High Rise Building Fires Flashcards
In buildings with center-core construction, elevators, stairwells, mechanical rooms, and most utilities are located in the building’s core. _____ __ ____________ _____ comprises the floor’s perimeter
Office or residential space
__________ occurs when fire gases separate into layers according to temperature. The gases with the highest temperatures move to the top layers, and the cooler gases move to the bottom layers. This is also called “thermal layering” or “thermal balance.
Stratification
compartmentalized office and residential spaces with mazelike corridors;
non-compartmentalized open floor plans for commercial office occupancies;
window air-conditioning units or a lack of building-wide heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems;
conventional windows that may be opened;
lack of suspended ceilings, which amounts to less hidden void space;
These are all features found in…?
those constructed before February 1976
Buildings with fixed windows should have designated breakable windows for emergencies. These windowpanes are marked with a ______ ____ __ ___ _ ____ ____ ______ in the lower corner of the pane
Maltese cross or have a fire helmet etched
Apartment or office doors open inward (i.e., the door swings into the apartment or office from the hallway). The presence of an outward opening door indicates…?
an electric or telephone room or another type of closet
_____________ ______, also known as “access” or “convenience” stairs, are open, unprotected stairways leading from floor to floor within a single occupant’s space. Should a fire occur within the occupancy, it could easily spread to all floors serviced by this stairway.
Accommodation stairs
Hydrants installed after 1976 should be located ________ ______ ___ ____ of the standpipe and sprinkler FDCs
within 100 feet
________ _________, which bypass a portion of the building via a blind shaft, are found in many high-rises throughout the NOVA region. A blind shaft serves only a specified portion of the building and has no openings on other floors.
Express elevators
Personnel must quickly identify and establish evacuation routes to facilitate the safe and orderly movement of building occupants to locations below the fire. Personnel should also consider that the best way to control occupants and maintain their safety may be to…?
protect in place
Evacuation of a high-rise building requires the commitment of a substantial number of resources. If more than ____ _____ _____ ___ ____ still contain occupants,_ ______ _____ _______ _______ should be established.
two floors above the fire, a search and evacuation branch
The term __________ refers to the typical smoke movement found in residential and commercial high-rise structures when the smoke is uninfluenced by external environmental conditions
mushrooming
The most effective method for controlling and preventing flashover involves _________ ______ ___ ________ ____ ____ ____ _______ . They should do so using straight or solid streams to best contend with enclosed or confined spaces.
personnel cooling the overhead area with hose streams
Five conditions must exist for a wind-driven fire to occur:
fire in the structure;
a failed or opened window to the outside in the fire area or apartment;
the presence of wind on the structure’s exterior;
a failed or open area or apartment door leading into a common hallway, usually caused by a fleeing occupant who left the door open; and …?
an unobstructed path to an outlet where the fire can vent (e.g., open apartment door across the hall, open stairwell door, or open bulkhead door)
Once personnel reach the fire floor, they must communicate the fire conditions to Command. The situation report should include the volume of fire, intensity of heat felt, and temperatures observed using a thermal imaging camera. Additionally, the first due truck should immediately advise if they can…?
close the door to the fire area or apartment
The first due truck or rescue should establish a haven area by forcing entry into an adjoining apartment. Personnel should not force entry or open the door of the ________ ________ ______ ___ ____ ____ ___ ___ _______because this will provide the wind-driven fire an outlet and increase the fire’s intensity.
apartment directly across the hall from the fire apartment
Vertical fire extension can occur by fire extending
out of one window to a window or room above (i.e., auto exposure),
through unprotected or compromised void spaces,
into an elevator shaft, and
-through the space between the floor and curtain wall,
-upward within an occupancy that involves more than one floor and has installed an access or convenience stairway.
Buildings under construction must have a riser two floors below the top-most finished floor. However, if fire conditions exist in an area with still-present concrete formwork, personnel should not undertake interior extinguishment operations. They should instead ________ ___ ____ _____ ____ __ ______ ________ because fire damage to the formwork supporting the curing concrete could cause a collapse.
initiate the fire fight from an exterior position
The operational plan for high-rise fires must consist of five basic actions:
- determine fire floor,
- verify fire floor,
- control occupants,
- control building systems, and
- confine and extinguish the fire
For fires located below grade or on the first, second, or third floors, personnel may choose to ______ ____________ ____ ____ ___ ______ because they are faster to deploy and place in service.
stretch preconnected lines from the engine
The ________ ________ __ _ ____ in a high-rise building provides the first indication of which stairwell fire department personnel should utilize for fire attack
reported location of a fire
It is the first due engine officer’s responsibility to ________ ___ ______ ___ ____ _____ . The officer should also advise if the entry level is other than the first floor or if the floors have an odd configuration.
identify and verify the fire floor
Units should utilize stairwells to access ______ _____ fires and above-grade fires up through the sixth floor.
below-grade
In residential occupancies, search priority is as follows:
- the fire unit,
- exit hallways,
- units next to the fire unit, and
- all other units on the fire floor.
In nonresidential occupancies, search priority is as follows:
- the immediate fire area and floor;
- the floor above the fire area;
- the top floor, including the involved hallways, stairwells, and elevators; and
- the floors between the floor above the fire and the top floor.
The sixth due engine, which is typically the first engine on the second alarm, should establish the ____ ____. In a high-rise fire, this area will become a _______ ____ ____ ____ _________
base area, parking area for fire apparatus.
Lobby control takes responsibility for a variety of critical tasks:
Accountability.
Building systems control.
Elevator operations.
Stairwell identification for attack and evacuation.
Civilian evacuation coordination. Due to the possibility of displaced civilians congregating in the lobby, personnel may need to evacuate civilians to an alternate designated area.
_______ refers to the area used for assembling resources close to operations on the fire floor, ideally two floors below the confirmed fire floor in a high-rise fire.
Staging
