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77 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
The process of transferring heat through matter by movement of the kinetic energy from one particle to another |
Conduction |
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The column of hot gases, flames, and smoke rising above a fire; also called convection column, thermal draft or thermal column |
Plume |
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Three phases of matter |
Solid, liquid and gas |
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Transfer of heat through the emission of energy in the form of invisible waves |
Radiation |
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The process in which oxygen combines chemically with another substance to create a new compound |
Oxidation |
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The phase of fire where the fire is running out of fuel |
Decay |
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Reactions that absorb heat or require heat to be added |
Endothermic |
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Heat transfer by circulation within a medium such as a gas or liquid |
Convection |
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A state of inadequate oxygenation of the blood and tissue |
Hypoxia |
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Created by splitting the nucleus of an atom |
Nuclear fission |
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Why does a thin piece of wood burns quickly? |
Large surface area |
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Which class of fires involves ordinary combustibles such as wood? |
Class A fires |
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What are the basic units of measure for fire behavior used in the United States? |
British system of units |
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A very rapid chemical process that combines oxygen with another substance and results in the release of heat and light |
Combustion |
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Which class fires involves flammable or combustible liquids such as gasoline? |
Class B fires |
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What is the primary factor in upward fire spread? |
Convection |
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The movement of heat through a fluid medium such as air or liquid |
Convection |
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When hot gases flow across a ceiling and cooler air stays closer to the floor |
Thermal layering |
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The lowest temperature at which a liquid produces a flammable vapor |
Flash point |
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In which phase of fire does additional fuel become involved in the fire? |
Growth phase |
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Which class of fires involves burning metals? |
Class D fires |
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What are the basic units of measure in Canada? |
International system of units |
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The decomposition of a material brought about by heat in the absence of oxygen |
Pyrolysis |
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What does incomplete combustion produce? |
Smoke |
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The weight of a gaseous fuel |
Vapor density |
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What type of energy occurs when two materials rub together and produce friction? |
Mechanical energy |
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The transfer of heat energy in the form of invisible waves |
Radiation |
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What is represented by the four conditions that must be present for fire to take place? |
Fire tetrahedron |
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What are the three major components of smoke? |
1. Particles 2. Vapors 3. Gases |
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What is the key to preventing a BLEVE? |
Cool the top of the tank |
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What is the actual material that is consumed by a fire?
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Fuel |
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How does flammable limits vary? |
Vary from one fuel to another one |
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Minimum amount of gaseous fuel that must be present in gas/air mixture for mixture to be flammable |
Lower flammable limit |
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Minimum temperature that a substance should attain to ignite under specific test conditions |
Ignition temperature |
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Minimum temperature of a liquid at which sufficient vapor is given off to form an ignitable mixture with air |
Flash point |
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Explosion that occurs when tank containing volatile liquid at bottom of tank and a flammable gas at top of tank is heated to point where tank ruptures |
BLEVE |
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Stratification (heat layers) occurs in a room as result of a fire |
Thermal layering |
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Geometric shape used to depict three components of fire (fuel, oxygen, heat) |
Fire triangle |
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Transition phase in fire surfaces exposed to thermal radiation |
Flashover |
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List two methods in which a fire involving a liquid fuel can be extinguished |
1. Shutting off the supply of fuel 2. Using foam to exclude oxygen from fuel |
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What is deadly in small quantities? |
Carbon monoxide |
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Why is carpet readily ignitable? |
By radiant heat, even when it is some distance away from the fire |
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Temperature at which the fuel-air mixture produced by liquid will spontaneously ignite |
Ignition temperature |
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Reactions that produce heat |
Exothermic |
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Ability of a substance to produce combustible vapors |
Volatility |
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Speed of the smoke leaving a burning building |
Smoke velocity |
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Hot, high volume, high intensity, turbulent, ultra-dense black smoke that indicates in impending flashover or autoignition |
Black fire |
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When does flashover occur? |
Temperature in room becomes high enough to ignite the room's contents |
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What are three conditions that must be present for a vapor-air mixture to ignite? |
1. Fuel & air present at certain concentration 2. Ignition source with energy 3. Ignition source and fuel mixture to make contact |
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What are three signs of a backdraft? |
1. Confined fire with a large heat build up 2. Little visible flame from exterior 3. "Living" fire smoke puffing from building |
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List four basic methods of extinguishing fires |
1. Cooling burning materials 2. Excluding oxygen from fire 3. Remove fuel from fire 4. Interrupt chemical reaction with flame |
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Energy that is created or released by the combination or decomposition of chemical compounds |
Chemical energy |
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Phase of fire development in which the fire is spreading beyond point of origin and beginning to involve other fuels in the immediate area |
Growth phase |
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Material will maintain combustion under specified environmental conditions (NFPA 53) |
Fuel |
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A substance made up of atoms and molecules |
Matter |
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Reactions that result in the release of energy in the form of heat |
Exothermic |
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The smallest particle of an element, which can exist alone or in combination |
Atom |
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Any material that (1) has a fluidity greater than that of 300 penetration asphalt (2) is a viscous substance from which a specific melting point cannot be determined |
Liquid |
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One of the three phases of matter; a material that has three dimensions and is firm in substance |
Solid |
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A state of inadequate oxygenation of the blood and tissue sufficient to cause impairment of function |
Hypoxia |
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A burning structure |
Box |
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Material that has a vapor pressure greater than 300 kPa absolute at 50 degrees C or is completely gaseous at 20 degrees C at a standard pressure |
Gas |
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The quantity of smoke, which indicates how much fuel is being heated |
Smoke volume |
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The emission and propagation of energy through matter or space by means of electromagnetic disturbances that display both wave like and particle like behavior |
Radiation |
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A rapid, persistent chemical reaction that releases both heat and light |
Fire |
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The phase of fire development in which the fire has consumed either the available fuel or oxygen and is starting to die down |
Decay phase |
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The airborne solid and liquid particulates and gases evolved when a material undergoes pyrolysis or combustion, together with quantity of air mixed into the mass |
Smoke |
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An explosion that occurs when a tank containing a volatile liquid at the bottom of a tank and flammable gas at the top of the tank is heated to the point where tank eruptes |
BLEVE |
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The column of hot gases, flames and smoke rising above a fire; also called convection column, thermal updraft or thermal column |
Plume |
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The destructive distillation of organic compounds in an oxygen free environment that converts the organic matter into gases, liquids and char |
Pyrolysis |
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Mixtures below this limit are said to be "too lean" |
Lower Flammable Limit (LFL) |
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Concentration of a combustible material in air below which ignition will not occur |
Lower Flammable Limit (LFL) |
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Highest concentration of a combustible substance in a gaseous oxidizer that will propagate a flame |
Upper flammable limit (UFL) |
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What does smoke mainly consist of? |
Unburned forms of hydrocarbons fuels |
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Completely burned particles |
Ash |
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What is the mixture of air consist of? |
21 percent oxygen 78 percent nitrogen 1 percent other (carbon dioxide) |
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Is combustion process considered exothermic or endothermic? |
Combustion = exothermic (releases heat energy) |