Wildland Firefighting Questions With
Correct Answers
The most prominent danger period involving an inversion will occur at ____ at the point
when sluggish lower elevation fire suddenly burns through the lid into the warmer air above
Vertical air currents do not automatically develop in unstable air; some external force or lifting
action such as convection caused by surface heating or lifting over mountains ( ____ lifting)
must supply the initial motion orographic
Decreasing temperature and increasing humidity of evening will cause a fire burning in a
wooded canyon to " ____" through the night lay down
Fresh air is sucked toward the fire from a lower elevation or down along the canyon sides and the
sleeping fire bursts into new life with explosive speed and energy. This erratic fire behavior may
form a " ____" condition Blow up
_____,which is simply water in a gaseous state,is a most important ingredient in weather
Water vapor (relative humidity)
The ____ is that temperature, at any given altitude, at which the air becomes completely
saturated. dew point
,The term ____ indicates the ratio of the amount of water vapor actually present to the maximum
amount that the air potentially could hold. relative humidity
If relative humidity is ____ percent, the air is said to be completely saturated 100%
When the relative humidity descends below about ____, the situation is becoming favorable for
wildland fire. 30%
When humidity is 40% or more how is grass affected and how will it burn. Grass is
affected quite readily and may not burn at all for an hour or so after the humidity changes.
If fuel and topographic conditions do not alter the result, it can be said that a strong wind in one
prevailing direction will cause a long wedge or ____ shaped burn elliptical
Large bodies of water, such as the ocean and lakes, usually cause winds to blow ____ as the sun
warms the land area about midday. inland
The ____ (general) winds blowing above the surface are the predominant element much of the
time Gradient
____ fronts will often give visible evidence of their presence in the form of high cloud cover. As
these fronts pass over, there will usually be a marked increase in wind velocity followed by
abrupt ____ shift in direction from 45 to 180 degrees Cold, clockwise
, The one general statement that can be made regarding expected normal wind movement in the
mountains is that ____ winds will occur as the result of surface heating in the daytime and ____
winds will occur as the result of surface cooling at night. upslope winds, downslope winds
Air will flow upward on what slopes first as the sun rises On the east facing slopes first as
the sun rises
The ____ winds that normally occur in the fall of the year have the most devastating and adverse
effect on fires Foehn- characterized by blowing downhill while hugging the land profile
Foehn winds are known as ____ winds in Northern CA, ____ winds in the Central Sierra and as
Santa Ana winds in Southern CA. Foehn winds are off shore winds and capable of reaching 80 to
90 mph North, Mono
Wind not only affects fire behavior, but creates related problems for firefighters. Perhaps the
most common is ____ eye injury
Air tankers and helicopters lose effectiveness when wind speeds reach ____ - ____ mph
20-30
Above ____ mph air tankers will normally be grounded due to their ineffectiveness and for
safety reasons. 30
Thunderhead cloud forms are sometimes known as Anvil or Cauliflower
Correct Answers
The most prominent danger period involving an inversion will occur at ____ at the point
when sluggish lower elevation fire suddenly burns through the lid into the warmer air above
Vertical air currents do not automatically develop in unstable air; some external force or lifting
action such as convection caused by surface heating or lifting over mountains ( ____ lifting)
must supply the initial motion orographic
Decreasing temperature and increasing humidity of evening will cause a fire burning in a
wooded canyon to " ____" through the night lay down
Fresh air is sucked toward the fire from a lower elevation or down along the canyon sides and the
sleeping fire bursts into new life with explosive speed and energy. This erratic fire behavior may
form a " ____" condition Blow up
_____,which is simply water in a gaseous state,is a most important ingredient in weather
Water vapor (relative humidity)
The ____ is that temperature, at any given altitude, at which the air becomes completely
saturated. dew point
,The term ____ indicates the ratio of the amount of water vapor actually present to the maximum
amount that the air potentially could hold. relative humidity
If relative humidity is ____ percent, the air is said to be completely saturated 100%
When the relative humidity descends below about ____, the situation is becoming favorable for
wildland fire. 30%
When humidity is 40% or more how is grass affected and how will it burn. Grass is
affected quite readily and may not burn at all for an hour or so after the humidity changes.
If fuel and topographic conditions do not alter the result, it can be said that a strong wind in one
prevailing direction will cause a long wedge or ____ shaped burn elliptical
Large bodies of water, such as the ocean and lakes, usually cause winds to blow ____ as the sun
warms the land area about midday. inland
The ____ (general) winds blowing above the surface are the predominant element much of the
time Gradient
____ fronts will often give visible evidence of their presence in the form of high cloud cover. As
these fronts pass over, there will usually be a marked increase in wind velocity followed by
abrupt ____ shift in direction from 45 to 180 degrees Cold, clockwise
, The one general statement that can be made regarding expected normal wind movement in the
mountains is that ____ winds will occur as the result of surface heating in the daytime and ____
winds will occur as the result of surface cooling at night. upslope winds, downslope winds
Air will flow upward on what slopes first as the sun rises On the east facing slopes first as
the sun rises
The ____ winds that normally occur in the fall of the year have the most devastating and adverse
effect on fires Foehn- characterized by blowing downhill while hugging the land profile
Foehn winds are known as ____ winds in Northern CA, ____ winds in the Central Sierra and as
Santa Ana winds in Southern CA. Foehn winds are off shore winds and capable of reaching 80 to
90 mph North, Mono
Wind not only affects fire behavior, but creates related problems for firefighters. Perhaps the
most common is ____ eye injury
Air tankers and helicopters lose effectiveness when wind speeds reach ____ - ____ mph
20-30
Above ____ mph air tankers will normally be grounded due to their ineffectiveness and for
safety reasons. 30
Thunderhead cloud forms are sometimes known as Anvil or Cauliflower
