Reading Smoke

Question 1

Smoke is what?

Answer 1

Fuel

Question 2

How much of smoke is particulate?

Answer 2

70%

Question 3

What are the key smoke attributes?

Answer 3

• Volume
• Velocity (Pressure)
• Density
• Color

Question 4

What is the flammable range for CO?

Answer 4

12-74%

Question 5

What is “Black” fire?

Answer 5

High volume, high velocity, extremely dense, black smoke

Question 6

What does “Black” smoke indicate?

Answer 6

Impending flashover

Question 7

What is black, thick, and fast smoke mean?

Answer 7

Heat and explosive

Question 8

What is black, thin, and fast smoke mean?

Answer 8

Flame is nearby

Question 9

What is white smoke with speed mean?

Answer 9

Hot, but fire is distant

Question 10

What is smoke that is uniform in speed and color from many places mean?

Answer 10

Deep seated fire

Question 11

What does “Brown” smoke mean?

Answer 11

Burning of unfinished wood, structure fire

Question 12

What does turbulent smoke indicate?

Answer 12

Flashover

Question 13

What is the most important factor when looking at smoke?

Answer 13

Density

Question 14

Reading smoke uses three concepts, what are they?

Answer 14

• Smoke is Fuel
• The Fuels Have Changed
• Smoke has “trigger points” which can cause smoke ignition

Question 15

Smoke is made up of?

Answer 15

• Particulates
• Aerosols
• Gases

Question 16

Particulates in smoke is made up of?

Answer 16

• Carbon
• Dust
• Minute Fibers

Question 17

Aerosols in smoke is made up of?

Answer 17

• Water Vapor

- Hydrocarbons

Question 18

What are some of the gases in smoke?

Answer 18

• Carbon Monoxide
• Hydrogen Cyanide
• Benzene
• Acrolein

Question 19

What was the change in fuels?

Answer 19

• Went from natural to synthetic products.

- Changed to low-mass and high surface-to-mass products

Question 20

What are “trigger points” of smoke?

Answer 20

• Right temp

- Right mixture

Question 21

Guidelines to reading smoke?

Answer 21

• Reading smoke is by no means absolute science
• Reading smoke is an outside activity
• Comparison of smoke issuing from various openings is key
• Reading smoke is just that: read the smoke-not the flames

Question 22

Flames are at there ______ potential, the future of the incident is in the _______.

Answer 22

Flames

Smoke

Question 23

What are the 3 steps to reading smoke?

Answer 23

• Inventory and compare the four key attributes of smoke (Volume, Velocity, Density, Color)
• Evaluate other factors such as the building size and weather influences
• Determine the rate of change (how fast are the smoke attributes changing)

Question 24

• Tells how much fuel has off-gassed within a given size box
• Gives an impression
• Helps us understand velocity

Answer 24

Volume

Question 25

- How fast is the smoke leaving? - Can indicate volume or heat - Helps find the location of the actual fire

Answer 25

Velocity

Question 26

Smoke velocity can be _____ pushed or ______ pushed.

Answer 26

- Volume | - Heat

Question 27

Smoke that leaves a building and is quick to slow or dissipate is what type of pushed smoke?

Answer 27

Volume

Question 28

Smoke velocity that leaves and keeps its energy and speed will alway indicate what type of push smoke?

Answer 28

Heat

Question 29

When comparing smoke velocities and heat rise levels to help locate the seat of the fire, what is needed to make this work?

Answer 29

To compare only like sized openings

Question 30

How does the size of the opening effect the smoke?

Answer 30

The speed in which it can leave

Question 31

- Quality of burning - Severity of event - Continuity of fuel - Air flow to the fire has been restricted (burning is incomplete)

Answer 31

Density

Question 32

The thicker the smoke the more ______ it has become.

Answer 32

Explosive

Question 33

What does smoke color tell us?

Answer 33

- Stage of heating | - Location of the fire in the building

Question 34

What does brown smoke tell us?

Answer 34

Transitioning from contents to structure fire. Unfinished wood is being heated Structural integrity is being lost

Question 35

What can change the meaning of the four attributes of smoke?

Answer 35

- Building size - Number of ventilation points - Weather