Glossary Flashcards
Small fire apparatus mounted on a pickup-truck-sized chassis, usually with a pump having a rated capacity less than 500 gpm. Its primary advantage is speed and mobility, which enables it to respond to fires more rapidly than larger apparatus.
Mini-Pumper
Apparatus sized between a mini-pumper and a full-sized department pumper, usually with a gross vehicle weight of 12,000 pounds or greater. The _______has a fire pump rated capacity generally not greater than 1,000 gpm.
Midi-Pumper
Apparatus that serves as an engine and as a ladder truck; equipped with a fire pump, water tank, ground ladders, hose bed, and aerial device
Quint
Keeping equipment or apparatus in a state of usefulness or readiness.
Maintenance
To restore or put together something that has become inoperable or out of place
Repair
Inspecting an apparatus and equipment on the apparatus to ensure that all equipment is in place, clean and ready for service.
Operational Readiness Inspection
A visual inspection of an apparatus to ensure the major components of the chassis are present and in proper working condition.
Pretrip Road Worthiness Inspection
An electrical monitoring system that will shed electrical load in a predetermined order if the chassis voltage begins to drop below a predetermined level.
Load Management System
Operations of equipment or a conductor in excess of its rated ampacity; continuous ____ may result in overheating that damages the equipment.
Overload
Device in an electrical system that turns lights on at specified intervals, so that the start-up load for all of the devices does not occur at the same time.
Load Sequencer
Device that “watches” an electrical system for added loads that may threaten to overload the system.
Load Monitor
When an overload condition occurs, the load monitor will shut down less important electrical equipment to prevent the overload.
Load Shedding
Devices used in an air brake system that connect between the activation pads and the brake pads that compensate for brake pad wear.
Slack Adjusters
A specific inspection to an area of a chassis or apparatus to ensure that the unit is operating properly in accordance with the manufacture’s initial design.
Post-Maintenance/Repair Inspection
An act of proceeding to do something with a conscious awareness of danger, while ignoring any potential consequences of so doing.
Reckless Disregard
Breach of duty in which a person or organization fails to perform at the standard required by law, or that would be expected by a reasonable person under similar circumstances.
Negligence
Loss of braking function which occurs due to excessive use of the brakes
Brake Fade
Angle formed by level ground and a line from the point where the front tires touch the ground to the lowest projection at the front of the apparatus.
Angle of Approach
Angle formed by level ground and a line from the point where the rear tires touch the ground to the lowest projection at the rear of the apparatus
Angle of Departure
Angle formed by level ground and a line from the point where the rear tires touch the ground to the bottom on the frame at the wheelbase midpoint
Breakover Angle
Operation where a strong hydrant is used to supply two pumpers by connecting the pumpers intake-to-intake. The second pumper receives the excess water not being pumped by the first pumper, which is directly connected to the water supply source.
Dual Pumping
Short relay operation in which the pumper taking water from the supply source pumps water into the intake of the second pumper; the second pumper then boosts the pressure of the water even higher. This method is used when pressures higher than the capability of a single pump are required.
Tandem Pumping
Ability of an apparatus to traverse a body of standing water. Apparatus specifications should list the specific water depths through which trucks must be able to drive.
Fording
Force per unit area exerted by a liquid or gas measured in pounds per square inch (psi) or kilopascals (kPa)
Pressure
Simple measure of weight, usually expressed in pounds or kilograms.
Force
Force created by the rapid deceleration of water; causes a violent increase in pressure that can be powerful enough to rupture piping or damage fixtures. Generally results from closing a valve or nozzle too quickly.
Water Hammer
Generic term applied to any nozzle, wye, Siamese, deluge monitor, or other piece of hardware used in conjunction with fire hose for the purpose of delivering water.
Appliance
Self-priming pump that utilizes a piston or interlocking rotors to move a given amount of fluid through the pump chamber with each stroke of the piston or rotation of the rotors. Used for hydraulic pumps on aerial devices’ hydraulic systems and for priming pumps on centrifugal fire pumps.
Positive Displacement Pump
Positive-displacement pump using one or more reciprocating pistons to force water from the pump chambers
Piston Pump
Type of positive displacement pump commonly used in hydraulic systems. A rotor with attached vanes is mounted off-center inside the pump housing; pressure is imparted on the water as the space between the rotor and the pump housing wall decreases.
Rotary Vane Pump
Pump with one or more impellers that rotate and utilize centrifugal force to move the water. Most modern fire pumps are of this type.
Centrifugal Pump
Effects of altering the atmospheric pressure within a confined space by mechanical means. When air is exhausted from within the space, a low-pressure environment is created and replacement air will be drawn in; when air is blown into the space, a high-pressure environment is created and air within will move to the outside
Pressure Differential
Theoretical, scientific height that a column of water may be lifted by atmospheric pressure in a true vacuum at sea level, this height is 33.9 feet. The height will decrease as elevation increases.
Theoretical Lift
Height a column of water may be lifted in sufficient quantity to privide a reliable fire flow.
Dependable lift.
Very large water tanker (generally 4,000 gallons or larger) that is stationed at the fire scene and serves as a portable reservoir rather than as a shuttle tanker.
Nurse Tanker/Tender
Foam produced by a physical agitation of a mixture of foam concentrate, water, and air
Mechanical Foam
Mixing of water with an appropriate amount of foam concentrate in order to form a foam solution
Proportioning
Introduction of air into a foam solution to create bubbles that result in finished foam
Aeration
Process used to mix foam concentrate with water in a nozzle or proportioner; concentrate is drawn into the water stream by the Venturi method
Eduction
A petroleum-based organic compound that contains only hydrogen and carbon
Hydrocarbon Fuel
Liquid having a molecule where the positive and negative charges are permanently seperated, resulting in their ability to ionize in solution and create electrical conductivity. Water, alcohol, and sulfuric acid are examples of ________ ________.
Polar Solvents
Materials that are capable of being mixed in all proportions
Miscible
Production of foam solution by adding an appropriate amount of foam concentrate to a water tank before application; the resulting solution must be used or discarded following the incident.
Batch Mixing
Chemical that lowers the surface tension of a liquid; allows water to spread more rapidly over the surface of Class A fuels and penetrate organic fuels.
Surfactant
Apparatus-mounted foam proportioner in which a small quantity of water is diverted from the apparatus pump through an inline proportioner; there is picks up the foam concentrate and carried it to the intake side of the pump. It is the most common apparatus mounted foam proportioner.
Around-the-Pump Proportioner
Device used to measure the amount of foam concentrate in the solution operated on the principle of measuring the velocity of light that travels through the foam solution.
Refractometer
