large commercial fires Flashcards
large commercial occupancies usually range in size from ___ to over 100,000sqft
20,000sqft (282)
large commercial occupancies typically are wide open areas with no __ __
fire breaks
in large commercial occupancy there are typically only __ or possible ___ common entry points
1 or possible 2
many of the tactics and strategies used on large commercial occupancies are similar to those used on __ __ buildings
high rise (284)
large commercial occupancies have _____ located throughout the store
standpipes
the absolute goal of any rescue effort should always be
your own survival
a good rule of thumb for large commercial occupancies is if you cant walk ___ into the building due to smoke, don’t enter
upright (285)
what is the most common type of construction in large commercial buildings
type II unprotected (285)
what is meant by type II unprotected
the major components are noncombustible, but do not possess fire resistant properties
in type II unprotected the exterior wall are constructed with concrete or some other masonry unit and the roof assembly will be supported with ___ steel
unprotected
will a unprotected, noncombustible building provide structural stability under fire conditions
no
what are the factors at which unprotected steel members will fail:
ceiling height of the building
dimensions of the steel
intensity and duration of exposure
apply water to exposed steel will keep it cool and help retain its ___
strength
a __-__ of the roof must be done before any roof operations are conducted
size up (286)
the __-__ must be systematic and thorough but must not delay ventilation
size up
what are the 2 most common roof coverings on commercial buildings
plywood
corrugated steel
__ __ roofs are generally covered with some type of insulation, felt and either asphalt roofing material or synthetic rubber material
corrugated steel
what are the most common walls used in the construction of commercial buildings
tilt up concrete
cement masonry units
steel will elongate approximately __ “ per __ ft under severe fire conditions
1” per 10ft
always establish a collapse zone ___ times the height of the building
1 1/2
the ___ is a partial floor between the 2 main stories of a building. this must be considered in the search and location of the fire
mezzanine (287)
the majority of large commercial fires will be controlled by the ___ system during the early stages of the fire
sprinkler
common roof construction used on large commercial buildings is composed of corrugated steel decking laid over ___ bar joist trusses
steel (288)
many tilt up commercial buildings use ___ wood decking to construct their roof
lightweight
many tilt up commercial buildings use lightweight wood decking to construct their roof. a 3/4 “ plywood or wager board decking is covered with __ and asphalt roofing covering and sealed with mopped on tar
felt
large open flooring should raise a flag of concern because they are indicative of ___ truss construction
lightweight
dropped ceiling should always be checked for __ __ before advancing underneath them
fire extension (289)
if a __ __ is used be aware that the utilities installed in these spaces will prohibit the roofing material from falling through. therefore you have not ventilated
drop cut
____ construction is the least stable of all construction types and Is the most susceptible to collapse because unprotected steel is used to support the roof
noncombustible
steel is a __ performer in a fire
poor
another reason large commercial buildings are susceptible to collapse are the large spans supported by ___ construction which is unstable under fire conditions
truss
the following are characteristics of __ when exposed to fire conditions:
at 400 degrees it begins to lose strength
expect it to fail at approx. 1000 degrees
at 1200 degrees it will have lost 60% of its strength
it expands and pushes out walls causing roofs to drop
steel
what are the characteristics of steel when exposed to fire conditions
at 400 degrees it begins to lose strength
expect it to fail at approx. 1000 degrees
at 1200 degrees it will have lost 60% of its strength
it expands and pushes out walls causing roofs to drop
the failure rate of __ when exposed to fire depends on several variables:
the size
the load it is subject to
the temperature and distance of the fire
steel
the failure rate of steel when exposed to fire depends on several variables what are they
the size
the load it is subject to
the temperature and distance of the fire
roofs constructed of lightweight steel bar trusses can be expected to fail in as little as __ min under moderately heavy fire conditions
5 (290)
larger trusses with column support should hold up better, but can still fail under __ fire conditions
severe
2 1/2” lines can apply over 300 gpm to the fire for ___ feet away
100
large open areas allow us to extinguish fire and protect immediate exposures ___ distances
safer
if a ___ tactics are going to be implemented then the goal will be to advance towards the fire as quickly as possible
offensive
standpipes that are strategically placed inside large commercial properties can be a huge advantage to tactics because they enable us to add additional attack lines without long hose lays being stretched from the exterior. what does this do
increases water flow and decreases friction loss
many larger occupancies will have __and ___vents installed
smoke and heat
from the interior smoke and heat vents look like skylights but are actually ___ vents that enable automatic vertical ventilation
fusible
besides __ systems smoke and heat vents contribute to the successful extinguishment of fires more so than any other component in large commercial buildings
sprinkler
___ ventilation will slow the horizontal spread of fire and release the extreme build up of heat
vertical (291)
ventilation will allow for better ___ conditions to conduct an attack
interior
____ are reliable and often stop fires in their early stages effective defense methods that
sprinklers
many large commercial structures are required to have their own __ __ to support the pressure requirements of their sprinkler systems. these are apparent by the exhaust pipes that come out of the __ __ room
fire pumps
unless there is a catastrophic collapse fire will not penetrate the cement walls into the next structure. our biggest concern will be fire spread onto the adjoining roof or through the connected ___
mansard
when evaluating ventilation in a commercial building we should always be able to __ __ into an involved commercial building
walk upright
in large commercial building fires incoming officers should begin to identify water supply possibilities. identify hydrants and ___ en route so you are prepared to act upon arrival
FDCs (292)
if a preplan is available officers should begin to identify the preexisting fire protection systems and location of any ___
standpipes
a unique problem with many of these large commercial occupancies is the limited ___ to such a large building
access
proper ___ will be the key obstacle at many of these occupancies
ventilation (293)
if significant fire is threatening a __ __ then we will not place anyone on the roof
truss construction
a combination of no ventilation systems, huge fire loads, and weak ___ construction creates a deadly situation for ff
roof
if the roof is not safe to be on, then it is not safe to be under, which limits our effectiveness. our only safe option is to create as many ___ openings as possible, defend boundaries and protect exposures
horizontal
if the fire can not be stopped early a ___ strategy should be considered
defensive
if you have a confirmed fire in a large commercial building call a ___ alarm
2nd
at a large commercial building fire the 1 engine should position near the front entrance and out of the collapse zone. if there is another entrance the ___ engine should stage there
next (294)
the best location for the 1st due truck is the __ side
C
which engine should locate the FDC
3rd
even if you have a manager or other employees meet you on arrival with information about the problem it is a good idea to take a quick look inside before you commit yourself think of this act as the equivalent of a ___
360
the interior recon of a large commercial structure fire should take __-__ seconds
30 -60
what things should be looked for when doing a recon inside of a large commercial building
1st how many people are inside
2nd try to id the location of the fire
3rd take a quick visual picture and assess the layout of the store
(295)
the initial company officer at a large commercial fire has 2 option for initial recon what are they
take one or 2 of his ff with him to investigate
assign another crew
ideally the initial officer will perform recon with
one or more of his ff
it is advised that who ever performs recon on a large commercial building fire be part of the
initial attack team
it is important to remember that recon should be performed quickly and you should not have to enter the involved building any further that __ feet
50
is recon always required
no
pull 2 1/2” lines dry as far as possible try to get within __ feet of the building and pull the slack past as many corners as you can before calling for water
100 (296)
when fighting an offensive fire in a large commercial building remember to direct your streams at both the ___ and the products that are burning
trusses
our initial goal at a large commercial fire is to get ___ GPM flowing toward the fire
700
search teams should start there search for victims by
starting closest to the fire & working outward
297
a minimum of __ people per search team
2
a _ division should be established to perform the following:
evaluate effectiveness of vent systems
eval possibility of vent if systems not in place
conduct ventilation
notify command if there will be no vertical ventilation
roof
at a large commercial building fire the roof division should perform what
evaluate effectiveness of vent systems
eval possibility of vent if systems not in place
conduct ventilation
notify command if there will be no vertical ventilation
a _-\_\_ should include the following type of roof smoke and heat vents working and operating conditions of the roof concentrated loads are there fire walls what is the basic blueprint of the building if unusual what are the actions being taken truss type and direction
roof size up
a roof size up should include what info
type of roof smoke and heat vents working and operating conditions of the roof concentrated loads are there fire walls what is the basic blueprint of the building if unusual what are the actions being taken truss type and direction
if a roof division does ventilate what information should be included in the follow up report
where they cut
effect the ventilation had
the conditions of the attic or plenum
with all commercial fires __-__ lines should be established to protect fire crews
back up
the back up crew should position __ of the way up the primary attack line
3/4
the ____ ___ or forward staging concept is a new technique used to smoothly and rapidly relieve forward crews in critical positions
on deck
on deck crews need to arrive to the on deck location ready to work because the ic can use them to do what
relieve crews
back up existing positions
cover critical positions (299)
in large commercial building fires as soon as a line or 2 are in place and the fire is being controlled __ needs to be assigned
search (300)
begin a planned, systematic search starting __ and working your way outward
closest to the fire
if a victim is found notify command of what
your approx. location number of victims interior conditions actions you are taking your air supply your needs
in large commercial building if you are assuming a __ strategy you must establish ventilation plan
offensive
one of the 1 st arriving engines to arrive should support the ___ . the engineer can handle this assignment
FDC (301)
when ever there is a crew on the interior a __ will be assigned
RIT
at large incidents command may want to consider staging a rit at ____
more than one entry point
RIT will obtain a briefing from command and coordinate their rescue plan with the ___
DIC
once the critical tactical positions are covered the ic should assign a __ division
C
the safety officer must constantly evaluate the status of the situating by asking what questions
are things getting better or worse
is our plan working
are crews accounted for
what is happening to the building
in any case the ISO must report any unsafe conditions and stop an ___ ___
unsafe acts (302)
rehab should be relatively easy to access and should provide what
shade
hydration
seating
medical evaluation
rehab is assigned under what
fire medical
what is the focus of defensive operations
safeguarding ff (303) protecting exposures
___ operations is a sustained, methodical time consuming process
defensive
a minimum of __ hydrants should be secured early in large commercial building fires
3
how should the 3 hydrants be divided
2 on the attack side (usually A) and one on Charlie side
__ strategies are implemented when the extent of the fire prohibits further interior operations or the involved structure has become unsafe to operate in
defensive
upon the receipt of an emergency traffic withdraw order the company officer shall acknowledge the order, assemble crews and promptly exit to a __ location
safe
once a withdraw order is given and the crew has exited the building the company officer will give command a ___ and ask for new orders
par
how long is alert tone 2 played by dispatch during an abandon the building order
5 seconds
how long should fire department apparatus sound their horns for a abandon the building alert
15 seconds
what are the 3 reasons that a abandon the building can be called
building collapse
possible explosion
other hazardous conditions that dictate an immediate evacuation
What are the two most common types of roof coverings in large commercial structures
Plywood and corrugated steel
In commercial structures plywood roofs are generally covered with —______and ___________ then sealed with tar
Felt and asphalt
Corrugated steel roofs are generally covered with some type of insulation, felt roofing material or _________
Synthetic rubber
