Ch 19. Fighting Fires in Professional Buildings

Question 1

Because fire codes normally require _____ for business occupancies of more than 2 stories, most of the one- and two- story versions are devoid of them. (291)

Answer 1

built-in protection (sprinklers)

Question 2

Often the businesses [in professional buildings] are clustered according to _____. (291)

Answer 2

type

Question 3

_____ and _____ top the list of problems in [professional buildings]. (291)

Answer 3

Extremely high fire loads and the lack of fire protection

Question 4

[in professional buildings] _____ is at its peak during working hours. (291)

Answer 4

life hazard

Question 5

[in professional buildings], _____ usually allows for successful evacuations prior to the arrival of fire companies. (291)

Answer 5

early detection

Question 6

[at professional building fires], unless _____, search operations should be on the IC’s to-do list. (291)

Answer 6

the parking lot is empty

Question 7

In terms of construction, there are 3 major categories of new office buildings: (291)

Answer 7

1) wood truss
2) concrete
3) steel

Question 8

If the exterior load-bearing walls [of an office building] are made of wood, expect 2 story platform construction with _____ construction underneath. (291-293)

Answer 8

either trusses or wooden I-beams

Question 9

These [office] buildings, with _____ and _____, may turn out to be prime firefighter killers in the decades to come. (293)

Answer 9

wide interior spaces and a lock of interior walls

Question 10

Unprotected truss assemblies that span large openings can surprise crews with _____. (293)

Answer 10

sudden collapse

Question 11

Interior wall assemblies are good!! They provide a means of _____! (293)

Answer 11

resistance

Question 12

_____ can be stopped by a system of interior partition walls, whether framed with wood or steel studs. (293)

Answer 12

Roof collapse

Question 13

If the engineers and interior designers have been directed by the owners to create an office building with a spacious interior, the roof _____. (293)

Answer 13

will be subject to failure

Question 14

office buildings made up of tilt-up concrete are tied together with rebar, which, will begin to fail at around _____. (293)

Answer 14

800 degrees F

Question 15

When collapse happens [at a tilt-up concrete office building], whole sections of the wall will be _____. (293)

Answer 15

pushed outward

Question 16

Many of the roof assemblies on [office buildings] are held in place by _____. (293)

Answer 16

gravity alone

Question 17

The majority of newer office buildings are made of _____. (293)

Answer 17

steel

Question 18

[At office buildings], _____ can contribute to the rapid spread of fire. (293)

Answer 18

lavish furnishings

Question 19

Although [office buildings] tend to be attractive, for the most part, they’re built _____, and they certainly aren’t built with _____ in mind. (293)

Answer 19

cheaply; the firefighter

Question 20

Although they lack sprinklers, many of these modern [office] buildings have _____ installed during the final stages of construction. Some of which are tied to central-station alarm companies. (294)

Answer 20

smoke detectors

Question 21

_____ isn’t a major problem [at office buildings], especially during business hours. (294)

Answer 21

early detection

Question 22

If it seems as if an undue amount of water is required to darken down the flames, then _____ are no doubt feeding the fire. some can produce in excess of 12,000 btu’s per pound. (294)

Answer 22

plastics

Question 23

If the fire occurs in an abortion clinic or any other occupancy in which family planning is part of the business, you should suspect the possibility of ____ and ____. (294)

Answer 23

arson and secondary devices

Question 24

Many of these [family planning type] occupancies don’t have signs in front of them, and you’ll only know the difference through _____. (294)

Answer 24

pre-incident planning

Question 25

When responding to this sort of occupancy, park the apparatus away from dumpsters and any vehicle in which the engine is running. Beware any packages left unattended at the door. (294-295)

Answer 25

abortion clinic or any other occupancy in which family planning is part of the business

Question 26

At the vast majority of fires in a professional office building, _____ should be the first assignment, especially if staffing is low. (295)

Answer 26

attack

Question 27

At the vast majority of fires in a professional office building, time given to tasks other than attack may allow _____. (295)

Answer 27

the flames to grow and overwhelm the capabilities of most departments

Question 28

Some of these [office building] occupancies can have well in excess of 10,000 sq ft per floor. Flows of greater than ____ gpm may be required if even 1/4 of the floor is involved. (295)

Answer 28

800 gpm

Question 29

[at professional building fires] pull in a big line, no smaller than _____, forget maneuverability, position it where you can hit the greatest body of flames using _____, then clean up the hot spots with smaller lines afterwards. (295)

Answer 29

2 1/2"; an indirect attack off the ceiling

Question 30

Most departments don't _____ to achieve more than 150 gpm from a 1 3/4" line. (295)

Answer 30

pump high enough pressures

Question 31

[at professional building fires] you should take in lines to hold the fire to _____. (295)

Answer 31

its original area of involvment

Question 32

Correct _____ is a must [if you want to hold the fire to its original area of involvement] unless you want to be driven out of the building. (295)

Answer 32

ventilation

Question 33

Once in place, an indirect attack using _____ off the ceiling, will provide the best results, particularly in a modular environment. (295)

Answer 33

a straight or smooth stream

Question 34

Like high-rises, most of these [office] buildings have _____ ceilings, and there's a lot of stuff in the plenum area- a lot of stuff that can burn intensely. (295)

Answer 34

suspended

Question 35

The plenum can convey fire not only above the common areas, but also _____. (295)

Answer 35

into individual offices and rooms

Question 36

One concern at these [office building] fires is this phenomenon that can also occur in high-rise office buildings. (295)

Answer 36

the doughnut effect

Question 37

The doughnut effect (295)

Answer 37

fire wrapped around the exterior walls of the building, possibly taking hold of the entire perimeter because fire entered the ceiling where there are few obstructions

Question 38

There are two types of building owners: (297)

Answer 38

those who have and those who don't have insurance

Question 39

_____ what you can prior to collapse, then pull out and let it come down. (297)

Answer 39

Salvage

Question 40

Safety being a critical issue in this operation, [using glass-covered atriums or skylights as ventilation at office building fires], _____ would be an excellent tool to use. (297)

Answer 40

an articulating boom aerial

Question 41

It just isn't good to put anyone above or below a _____ that's already involved in fire. (297)

Answer 41

truss area

Question 42

Steel buildings with curtain walls can be vented by _____ or more conventional means. (297)

Answer 42

PPV

Question 43

If the steel bar joists are subjected to temperatures of 800 degrees F or so, you can anticipate _____ anywhere from 1 minute ago to 5 minutes from now. (297)

Answer 43

collapse

Question 44

Concrete buildings generally prohibit _____, since _____. (297)

Answer 44

topside ventilation; the mass of the roof makes cutting difficult if not impossible

Question 45

_____ will likely be the method [of ventilation] to use [at a fire in an office building]. (297)

Answer 45

Horizontal ventilation, either positive or negative,

Question 46

In any type of building, if you intend to use the HVAC system, you must know whether it's _____. (297)

Answer 46

closed or open system

Question 47

_____ [HVAC] systems circulate air inside and will probably do more harm than good. (297)

Answer 47

Closed

Question 48

_____ [HVAC] systems take in air from the outside, then condition it and pump it through the building, then vent it out again.

Answer 48

Open

Question 49

_____ are essential when conducting interior operations [at office building fires]. (297)

Answer 49

Backup lines

Question 50

[at office building fires], if a backup line has been deployed for the sake of the search team, then it should _____. (297)

Answer 50

follow the search team

Question 51

[At office building fires], If the backup line is meant to protect the suppression team, then ____ should apply. (297-298)

Answer 51

the two-thirds rule

Question 52

The backup crew [at a professional building fire] may need to _____ to check for fire. (298)

Answer 52

pull suspended ceilings

Question 53

If backup members [at office building fires] happen to find a small, isolated fire in _____, they can knock it down, then continue their mission of monitoring the safety of the other crews. (298)

Answer 53

the plenum

Question 54

If the fire in the plenum [found by the backup members at an office building fire] is of some magnitude, they should _____. (298)

Answer 54

notify the IC, who will then make the decision as to how to deal with it.

Question 55

The members of a RIT will have 1 major focus at a fire in a professional building: _____. (298)

Answer 55

collapse

Question 56

The presence of _____ might make such an event [as a collapse] survivable, but even this is no guarantee. (298)

Answer 56

interior partitions

Question 57

Although large, these [office] buildings aren't huge, and a _____ will prove useful. (298)

Answer 57

360 walkaround

Question 58

A _____ will provide clues as to what the [office building] structure offers, as well as its hazards. (298)

Answer 58

walkaround

Question 59

Because of their lightweight composition and often problematic means of access, the author likens these [professional building] structures to _____. (298-299)

Answer 59

garden apartments

Question 60

[At office building fires], _____ should stage at a location that provides the best access to the crews inside. (299)

Answer 60

the RIT

Question 61

If the fire [at a professional building] is on Side A, then hopefully the attack started from _____. That's where RIT should stage. (299)

Answer 61

Side C

Question 62

You'll generally get one chance at putting out a fire in _____. (299)

Answer 62

a professional building

Question 63

The inherent potential for _____ will force you to work quickly [at a fire in a professional building]. (299)

Answer 63

high levels of heat

Question 64

[at professional building fires], pull _____ and get them inside as soon as possible. (299)

Answer 64

big lines

Question 65

The _____ potential makes for exposure problems. (299)

Answer 65

high-heat

Question 66

Some of the [professional] buildings are spaced closely enough that _____ will become a factor. (299)

Answer 66

radiant heat

Question 67

Standard [exposure] protection is in order [at professional building fires], with the exception that _____, rather than handlines, should probably be used to protect the most threatened exposures. (299)

Answer 67

aerials devices

Question 68

Glass only stops about _____ of radiated heat. (299)

Answer 68

15%

Question 69

If a nearby exposure [at professional building fires] has panel or curtain glass walls, it's imperative that _____. (299)

Answer 69

a crew get inside to check conditions

Question 70

One issue that arises in such a situation [as a nearby exposure with panel or curtain glass walls is threatened] is whether to force the doors or wait for a responsible party with keys. If there is any doubt, _____. (299)

Answer 70

force the door

Question 71

Most modern low-rise professional buildings are _____ construction. (303 & 312)

Answer 71

Truss

Question 72

Architects must consider and plan for fires in new low-rise professional buildings. True or false? (303 & 312)

Answer 72

False

Question 73

Why are most of the modern low-rise professional buildings two stories or less? (303 & 312)

Answer 73

They don't require sprinklers

Question 74

Most of the roof assemblies in [professional building] occupancies are _____. (303 & 312)

Answer 74

Truss

Question 75

Most of the floor assemblies in [professional building] occupancies are _____. (303 & 312)

Answer 75

Concrete slab

Question 76

The _____ is when fire wraps around the exterior of an open center core office building. (303 & 312)

Answer 76

Doughnut effect

Question 77

Topside ventilation can be done anytime fire enters the truss loft. True or false? (303 & 312)

Answer 77

False

Question 78

To ensure a means of egress, backup must make several _____ back to the door of entry. (303 & 312)

Answer 78

Recons

Question 79

Fire can extend in the area between the ceiling and the floor above called the _____. (303 & 312)

Answer 79

Plenum

Question 80

[at professional building fires] The members of RIT have as their general focus _____. (303 & 312)

Answer 80

collapse