Pumper/Operator Chapters Flashcards
The circle, or walk around, method involves starting at the driver’s door on the cab and working around the apparatus in a clockwise pattern.
- As the apparatus is circled, important areas are checked on the way.
- The final step involves a Driver/Operator getting in the cab, starting the apparatus, and performing a functional check on the systems.
Chapter 3
Introduction to Apparatus Inspection and Maintenance.
Appropriate hearing protection should be worn if any personnel will be exposed to noise levels in excess of 90 dB.
Chapter 3
Introduction to Apparatus Inspection and Maintenance.
In general, steering wheel play should be no more than about 10° in either direction.
-On a steering wheel that has a 20 inch diameter, this will mean a play of about 2 inches in either direction.
Chapter 3
Introduction to Apparatus Inspection and Maintenance.
An NFPA 1901 Braking Test requires that NEW apparatus he brought to a complete stop from the speed of 20 mph in a distance not to exceed 35 feet.
-The standard also requires the parking brake to hold the apparatus in place on a grade of 20%.
Chapter 3
Introduction to Apparatus Inspection and Maintenance.
On apparatus equipped with air brakes the standard requires the air pressure to build to a sufficient level to allow the vehicle operations within 60 seconds starting.
Chapter 3
Introduction to Apparatus Inspection and Maintenance.
Apparatus with air brakes are to be equipped with an air pressure protection valve prevents the airhorn from being operated when the pressure in the air reservoir drops below 80 psi.
Chapter 3
Introduction to Apparatus Inspection and Maintenance.
To test the road brakes, allow the apparatus to move forward at about 5 mph, then push down on the brake pedal firmly. The apparatus should come to a stop within about 20 feet.
Chapter 3
Introduction to Apparatus Inspection and Maintenance.
The first goal of the Driver/Operator is to get the apparatus and it’s crew to the scene in an expedient, yet safe manner.
Chapter 4
Operating Emergency Vehicles.
Statistics compiled annually by NIOSH historically show that 20 to 25% of all firefighter injuries and deaths in the United States are caused by vehicle collisions while responding to or returning from emergency calls.
Chapter 4
Operating Emergency Vehicles.
Statistics by NIOSH combined with other organizations put the annual death toll to as many as 25 firefighter deaths per year caused by vehicle collisions and rollovers.
Chapter 4
Operating Emergency Vehicles.
Large percentage of collisions occur while backing the vehicle.
Chapter 4
Operating Emergency Vehicles.
1 gallon of water weighs 8.33 pounds.
Chapter 4
Operating Emergency Vehicles.
Lugging occurs when the throttle is applied whilel the transmission is in too high a gear for a given set of conditions.
Chapter 4
Operating Emergency Vehicles.
Long idling periods can result in the use of 1/2 gallon of fuel per hour, the build up of carbon in injectors, valves, pistons, and valve seats, misfirings as a result of injector carboning, and damage to the turbocharger shaft seals.
Chapter 4
Operating Emergency Vehicles.
At speeds above 50 miles per hour an emergency vehicle may “out run” the effective range of an audible warning device.
Chapter 4
Operating Emergency Vehicles.
A siren operating on an emergency vehicle moving at 40 mph can project 300 feet in front of the vehicle.
At 60 mph however, the siren is only audible 12 feet or less in front of the vehicle.
Chapter 4
Operating Emergency Vehicles.
The primary function of the fire department pumper on the fire ground is to provide water for firefighting operations.
Chapter 4
Operating Emergency Vehicles.
If the apparatus arrives at a location where no fire is evident (investigation mode), it is generally advisable to stop near the best access point into the occupancy, often the main entrance.
-Driver/Operator should remain with the vehicle and prepared to make connections to the water supply or sprinkler/standpipe fire department connection, or pull attack hose lines if the need arises.
Chapter 5
Positioning Apparatus
Pumpers providing water for elevated stream operations should position as close to the aerial apparatus as possible.
-friction and elevation loss are major considerations when supporting elevated master streams, and pumping apparatus driver operators must be aware of these losses.
Chapter 5
Positioning Apparatus
Many departments have standard operating procedures that require the first do pumper to proceed directly to the FDC.
Chapter 5
Positioning Apparatus
If the engine must be left idling for an extended period of time, set idle at 900 to 1100 RPM rather than low speeds.
Chapter 4
Operating Emergency Vehicles.
The two most common functions for wildland fire apparatus are providing structural protection and making a direct attack fire.
Chapter 5
Positioning Apparatus
Cascade systems on mobile fire apparatus typically range from a bank of 4 to 12 large cylinders.
Chapter 5
Positioning Apparatus
Generally, the officer of the Company to arrive at the staging area becomes the staging area manager.
- The Staging Manager communicates resources, availability, and resource needs to the planning section or the IC.
- Company officers should report to the staging area manager as they arrive.
Chapter 5
Positioning Apparatus
More than 60% of the calls to which fire departments respond are emergency medical incidents.
Chapter 5
Positioning Apparatus
Between 32° and 212°F, water exists in a liquid state.
Chapter 6
What is water and where does it come from?
For fire protection purposes, ordinary freshwater is generally considered to weigh 62.5 lbs/ft3 or 8.33 pounds per gallon.
Chapter 6
What is water and where does it come from?
Water has the ability to extinguish fire in several ways.
- The primary way water extinguishes the fire is by cooling, or absorbing heat from the fire.
- Another way is by smothering (excluding Oxygen).
Chapter 6
What is water and where does it come from?
Water can be used to smother fires in combustible liquids whose specific gravity is higher than 1.
Chapter 6
What is water and where does it come from?
Smothering also occurs to some extent when water converts to steam in a confined space.
Chapter 6
What is water and where does it come from?
As an extinguishing agent, water depends on the following:
- Specific Heat
- Latent Heat of Vaporization
- Exposed Surface Area
- Specific Gravity
Chapter 6
What is water and where does it come from?
Specific Heat and Latent Heat of Vaporization govern the heat absorbing ability of water.
Chapter 6
What is water and where does it come from?
The amount of surface area of the water exposed to the heat dictates the amount of heat the water will absorb.
Chapter 6
What is water and where does it come from?
Specific Gravity determines whether water will float on the surface of another liquid or vice versa.
Chapter 6
What is water and where does it come from?
Specific Heat is the measure of the heat absorbing capacity of a substance.
Chapter 6
What is water and where does it come from?
A BTU is the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of 1 pound of water 1°F.
Chapter 6
What is water and where does it come from?
The Joule, also a unit of work, has taken the place of the calorie in the SI (International System of Units) heat measurement.
1 Calorie = 4.19 Joules
Chapter 6
What is water and where does it come from?
The Specific Heat of any substance is the ratio between the amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of a specified quantity of a material and the amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of an identical quantity of water by the same number of degrees.
Chapter 6
What is water and where does it come from?
Latent Heat of Vaporization is the quantity of heat absorbed by a substance when it changes from a liquid to a vapor.
Chapter 6
What is water and where does it come from?
Each pound of water requires approximately 970 BTU of additional heat to completely convert into steam.
Chapter 6
What is water and where does it come from?
The Latent Heat of Vaporization is significant in firefighting because the temperature of the water is not increased beyond 212° F during the absorption of the 970 BTU for every pound of water.
-If the water from a 100 GPM Fog Nozzle is projected into a highly heated area, it can absorb approximately 934,600 BTU of heat per minute if all the water is converted to steam.
Chapter 6
What is water and where does it come from?
The amount of heat a combustible object can produce depends on the material from which it is composed.
Chapter 6
What is water and where does it come from?
Another characteristic of water that is sometimes an aid to firefighting is its expansion capability when converting to steam.
-This expansion helps cool the fire area by driving heat and smoke from the area.
Chapter 6
What is water and where does it come from?
At 212°F water expands approximately 1700 times its original volume.
Chapter 6
What is water and where does it come from?
Inside a burning building steam expansion is not gradual, but extremely rapid
Chapter 6
What is water and where does it come from?
The use of a fog stream in a direct or combination fire attack requires that adequate ventilation be provided ahead of the hose line, otherwise there is a high possibility of steam or even fire rolling back over and around the hose team.
Chapter 6
What is water and where does it come from?
Viscosity - is the tendency of the liquid to possess internal resistance to flow. Water has a low Viscosity. Molasses has a high Viscosity
Chapter 6
What is water and where does it come from?
Specific Gravity - the density of liquids in relation to water.
Chapter 6
What is water and where does it come from?
Water has a Specific Gravity value of 1.
- Liquids with a specific gravity less than 1 are lighter than water and therefore float on water.
- Those with the specific gravity greater than 1 are heavier than water and sink to the bottom.
- If the other liquid is equal to 1, it mixes evenly with water.
Chapter 6
What is water and where does it come from?
Most flammable liquids have a specific gravity of less than 1. Therefore, if a firefighter is confronted with a flammable liquid fire flows water on it improperly, fire will float on top of water and ignite everything in its path.
-The use of foam can control this situation because it floats on the surface of the flammable liquid and smothers.
Chapter 6
What is water and where does it come from?
Water converted to steam occupies 1700 times its original volume.
Chapter 6
What is water and where does it come from?
Advantages of Water:
- Water has a greater heat absorbing capacity than other common extinguishing agents.
- A relatively large amount of heat is required to change water into steam. This means that more heat is absorbed from the fire.
- Water converted into steam occupies 1700 times its original volume.
- Water is plentiful, relatively inexpensive, and readily available in most jurisdictions.
Chapter 6
What is water and where does it come from?
Disadvantages of Water:
- Water has a high surface tension that makes it more difficult to soak into dense materials.
- Water may be reactive with certain fuels such as combustible metals.
- Water has low levels of opacity and reflectively that allow radiant heat to easily pass through it.
- Water freezes at 32°F, which is a problem interesting jurisdictions that frequently experience freezing temperatures.
- Water readily conducts electricity, which can be hazardous to firefighters working around energized electrical equipment.
Chapter 6
What is water and where does it come from?
The weight of 1 ft.³ of water is approximately 62.5 pounds.
Chapter 6
What is water and where does it come from?
The speed at which fluid travels through hose or pipe is referred to as VELOCITY.
Chapter 6
What is water and where does it come from?
There are six basic principles that determine the action of pressure upon fluids.
First Principle: Fluid pressure is perpendicular to any surface on which it acts. The pressure exerted by the weight of water is perpendicular to the walls of the container.
Second Principle: Fluid pressure at a point in a fluid at rest is the same intensity in all directions. This principle is used in hydrostatic testing.
Third Principle: pressure applied to a confined fluid from without is transmitted equally in all directions.
Fourth Principle: The pressure of the liquid in an open vessel is proportional to its depths.
Fifth Principle: the pressure of the liquid in an open vessel is proportional to the density of the liquid.
Sixth Principle: The pressure of a liquid on the bottom of the vessel is independent of the shape of the vessel.
Chapter 6
What is water and where does it come from?
At sea level, the atmosphere exerts a pressure of 14.7 psi, which is considered standard atmospheric pressure.
Chapter 6
What is water and where does it come from?
Any pressure less than atmospheric pressure is called a vacuum.
Absolute zero is called a perfect vacuum.
Chapter 6
What is water and where does it come from?
Head Pressure: Head in the fire service refers to the height of a water supply about the discharge oriface.
Chapter 6
What is water and where does it come from?
Static Pressure: The water flow definition of static pressure is stored potential energy available to force water through pipe, fittings, firehose, and adapters.
- if water is not moving pressure is static.
- the pressure in a water system before water flows from a hydrant is considered static pressure.
Chapter 6
What is water and where does it come from?
Normal Operating Pressure: A pressure that is found in a water distribution system during normal consumption demands.
-The difference between static pressure in normal operating pressure is the friction caused by water flowing through various pipes, valves, and fittings in the system.
Chapter 6
What is water and where does it come from?
Residual Pressure: That part of the total available pressure not used to overcome friction loss or gravity while forcing water through pipe, fittings, firehose, and adapters.
-Residual means the remainder of what’s left.
Chapter 6
What is water and where does it come from?
Flow Pressure: That forward velocity pressure at a discharge while water is flowing.
Chapter 6
What is water and where does it come from?
Above sea level atmospheric pressure decreases approximately .5 psi for every 1000 feet.
Chapter 6
What is water and where does it come from?
The fire service definition of FRICTION LOSS is that part of total pressure lost while forcing water through the pipe, fittings, firehose, and adapters.
Chapter 6
What is water and where does it come from?
In a firehose, the following cause friction loss:
- Movement of water molecules against each other.
- Lining of the firehose.
- Couplings
- Sharp Bends
- Change in hose size or oriface by adapters.
- Improper gasket size.
Chapter 6
What is water and where does it come from?
The friction loss an old hose may be as much as 50% greater than that new hose.
Chapter 6
What is water and where does it come from?
Friction loss can be measured by inserting in-line gauges in a hose or pipe.
Chapter 6
What is water and where does it come from?
Principles of Friction Loss:
First Principle- If all other conditions are the same, friction loss varies directly with the length of hose or pipe.
*This principle can be illustrated by one hose that is 100 feet long and another that is 200 feet long.
A constant flow of 200 GPM is flowed through both hoses. There is 10 psi of friction loss in the 100 foot hose. There is 20 psi of friction loss in the 200 foot section.
Chapter 6
What is water and where does it come from?
Principles of Friction Loss:
Second Principle- When hoses are the same size, friction loss varies approximately with the square of the increase in the velocity of the flow.
* Friction loss increases much faster than flow.
Chapter 6
What is water and where does it come from?
Principles of Friction Loss:
Third Principle- For the same discharge, friction loss varies inversely as the fifth power of the diameter of the hose.
* This principle readily proves the advantages of larger size hose and can be illustrated by one hose that is 2 1/2 inches and another that is 3 inches.
Chapter 6
What is water and where does it come from?
A pressure of 30,000 PSI is required to reduce the volume of water by 1%.
Chapter 6
What is water and where does it come from?
Friction loss in a system increases as the length of the hose for piping increase.
Chapter 6
What is water and where does it come from?
Flow pressure will always be greatest near the supply source and lowest at the farthest point in the system.
Chapter 6
What is water and where does it come from?
If the velocity is increased beyond practical limits friction becomes so great that the entire stream is agitated by resistance. This is called CRITICAL VELOCITY.
Chapter 6
What is water and where does it come from?
Realistically, hose larger than 3 inches in diameter cannot be used for hand lines.
Chapter 6
What is water and where does it come from?
The principal function of the water department is to provide potable water.
Chapter 6
What is water and where does it come from?
Means of Moving Water:
- Direct Pumping System
- Gravity System
- Combination System
Chapter 6
What is water and where does it come from?
Most communities use a combination of the direct pumping and gravity systems.
Chapter 6
What is water and where does it come from?