Tac Manual Flashcards
(411 cards)
What are the 4 stages of fire development?
Incipient stage
Growth Stage
Full Developed Stage
Decay Stage
Describe Flashover
a rapid transition between Growth and Fully Developed stage of a fire.
Flashover is not a stage of the fire.
Temperature driven event
Define the Incipient Stage
The stage immediately after ignition.
Incipient stage identifiable factors include:
Fire has not affected anything beyond immediate vicinity Smoke has not reduced visibility Civ can still breath Civ can escape without difficulty Heat from fire is relatively low Smoke alarms may sound during this stage
Factors effecting extinguishment in Incipient stage
Proximity of other flammable fuels
Fire’s access to oxygen
Whether civ can extinguish the fire
According to the author, what is established burning?
when a fire is generating enough heat to cause a positive heat to initiate combustion among surrounding fuel sources. Fire spreads from origin to fuels in its path.
Identifying factors for Growth Stage
Plume or layer of smoke visible above fire.
Room temp has increased
Windows start to turn brown and may crack
Condensation no longer visible on windows
Shortest stage of fire
Often ends in Flashover
Define the Fully Developed stage
When a fire reaches its hottest point and is engulfing all available fuel sources.
What is the most dangerous stage of a fire?
The Fully Developed stage due to intense heat.
In the Fully Developed Stage, fire is fought from…
a distance.
Define the Decay stage
When fire runs out of oxygen or fuel.
Which stage is the longest stage of a fire.
The decay stage
Define the Heat Release Rate (HRR)
The rate at which heat is produced by a fire.
How quickly specific objects will generate heat to surrounding fuel.
How is Heat Release Rate measured
measured in Kilowatts or Megawatts
What examples of Heat Release Rate are given by this author?
Christmas Tree 650kW
Mattress and box spring 660kW
Upholstered Chair 2,100kW
Upholstered sofa 3,120kW
How is Heat Flux defined
The amount of heat transferred per unit of area. Typically measured in kW per meter squared
What has caused the reduction in time to flashover?
Increased use of synthetic materials
Define FlowPath
movement of heat and smoke from higher air pressure to lower air pressure locations.
Every opening is a potential flow path
How is flow path commonly used in the fire service?
to describe smoke movement and the travel of combustion gases
What is the first step a firefighter can take to reduce the threat of being injured or killed in a flow path?
Understand the concept of controlling flow paths
What can be done to impact the movement of smoke and gases? (control flow path)
close doors and windows to impact flow path.
How can door control be achieved?
Leave one man at the door to help advance hose and control the door as much as possible.
What best describes a ventilation limited fire?
A fire whos growth is limited by the amount of available air.
Not enough air to sustain combustion.
A ventilation limited fire can be dangerous because it is similar to…?
It is visually similar to a fire in early growth stage.
Introduction of oxygen at this stage can cause a rapid transition back to fully developed