Fire protection systems

Check valves open when there is a __ PSI differential in the direction of flow.

1 PSI.

Common percentages of concentration for foam are...

1, 2, 3, and 6%. Usually per 100 gallons of water.

In kitchens, a manual pull station has to be within ___ ft of the appliance and in the path of egress.

10 ft.

Heat detectors have a wide range of temperature color codes. What is the range and what color is the hottest?

100 (no color) 575 degrees (orange)

Systems utilize _____% of outdoor air for positive pressurization and smoke relief systems with _____% exhaust to the outdoors.

100%

Halon ______ and ______ are the only two halons still in widespread use.

1211 and 1301.

Each type of heat-sensitive element operates at what range of temperatures?

135-650 degrees.

Smoke management systems must remain operational for at least ___ mins during an incident and bring the smoke level to ___ ft above the highest level of seating or walking surface in the means of egress.

20 mins, 6ft.

NFPA 5000 (building construction and safety code) says that the maximum permitted stairway door opening force is ___ LBS

30 LBS.

Depending on type of extinguisher, test intervals range from __ to __ years.

5 to12 years.

During low-pressure storage of CO2, the tank of the gas is kept at 300 PSI for use with extinguishing systems. What are the high-pressure storage tanks held at?

850 PSI.

The system that describes the rules, regulations, or laws usually developed by government?

A code.

What is a green building?

A facility using environmentally friendly materials and technologies in an effort to conserve natural and man made resources.

What is smoke management?

A passive and active system used alone or in combination to alter smoke movement.

Dry chemical extinguishing agents (Sodium bicarbonate or potassium-based) work best on class __ and __ fires?

B and C

Three organizations that merged to form the international code council?

BOCA, ICBO, and SBCCI

Where is the water held in a dry barrel hydrant?

Below the frost line until opened.

When does flashover take place?

Between the growth and fully developed stage at which all contents of a room have reached ignition point. Simultaneous ignition.

What color is the Sodium bicarbonate dry chem?

Blue or white.

Most important factor when determining the installation requirement for a fire protection system?

Building codes in effect at the time of the design, approval and construction. Also based on the specific use and occupancy conditions.

Purpose of adopting building and fire codes?

Building/fire codes provide uniform and consistent standards and guidelines for all parties to maintain public safety.

What is the type of valve where a disk stays in the water stream and rotates 90 degrees to open or close the valve?

Butterfly valve.

What is the device that allows water to be incoming in one direction and reduces the chance of that water flowing back to the source?

Check valve.

Class 1, 2 and 3 standpipe systems?

Class 1- Used by firefighters Class 2- Used by building occupants Class 3- A combination of both.

Different classifications of fire.

Class A- Ordinary combustible Class B- Flammable liquids Class C- Flammable gases Class D- Combustible Metals Class E- Live electrical equipment fires Class F- Oils and fats

What class can extinguishers come in?

Class ABCD and K.

Methods of heat transfer.

Conduction- Transfer by direct contact. Convection- transfer through a medium such as a liquid or gas. Radiation- transfer through electromagnetic energy such as light.

Four methods of fire extinguishment.

Cooling, interrupting chain reaction, oxygen reduction and removing/interrupting fuel supply.

What is the difference between exit access and exit discharge?

Exit access is the portion of the means of egress that leads to the exit, exit discharge is the path leading a person away from a building after the exit door.

Define fire and combustion and the difference between the two?

Fire- rapid oxidation process that produces varying degrees of heat, light and flame. Combustion- chemical reaction process in which a material and oxygen produce heat/energy and other products that sustain the process.

The most common use for a wet chemical extinguishing system is to extinguish?

Fires in commercial kitchen cooking equipment.

Describe CAFS....

Foam, water, and compressed air combining in a mixing chamber to generate a foam solution that travels through piping and to specialized nozzles.

What are the three types of heat-sensitive elements for sprinklers?

Frangible bulb/glass bulb, metal solder link type/fusible link, chemical pellet.

List the three legs of the fire triangle.

Fuel, heat and oxygen.

List the four legs of the fire tetrahedron.

Fuel, heat, oxygen and a chemical reaction.

The _______ valve is the most commonly installed control valve in a distribution system.

Gate valve.

Wet chemical extinguishing agents work best on class __ fires?

K

What establishes the location and number of hydrants?

Local buildings and fire codes.

What are the low medium and high foam expansion rates?

Low- 2:1-20:1 Medium- 20:1-200:1 High- 200:1-1000:1

Hydrant outlets are what size?

Main is between 4-4.5 inches and 2.5 inches at the smaller outlets.

Rules, guidelines, methods, regulations developed through consensus process by private not for profit organizations?

Model code.

What is the relationship between a model code and a referenced standard?

Model codes tell you what to do and where, referenced standards tell you how to do it.

The testing of these extinguishing systems happens when?

Monthly, semi annually, or every 6 or 12 years depending on the system.

Two most prominent organizations that are leading the code development process?

NFPA and ICC.

What is a fire flow?

Number of gallons per minute needed by the FD at a particular location to fight a fire.

What is the carbon dioxide (CO2) gas?

Odorless, colorless, noncombustible, nonconductive gas. It is approximately 380 PPM by volume. It displaces the O2 level and brings it down to 15%. Also is 50% heavier than air. Can be used in class ABC fires.

Define oxidation.

Oxidation- the process of combining a substance or material with oxygen.

What are 2 fire protection system indicating valves?

PIV and OS&Y.

List stages of fire growth.

Preignition stage, ignition stage, growth stage, fully developed stage, decay stage.

Define the term adopt?

Process of officially accepting and putting something into action.

What color is the potassium bicarbonate dry chem?

Purple.

Water for all community, domestic, commercial, industrial and fire protection needs to start as?

Rainfall, that is absorbed by the ground or runs off into a body of water such as a pond, lake, river or ocean.

In a high rise what are the details of the fire command center? (FACP room)

Separated from the rest of the building by a 1 hr fire resistive fire barrier and 96 sq ft by 8 ft. in size.

Sprinklers are placed how?

Sidewall, pendant or upright.

Difference between single station and multiple station detectors?

Single station is an individual smoke detector that is independent of the alarm system and other detectors. Multiple station detectors are interconnected to each other and the alarm system.

Most water supply systems divide into?

Source/supply network and distribution network.

What is NFPA 10?

Standard for fire extinguishers.

NFPA 24 is?

Standard for installation of private service mains.

NFPA 14 is?

Standard for installation of standpipe and hose systems.

NFPA 11 is what?

Standard for low, medium and high expanding foam.

NFPA 72 is?

Standard for smoke detectors.

What is NFPA 13?

Standard for the installation of sprinkler systems.

Ability of water based fire protection systems to protect hazards depends on?

Sufficient pressure, flow and duration of water.

Statistics compiled by the NFPA show that in 1998 US fire departments responded to 1,956,000 false alarms. 851,000 or 43% were due to _________ ____________?

System malfunctions.

Dry chem extinguishing systems have been around since?

The early 1950s.

CO2 and halon systems are self expelling agents because?

They are stored at such high pressures that they don't need pumping or supplemental gas to expel.

Why would a jurisdiction amend a model code?

To make a more demanding requirement when necessary. Those with the authority may decide to amend the model code and write different requirements.

1211 being used on local application systems while 1301 is used on?

Total flooding systems.

What is a water purveyor?

Treats the water and makes it potable and drinkable.

Gravity fed system is at a higher elevation than the location it serves? T/F

True.

What are the two UL standards that provide specific requirements for pre-engineered wet and dry chemical systems?

UL300 and UL1254

What are the 2 most common types of hydrants?

Wet and dry barrel hydrants.

Where are dry barrel hydrants most commonly found?

Where the temperature drops below freezing.

A multi purpose dry chem (ammonium phosphate) works very well on class A B C fires and is what color?

Yellow.

Interoperability is.....

ability for collaborating organizations to administer and exchange electronic info, data and designs.