Fire Behavior Basics
This is the chemical reaction that results in fire.
(What is combustion?)
Heat transfer through direct contact.
What is conduction?)
The initial phase where fire growth depends on the availability of oxygen and fuel.
What is the incipient stage?)
The temperature range where flashover typically occurs.
(What is 900–1,200°F or 482–649°C?)
The method of extinguishment by cooling.
(What is applying water?)
The three elements of the fire triangle.
What are heat, fuel, and oxygen?
The primary heat transfer method responsible for fire spread in a room.
What is convection?
The stage where fire rapidly grows and heat output increases.
What is the growth stage?)
The visual indicator often preceding flashover.
(What is rollover?)
The most common extinguishing agent in structural firefighting.
(What is water?)
This term describes the minimum temperature needed for a substance to ignite without an external flame.
What is autoignition temperature?)
Heat transfer through electromagnetic waves.
What is radiation?
The fully developed fire stage.
(What is the fully developed stage?)
The key difference between flashover and backdraft in terms of ventilation.
(What is flashover occurs in a well-ventilated environment, and backdraft occurs in a ventilation-limited environment?)
This tactic involves removing the fuel source.
(What is fuel removal?)
The process of a solid turning directly into a gas when heated.
What is pyrolysis?)
This factor significantly increases radiant heat transfer.
What is proximity or closeness to the heat source?)
The phase where oxygen becomes limited and fire decreases in intensity.
What is the decay stage?)
This warning sign can indicate potential backdraft conditions.
(What is smoke-stained windows, pressurized smoke, or puffing smoke?)
The primary method for disrupting the chemical chain reaction of fire.
What is the use of dry chemical extinguishers?)
This form of energy release occurs when oxidation produces light and heat.
(What is exothermic reaction?)
The term for the upward movement of heated gases.
Current or thermal plume
A dangerous phenomenon when fresh oxygen is introduced to a ventilation-limited fire.
What is backdraft?
The scientific term for the rapid ignition of gases leading to flashover.
(What is thermal radiation feedback?)
The principle behind ventilation in controlling fire spread.
What is controlling the flow path of heat and smoke?)