Chapter 8: Other Fire Prevention Functions

Within fire departments where construction regulation has been fully integrated. Chief mechanical, plumbing, and electrical inspectors and their staffs report to the:

Building inspector

The division within the fire department or within the fire prevention bureau that oversees every building and structure from the time it starts as a blueprint, through construction, renovation, and finally destruction by demolition or fire may be referred to as any of the following EXCEPT:

Bureau of Standards; Acceptable names: Office of Code Enforcement, Bureau of Construction, Office of Building Regulation

From 2005-2007, portable heater fires in residential buildings accounted for an estimated average of 900 fires in the United States each, resulting in an average of approx. 45 deaths, 100 injuries, and $48 million in property loss. How are these losses related to property maintenance codes?

Central heating systems that do not conform o property maintenance codes lead tenants to seek other, more dangerous means of heating.

A fire department will respond to which of the following emergencies?

Child stuck in a well, corrosive liquid spill, emergency medical service required following a car crash

Fire departments that regulate construction typically employ:

Civilian engineers or architects

What are some non traditional functions performed by the fire departments and fire prevention bureaus?

Construction regulation, hazardous materials regulation and investigation, and civil defense

Typically, what are some things an emergency manager does?

Coordinates and manages the response to disasters and emergencies, prepares emergency plans and procedures for natural, medical, technological, and wartime emergencies and disasters, an provides disaster preparedness training.

Fire departments are among the first to respond to acts of ____ terrorism

Domestic

The threat of terrorist attacks ___ the need for traditional fire protection and emergency egress systems

Enhances

What do Property Maintenance Codes provide minimum standards for?

Existing structures for lighting, ventilation, space, heating, sanitation, protection from the weather, life safety, and fire safety. Addresses both indoor and outdoor conditions.

______ heating, lighting, ventilation, and electrical distribution equipment are major causes of fire.

Faulty or improperly maintained

______ are the logical pick to investigate hazardous waste crimes because they regulate the storage, handling, and use of hazardous materials; extinguish fires and mitigate spills, leaks, and releases, and have vast experience with a wide range of materials, incidents, and situations.

Fire departments and fire prevention bureaus.

What three things become even more important with the threat of terrorist attacks?

Fire resistance-rated construction, fire protection systems, and adequate means of ingress and egress.

All of the following are non traditional functions of fire prevention bureaus EXCEPT:

Fire safety education

A fire department's construction regulation division oversees every building:

From the time it starts as a blueprint up through its construction, renovation, and destruction.

Fire prevention bureaus play a key role in ensuring that emergency plans and security measures developed by ____ do not conflict with emergency response procedures

Industry, businesses, and other governmental agencies

What else does fire threaten besides economic viability?

Loss of income, interruption of the flow of goods and providing services, the loss of tax revenue, and the impact on families' living arrangements when they are uprooted.

The state required licensure system for professionals such as engineers or architects is known as:

Professional registration

One of the most important objectives of _____ is securing vacant or abandoned properties

Property maintenance codes

____ are the only model codes to require a specific amount of living space per occupant

Property maintenance codes

_____ provide minimum standards for existing structures for light, ventilation, space, heating, sanitation, protection from the weather, life safety, and fire safety.

Property maintenance codes

What is the original mission of the fire prevention bureau?

Property protection and safety from fire.

Fire departments benefit from the technical knowledge of _____, who benefit from the knowledge of Fire behavior and fire department tactics of the _____

Structural engineers, fire department

The term hazardous materials first appeared in fire codes in the:

1980s and 1990s

_____ of civilian fire deaths and injuries occur in residences

70-75 percent

Professional Regulation

A licensure system for professionals, such as engineers and architects required by many state and local jurisdictions that is highly advantageous to obtain.

Property maintenance code inspections have significant potential to reduce the rate of deaths and injuries, especially in jurisdictions with large stocks of:

Rental properties

Fire and building codes require that vacant structures be _____ in order to prevent them from being used for unsafe or illegal activities

Secured or demolished.

What is one of the most important objectives of property maintenance codes?

Securing vacant or abandoned properties in order to prevent them from being used for unsafe or illegal activities.

Abandoned structures may ____, which creates a difficult situation for firefighters and can put them at risk.

Serve as a temporary shelter for individuals who are homeless

Habitable space

The areas within a structure normally occupied by humans for living, cooking, eating, and sleeping.

You are a firefighter arriving at the scene of a fire in an abandoned farmhouse. You notice several signs of recent activity on the steps of the house, including a flashlight, a bag of chips, and some spray cans. What makes this scene potentially dangerous?

The dilapidated state of the farmhouse, the possibility of squatters staying in the home, and the potential for hazardous materials inside the home, such as those used for manufacturing drugs.

How can community concerns that inspection programs are intrusive and conducted for suspicious reasons other than property maintenance be mitigated?

Through frequent contact among code officials, and civic, religious, and social groups.

Which of the following is NOT an ability of fire departments regarding hazardous materials?

To hear a hazardous materials release in a criminal's case in court.

What is the function of the construction regulation division within a fire department/fire prevention bureau?

To oversee every building and structure from conception as a blueprint through construction, renovation, and destruction by demolition through fire.

_____ are frequently involved in fires and have been the scenes of numerous multiple-fire fighter fatalities, incl. one on December 4, 1999, where six firefighters were killed trying to rescue a couple they believed were inside but had already evacuated the building

Vacant and abandoned properties