- Shopping Bag ( 0 items )
Other sellers (Paperback)
-
All (6) from $44.99
-
New (1) from $80.00
-
Used (5) from $44.99
More About This Textbook
Overview
*A new chapter addressing fires in garden apartments and townhouses, a growing problem throughout the country.
* A new chapter on the fire department's role in terrorism and homeland security -- the first fire service text to address the new roles first responders play in detecting, preventing, and responding to the newest threats America faces.
* The chapters on high rise office building fires and sections on building construction have been expanded to included the lessons learned from the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center.
Product Details
Related Subjects
Read an Excerpt
Regardless of the method of attack you choose or the type of stream you employ, two criteria determine whether your effort will successfully extinguish the fire. The first is that the amount of water discharged be of sufficient volume to remove the heat being generated. The second is that the water actually reaches the heart of the fire and not be carried away by convective currents or turned to steam. These two criteria combine to determine what size hoseline will be appropriate.
The first consideration, required volume, is relatively simple. In fact, formulas that can predict the required amount of water flow have been devised based on the volume of the area and the weight of the fire load. These formulas, discussed in chapter 2, vary from 10 gpm for every 100 sq ft in a low fire-load setting to 50 gpm per 100 sq ft for high fire-load areas. This is determined by the amount of heat that the fuel can produce. Materials vary as to the amount of heat they give off. For instance,one pound of wrapping paper will give off about 7,100 BTUs, whereas one pound of styrene foam gives off about 18,000 BTUs. In this case, the styrene foam would require about 2½ times more water to extinguish than would the wrapping paper. Still, in either case, if you don't apply enough water, the fire won't go out. Simply stated, firefighters must apply enough water to absorb all of the heat being given off or the fire will continue to extend. (Water absorbs about 9,275 BTUs per gal when raised from 70° to completely vaporized, so in the case of the pound of wrapping paper, a little less than 1 gal of water would be required to cool the burning paper, while nearly 2 gal would be required for the same one pound of styrene foam, assuming complete vaporization.)
Table of Contents