The Art of Reading Buildings

Question 1

Firefighters are dialing into the changes in fire behavior which are: (PG 1)

Answer 1

• Higher heat release rates
• Higher temperatures
• Compressed time to flashover
• Explosive nature of ventilation-limited fires

Question 2

_______ products are beginning to replace concrete and steel in many structural applications. (PG 2)

Answer 2

“Engineered wood”

Question 3

As modern architects reduce the amount of mass and change the chemical composition of building materials, the fire service is losing THREE valuable factors that allow us to perform interior fire ops: (PG 2)

Answer 3

1. Safety
2. Sufficient TIME to conduct suppression
3. Relevant building size-up

Question 4

Safety: NFPA reports indicate that firefighter injuries and deaths related to structural incidents are a result of THREE primary factors: (PG 3)

Answer 4

1. it falls on you
2. you fall into it
3. flashover

Question 5

Safety: _______ is the key to reducing and/or eliminating the chance of the building falling on you, you falling into it. or you being caught by flashover (PG3)

Answer 5

The ability to read a building and translate that information into fireground ops that are safe and relevant.

Question 6

Safety: This new approach to construction is typically accomplished by ______ and ______.

Answer 6

maximizing engineering principles and minimizing material use

Question 7

Safety: These three “strikes” have the impact of reducing firefighter safety: (PG3)

Answer 7

Strike 1 : Lower material mass
Strike 2: Engineered shapes for structural elements
Strike 3: Better insulation

Question 8

Safety: Remember that _______ is the most important nonemergency function that we do, and typically pays immense dividends in the form of safe fireground operations: (PG3)

Answer 8

training

Question 9

Time: Time is a ______ and you must be aware of its passage: (PG3)

Answer 9

constant

Question 10

Time: As we know, fires are ______, they are not static. (PG 3)

Answer 10

dynamic

Question 11

Fire service defines ______ as “a mental evaluation of incident factors that determines the course of action necessary to achieve a desired goal.” (PG 4)

Answer 11

size-up

Question 12

A building must be designed, engineered, or otherwise assembled to resist a ______. (PG 12)

Answer 12

load

Question 13

_____ are static and dynamic weights that come from the building itself and anything that is placed within or acts upon a building. (PG 12)

Answer 13

Loads

Question 14

_____ is responsible for creating most loads. (PG 12)

Answer 14

Gravity

Question 15

The weight of the building itself and anything PERMANENTLY attached to the building: (PG 12)

Answer 15

dead load

Question 16

Any load applied to a building other than dead loads: (PG 12)

Answer 16

live loads

Question 17

Live loads are typically _____, _____, _____, or _____. (PG 12)

Answer 17

transient, moving, impacting, or static

Question 18

A load that is applied within a small area or at one point: (PG 12)

Answer 18

concentrated load

Question 19

A load spread over a large surface area or over multiple points. (PG 12)

Answer 19

distributed load

Question 20

A moving or sudden load applied to a building in a focused or short time interval: (PG 12)

Answer 20

impact load

Question 21

Wind, large crowds, and fire stream water are _____ loads: (PG 12)

Answer 21

impact