Questions

Question 1

According to STP - What are the 3 Golden rules to follow when applying foam?

Answer 1

1. Do not begin to apply foam unless you have enough to extinguish the fire or cover the fuel spill
2. Point branch away from fire until good finished foam is being produced
3. You cannot mix different foam concentrates

Question 2

According to STP - List 3 hazards/considerations when using CAFS at a structure fire.

Answer 2

• CAFS hose lines have a build up of pressure when the branch is closed, this causes a larger jet reaction than a standard hose

• Slug Flow- when the proportion of air, foam and water is wrong. It will cause the finished foam to shudder or pulsate as it is exiting the branch.

• Does not contain enough water for internal attack.

Question 3

According to STP - List 5 actions to take when combatting a natural gas leak with no fire involved?

Answer 3

• Structural PPE and SCBA

• Evacuate all persons from the immediate area.

• Remove all sources of ignition.

• Respond Gas Company

• Only use intrinsically safe equipment

• Dampen the ground around the site of the gas release to prevent static electricity

• Keep protection line in place using fog

• If possible, crimp line to stop the release of gas

Question 4

According to STP - Acetylene is a very volatile gas, exploding cylinders can penetrate double brick walls or metal freight containers & land 200m away. How many hours after the cylinder is removed from the fire or heat source, if it is not cooled, can this explosion occur?

Answer 4

24 Hours

Question 5

According to STP - When reading a fire, we need indicators to base our decisions on, what are the most important indicators?

Answer 5

B-SAHF (Building – SMOKE, AIR TRACK, HEAT & FLAME)

Question 6

According to STP - What techniques enable us to control the interior environment during a structure fire?

Answer 6

• Gas Cooling

• Hose stream techniques

• Stay low

• Put water on the fire as soon as possible

• Control/be aware of air flow path

Question 7

According to STP - List 2 common hose laying techniques that can be used by firefighters?

Answer 7

• SLay
• Cleveland Lay

Question 8

Complete the following in relation to the

Fire and Rescue NSW Act 1989 Part 3, Division 1, Section 11

Brigades to proceed with speed to suspected fires or hazardous material incident?

Answer 8

(1) When there is an alarm of fire, a fire brigade must, despite anything to the contrary in any Act, proceed with all speed to the fire and try by all possible means to extinguish it and save any lives and property that are in danger.

(2) When there is a report of a hazardous material incident, a fire brigade must, despite anything to the contrary in any Act:

(a) proceed with all speed to the site of the incident, and

(b) try by all possible means to render the site of the incident safe and save any lives and property that are in danger.

Question 9

Complete the following in relation to the

Fire and Rescue NSW Act 1989 Part 3, Division 1, Section 12

of the FRNSW Act, Investigation of reported fires and Hazardous material incident?

Answer 9

(1) The officer in charge may, with or without members of a fire brigade, enter any place:

(a) in respect of which an alarm of fire is raised to ascertain whether there is a fire at the place, or

(b) in respect of which a report of a hazardous material incident has been made to ascertain whether there is any hazardous material at the place that is, or is about to be, the subject of a hazardous material incident.

(2) Reasonable force, whether by breaking down gates or fences or breaking open doors or otherwise, may be used to gain entry.

Question 10

Section 13, of the FRNSW Act states the “General Powers of Officers at fires and hazardous material incidents”.

State this provision

Answer 10

(1) At a fire, the officer in charge:

(a) may take such measures as the officer thinks proper for the protection and saving of life and property and for the control and extinguishing of the fire, and

(b) is to control and direct the operations of any fire brigade.

(1A) At the site of a hazardous material incident, the officer in charge:

(a) may take such measures as the officer thinks proper for the protection and saving of life and property, for confining and ending the incident and for rendering the site safe, and

(b) is to control and direct the operations of any fire brigade.
The site is taken to be such area in the vicinity of the incident as is for the time being determined by the officer in charge.

(2) If the fire is a bush fire (including a grass fire), the officer in charge is, as far as practicable, to carry into effect any plan of operations in force under section 52 of the Rural Fires Act 1997 in relation to the place where the fire occurs.

(3) The following provisions of this Division are intended to be particular examples of the way in which functions under this section can be exercised and are not intended to limit the generality of this section.

Question 11

Section 19 of the FRNSW Act lists the powers at fires and hazardous material incidents.

State the provisions of this Section: “General power to remove persons or obstacles.”

Answer 11

The officer in charge at a fire or hazardous material incident may cause to be removed any person, vehicle, vessel or thing the presence of whom or which at or near a fire or hazardous material incident might, in the officer’s opinion, interfere with the work of any fire brigade or the exercise of any of the officer’s functions

Question 12

At an incident that has been declared a crime scene, a member of the public seeks details from you, the senior firefighter/officer on duty, about the incident.

State your response according to the Fire Brigades Regulation (2014) Clause 22, Disclosure of information.

Answer 12

A firefighter must not disclose any information obtained in the firefighter’s capacity
as a firefighter unless the disclosure is made:

(a) in the exercise of the firefighter’s functions. or

(b) about factual matters that are generally available to the public, or

(c) by an approved firefighter to media representatives concerning operations at a fire or other incident, or

(d) at the direction or with the permission of the Commissioner, or

(e) with other lawful excuse.

Question 13

Section 17 of the Fire Brigades Regulation (2014) refers to unacceptable behaviour.

List five circumstances when a firefighter’s behaviour would be deemed unacceptable.

Answer 13

A firefighter must not:

(a) come on duty while under the influence of alcohol or a drug, or

(b) while on duty, consume, use or possess any alcohol or drug, or

(c)) while on duty, gamble in circumstances that adversely affect the discipline or
efficiency of Fire and Rescue NSW, or

(d) smoke at a fire or drill, in any departmental premises or in any departmental vehicle, or

(e) smoke in any public place while in uniform, or

(f) while off duty, enter or remain on departmental premises without authority, or

(g) while on or off duty, by words or action, behave in a manner that is subversive of discipline or calculated to bring discredit on Fire and Rescue NSW, or

(h) while on duty, by words or action, harass, intimidate or threaten another firefighter

Question 14

As stated in the Standing Orders, to avoid serious accidents at intersections when responding to an emergency,

What actions should drivers of responding vehicles approaching a stop sign or red signal take?

Answer 14

• Slow down and do not exceed 8kph

• Only proceed when it is safe to do so

Question 15

According to Standing Orders, when are seatbelts required to be worn when travelling in FRNSW vehicles (including tankers)?

Answer 15

All Fire and Rescue NSW employees are required to wear a seat belt, properly adjusted, when travelling in Fire and Rescue SW vehicles. Any member travelling on a vehicle (including a water tanker) is to be seated inside the vehicle and must wear a seat belt.

Question 16

According to Standing Orders, with no impact of the service delivery,

List the procedures to be followed if drivers of FRNSW vehicles are involved in an accident.

Answer 16

• Station Commanders and supervisors must complete an Agency member motor vehicle claim form for all accidents involving Fire and Rescue NSW vehicles, including fire appliances, and submit it to their Duty Commander or manager with a covering memo explaining how the accident occurred.

• The Duty commander or manager must undertake an initial investigation of the accident to determine if any action is required.

• The Agency member motor vehicle claim form must then be forwarded to the Fleet Management Unit who will process the insurance claim.

• If the accident involved an injury, illness, exposure or near miss, a Notification of injury, illness, exposure or near miss form must also be submitted.

Question 17

Fire Brigades Regulation, Part 3, Section 14: Firefighters to acquire and maintain knowledge of legislation, orders, and functions.

List the provisions.

Answer 17

(1) A firefighter must acquire and maintain a thorough knowledge of, and must comply with the requirements of, the Act, this Regulation and the Commissioner’s Orders.

(2) A firefighter must acquire and maintain the knowledge and skills that are relevant to the performance of the firefighter’s functions.

Question 18

According to STP -The National Construction Code classes buildings “Class 1” through to “Class 10”. The class of building is a measure of the buildings likely:

List these four points.

Answer 18

• The application of the NSW planning laws group buildings of similar classification, height and size.

• The application of NSW planning laws and the NCC (and associated Australian Standards) results in
repeating patterns in the built environment.

• This means that you are likely to encounter similar building features, fire safety systems, etc. within
similar building types.

• Within your response area you will have encountered repeating patterns such as residential areas,
shopping precincts and industrial areas

Question 19

According to the Fire Investigation toolkit on the Intranet, when should you request FIRU for assistance?

Answer 19

• There has been a loss of life at a fire, or a person is not expected to live from their injuries, or

• The fire is considered major (i.e. 4th Alarm or above, significant community impact or unusual fire
behaviour), or

• The Origin and Cause of the fire is not apparent.

Question 20

As listed in STP - What form populated by firefighters gives the Fire Investigator a summary of firefighter actions at an incident.

Answer 20

SOFA – Summary of Observation & Firefighter Actions Report

Question 21

STP - Details how a structure fire will burn within one of two burning regimes.

List and describe the regimes.

Answer 21

• Fuel Controlled : In this initial phase of fire development the fire grows as a direct function of the fuel itself with little or no influence from the compartment environment. i.e. The size, shape or number of openings. If we continue to add fuel the fire will grow in size. If we remove fuel, the fire will decrease in size. Therefore, fires with more than enough air for combustion are said to be Fuel Controlled.

• Ventilation Controlled: Most structure fires will reach a stage where fire development and the Heat Release Rate (HRR) is now dictated by the availability of oxygen. This occurs during a fully developed fire when the fire is pyrolyzing more fuel than can be burnt with the available oxygen in the compartment. It will also occur prior to this if the enclosure has insufficient openings. Simply put, fire growth (and HRR) is limited by the available air (O2) supply

Question 22

STP - Identifies the search priority in multi storey buildings, list the priorities.

Answer 22

SEARCH AND RESCUE PRIORITIES
1. The fire floor

2. The floor directly above the fire floor
3. The top floor as this is where the smoke will rise to if it can.

*Always check the roof for evacuees and for use as a possible evacuation point if stairs are impassable.

Question 23

STP - Outlines when a working at a task/tactical level and a firefighter becomes trapped, injured missing or overdue.

What message should be sent to draw attention to the situation?

Answer 23

Send a Mayday

• Press the emergency button on the radio to send an alert across the network, and, if possible, say Mayday, Mayday, Mayday.
• Transmit your emergency message, in CAN format if possible. As part of Conditions, identify yourself and your location. After hearing the Mayday:
• All commanders must check PAR, but only report if they don’t have PAR.
• The IC or FireCOM must immediately acknowledge the emergency communication and initiate necessary action.

Question 24

According to STP - When is an Incident Management System required to be used at incidents FRNSW attends

Answer 24

This method is used at every incident FRNSW attends

The method is adaptable and scalable to the incident type and size, and enables the Incident Commander to:
• Maintain the necessary situational awareness. • Achieve the incident objectives.
• Ensure the safety of all personnel.

Question 25

According to STP -There are eight strategic functions of command the Incident Commander needs to address.

List all eight.

Answer 25

Deployment – ensuring a steady, adequate and timely stream of appropriate resources at the incident, and knowing the position and function of each resource at all times.

Command – having a strong command presence from the outset of an incident.

Situation evaluation – continuously collecting and evaluating information about the incident in order to determine critical factors.

Incident action planning – having an incident action plan that addresses the critical factors.

Incident communications – having efficient and effective incident communications to describe the flow of information within and out of the incident.

Incident structure – having an incident structure that is flexible and able to be scaled to meet the incident size and needs, with the ability to delegate functions and responsibilities as span of control is reached.

Review and revision – once in operation, reviewing and revising the strategy and plan, to keep it current with the changing needs of the incident.

Escalation and de-escalation – as additional officers or an Incident Management Team arrive, scaling up the strategic management level of the incident; and scaling down as operations conclude.

Question 26

According to STP - At every incident there must be a steady, adequate, and timely stream of resources.

Who is the only person to deploy resources at an incident?

Answer 26

The Incident Commander (IC) must be the only person to deploy resources

This ensures that the IC knows where the resources are and what they are doing and can ensure that their tasks are in line with the Incident Action plan (IAP)

Question 27

A driver in a road tunnel noticed smoke coming from the engine compartment of their car and immediately pulled into the emergency break down bay and called 000. The Tunnel Control Centre closed the tunnel allowing attending fire crews access to extinguish the fire. Peak hour traffic is starting to build at the entrance to the tunnel and thick smoke is throughout.

List the Smoke Management Systems found in road tunnels that could assist in clearing the smoke?

Answer 27

Ventilation Road tunnel smoke management systems may use:

• longitudinal ventilation (jet fans)
• ducted ventilation
• natural ventilation
• a combination of the above

Ceiling mounted jet fans push the smoke in the direction of vehicle travel. TCC operators, guided by their operating procedures, will start the fans and cross passage pressurisation in a fire prior to the arrival of the NSWFB.

The NSWFB IC must liaise with the TCC operators regarding the effectiveness of the smoke management system and whether its operation should be varied. For example, it may be possible to reverse the jet fans if needed.

Question 28

According to SOGs -As an incident develops and crews become fatigued, they will need to be rested.

Name and describe the two ways crews can be rested.

Answer 28

Recycle – Crew stops work for a short period just outside the Hot Zone, to rest, rehydrate, and replenish air cylinders if relevant. They remain accountable to IC or Sector, Group or Division commander (SGD Commander), as per the incident structure.

Full rehabilitation – Crew is released and moves to the rehabilitation area. Once there, they are accountable to a Rehabilitation Officer

Question 29

According to SOGs - List and describe the three incident phases

Answer 29

Life at risk phase where there are savable human lives. The incident is uncontrolled and requires rapid actions to control the risks to lives. A higher level of risk may be acceptable.

Expanding phase where the incident is likely to expand beyond accepted limits. The incident is uncontrolled and requires rapid actions to control risks to lives and property. Some level of risk may be acceptable.

Contained phase where there are sufficient resources to contain the incident within a defined area. There is no life at risk, or lives and property are already lost. Risk must be minimised as much as practicable.

Question 30

According to Standing Orders who are the people authorised to ride on FRNSW appliances?

Answer 30

• Firefighters in the course of their duty;

• Employees of Fire and Rescue NSW whose duty requires their attendance at an emergency; • Members of other emergency services at the discretion of the member in charge; or

• Other persons authorised by the Commissioner.

Question 31

According to STP - List and describe three ways foam controls and extinguishes fire

Answer 31

• Excluding (smothering)

• Suppressing

• Cooling

Question 32

According to STP – What are the characteristics of liquid petroleum gas?

Answer 32

• Odourless

• Colourless

• Heavier than air

Question 33

According to STP - What is the term used when a liquid within a container reaches a temperature well above its boiling temperature, boils, expands and the container fails sending flammable gas outwards where it ignites?

Answer 33

BLEVE

• Boiling
• Liquid
• Expanding
• Vapour
• Explosion

Question 34

According to STP - What can be used to conduct a thermal check of an acetylene cylinder?

Answer 34

• Use a thermal imaging camera to conduct the thermal check every 15 minutes for 1 hour and record the results.

• Alternatively conduct a wetting test:

• Get a clear view of the cylinder, then spray it. Ensure the cylinder is completely wet.
• Stop the spray and check for signs of steam or rapid drying of the cylinder. A cool cylinder shouldn’t dry in 1-2 minutes.

• If the cylinder temperature rises above ambient/expected levels, recommence water cooling for at least 1 hour

Question 35

Expand the Acronym - SISIACMR

Answer 35

Safe Approach
Incident control
Scene security
Identify hazard
Assess potential harm
Call in resources
Monitor information
Render safe and decontamination

Question 36

According to STP - What is the most suitable extinguishing agent for rubber fires?

Answer 36

Large diameter, hard hitting water jets – monitors is appropriate

Diffused or fog sprays to depress smoke

Implement process to monitor / contain hazardous material runoff

Question 37

According to STP -There are several stages of Lithium-Ion battery failure list and describe the stages.

Answer 37

Stage One – Abuse Factor (Thermal, electrical and mechanical abuse)

Stage Two – Off gas generation (Occurs regardless of cell form factor)

Stage Three – Smoke Generation (Catastrophic failure is imminent)

Stage Four – Fire Generation (likelihood of propagation drastically increases)

Question 38

According to the Workplace Safety toolkit on the intranet, what should you complete when a work-related injury, near miss, exposure or illness occurs and in what timeframe after the occurrence should it be submitted?

Answer 38

NIIENMs should be submitted within 24 hours of occurrence

Question 39

According to the toolkit on the intranet - If you are unable to submit or fill out a NIIENM who else can submit one for you?

Answer 39

If the injured person is unable to submit the report, their supervisor or co-worker can submit it on their behalf.

Question 40

In New South Wales, Emergency Services carry out land-based rescues under what Act?

Answer 40

SERM Act 1989

State Emergency and Rescue Management Act 1989.