Fireground Strategy, Building Collapse, and Post-Fire Analysis

Vocabulary flashcards covering post-fire analysis procedures, standard building construction weaknesses, firefighter withdrawal conditions, and progressive collapse mechanics based on chapters 19, 21, and 22.

Post-fire analysis

A strategy, tactics, and safety investigation conducted from the point of view of a fireground commander following a major fire or significant event.

Part one of a post-fireground analysis

A printed form or face sheet filled out with questions regarding the fire, structure, strategy, and tactics.

Part two of a post-fireground analysis

An overhead line drawing (fireground diagram) showing the fire building, exposures, apparatus, hose and ladder placement, point of origin, collapse, and explosion areas.

Part three of a post-fireground analysis

Photographic documentation of significant factors identified in parts one and two of the post-fireground analysis.

Fire-resistive construction fire spread weakness

Central air-conditioning duct systems that allow the spread of smoke, heat, and flame throughout the building.

Noncombustible/limited combustible construction fire spread weakness

A combustible roof deck that allows the spread of flame and smoke throughout the building.

Ordinary construction fire spread weakness

Concealed voids and spaces that allow fire spread throughout ordinary constructed buildings.

Heavy timber construction fire spread weakness

Large amounts of structural fire loading combined with unprotected window openings that create tremendous radiated heat waves spreading fire to exposed buildings.

Wood-frame construction fire spread weakness

Combustible exterior walls with small horizontal separations between buildings that allow rapid fire spread.

True fire wall

A wall separating two sections of a building that has an independent foundation and is designed to allow the collapse of the roof and floors of one section without affecting the integrity or stability of the wall and other section.

Fire division

A fire wall where roof and floor beams run parallel with the wall.

Complete withdrawal of firefighters

An incident command action changing an offensive strategy to a defensive strategy where firefighters are withdrawn and outside master streams are put into operation due to structural hazards or defects.

Exit time

The time measured from when the emergency signal is transmitted until the time when all fire companies at the scene report the results of the roll call.

Most frequent warning sign for firefighter withdrawal

A large body of fire on several floors in an old building.

Progressive collapse

The spread of local damage from an initiating event, from element to element, eventually resulting in the collapse of an entire structure or a disproportionately large part of it (also known as disproportionate collapse).

Boston Vendome Hotel collapse

A 1972 fire incident in a 100-year-old heavy timber building that killed nine firefighters and introduced the term progressive collapse to the fire service, with failure progressing top-to-bottom from bearing wall to column to girder to beam.

WTC Building 7 collapse cause

Fire destruction alone caused by thermal expansion, resulting in the progressive collapse of a column on the 13th floor.

Building 7 progressive collapse sequence

A bottom-to-top structural failure that progressed from floor beam to girder (between columns 44 and 79) to column on the 13th floor.

First detectable indicator of WTC 7 collapse

The downward movement of the eastern side of the roof line, progressing to the west side.