Knee wall Flashcards
A ½ story refers to ___ attic space in a residential home.
finished
___ enclose the lower end of rafters and floor
joists behind a three to five foot interior wall.
Knee-walls
Generally, the steeper the pitch and the more distance between the top of the gable end windows and the ridgeline, the greater the chance that there is a __.
concealed attic space
The floor joists are large dimension lumber (usually ___) that span
from one outer wall to the other
2”x 8”s or 2”x 10”s
If a roof has knee wall void vents they will be __ where the knee wall top plate and rafters meet
below
Two indicators that help identify the possibility of knee walls in
the structure are the presence of a gable roof with windows at the gable ends and
roofs with a steep pitch; usually \__ or steeper
8/12
While the line is being stretched, one member of the fire attack team should make an attempt to see at least __ sides of the home.
three
If there is an exterior fire, it must be __ before attacking the top floor fire. If the exterior fire is not discovered and extinguished, the interior fire will be nearly impossible to extinguish and make conditions extremely dangerous for interior crews.
extinguished
Firefighters that encounter an incipient fire in the knee wall void space will
usually find very light smoke and little heat in the living space. As the void space fire
develops, conditions can quickly transition to _______ in the living space
high heat with little to no visibility
Opening void spaces brings the potential for rapid fire development. Crews
must have a ___ before opening the voids
line in place
If the fire is believed to be knocked down but heat and smoke persist, it is likely that there is fire in ___ that will need to be located
other voids
Crews ascending the stairs to a ½ story structure with a well-developed fire in
the knee wall voids will encounter ____
very smoky conditions with high heat
If there are potential fire victims, the hose crew should delay opening the void spaces until the___ is completed.
primary search
When crews are performing a search ahead of a hoseline, firefighters with the nozzle must be disciplined and wait until the search team is in a ___ before creating large openings in the knee walls.
safe area
Crews ___remove gable windows until the location and extent of the fire is known.
should not
If possible, one member from the back-up team should be positioned at ___ to prevent others from entering the stairwell until the escape route is no longer needed.
the bottom of the stairs
___ can be an effective tactic for fires in void spaces.
Indirect attack
A piercing nozzle should ___ by another line with a standard nozzle for protection
always be backed up
___ should not be used when there is suspected fire in void spaces.
PPV
Aggressive vertical ventilation is a very effective tactic for ½ story fires and should be
considered a ___ for truck crews assigned to ventilation.
top priority
Venting the ___ of the roof near the peak can accomplish the same goal of venting the
living space without the wind negatively affecting the fire.
lee-side
Secondary means of egress can be provided by
could be done by RIT, first in engine driver, or
the second truck crew.
If the structure by identifying heat signatures. Upon entry, interior crews can scan the ceiling of the floor below the fire. If the outside edge of the ceiling is hot, this indicates that there is fire in the ___
knee-wall void
If the fire is primarily in the living space or attic, expect to see much ___ near the ridge than at the lower eve or gutter line.
higher heat
