piping goes into the complex
What is used to prevent or extinguish fire spread into any attached exposure and to also to be used to prevent exterior spread or auto-exposure?
Exposure Line
A hazard associated with a well involved attic fire is the collapse of _____ to the outside area or underlying balconies?
The overhang (soffit)
On a garden apartment fire who has the duty of laddering and ventilation on the side of the building where the fire is located?
First due truck
When roof top ventilation is ordered in a garden apartment fire, someone will be assigned to safety watch; their duties include
They only observe the crew and monitor the progress of the fire
In a garden apartment fire, what is the priority placement of ladders for egress?
Bedrooms on the side of the building which the fire is located
In a garden apartment fire, when using the aerial to ladder the roof what is the target for placement of the ladder?
Over the stairwell
When assigned to a special service on a garden apartment fire where the garage is not involved, what is the reasoning behind the strategy of breaching a closed garage door in the center about three-quarters of the way up from the bottom?
Gaining access to the overhead door manual release
In a garden apartment fire, what is a primary consideration that must take place before water is flowed from a master stream?
The involved area has been evacuated and personnel are accounted for
On a garden apartment fire, the 3rd engine is responsible for secondary water supply, visual inspection of side opposite 1st Engine, and line to:
Floor above the fire
When verifying location of the fire, the company officer must identify:
Lowest floor of involvement
What is the primary means for line advancement of the initial attack line in a garden apartment with an open stairwell?
Door of the involved apartment
If the initial line was deployed over the balcony, the second line may enter the stairwell and stand by the apartment door. This is one of the few times the second line may not follow the same path as the initial line. What is the reason for not taking the same path as the initial attack line?
So it can be re-deployed quickly to floor above
Which exposure apartments are of major concern regarding fire spread?
Adjacent and above
When fire occurs in a basement that runs the entire length of several addresses, where should crews be assigned?
At both ends
What is one of the primary means by which fire extends in garden apartments?
Pipe chases in kitchens and baths
With the discovery of fire in the floor or ceiling void space, what should be a priority to avoid collapse potential?
Opening voids
Advancing the attack line in an enclosed stairwell through the front door should be delayed if:
Occupants of the building are in the stairwell
If the second line was needed for back-up, where shall the third line be deployed to?
The area or floor above the fire
What should be the first option to attack an attic fire?
Place hose line at the level of the fire into the attic
Ladders for egress will normally be thrown to bedroom windows first (front and rear), however, there are two exceptions to laddering bedroom windows:
When fire is showing from the window or if the ladder would be exposed to flame impingement from below
When using vertical ventilation on pitched roofs, where should the hole be cut?
Directly over the stairwell
Before any water is allowed to flow from master streams:
Evacuate and account for all personnel
With fire conditions advancing vertically, where should you initiate your attack using a master stream?
Initiate attack at top, working stream down to seat of fire
Garden apartments built in the 1940’s and 1950’s typically do not exceed four stories and ___ feet in height on the addressed side?
50
Where is it preferable for firefighters to enter the building?
At or below the level of the fire
When should the balcony/terrace door alternative not be used?
Smoke/heat/fire has already compromised the stairwell
What are the greatest factors that will drive the tactical decision-making process on a garden apartment fire?
Location and extent of the fire
What is the only tactic that should delay locating the fire?
Obvious Critical rescue
When examining the balcony/terrace to use as an entry point what is one of the considerations?
The apartment is on the first or second floor
With the exception of ordinary construction, what is the purpose of most of the bricks you see in garden apartments?
Veneer
Hydraulic-style door forcing tools were developed and designed for _______ opening doors and constructed of ___________.
Inward ; metal door and metal frame
Garden apartments is the Northern Virginia area have distinct building construction types. Apartments built in the 1940s and 1950s were predominately __________construction, those built in the 1960s and 1970s were predominately __________ construction and those built from the 1980s to current are predominantly ____________ construction.
Ordinary ; wood frame ; lightweight wood frame
Where is it quite common to find a laundry room in a garden apartment?
In the basement
Which garden apartment construction type has less potential for early collapse when compared to the other two?
Ordinary
Typically, how many units are sufficient to handle the tasks in any one apartment?
2 Units
Garden apartments of Ordinary construction typically do not exceed ____ ft in height.
50
Rain scuppers above the roofline and cockloft vents below the roofline identify the ____.
Roof level
In regard to “Hip style” roofs, how many walls are load bearing?
All 4
What is a good indication of the location of the boiler room in a Garden Apartment?
Size-up of the chimney at the roofline
Sprinkler systems in garden apartments can cause ____.
Increase in cold smoke and thermal balance disruption
Typical of roofs constructed in the 80’s or later, ________ can create concentrated loads on the roof in a garden apartment.
Dormers and cross gables
If the fire is showing from the bedroom windows of an apartment with no balcony, crews should ladder the ____.
Largest window not showing fire
Who is responsible for secondary water supply, checking for extension and visual inspection of the opposite side of the 1st due Engine?
3rd due Engine
If the truck is entering the block from the opposite direction of the first due engine it is imperative that _____.
The engine stops short of the involved unit
The company officer must ensure they have identified ____.
The lowest level of fire involvement
The primary purpose of the initial attack line is_______.
To advance to the seat of the fire for confinement and extinguishment
What is the common garden apartment configuration?
A stairwell, foyer and four apartments. Either walk through foyer or enclosed foyer. Pg 3
What are common types of roofs found on garden apartments?
Gabled, flat, newer roofs with cross Gables and dormers. Page 2
What may be different in the lowest level/terrace level apartment then the rest of the garden apartment?
May only have rear or side exterior access with no access to the interior stairwell. Pg 5
What is a unique hazard of storage rooms in Garden Apartments
Storage bins may only be 2 x 4 studs with wire mesh to separate them and may contain many flammable or hazardous materials. Page 6
What garden apartments apartment floor plan is increasing in popularity?
Two story apartment
What is characteristic of garden apartments from the 1940s until the 1970s?
They consistent primarily of rental units with included utility fees. Large main electrical room and gas meter could be found in the basement with smaller electrical panel in each individual apartment. Page 6
What happened in the 1980s and 1990s to many of the older garden apartments?
Were renovated and converted to condominiums and made available for sale. Will usually have independent utility meters in a bank located in the basement of the building. Page 6 to 7
What is characteristic of a flat roof cockloft fire?
Minimal fire spread from side to side but considerable spread from front to back.
40’s and 50’s ordinary construction walls are two walls of bricks aka _____ tied together with a header course
Two Wythes
What time frame were basements typically eliminated and replaced with concrete slabs?
In the 1980s and later when construction costs begin to skyrocket. Page 23
The first line for exterior fires on Garden Apartments should be where?
Exterior performing a quick knockdown while the second line its placed into the building. Pg 31
In the case of inside gas meters that have their own
unique set of hazards, crews should simultaneously control the gas at
the meter and the curb box.
Besides life hazard what is another high priority strategic goal for Garden Apartments?
Property conservation due to many apartment dwellers not having renters insurance and may lose everything. Page 36
What should be the initial action of the first arriving unit for a gas fed fire?
Turn off the gas at the meter. Pg32
When is vertical ventilation warranted in garden apartment fires?
When the stairwell becomes charged with high heat and smoke, the fire is on the top floor, or fire has entered the attic/cockloft. Page 37
Given the diverse layout of many garden apartment buildings, in particular the buildings
of the last decade, it will be imperative for the first in units to clearly establish
the best means of
access to the fire area.
How should the first due engine position?
In a position to allow for rapid advancement of hose lines while leaving priority position for the truck. Page 39
In general how should apparatus position along the street?
Single file preferably on the fire side. Page 41
What must be communicated command as early as possible?
The unit number on fire in its relation to the rest of the apartments in the building. Page 42
What is the typical initial hoseline deployment for a garden department fire?
Line 1 is the attack line. Like 2 is the back up line/line above the fire. Line 3 is the top floor/attic line. Line for is the RIT/standby line. Page 43 Figure 44
When should the balcony/terrace door alternate fire attack method NOT be used?
If smoke or fire has already compromised the stairwell. If the balcony is crowded with furniture or other items. Page 48
When examining the balcony/terrace door option, consider the following:
The fire should typically be in the rear bedroom area.
The fire should typically be on the 1st or 2nd floor apartment.
The apartment should be accessible via no more than a 24-foot ladder.
The apartment door to the common hallway must be closed.
The apartment has a safe balcony or terrace entrance.
______ are more efficient in exterior exposure protection.
Narrow fog streams
What is smoke showing from more than one stairwell in indication of?
A basement/terrace level fire. Page 53
In attic fires under gable roof, the roof design tends to ____
“Burn away” pg 62
If the first do special arrives with or before the first due engine what are they responsible for?
Forcible entry, locating the fire, primary search, ventilation, laddering, checking for extension, salvage an overhaul. Page 69
What should the officer of the specialties notify command of regarding the search?
When the primary search of the fire apartment is completed and after the primary search of the remaining apartments on the fire floor are completed. Pg 69
What is the purpose of forcible entry?
To perform primary search, allow access for attack lines, and to check for extension. Page 70
Where is the ventilation priority for a garden apartment fire?
The fire apartment and the apartment above the fire. Primarily accomplished using horizontal methods. Page 71
What is the next ventilation priority after the fire apartment and the floor above?
Ventilation of the enclosed stairwell. Page 72
What are the best options for ventilating an enclosed stairwell?
Rooftop ventilation over the stairwell, opening small windows in the stairwell, through a top floor apartment, through the top floor apartment assisted by PPV. Page 72
When is VEIS effective in a garden apartment?
When there’s fire involvement in the living room and kitchen. Page 76
Search crew entering the A quadrant apartment would want to follow which wall?
The left side. There will be typically no windows on the wall dividing the A and B quadrant or the D and C quadrant or the B and C quadrant.Page 77
Many windows, particularly in buildings constructed during the 1960s and 1970s, have
windowsills that are about
5 feet from the floor
Who may be responsible for locating the fire?
The first due special. Page 77
What are things crews attempting to locate the fire may look for?
Smoke or black stains around the door frames, listen for the apartment smoke detectors, and feel the top of each apartment door for heat. Page 77
A thorough check of extension must be made in garden apartment buildings because:
The fire may often
travel from floor to floor to attic via utility shafts and hidden voids. Look under sinks, behind
kitchen and bathroom cabinets, and around the HVAC, Figure 88.
When laddering a balcony, what should be considered?
Ladder the wall beside the balcony to reach multiple balconies at a steeper angle. The tip should be secured when using this method. Page 80
What is an option to ventilate a basement level fire when there is no exterior entrance?
Place an exhaust fan over an existing window well hole. PG 80
What are hazards in garden apartment attic fires?
Lightweight construction collapse, oversize decorative dormers, water heaters and HVAC systems in the attic, along with double layer drywall. Page 81
What may be applied to running attic fires where the fire stopp is compromised or does not exist?
Trench cut. Page 82
Where will the aerial turntable be positioned for offense operations?
In the center of the fire quadrant. Page 83
If fire conditions are advancing vertically how should the fire be attacked?
Top down attack. Initiate attack at the top working down to the seat of the fire. PG 84
What is over the top exposure protection?
Utilizing the aerial master stream to spray water on the exposure by extending over the involved garden apartment. Aerial may also be used to extinguish fire. Page 85 (figure 97)
