Who determines the strategy and tactics for controlling the fire?
Incident Commander (IC)
What are the 3 priorities?
Life safety, incident stabilization, and property conservation.
What are the 3 factors to help determine the tactics used during an offensive strategy?
Value, time, and size.
What are some examples of the factor "value" for an offensive strategy?
Life and safety hazards at the scene, savable lives, and/or salvageable property.
What are some examples of the factor "time" for an offensive strategy?
Time to accomplish selected tactics, potential for collapse and deterioration of structural stability, and potential changes in fire conditions.
What are some examples of the factor "size" for an offensive strategy?
Tactical flow rates needed to control the fire, available resources, and fire conditions.
What are the objectives for an offensive strategy?
Rescue and/or fire extinguishment.
What are some factors for a defensive strategy?
No threat to occupant life exists, occupants are not savable, the property is not salvageable, sufficient resources are not available for an offensive strategy, there is a danger of structural collapse, and an offensive strategy would endanger the lives o
Defensive strategic operations are employed when the following conditions are present at a structure?
Excessive volume of fire, structural deterioration, risk outweighs benefit, and unfavorable wind conditions.
What are the strategic transitions?
Defensive to offensive. Offensive to defensive.
One of the most critical aspects of coordination between crews and of your personal safety and survival is?
Situational awareness.
What is the smallest hoseline you can use on an interior fire?
1 1/2 inch
Which strategic transition is less dangerous?
Defensive to offensive.
What are the factors or making entry?
Wind direction and velocity, building conditions, initial fire location, location of occupants, and exposures.
What are some pre-entry considerations critical to firefighter safety and effectiveness?
Reading fire behavior indicators, understanding the crew's tactical assignment, identifying potential emergency escape routes (other doors, windows, etc.), evaluating forcible entry requirements, identifying hazards (overhead wires, structural instability
When can you open the door?
When you have a charged hoseline and are ready to control the conditions encountered.
How long do you wait after applying water to the hot gas layer?
5 to 10 seconds.
What are the 3 fire attacks?
Direct, indirect, and combination.
Direct attacks (structural)
Attack method that involves the discharge of water or a foam stream directly onto the burning fuel.
Indirect attack (structural)
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. Converting the water to steam displaces oxygen, absorbs the heat of the fire, and c
Combination attack (structural)
Extinguishing a fire by using both a direct and indirect attack. This method combines the steam generating technique of a ceiling level attack with an attack on the burning materials near floor level.
Shielded fire
A fire that is located in a remote part of the structure or hidden from view by objects in the compartment.
How do you cool the hot gas layer?
By directing a fog pattern into it and opening and closing the nozzle to provide short bursts.
When can you stop spraying water into the smoke?
When water droplets fall out of the overhead smoke layer.
On a multi story structure, when can you connect the hose on the fire floor?
If the standpipe connection is in a protected stairway.
Where do you normally connect a hose on a multi story structure?
On the floor below the fire floor.
How can you use elevators?
Elevators must not be used to transport fire crews to the fire floor. Some departments allow elevators to be used to transport personnel, firefighting tools, and equipment to a staging area normally located two floors below the fire floor.
Why are basement fires extremely dangerous?
Due to structural collapse.
Depending on the fires heat release rate, the water from a 1 1/2" to 1 3/4" inch hose line may?
Not provide enough cooling to overcome the gases venting up the stairway.
When do unprotected steel girders and other supports elongate?
When exposed to temperatures of 1000� or more.
Exposures
Structure or separate part of the fire ground to which a fire could spread.
Exposure protection
Covering any object in the immediate vicinity of the fire with water or foam.
What are the building utilities that you can control?
Electric, gas, and water supplies.
High voltage
Any voltage in excess of 600 Volts.
Low voltage
Any voltage that is less than 600 V and safe enough for domestic use, typically 120 Volts or less.
What makes solar panels dangerous?
Solar panels generate current whenever there is a light source and are always energized.
Liquefied petroleum gas
Any of several petroleum products, such as propane or butane, stored under pressure as a liquid.
What is one of the first priorities at a fire and a protected structure?
To connect the fire department pumper to the fire department connection.
What do you use to stop the flow of water sprinkler heads?
Wooden wedges
What is a class C fire?
Electrical
How do you suppress a class C fire?
By de-energizing it.
Polychlorinated biphenyl
Toxic compounds found in some older oil-filled electric Transformers.
At a class C fire, what should you always assume?
Assume that all powerlines are energized until the power company informs you otherwise.
Who can enter a utility vault?
Only personnel who are properly trained and equipped for confined-space entry.
At what distance should firefighters be from an underground vault?
At least 300 feet away.
What should you do before cutting into walls and ceilings that may contain electrical wiring or gas piping?
Verify with the incident commander that electrical and gas utilities have been shut off.
What should be established around downed power lines?
And exclusion zone equal to the distance between power poles. (One span)
How do you exit a ground gradient area?
Keep both feet in contact with each other and hop or shuffle out of the affected area.
What is a class D fire?
Combustible metal
What is the dual problem of combustible metal fires?
They burn at extremely high temperatures and are reactive to water.
What components should you avoid at a vehicle fire?
Components that are under pressure such as bumpers, hoods, and trunk lids.
At what angle do you approach the vehicle fire?
45� angle
What is the basic procedure for attacking your fire and a vehicle?
Position a hose line between the burning vehicle and any exposures, attacked the fire from a 45� angle to avoid the potential for injuries from exploding hydraulic pneumatic struts, extinguish any fire near the vehicle occupants first, issue in all clear
What do you do if gas is burning from a broken gas pipe?
Do not extinguish the fire and provide protection for exposures.
How do you approach broken gas pipes?
Approach and stage on the upwind side and uphill if possible.
At a broken gas pipe incident, what is one of your first concerns?
Evacuate and eliminate all ignition sources
When pressure vessels containing flammable/combustible liquids or compressed gases are exposed to flame impingement, what do you do?
Apply solid streams from their maximum effective reach until relief valves close.
What pattern do you use when advancing to shut off liquid or gas control valve?
A fog-stream pattern.
What's unique about a back up hoseline?
It is connected to a separate pump and water source.
How can water be used as a mechanical to?
Water from hose lines can be used to move class B fuels to areas where they can safely burn or where ignition sources are more easily controlled. Also, through the use of fog streams, water may also be used to dissipate flammable vapors.
Where on a burning storage tank should water be applied?
Directly above the level of the contained liquid to achieve the most efficient use of the water.
Total flooding system
Fire suppression system designed to protect hazards within enclosed structures; foam is released into a compartment or area and fills it completely, extinguishing the fire.
On an automatic sprinkler system, support company personnel are often used to manage the systems operation by?
Assigning a radio-equipped firefighter to the sprinkler control valve to close or reopen it as ordered and to prevent it from being closed prematurely.
BLEVE Is an acronym for?
Boiling liquid expanding vapor explosion
Unburned vapors usually form where?
Unburned vapors are usually heavier than air and form pools or pockets of gas in low areas where they may ignite.
How can firefighters attack a confined-space fire?
Indirectly using penetrating nozzles, cellar nozzles, or distributor nozzles.
What is the best way to transfer command?
Face to face
Blitz attack
To aggressively attacking fire from the exterior with a large diameter fire stream
What does the first arriving company do?
Establish command
RECEO-VS
Rescue exposures confinement extinguishment overhaul ventilation and salvage
LCES stands for?
Lookouts, communications, escape routes, safe zones
Direct attack (groundcover)
Operation where action is taken directly on burning fuels by applying an extinguishing agent to the edge of the fire or close to it.
Indirect attack (groundcover)
A method of controlling a groundcover 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.
Parts of a ground fire; origin
The origin is the area where the fire started in the point from which it spreads.
Parts of a ground fire; head
The head is the part of a girl on fire that spreads most rapidly.
Parts of the ground fire; finger
Fingers are long narrow strips the fire extending from the main fire.
Parts of the ground fire; heel
The heel, Or rear, of the ground fire is the side opposite of the head.
Parts of the ground fire; spot fire
Spot fires are caused by flying sparks or embers landing outside the main fire.
Parts of the ground fire; islands
Patches of on burn feel inside the fire perimeter.
Topography
Physical configuration of the land or terrain
Aspect
The compass direction a slope faces determines the effects of solar heating.
Subsurface fuels
Roots, Pete, and other partially decomposed organic matter.