Handbook of Tactics Ch 1-3 Flashcards
The most basic principle of fire fighting?
Human life takes precedence over all other concerns.
Concept #1
When sufficient manpower isn’t available to effect both rescue and extinguishment at the same time, rescue must be given priority.
Concept #2
When you don’t have sufficient manpower to perform all of the needed tasks, first perform those that protect the greatest number if human lives.
Concept #3
Remove those in greatest danger first.
Concept #4
When sufficient personnel are available to perform both functions, they must carry out a coordinated fire attack.
Concept #5
When there is no threat to occupants, the lives of firefighters shouldn’t be unduly endangered.
If you have a known rescue and insufficient resources to perform both rescue and extinguishment, what 2 factors would dictate that you prioritize getting the hoseline operating between fire and the victims?
- Larger building with more victims.
2. Location of victims is unknown.
More lives are saved by ____________than by any other means.
Properly positioned hoselines
Priority of victim removal.
- Immediate vicinity of the fire
- Directly above the fire
- Top floor
- Other floors directly above fire
- Anybody in a panic
- Remote location on the fire floor
- Remote locations on other floors above
- Floors below the fire
4 ways to reduce life hazard?
- Put out the fire
- Remove the victims
- Vent to draw fire away from victims
- Confine the fire
Four steps of coordinated fire attack used in many departments (apartment fire)?
- Vent the roof over the stairway to prevent mushrooming.
- Stretch the hoseline to the interior apartment door to prevent extension up the stairway.
- Confine the fire until all the occupants are off the stairway.
- Advance hoseline for extinguishment.
Sequence of actions at a fire incident?
- Locate
- Confine
- Extinguish
Norman’s last rule for fire fighting?
Let circumstances dictate procedures.
Size-up definition?
An evaluation of problems and conditions that affect the outcome of a fire.
When does size-up begin and end?
From the moment the alarm is received until the emergency is under control.
Traditional 13 point size-up?
COAL WAS WEALTH
Construction
Occupancy
Apparatus and manpower
Life Hazard
Water supply
Auxiliary appliances
Street conditions
Weather Exposures Area Location and extent of fire Time Height
What is the deciding factor in determining tactics and procedures?
Life hazard
What 3 size-up considerations affect life hazard?
- Time of day
- Occupancy
- Location and extent of fire
What percent of fire deaths occur in residential buildings?
Nearly 80%, more than 3,000 people per year
Number of firefighter deaths in vacant buildings per 100,000 fires?
18.1
Number of fire fighter deaths in stores and public assembly buildings per 100,000 fires?
12.9 each
Number of firefighter deaths in residential buildings per 100,000 fires?
3.7
What measure of time has the biggest impact on fire fighting?
Elapsed time since the fire has begun.
_____________ is a key indicator of the likelihood of structural collapse.
Elapsed burn time
Regarding the 20-minute rule for predicting structural collapse, when does the time frame start?
When the fire has reached flashover and begun to attack the structural elements.
Generally, a fire that has not vented from a single window has been at the flashover stage for _______________.
under a minute or two
A fire that has vented out only one or two windows is usually____and has been at flashover for____.
Confined to one room;
1 to 5 minutes
What are two possible reasons for a fire burning on two floors?
- Prolonged burning
2. Use of an accelerant
How long does a 30 minute air cylinder last under heavy fire fighting use?
15 to 20 minutes
The 20 minute rule applies to only these two types of construction?
- Class 3 (Ordinary)
2. Class 5 (Wood-frame)
A building’s construction has 4 critical implications for firefighters:
- Degree of compartmentation
- Degree to which the building itself contributes to the fire load
- Number of hidden voids
- Ability to resist collapse
What factor can alert crews to irregular shapes and sizes of buildings?
Early roof report.
Three fire locations that demand special care?
- Top floor fires (common cockloft)
- Below grade fires
- Beyond the reach of ladders (high-rise or low-rise, windowless buildings)
What does large volumes of black smoke at the roof indicate?
Involvement of the roofing materials
What does light to moderate quantities of black smoke in the basement indicate?
An oil burner malfunction (bring Class B extinguisher).