Fire Officer Chpt 6

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Questions and Answers

What is the primary role of the incident safety officer (ISO) on the fire ground?

  • To assess smoke conditions and evaluate their hazards (correct)
  • To control the spread of smoke within the structure
  • To suppress the fire and rescue occupants
  • To communicate observations about smoke to other team members

What does brown smoke under pressure pushing from the eaves and soffit area below the roof indicate?

  • The fire is ventilated and under control
  • The fire is in the extinguishing stage
  • The fire is ventilation-limited and burning in an oxygen-restricted environment (correct)
  • The fire is burning at a low temperature

What term is often used for the process of surfaces releasing a mix of particulates, aerosols, and gases while smoking?

  • Off-gassing (correct)
  • Aggregating
  • Off-aggregating
  • Pyrolysis

Why do materials begin to degrade and produce smoke when exposed to heat?

<p>To release a mix of particulates, aerosols, and gases (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What should the ISO consider when reading smoke coming from a structure?

<p>All of the above options (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

In what situation does brown smoke under pressure pushing from the eaves and soffit area below the roof indicate?

<p>Fire is ventilation-limited and burning in an oxygen-restricted environment (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary reason for the volatility of smoke?

<p>High surface-to-mass materials collect heat but have no mass to sink heat. (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

How does soot differ from ash in terms of supporting flame?

<p>Soot is carbon and can support flaming, whereas ash is depleted salts that can no longer support flame. (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the role of particulates in smoke in relation to fire behavior?

<p>They displace air, which can cause a fire to become ventilation-limited. (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary component of aerosols in smoke at a structure fire?

<p>Hydrocarbons (oil and tar) (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What color does flaming plastics release due to the hydrocarbons in smoke?

<p>Satin (wet) black (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What makes smoke at a typical house fire amazingly explosive?

<p>The very common hydrocarbons in smoke. (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which gases of significant quantity affect fire behavior due to their flammable nature?

<p>Carbon monoxide (CO), benzene (C6 H6 ), acrolein (C3 H4 O) (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What should an ISO always wear when conducting fire suppression activities due to the toxicity of modern structure fire smoke?

<p>Self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) and personal protective equipment (PPE) (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

"Open flaming" is considered beneficial because:

<p>The products of combustion are minimized. (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What triggers may cause accumulated smoke to ignite?

<p>The right temperature and the right mixture (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the key factor that determines if smoke gases below their ignition temperature will ignite?

<p>Proper air mix (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What happens when smoke gases reach ignition temperature?

<p>They ignite with the right mixture in the air (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What change occurs in fire spread dynamics when accumulated smoke ignites?

<p>The fire spreads with the smoke flow instead of across surfaces of contents (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

According to John Mittendorf, what does smoke represent in relation to the fire?

<p>&quot;Smoke is the fire talking to you—it’s telling you the future.&quot; (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Why does the ISO who pays attention to smoke make better decisions than the one focused on flaming?

<p>Because smoke indicates how intense the fire is about to become (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Why has the traditional four-phase growth model for building fires become outdated?

<p>Due to overwhelming quantities of smoke from low-mass fuels (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What are some factors that can lead to a six-phased growth model for compartmentalized fires?

<p>The size of individual compartments, type of fire load, presence of smoke and fire control systems, and available flow paths (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What do flow paths in compartmentalized fires refer to?

<p>Avenues that heat, smoke, flames, and combustion air follow (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is likely to occur if overwhelming quantities of smoke exceed available flow paths in compartmentalized fires?

<p>A ventilation-controlled event (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does the incipient phase of a ventilation-controlled fire involve?

<p>The event that brings together heat, fuel, and oxygen to start combustion (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Why has the growth phase been labeled as 'initial growth phase' in ventilation-controlled fires?

<p>To emphasize its role in determining subsequent fire behavior (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What role do flow paths play in ventilation-controlled fires?

<p>They provide avenues for heat, smoke, flames, and combustion air movement (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What prompted NIST and UL to secure federal grant money for researching modern fire behavior?

<p>All of the above (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

According to the text, what is the primary difference between the four-phase fire growth model and the new ventilation controlled fire growth model?

<p>The four-phase model is for a 'fuel-controlled' fire event while the new model is for a 'ventilation-controlled' fire event (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What phase is characterized by smoke production displacing and limiting available combustion air, leading to a dangerously explosive condition?

<p>Explosive growth phase (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the proactive solution recommended to prevent the explosive growth phase?

<p>Application of water to ceilings and walls to help quench and cool moving smoke (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What effect can occur when firefighters advance toward the seat of the fire in zero-visibility conditions during the explosive growth phase?

<p>They can be totally engulfed in flames (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What can cause an explosive growth event during a compartmentalized fire?

<p>Reintroduction of combustion air into a ventilation-controlled fire (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does the decay phase signify in the context of modern fire behavior?

<p>'Fuel-limited' phase as available fuels become consumed and the fire begins to wane (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

According to the text, what can cause an air track flow path to reform back to the fire?

<p>'Volume shift delay' after opening a door or window (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary reason for considering an explosive growth event different from a backdraft event?

<p>'Hot smoldering' backdraft event can be delayed as a volume shift takes place after opening a door or window (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

In which phase does room visibility remain good at lower levels, but smoke from the flames begins to accumulate at the ceiling?

<p>Initial growth phase (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does room visibility indicate in the context of modern fire behavior?

<p>Good room visibility indicates an abundance of air and prompt heating up of other fuels in the area (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is one detrimental effect of an explosive growth phase on firefighting efforts according to the text?

<p>Firefighters may be totally engulfed in flames while advancing toward the seat of the fire in zero-visibility conditions (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is ghosting?

<p>Intermittent ignition of small pockets of smoke, usually seen as fingers of flame that dance through the upper smoke layer (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is flame-over as described in the text?

<p>The sustained burning of the overhead smoke layer within a room and/or hallway (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is a smoke explosion according to the text?

<p>A hostile fire event that occurs when a spark or flame is introduced into a pocket of smoke that is below ignition temperature but above some aggregate flashpoint (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What warning sign indicates backdraft?

<p>Yellowish-gray smoke emitting from cracks and seams (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What occurs during the explosive growth phase of a fire?

<p>The development of an air track below the smoke when an opening is made (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What characterizes ghosting as described in the text?

<p>Intermittent ignition of small pockets of smoke, usually seen as fingers of flame that dance through the upper smoke layer (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What warning sign indicates flashover?

<p>Rapid change in smoke volume and velocity (getting worse in seconds) (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is backdraft as described in the text?

<p>Occurs when oxygen is introduced into a closed, pressurized space where fire products are above their ignition temperature (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

"What action typically originates at the seat of the fire and travels along the heat flow paths during a flame-over?"

<p>The flames start near the ventilation opening and burn back to the fire seat where they can trigger a flashover of the room (ignition of all surfaces and contents) (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

"What does explosive growth phase include?"

<p>Smoke flame-over upon the breaking of windows or opening of doors (late sign) (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

"What occurs during explosive growth phase?"

<p>Slow but steady smoke flowing from closed doors or windows (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

"What serves as a warning sign for impending flashover or flame-over according to the text?"

<p>Ghosting (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is a flashover?

<p>A sudden hostile fire event that occurs when all the surfaces and contents of a space reach their ignition temperature nearly simultaneously (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is a backdraft?

<p>An explosive event that occurs when air is suddenly reintroduced into a closed space filled with pressurized, ignition-temperature, and oxygen-deprived products of combustion and pyrolysis (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does smoke velocity indicate?

<p>The pressure that has built up in the building (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary cause of a flashover?

<p>Room surfaces and contents reaching their ignition temperature nearly simultaneously (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

How does a backdraft differ from an explosive growth event?

<p>A backdraft involves instantaneous ignition upon the introduction of air, while an explosive growth event spreads like a detonation burning above the speed of sound (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is smoke volume an indicator of?

<p>The amount of fuels that are off-gassing in a given space (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does smoke density contribute to understanding?

<p>The story behind fire behavior (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does smoke color indicate?

<p>The substances burning and stages of combustion (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

How does smoke velocity relate to smoke volume?

<p>Smoke volume is one of the generators of smoke velocity (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What are some reactive warning signs for hostile fire events that most firefighters list?

<p>Sudden heat buildup that forces them to the floor (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does low-ignition-temperature gases/aerosols being already ignitable when firefighters feel heat indicate?

<p>The room has been heated to the point of flashover, but ignition can't occur due to lack of combustion air availability (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

How does an explosive growth event differ from a backdraft in terms of air introduction?

<p>The explosive growth event spreads like a detonation upon instantaneous air introduction, while a backdraft is triggered by a volume shift between smoke and air over a 10- to 90-second time span (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

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