Fireground Support Ch. 1-4

Size-up is defined as the                 and                      assessment of an emergency situation from the initial alarm to incident termination.

Regardless of the nature of the incident, every size-up involves answering the following fundamental questions:
                        ,                            ,                             , 
                         . 

The main reason that making an accurate initial size-up is so important, is that the initial                           and the IAP are based on it.

"               " refers to fires that appear to be relatively innocuous and easy to control. 

Oxygen Deprivation - aka -                               

Structural F/F's can benefit from a well established safety practice used by wildland F/F's,                                                

Rollover (aka-                       ) - is the ignition of superheated gases at or near the ceiling inside a structure. Rollovers can be prevented with                    and                       ventilation.

                    - As lethal as any Flashover, but easier to recognize. Indications: Pressurized smoke, Dense gray-yellow smoke, little or no visible flame, puffs, smoke-stained windows

Residential and commercial buildings constructed before the middle of the twentieth century commonly had high ceilings, some       feet or more, but many of them have had dropped (false) ceilings installed. 

If a F/F crawling on the floor of a victorian style residence can touch the ceiling with a       foot pike pole, there is probably a flase ceiling in that room. 

In most cases there are       openings between the attic and the occupied space below, except the covered access opening. 

Attic fires can grow to significant proportions before creating enough internal pressure to                                          
                      . 

Because of its fire-spread characteristics,                            construction has been prohibited in many jurisdictions for so many years that few of these old, pre-code buildings are still standing. 

The most common fire spread problem related to the typical townhouse design is the                           that allows fire to spread from the ground floor to the second floor. 

Victorian Houses are typically of                               construction, which lends itself to rapid fire spread. They have hidden spaces and can be highly problematic for F/F's.

On Scene Priorities:
1.
2.
3.

One of the most important ways that Safety Behaviors become a part of the department culture and individual behavior is through                . 

                    is one of the most important safety behaviors on any emergency scene. 

One of the most fundamental rules of F/F safety is that everyone                                            . 

The purpose of using an accountability system on the fireground is to ensure that only those who are              
                 to enter a hazardous environment are allowed to do so. 

Personnel Accountability Reports (PAR's) may be requested at Specified Intervals, Benchmark Events, and at the               
              . Benchmarks include                               , unexpected or catastrophic events, and                              . 

Collapse Zone is equal to                               . 

Impending Collapse Factors: Heavy fire with no progress for       to       minutes, walls bowing or sagging, distortion, little or no water run-off, new cracks, significant live or dead loads. 

Hazard Zone as defined by OSHA is an IDLH environment whenever an interior fire is beyond the                          stage. 

When a F/F is trapped in a burning building, his most important duty is to             .

skip breathing, mayday call - if no radio - activate PASS device and shine flashlight toward ceiling. 

When locating doors and windows, the F/F should crawl along the wall "          " with a gloved hand. This technique should help him locate and window that is within            feet of the floor. 

Removing the wall between 2 adjacent studs will only create an opening approximately      " wide. Therefore it may be necessary to remove both sides of a stund and the stud itself. 

On some scenes, it may be necessary to deploy ground ladders on slopes at strategic points around the building. In some cases, it may be necessary to anchor the base ladders by driving                  , using                or similar tools in the ground to anchor the bottom rungs. 

Some locks have a case-hardened shackle that is virtually impossible to cut with bolt cutters, in that case, it may be possible to cut the Staple on the           . 

Locks should be cut at the very top of the              so that it can be welded back together and reused. If cutting a chain with a padlock, cut                               to allow the chain to be reused. 

Automated Gates have certain things in common, all are 
                    powered and                       controlled. 

If unable to get an electronic gate to open, it may be necessary to disconnect or cut the swingarm. Ideally, the swing arm can be disconnected by                         from the point of connection to the gate or the drive motor. Failing this, it may be necessary to use a                                        to cut the arm. 

Farm fences usually consist of either 3 strands of barbed wire, or a Wire Fabric fence (aka                 or                )

Access through a chain link fence: Simply cutting the                 
         between    -    adjacent posts will allow enough slack in the fence fabric to lay it on the ground. Fence fabric can also be cut quickly using a Rotary Saw.

Most masonry walls are about            tall and roughly            thick. 

Whenever barbed wire must be cut, it should be securely held with                       on both sides of the point to be cut. 

Scientifically controlled fire tests conducted by NFPA indicate that the Time Available for Escape (TAE) from a burning building can be as little as        minutes after ignition due to heat buildup. 

While all standard forcible entry tools are important, perhaps the most Important and most Versatile forcible entry tool is the                      sometimes referred to as a                     . 

Rotary Saws should not be used to cut metal where there are flammable fuels in close proximity. If such cuts must be made, a minimum hoseline diameter of        is recommended. 

Replace 12-tooth woodcutting blades when       or more teeth are worn below the others.

Replace 24-tooth woodcutting blades when       or more teeth are damaged or worn down more. 

Replace composite concrete or metal cutting blades when they have been worn down enough for the blade to fit sufficiently into an       circle. 

To be most efficient and get doors open as quickly as possible the                           need to be brought to the door. 

                           swing both Inward and Outward on pivot pins top and bottom. 

A                                                    is one of the best tools for forcing an inward swinging metal door set in a metal frame (cut through the rabbit and dead bolt - or - make two 45* cuts around the lock - or - make 3 perpendicular cuts sround the lock)

If the door is an outward-swinging type and the hinges are exposed on the outside, it may be possible to                            
                        from the bottom so the door can be removed. 

One of the most common types of Industrial/Institutional service doors that F/F's may have to force open is the           
                

                        doors look like steel roll-up doors, but have a few interlocking flexible panels of light gauge metal and function like a conventional roll up door. 

When making a trianguar cut (Teepee Cut), make      * cuts and ensure the apex is       feet or higher. The opening is not for hoselines to be advanced through, but is for access to open the door fully, and emergency F/F egress. 

A faster alternative to the triangular cut for opening a roll up or sheet curtain door is to                                                . 

The best way to overcome door controlling devices or systems is to identify them during pre-incident planning inspections and                                                          . 

Scissor gates may be forced opened using hydraulic spreaders, but using a                               to cut the individual members around the lock will probably be faster. 

If F/F's know that a door has several deadbolts installed, they will also know to cut the door from top to bottom about 
             from the edge of the handle side. 

When using an Axe to break a window, the F/F should strike the window with the            side of the blade. The handle should be held above the blade, and the glass broken inward (falling debris hazard)

The most common type of window security system is a       
                        attached to the outside of the building. 

Lexan is a polycarbonate plastic that is       x stronger than safety glass and       x stronger than plexiglass of the same thickness. 

A Rotary Saw with a Medium (     tooth) carbide tipped blade is the most effective when entry must be made through all types of plastic windows. 

Whenever an exterior wall must be breached,                     is a critical part of the F/F's protective emsemble. In such situations, NFPA 1500 requires F/F's to use both their         
         and                        . 

Double-Course brick walls (aka - Unreinforced Masonry) are identified by certain courses being laid perpendicular to the other courses. In this "                    ", which may be every 5th, 6th or 7th course, the end of the bricks are visible.

In some cases, URM walls can be breached with a Rotary Saw with a Masonry Blade. It may also be possible to break out a section of wll using a Battering Ram or Sledgehammer. However, all these tools and techniques tend to be slower than using Electrical or Pneumatic                 
                        . 

Manual breaking tools, such as Battering Rams and Sledgehammers are                          on Poured Concrete Walls. 

                          (aka-                  Panels) are large sections of poured concrete walls that are designed to be removable. A                                                can be used successfully.