St Chpt 12 Flashcards
The basic tactics and strategic objectives used in high-rise fire fighting are essentially the same as those that apply to any other structure fire, but with special considerations because of the_____
Height of the building
Represent an extraordinary challenge to fire departments and are some of the most challenging incidents a fire department encounters
High-rise fire
High-rise buildings can hold thousands of people well above the reach of fire department aerial devices, and the chance of rescuing victims from the exterior is near _____ once the fire is above the operational reach of ladders for elevated platforms
Zero
Can be as simple as testing a single function such as the ability to apply the national incident management system (nims) or tabletop exercise using scenarios such as the RGB scenario presented in the challenging questions and activities at the end of this chapter
Training
Fire departments tend to think of a high rise building as being _______ of the aerial fire equipment available to them
Beyond the reach
The risk to firefighters and occupants increases in proportion to the height of the building and the ______
height of the fire above grade level
A responsibility of _______ is to control, operate, and account for all elevators
Lobby control
Elevators are equipped with _____ to prevent them from falling
Redundant safety systems
Maintenance and security people should never be taken into the elevator until it had been verified that the elevator is
completely safe
The first rule of elevator safety is to avoid the use of ______ unless they will substantially improve operations
Elevators
When there is a fire separation between the elevators end the fire area, it may be possible to safely use the elevators in another_______ and then travel horizontally to the fire
Building zone
Large high rise buildings, especially hospitals, often have ______
Building zones
Create a horizontal barrier to smoke and heat from the fire
Fire walls and fire doors
Department SOPs should state that the elevator should be taken _____ or more below the fire, and then firefighters should walk up the stairways to the fire floor
Two floors
Are usually less safe than passenger elevators, but they may be suitable for sending equipment without placing firefighters in the elevator car
Freight elevators
When ascending in an elevator, it is good practice to stop periodically every _______ to check for smoke
Five floors
It is further recommended that firefighters stop the elevators________ below the fire floor, step out into the hallway, and check the general floor Arrangement to get a feel for the building layout
Three or more floors
Moving equipment via a stairway relay function was formally named stairway support but is now properly termed
Ground support
Is a high-rise support unit used to move supplies to the interior staging area when using elevators is deemed to be unsafe
Ground support
Firefighters assigned to ______ ascend two stories with air cylinders and other equipment, where the next firefighter picks up the equipment and relays it up two additional floors.
Ground support
Should be one of the first assignments given when the fire is on the upper floors in a building without elevator service
Ground support
A simple marking system involves placing a chalk mark ____ on doors to rooms that have been searched and/or indicating that the whole floor has been searched by marking hallways doors or walls opposite the elevator
X
Some departments use a piece of ____ that cover the doorknob and lock to prevent the door from relocking
Rubber with two holes
A ____ tactic places a great burden on the IC, as a successful outcome depends on the fire being promptly extinguished
Defend in place
The ____ uses recorded messages to notify occupants of a fire and provides specific directions for reaching places of safe refuge within the building
EVACS
Maybe the best way to reduce stairway congestion
Sequential evacuation
Reliance on the ______ should be limited to compartmentalized buildings with full sprinkler systems
EVACS
Above the ___ floor, most exterior defensive fire control tools are no longer effective
8th floor
Elevated streams can sometimes reach the fire floor, but the angle of deflection inside the window diminishes with each floor above the maximum______.
Height of the appliance
to improve fire stream penetration, it is necessary to move the nozzle farther from the building, thus ______
Reducing the angle of deflection
In fact the buildings ____ are the best means of egress, even when floors are within the reach of aerials
Stairways
For these reasons, it is extremely important that fire forces prevent fire extension into the ________because _____ are the safest and most effective egress routes
Stairways
Generally, the pressure at the standpipe discharge will be lower than the pump discharge pressure used to supply hose streams connected directly to a pumper. Departments compensate for the lower pressure by using ______ or _______
Smooth bore or low pressure nozzles
Although ceiling height of individual floors will vary in high rise buildings, a fair estimate is allowing ____ for the first floor and ___ for each additional floor
20 ft
10 ft
The loss of pressure due to gravity is ______
0.434 psi
If provisions are not made to provide an external backup supply and the internal pumps fail, the only protection will be ___
The fire resistive nature of the structure (fire enclosures)
For supplying the standpipe and reservoirs in case of breakdown, developed in cooperation with building management, could prevent a disaster
Contingency plans
These _____ should be included in the preincdent plan
Contingency plans
Most newer high rise buildings are equipped with a ______, which is usually near the lobby.
Command center
In many new style high rise buildings, where core construction methods are used, fire attack and evacuation tactics are further complicated. In these buildings, ________ are usually located in the center of the building
Stairways
Some core construction methods move the core away from the center of the building, which is sometimes referred to as ______
Side core construction
Are built as a separate structure, thus reducing the possibility of smoke entering the stairs.
Smoke proof towers
Unless there is compelling reason to use another stairway, the ______ or the pressurized stairway should be the stairway of choice for occupant evacuation
Smoke proof tower
Matching the occupancy classification to time factors generally gives the IC a good idea of the______
Life hazard potential
As a rule of thumb, the average office building has one person for every _____
100 ft
The Vertical airflow are caused by temperature differences within and outside the building
Stack effect
The colder it is outside and the warmer it is inside, the greater the positive
Stack effect
Conversely, the _____ can be negative downward on a warm day within an air conditioned building
Stack effect
At the _____ forces are neutral air is not moving in or out
NPP
Wind passing over a roof opening has a pulling or
Venturi effect
In the case of residential and health care occupancies, there will be at least one additional _____ in the hall way before reaching the stairway
Fire door
Effective ____ can clear stairways during a high rise fire in two ways
PPV
The primary rescue tactic in a high rise building is a well placed
Offensive attack
Suspended ceilings are common concealed spaces and a likely place for a _____ fire
Wrap around fire
The attack line is used as the lifeline to _____
Safety
The people on the fire floor and the floor immediately above are in the _____ and should be among the first groups evacuated
Greatest danger
A stairway with a standpipe outlets is the preferred fire ______
Operations stairway
Ventilation and control of the HVAC system should be done by using ____
Reversible methods
All floors above the fire are ____
Exposures
In modern buildings with ____, fire can extend upward, inside the building, near the exterior wall.
Curtain walls
Fires can extend up the exterior of the building via auto exposure by _____ from floor to floor
Lapping
However, the greatest property conservation exposure is often _____ as water flows through curtain walls, electrical fixtures, and other openings, damaging valuable property beneath the fire.
Downward
The level where the fire occurs has the greatest impact on ____, especially when elevators are not available
Lead time
A ____ should be established to keep civilians out of danger and to provide a safe working area for firefighters outside the building
Perimeter
If there is danger from falling glass, a _____ perimeter should be enforced around the building
200 ft
Opening windows by pulling the glass ____ greatly increases safety at high rise structures
Inward
Is the most frequently cited problem during major emergency operations
Communications
______ are abundant in most high rise buildings consider using them as a means of emergency communications
Hardwired telephones
A good ____ will include sections to record the fire location and the location of companies at the incident scene
Tactical worksheet
The term ___ is used by wildland fire fighters to identify a location housing reserve equipment and personnel.
Base
The ____ for high rise fires is a location where support equipment and personnel are kept on the exterior of the building
Base
Depending on interior conditions and the location of the fire, an exterior staging area maybe establish near the _____
Fire perimeter
This area is normally two or more floors below the fire
Interior staging area
To avoid the confusion of having a different name for the exterior staging area, the interior staging area could be identified as interior staging or as the
Resource area
The supervisor in charge of the staging area or an assistant can act as the _____ for crews that are working out of the staging area
Accountability officer
Any time an extended interior attack is in progress on an upper floor of a building where firefighters expend more than one tank of air ______
Interior staging and rehabilitation may be a good idea
Controlling the elevators and stairways is the only way to effectively gain access to the upper floors of a high rise building. Many departments SOPs assign these initial lobby control tasks to a member of the first arriving ______
First arriving Truck company
Most codes define the high rise building in terms of
Height and stories
Once firefighters are operating above the reach of aerial devices, the only viable means of egress is the
Interior stairs
Modern high rise building elevators have fire department controls. When the alarm system is activated elevators return to the ground floor and remain there ________ for fire department use.
Locked out
A critical variable in high rise fire operations is the availability of reliable
Elevators
The fire officer must always conduct a careful _______ before placing firefighters in an elevator
Risk versus benefit
The easiest and most quickest way to move cylinders, nozzles, hose, first aid supplies, forcible entry tools, and other materials to the interior staging area in a high rise building is using the
Elevator
Moving equipment up through the building when the elevators are out of service is a mammoth undertaking, ______ provides a reasonable but slower alternative to using elevators
Ground support
A decision for _______ can be made in advance of a fire and incorporated into the alarm system
Partial or sequential evacuation
Assigning fire fighters to clear the attack stairwell from top to bottom assures that occupants will use the __________ and will not hinder fire operations
Safest stairway for egress
