Chapter 14 Fire Suppression

Post Indicator Valve Assembly (PIVA)

Uses a circular disk inside a flat plate on top of the housing. When the valve is open, the disk is perpendicular to the surrounding plate. It operates with a built-in-crank.

Natural gas is classified as an ________ because it may displace air in a confined space and lead to suffocation.

asphyxiant

When entering a structure _______________ should stay low and out of the doorway while the door is forced open.

attack crews

A safety principle for ground cover fires is to throw all burned/charred material into the __________ and scatter cut/ unburned fuels into the ______________.

black, green

______________ extinguishing agent would be used on burning metal if combustible metal components become involved in a vehicle fire.

class D

Fire attack where water is applied onto the surface of the burning fuels until the fire is extinguished is _____________.

direct attack

If a vehicle that uses biodiesel is on fire, use ___________, CO₂, water fog spray, or foam to extinguish it.

dry chemical

CNG (compress natural gas) and LNG (liquefied natural gas) tanks can rupture if exposed to fire, resulting in an _______________.

explosion

Wall Post Indicator Valve (WPIV)

extends horizontally through the wall with the target and valve operating nut on the outside of the building

Closing a door to a fire room can limit the air supply to the fire and can prevent a __________________________________.

flashover

When attacking a fire in the passenger compartment, if normal entry is not possible, break a window and attack fire with a medium __________ pattern.

fog

Shutting down a building's main sprinkler control valve should only be done once the ___________

fore is under control and the IC gives the order to do so.

The 3 main influences on ground cover fire behavior are:

fuel, weather and topography

__________ is a way of reducing heat release from the hot gas layer.

gas cooling

Post Indicator Valve (PIV)

has a hollow metal post that houses the valve stem with a movable plate with the words OPEN or SHUT visible through a small glass window on the side of the housing.

Outside screw and yoke (OS&Y) valve

has a yoke on the outside with a threaded screw that opens and closes the gate inside the valve housing. The threaded portion of the screw is visible beyond the yoke only when the valve is open.

Fuel removal is NOT a common tactic for ________

house fires

If a _______ vehicle is on fire, use a TI (thermal imager) to see the flame; protect exposures

hydrogen

A pre-entry consideration critical to firefighter safety and effectiveness is ________

identifying potential emergency escape routes

_________ attack should be used against ground cover fires that are too hot. too fast or too large for other types of attack.

indirect

black

part of a ground cover fire, the area where the fire has consumed or "blackened" the fuels

origin

part of a ground cover fire, the area where the fire started and the point from which it spreads

perimeter

part of a ground cover fire, the outer boundary, or the distance around the outside edge, of the burning or burned area

Heel

part of a ground cover fire, the side opposite the head of the fire

When combating an engine compartment fire, driving a _________ nozzle through the hood, fenders or wheel wells is not a safe tactic for hybrid or electric vehicles.

piercing

Controlling ventilation with ______ pressure in adjoined, uninvolved areas of a structure can also pressurize those areas and isolate the fire to one area.

positive

Excessive steam production can ___________, __________, and _____________.

reduce the visibility, increase the chances for steam burns, and disrupt the thermal layer.

Cooling hot gases overhead can ______ the risk of ignition and _________ flashover to provide a safer operating environment.

reduce; potential

Using water to cool burning gases in a structure fire DOES NOT:

speed up the pyrolysis process of combustible materials

The most common ground fire is the _______ fire.

surface

Flanks

the sides of a ground cover fire, roughly parallel to the main direction of fire spread

The heat from a vehicle fire could result in the engine hood trust overheating, which can cause the struts _________ with tremendous force.

to launch

Firefighters should attack with the wind blowing ___________ to help combat any changes in fire pattern.

to their backs

_________ attack reduces the potential for flashover and creates a more survivable interior environment.

transitional

Fires will usually spread faster _________ than ___________.

uphill; downhill

Using _________ for cooling is the most effective method available for the extinguishment of smoldering fires.

water

Basement fires can __________ the floor joists of the level above, causing it to be structurally unstable.

weaken

_____________ is the most significant influencer on ground cover fire behavior.

weather

In structures equipped with standpipes, the ______ will determine the method of fire attack.

location of the standpipe

The only safe way to cut all power to a structure is at the _________ or _________.

main breaker, meter shutoff

Fire department personnel is ___________ for turning utilities back on once the fire is eradicated.

not responsible

___________ method would NOT effectively control steam production.

open nozzle completely and put as much water on the fire as possible

Finger

part of a ground cover fire extending from the main fire, usually occurring when the fire burns into an area that has light fuel and patches of heavy fuel

Head

part of a ground cover fire that spreads most rapidly.

Islands

part of a ground cover fire, patches of unburned fuel inside the fire perimeter

Spot fire

part of a ground cover fire, presents a hazard to personnel (and equipment) working on the main fire because they could become trapped between 2 fires.

Green

part of a ground cover fire, the area of unburned fuels next to the involved area

Exposure Protection

Covering any object in the immediate vicinity of the fire with water or foam.

When dealing with a hybrid or hybrid-electric vehicle, it will take approximately _______ minutes for energy in the system to dissipate when using inertia switches and pilot circuits to shut off the high voltage system.

5

Shielded Fire

A fire that is located in a remote part of the structure or hidden from view by objects in the compartment.

Topography

Physical configuration of the land or terrain; often depicted using contour lines

Exterior Exposure

Building or other combustible object located close to the fire building that is in danger of becoming involved due to heat transfer from the fire building.

When dealing with solar panel fires, the minimum distance to apply water when using an automatic nozzle should be _________.

15 ft.

In fires in the upper levels of structures can require a large number of personnel to:

1) conduct large scale evacuations 2) carry tools and equipment 3) maintain a sustained fire attack

Things should be observe and communicated as part of situational awareness before and during structural fire attack.

1) location and extent of the fire 2) changes in heat level 3) changes of fire behavior, spread and growth, including signs of rapid fire development 4) location of safe havens and alternate exits 5) changes of structural stability

What tools does the interior fire attack crew generally take with them?

1) portable radio 2) hand light 3) pike pole 4) thermal imager 5) forcibly entry tools

Methods fire fighters use to interrupt the fire tetrahedron and extinguish a fire are:

1) temperature reduction 2) fuel removal 3) oxygen exclusion 4) chemical flame inhibition

Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG)

Any of several petroleum products, such as propane or butane, stored under pressure as a liquid.

Interior Exposure

Areas of a fire building that are not involved in fire but that are connected to the fire area in such a manner that may facilitate fire spread through any available openings.

Flank Attack

Attacking a fire on the flanks or sides of wildland fire and working along the fire edge toward the head of the fire.

When extinguishing a fire involving stacked materials, ________ will soak into the materials and coat the ground cover and exposures, preventing fire spread. This is very effective when applied with an eductor or through a compressed air foam (CAF) system.

Class A foam

Parallel Attack

Constructing a fireline parallel to a wildland fire's edge. After the line is constructed, the fuel inside the line is burned out.

At a vehicle incident, _______ guidelines should be used for protecting the scene from vehicular traffic.

Department of Transportation (DOT)

Logout/Tagout Device

Device used to secure a machine's power switches, in order to prevent accidental restart of the machine.

Gas Cooling

Directing water into the hot gas layer to reduce the heat release rate in a compartment.

Combination Attack

Extinguishing a fire by using both a direct and an indirect attack. This method combines the steam-generating technique of a ceiling level attack with an attack on the burning materials near floor level.

Transitional Attack

Fire attack from the exterior through a ventilation opening. The attack cools the fire compartment and helps transition the fire from ventilation-limited conditions to fuel-limited conditions.

Clean agent

Fire suppression material that leaves little or no residue when used.

Class A foam

Foam specially designed for use on Class A combustibles. Class A foams are becoming increasingly popular for use in wildland and structural fire fighting.

Indirect attack (structural)

In structural fire fighting, a form of fire attack that involves directing fire streams toward the ceiling of a compartment in order to generate a large amount of steam in order to cool the compartment.

Direct Attack (Structural)

In structural fire fighting, an attack method that involves the discharge of water or a foam stream directly onto the burning fuel.

Indirect Attack (Ground Cover)

In wildland fire fighting, a method of controlling a fire in which a control line is constructed or located some distance from the edge of the main fire, and the fuel between the two points is burned.

Direct Attack (Ground Cover)

In wildland fire fighting, an operation where action is taken directly on burning fuels by applying an extinguishing agent to the edge of the fire or close to it.

Fire Line

In wildland firefighting, part of a control line that is scraped or dug to mineral soil; also a general term for the area where fire fighting activities are taking place.

Incident Safety Officer (ISO)

Member of the command staff responsible for monitoring and assessing safety hazards and unsafe conditions during an incident, and developing measures for ensuring personnel safety. The ISO enforces all applicable safety laws and regulations and departmental safety-related SOP's. On very small incidents, the incident commander may act as a ISO.

__________ gas rises and diffuses in the open because it is lighter than air.

Natural gas

Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG)

Natural gas cooled to a liquid state and then stored under pressure.

Compressed Natural Gas (CNG)

Natural gas that is stored in a vessel at high pressure, usually between 2,400 to 3,600 psi

Anchor Point

Point from which a fire line is begun; usually a natural or man made barrier that prevents fire spread and the possibility of the crew being "flanked" while constructing the fire line, Examples include lakes, ponds, streams, roads, earlier burns, rockslides and cliffs.

Firefighters must be ________ to control the flow of electricity into structures.

able