IST Flashcards
May indicate that the fire is in early stages of development
High neutral plane
Could indicate that the compartment has not yet ventilated or that flashover is approaching
Mid-level neutral plane
May indicate that the fire is reaching flash over conditions
Very low-level neutral plane
The total quantity of combustible contents of a building, space, or fire area
Fuel load (fire load)
During a pre incident survey these items should be noted on the floor plan drawing
•Vertical shafts and horizontal openings
•fire protection equipment (standpipes and sprinkler control valves)
•fire control centers
•safe haven areas for occupants
•open pits and other process hazards
Release heat and smoke to the outside through vents that work automatically and are placed at the highest point of a roof or wall to limit the spread of a fire within a building
Automatic roof and wall vents
Release heat and smoke from atriums to the outside
Atrium vents
Release heat and smoke to the outside from square or rectangular structures that penetrate a building’s roof. ______ with solid walls should have at least two opposite sides hinged at the bottom and held closed at the top with a fusible link that allows gravity to open them in case of a fire
Monitors
These with thermoplastic panels or ordinary window glass act as automatic vents when melted or broken by fire
Skylights
Fire-resistive half-walls (draft curtains) extend down from the underside of a roof to limit the horizontal spread of heat and smoke, which confines them to a relatively small area directly over their sources
Curtain boards
The pre-incident survey of any given occupancy should gather the following information
• location of all water supplies
• location of water system interconnections
• required fire flow based on construction type and fuel load information on calculations that owners provide
• water supply system pressure
• available fire flow
• reliability of water supplies
• water supply utilization methods 
A formal written agreement between jurisdictions that share a common boundary
Automatic aid 
a reciprocal agreement between two or more fire and emergency services organizations.
mutual aid
similar to mutual aid, except that payment rather than reciprocal aid is made by one agency to the other
additional resources
collapse zone
1 1/2 times height of building
steps of the decision making process
-identify and prioritize the problems
-define the best solution
-implement the best solution
-monitor the results
-adjust the plan as necessary
act of directing, ordering, and or controlling resources by virtue of explicit legal, agency, or delegated authority
command
incident management personnel who report directly to the incident commander
command staff
incident management personnel who represent the major functional sections
general staff
organizational level having responsibility for a major functional area of incident management
section
organizational level having functional geographical responsibility for major segments of incident operations, organizationally located between section and division or group. identified by Roman numeral or functional area such as command or operations
branch
organizational level having responsibility for operations within a defined geographic area
division
organizational level equal to division having responsibility for a specified functional assignment at an incident, without regard to a specific geographical area
group
organizational level within the sections that fulfill specific support functions such as the resources, documentation, demobilization, and situation units within the planning section
unit
any combination of resources (engines, ladders, bulldozers) assembled for a specific mission or operational assignment
task force
set number of resources of the same type (engines, ladders, bulldozers) that have an established minimum number of personnel.
strike team
prior to arrival at a scene, some things you can verify immediately include
- time of day
-weather conditions
-capabilities of your departments response
indicates that pyrolysis is occurring in areas adjacent to the main body of fire. the color indicates moisture and gases are being released from the product
white smoke
common in mid stage heating as moisture mixes with gases and carbon as pyrolysis increases. also common in mid to late stage heating. indication of burning wood
brown smoke
indicates a combination of mixing. it can be mid stage heating with white, brown, or black, or it can be when different smoke areas combine. it can indicate smoke production changes from mid-stage heating to high heat
gray smoke
contains high quantities of carbon particles and is also an indicator of the amount of ventilation available at the seat of fire. smoldering fires produce massive amounts of this
black smoke
refers to dense black smoke (fuel) that is ready to ignite, possibly at the vent point
black fire
Represents the amount of energy that an object can release at some point in the future
Potential energy
Potential energy available for release in the combustion process
Heat of combustion
The rate at which a fuel releases energy overtime depends on
-chemical composition
-arrangement
-density of fuel
-availability of oxygen for combustion
The energy that a moving object possesses
Kinetic energy
Types of energy
Chemical
Thermal
Mechanical
Electrical
Light
Nuclear
Sound
Energy is measured in
Joules
Reactions that emit energy as they occur
Exothermic reactions
Reactions that absorb energy as they occur
Endothermic reactions
Fire tetrahedron
Blue (top left)-reducing agent (fuel)
Green (top right)-oxidizing agent
Yellow (middle)-chemical chain reaction
Red (bottom)-heat
Most common form of ignition
Piloted ignition
Occurs without any external flame or spark to ignite the fuel gases or vapors
Autoignition
Common sources of heat that result in the ignition of a fuel
Chemical, electrical, and mechanical
Most common source of heat in combustion reactions
Chemical energy
The oxidation process almost always results in the production of
Thermal energy
Arching
A high temperature luminous electric discharge across a gap or through a medium
Sparking
When an electric arc occurs, luminous particles can form and splatter away from the point of arching
3 things firefighters must know about liquid fuels and how they react with water
Solubility
Miscible
Polar solvents
At normal ambient temperatures materials can ignite and burn at oxygen concentrations as low as
15 percent
Flammable range of propane
2.1%-9.5%
Flammable range of CO
12%-75%
Flammable range of gasoline
1.4%-7.4%
Flammable range of diesel
1.3%-6%
Flammable range of ethanol
3.3%-19%
This stage starts with ignition when three elements of the fire triangle come together and the combustion process begins. Fire is small
Incipient stage
As the fire transitions from incipient to this stage, more of the initial fuel package becomes involved and the production of heat and smoke increases.
Growth stage
This stage occurs when all combustible materials in the compartment are burning at their peak heat release rate based on the available oxygen. The fire is consuming the maximum amount of oxygen it can
Fully developed stage
As the fire consumes the available fuel or oxygen and the heat release rate begins to decline, the fire enters this stage. Fuel limited fires may self extinguish in this phase or reduce to smoldering fires. May enter the growth stage and become fully developed if more oxygen is introduced
Decay stage
when flames reach ____ feet high the fire will enter the growth stage
2.5
rapid fire development usually occurs during the ____ stage
growth
as the mass and energy of the hot gas layer increases so does the
pressure
an immediate indicator of flash over
the appearance of isolated flames in the hot gas layer
the interface between the hot gas layer and cooler layer of air is commonly referred to as the
neutral plane
rapid transition from the growth stage to the fully developed stage
flashover
gas temperatures for flashover
1,100 degrees F
significant indicator of flashover
roll over
during flashover the volume of burning gases can increase from approximately ___ to ____ of the rooms upper volume to fill the rooms entire volume and extend out of any openings from the room
1/4 to 1/2
four common elements of flashover
-transition in fire development
-rapidity
-compartment
-pyrolysis of all exposed fuel surfaces
autoignition temp of CO
approximately 1,100 degrees F
when a fire runs out of fuel or oxygen it is said to be in the ____ stage
decay
firefighters can influence fire dynamics in a number of ways
-temperature reduction
-fuel removal
-oxygen exclusion/ flow path control
-chemical flame inhibition
the total quantity of combustible contents of a building, space, or fire area is referred to as the
fuel load
pre incident survey information about structures that you need to consider
-types of building construction, materials, and age of construction
-code, zoning, and fire protection requirements
-condition and design of streets
-temporary road and weather conditions
-water supply concerns
before a pre incident survey company officers should
-inform unit members in advance
-discuss the survey process
-list factors that should be considered during the survey
-assign duties if required
Written or unwritten plan for the disposition of an incident, contains the overall strategic goals, tactical objectives, and support requirements for a given operational period during an incident
Incident action plan
Common characteristics of the NIMS-ICS are
-common terminology
-modular organization
-common communication
-unified command structure
-incident action plan
-manageable span of control
-predesignated incident facilities
-comprehensive resource management
-personnel accountability
The PAR system should indicate
-individuals assigned to each apparatus
-the names of people responding
-time of arrival
-assigned duty or unit
-time of release from scene
When considering the foundation for your decision making process think about these four components
Facts, perceptions, and projections, and probabilities
Facts about emergency incidents
-preincident survey of site
-knowledge of building construction and occupancy
-current time of day, day of week, and on scene observations
-knowledge of basic fire development
According to the AHJ the arrival report may contain
-unit number and update of address if necessary
-brief description of the scene
-status of water supply
-establish command, command mode, and define the strategy
A 360 degree report may include
-special considerations and hazards
-entrance and egress points
-intended initial actions and assignments for units
-requests for additional resources
The quantity and movement of smoke will indicate factors including
-potential fuels involved and potential hazards to responders
-location and stage of the fire and its direction of travel
Most common heated particles found in smoke
Tar, soot, and carbon
Turbulent flow
Bubbling, boiling, chaotic
Laminar flow
Smooth, straight. Predictable direction
Indicators of heat
-blackened or crazed glass: indicates a fire in the room or nearby as hot smoke condenses on cooler windows
-blistered paint: indicates both temperature extreme and location of the neutral plane
-sudden heat buildup: indicates flashover conditions are present
Acronym for during the incident size up
CARA (CAN, CAAN)
-Conditions: an assessment of interior conditions and visible indicators of each side and roof
-Actions: specific activities being performed by each crew inside and outside structure
-Resources: includes additional personnel, apparatus, equipment, ventilation, a second hoseline, or an exchange of personnel
-Air: refers to breathing air supply available for fire attack, salvage and overhaul
A type of size up that should be employed to evaluate the potential of an occupant being alive within a structural fire environment
Occupant survival profile
In conducting occupant survivability profiling, the IC asks the following questions
- Are occupants suspected of or known to be trapped?
- Is it reasonable to assume that the occupants are still alive?
A system that optimizes the utilization of all available resources, personnel, procedures, and equipment in order to promote safety and improve operational efficiency
Crew resource management (CRM)
CRM emphasizes the following topics
-communication
-situational awareness
-decision making
-teamwork
-barriers
What should you assume in occupancies with large open areas?
Assume that there are exposed trusses supporting the roof structure
The second concern of life safety is
Locating, stabilizing, protecting, and removing living victims from the hazardous area
When is the fire considered under control?
When it is incapable of growing larger due to the control measures in place
The IC’s command options will be based on
-how severe is the incident
-how rapidly it may develop
-how many resources are available
Situations where mobile command may be used
-life safety
-offensive fire attacks
-any incident where the safety of firefighters is concerned
-further investigation is required by the company officer
-crew members need closer supervision due to being new
The company officer should assume command using the following steps
-naming the incident
-give location of incident command post
-give initial report on conditions
-request additional resources as needed
-initiate use of tactical worksheet
When transferring command the IC should brief the relieving officer on the following items
-incident status
-safety considerations
-goals and objectives listed in the IAP
-progress toward completion of tactical objectives
-deployment of assigned resources and their location in the hazard zone
-assessment of the need for additional resources
General/ traditional search
Systematic approach in which the team can quickly and effectively search specific rooms or clusters of rooms. The team leader positions self in a fixed location to help keep the groups orientation within the structure while other members physically perform the search
Wide area search
Used to conduct a search of a large complex area that is filled with smoke. These searches utilize specific search equipment and rope systems or techniques designed for use in large areas to prevent lost firefighters and provide a thorough search of the open areas
Vent enter isolate search
Utilized when it is suspected or probable that a victim is present in a specific room or compartment within the structure and there is a direct access point to enter the room.
VEIS should only be initiated following a ____ of a structure
360 degree size up
Considerations for the IC when choosing a direct attack
-arrival conditions
-location, size, and extent of the fire
-available resources
-size of the structure
-structural features that may affect interior suppression
-ease of access to the burning fuels
-hose stream type and application
-potential flow paths within the structure
Gas cooling is effective when faced with a ____ fire
Shielded
An attempt to determine the cause and point of origin of the fire should be made ____ to overhaul
Prior
Requesting additional personnel to replace initial assignment units is also known as
Fire detail
Flow path
Connection between the inlet and outlet
The following weather conditions can affect tactical ventilation
-wind
-temperature
-atmospheric pressure
-precipitation
-relative humidity
Evacuation and ventilation can be more difficult at a high rise fire because of a phenomenon know as
Stack effect
