Wildland Firefighting Course S-190/S-130 Exam Questions And Answers

How many feet are in a chain? - ANS 66 feet Name the 3 sides of the fire triangle: - ANS 1) Oxygen 2) Fuel 3) Heat How does conduction supply heat to a fuel to start a fire? - ANS Conduction transfers heat to adjacent DIRECT CONTACT. How does radiation supply heat to a fuel to start a fire? - ANS Radiation transfers heat to fuels through heat waves and rays. How does convection supply heat to a fuel to start a fire? - ANS Convection transfers heat to fuels through indirect heating/cooling via wind/smoke. Explain the reason for establishing an anchor point. - ANS Creates an advantageous and safe point of origin to flank the fire by establishing control lines. What types of fuels might we find on the NORTH ASPECT? - ANS Heavier fuels, lower temperatures, increased humidity, wetter soil, and increased fuel moisture What types of fuels might we find on the SOUTH ASPECT? - ANS Lighter fuels, increased temperatures, decreased humidity, dryer soil, and decreased fuel moisture Describe how a slope can affect a fire's rate of spread. - ANS Convected heat rises, and in conjunction with radiant heat, fuels upslope from the fire dry out rapidly and combust at a much greater rate than horizontal or downslope spread. Badness. _____ bulb measures the ambient air temperature, and _____ bulb measures evaporation rates to gauge relative humidity (RH). - ANS Dry Wet Explain the inverse relationship between temperature and relative humidity (RH). - ANS When temperature increases, relative humidity decreases. When temperature decreases, relative humidity increases. What direction is wind coming from in a north wind? - ANS North, moving south. Describe the effect an incoming cold front might have on fire behavior. - ANS A cold front is the boundary line between 2 different air masses, with cooler air behind the frontal warmer air mass. The differing air masses cause pressure differences that move into a region and can generate moderate to strong wind speeds. Shifting winds can redirect the head of the fire, and unstable atmospheric changes in the frontal air mass encourages vertical motion that can contribute to spot fires and increased fire behavior. What is the difference in a spotfire and a finger fire? - ANS Finger fire - extension of fire from main body Spot fire - isolated fire outside of fire perimeter What is the importance of spacing whilst hiking/working? - ANS 6'-10' spacing provides for crew member safety and communication to notify members of potential hazards. How do we load a helicopter, when it is hot? Cold? - ANS Wait for instruction from Helicopter Crew Member (HCM). Name 5 watch out scenarios. - ANS 1) Fire not scouted and sized up. 2) In country not seen in daylight. 10) Attempting frontal assault on fire. 14) Weather becoming hotter and drier. 18) Taking a nap near fireline. Name 5 Standard Firefighting Orders. - ANS 1) Keep informed on fire weather conditions and forecasts. 2) Know what your fire is doing at all times. 3) Base all actions on current and expected fire behavior. 6) Be alert. Keep calm. Think clearly. Act decisively. 10) Fight fire aggressively, having provided for safety first. What are 5 PPE we use in wildland? - ANS 1) Hard hat 2) Eye protection 3) Gloves 4) Flame-resistant clothing (Nomex) 5) Boots (at least 8") What is the difference in a safe zone and a deployment site? - ANS Safe Zone (SZ) - a planned and established zone safe from fire dynamics (with separation distance between firefighter and flames: 4x maximimum continuous flame height). Deployment site - spontaneous site utilized to deploy fire shelter due to inability to reach SZ. What is the name of the person in charge of the fire incident? - ANS IC What are the 5 components of the Risk Management process? - ANS 1) SA - situational awareness (constantly change) 2) HA - hazard awareness (bee hive, cliff, fuels) 3) HC - hazard control (can we control/mitigate?) 4) DP - decision point (do we leave truck or call for hotshots?) 5) Evaluate (tactics working, staff status, fire behavior, etc)