Page 1 of 26 S290 EXAM S290 EXAM.docx
S290 EXAM, S-290 FINAL EXAM, S-290
FIRE BEHAVIOR FINAL EXAM
S290 EXAM
S-290 FINAL EXAM
S-290 FIRE BEHAVIOR FINAL EXAM
List three methods of mass transport of firebrands on wildland fires.
Convection, wind, and gravity.
In an unstable atmosphere:
Smoke will continue to rise as long as it remains warmer than the surrounding atmosphere.
Air parcels both rise and sink.
Describe how convection influences transport of firebrands.
A convection column can lift firebrands above the fire, where the wind can carry it ahead of the fire.
The primary factors that affect rate of spread are:
Changes in fuel type, wind speed, and steepness of slope.
Which of the following changes would be expected to produce the largest
change in ROS?
A slope reversal from down to upslope, with a 6 mph wind blowing upslope
The four fuel characteristics that affect the ignition of wildland fires are:
Size and shape of fuels, compactness or arrangement of fuels, fuel moisture, and fuel temperature.
Define fuel moisture content.
Fuel moisture content is the amount of water in a fuel, expressed as a percent of the oven-dry weight of
that fuel. (Wet-weight (-) Dry-weight) / Dry-weight = Fuel moisture percent.
The Fire Weather Planning Forecasts, Spot Forecasts, Red Flag Warnings, and Smoke Management
Forecasts are products issued by:
The National Weather Service
1
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Which one or more of the following statements are correct regarding wind-driven and plume-dominated
fires.
Wind driven fires are easier to predict the direction of spread.
Plume dominated fires have similar hazards to thunderstorms.
In plume dominated fire, the convective column dictates the fire activity.
List three methods used in the field to determine slope percent.
The stick method, a clinometer, and a GPS.
Upslope winds typically weakest on what aspect?
North
The three stages of crown fire development include:
Passive, active, and independent
Slope affects fuel availability to burn because:
Fuels are preheated upslope through radiation and convection.
Rolling firebrands ignite new fuels below.
Describe the difference between Fuel Group and Fuel Model.
A fuel model is a simplified mathematical representation of fuels in the real world. A fuel group is a
grouping of fuel models that share similar characteristics.
Which of the following topographic variations in wind speed would you
expect on a sunny summer afternoon?
highest wind speeds on upper windward slopes
lowest wind speeds on downwind slopes
Inputs used to determine fine dead fuel moisture content are:
Time of day, month of year, dry bulb temperature, relative humidity, aspect, percent slope, shading of
surface fuels.
General winds are:
Large-scale winds caused by the pressure gradients associated with highs and lows.
If the wet-bulb temperature is not read at its lowest point on a psychrometer:
The calculated relative humidity will be too high.
List three (3) fire behavior situations that often result in large, sudden changes
in Rate of Spread
Sudden change in the wind, fuel type, or topography.
Branches above the fire are receiving heat by:
2
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Radiation and convection
Relative humidity is:
A ratio of the amount of water vapor in the air to the amount of water vapor the air could hold when
saturated at the same temperature.
Define moisture of extinction.
The moisture of extinction is the fuel moisture content at which a fire will not spread, or spreads only
sporadically.
Select the correct statement regarding the shape of the country and its effect
on wildland fire behavior.
The shape of the country can influence the curing of fuels as well as the intensity and spread of wildland
fires.
Select the statement that best describes the effect of slope on fuels.
A fire starting at the base of a slope has more fuel available for spread.
Fuel beds on south and southwest aspects usually are drier.
Of the three methods for obtaining live fuel moistures, the following
produces the most accurate results:
Collecting samples, weighing them, drying them and then weighing them again.
List in order the three main fuel types from slowest typical Rate of Spread to fastest
typical Rate of Spread.
Litter, crown, grass.
7-Day Significant Fire Potential, Monthly Fire Weather/Fire Danger
Outlooks, and Seasonal Assessments are all products produced by what
organization?
Land Management Predictive Services
What are the four lifting processes that can produce thunderstorms?
frontal, jet stream, orographic, thermal
List two things that a lookout can monitor to help anticipate a crown fire run.
Increasing canopy closure, slope, and winds.
List the timelag categories and provide the size (inches diameter) for each:
1-hour (0-1/4")
10-hour (1/4-1")
3
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S290 EXAM, S-290 FINAL EXAM, S-290
FIRE BEHAVIOR FINAL EXAM
S290 EXAM
S-290 FINAL EXAM
S-290 FIRE BEHAVIOR FINAL EXAM
List three methods of mass transport of firebrands on wildland fires.
Convection, wind, and gravity.
In an unstable atmosphere:
Smoke will continue to rise as long as it remains warmer than the surrounding atmosphere.
Air parcels both rise and sink.
Describe how convection influences transport of firebrands.
A convection column can lift firebrands above the fire, where the wind can carry it ahead of the fire.
The primary factors that affect rate of spread are:
Changes in fuel type, wind speed, and steepness of slope.
Which of the following changes would be expected to produce the largest
change in ROS?
A slope reversal from down to upslope, with a 6 mph wind blowing upslope
The four fuel characteristics that affect the ignition of wildland fires are:
Size and shape of fuels, compactness or arrangement of fuels, fuel moisture, and fuel temperature.
Define fuel moisture content.
Fuel moisture content is the amount of water in a fuel, expressed as a percent of the oven-dry weight of
that fuel. (Wet-weight (-) Dry-weight) / Dry-weight = Fuel moisture percent.
The Fire Weather Planning Forecasts, Spot Forecasts, Red Flag Warnings, and Smoke Management
Forecasts are products issued by:
The National Weather Service
1
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Which one or more of the following statements are correct regarding wind-driven and plume-dominated
fires.
Wind driven fires are easier to predict the direction of spread.
Plume dominated fires have similar hazards to thunderstorms.
In plume dominated fire, the convective column dictates the fire activity.
List three methods used in the field to determine slope percent.
The stick method, a clinometer, and a GPS.
Upslope winds typically weakest on what aspect?
North
The three stages of crown fire development include:
Passive, active, and independent
Slope affects fuel availability to burn because:
Fuels are preheated upslope through radiation and convection.
Rolling firebrands ignite new fuels below.
Describe the difference between Fuel Group and Fuel Model.
A fuel model is a simplified mathematical representation of fuels in the real world. A fuel group is a
grouping of fuel models that share similar characteristics.
Which of the following topographic variations in wind speed would you
expect on a sunny summer afternoon?
highest wind speeds on upper windward slopes
lowest wind speeds on downwind slopes
Inputs used to determine fine dead fuel moisture content are:
Time of day, month of year, dry bulb temperature, relative humidity, aspect, percent slope, shading of
surface fuels.
General winds are:
Large-scale winds caused by the pressure gradients associated with highs and lows.
If the wet-bulb temperature is not read at its lowest point on a psychrometer:
The calculated relative humidity will be too high.
List three (3) fire behavior situations that often result in large, sudden changes
in Rate of Spread
Sudden change in the wind, fuel type, or topography.
Branches above the fire are receiving heat by:
2
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Radiation and convection
Relative humidity is:
A ratio of the amount of water vapor in the air to the amount of water vapor the air could hold when
saturated at the same temperature.
Define moisture of extinction.
The moisture of extinction is the fuel moisture content at which a fire will not spread, or spreads only
sporadically.
Select the correct statement regarding the shape of the country and its effect
on wildland fire behavior.
The shape of the country can influence the curing of fuels as well as the intensity and spread of wildland
fires.
Select the statement that best describes the effect of slope on fuels.
A fire starting at the base of a slope has more fuel available for spread.
Fuel beds on south and southwest aspects usually are drier.
Of the three methods for obtaining live fuel moistures, the following
produces the most accurate results:
Collecting samples, weighing them, drying them and then weighing them again.
List in order the three main fuel types from slowest typical Rate of Spread to fastest
typical Rate of Spread.
Litter, crown, grass.
7-Day Significant Fire Potential, Monthly Fire Weather/Fire Danger
Outlooks, and Seasonal Assessments are all products produced by what
organization?
Land Management Predictive Services
What are the four lifting processes that can produce thunderstorms?
frontal, jet stream, orographic, thermal
List two things that a lookout can monitor to help anticipate a crown fire run.
Increasing canopy closure, slope, and winds.
List the timelag categories and provide the size (inches diameter) for each:
1-hour (0-1/4")
10-hour (1/4-1")
3
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