|
F |
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Face
nail |
To install nails into the vertical face of a
bearing header or beam. |
|
Face
piece |
The portion of a self-contained
breathing apparatus that fits over the face by means of an adjustable
harness. It may or may not have the regulator attached to it. |
|
Faced
concrete |
To finish the front and all vertical sides of
a concrete porch, step(s), or patio. Normally the "face" is broom finished. |
|
Facilities
unit |
Functional Unit within the Support Branch of the Logistics Section
that provides fixed facilities for the incident. These facilities may
include the Incident Base, feeding areas, sleeping areas, sanitary
facilities, etc. |
|
Facing
brick |
The brick used and exposed on the outside of
a wall. Usually these have a finished texture. |
|
Failure |
Distortion, breakage, deterioration, or other
fault in an item, component, system, assembly, or structure that results in
unsatisfactory performance of the function for which it was designed. |
|
Failure analysis
|
A logical, systematic examination of an item,
component, system, assembly, or structure and its place and function in a
system, to identify and analyze the probability, causes, and consequences of
potential and real failures. |
|
Fall down
|
The spread of fire by the dropping or falling
of burning materials. Synonymous with Drop Down |
|
False
alarm |
An alarm for which no fire existed or for
which the Fire Department response was unnecessary or due to accidental
operation of fire alarm devices or a malicious act. |
|
False
ceiling |
An additional suspended ceiling below the true original ceiling
forming a concealed space. |
|
False
front |
An additional facade on a building applied after the
original construction or for decoration that creates a concealed space. |
|
Fascia |
Horizontal boards attached to rafter/truss
ends at the eaves and along gables. Roof drain gutters are attached to the
fascia. |
|
FAST (Firefighter Assist and
Safety Team) Truck |
A FAST truck is a company of firefighters
(usually from a truck or rescue company) whose sole function at a fire is to
stand by in case a firefighter becomes injured or trapped and needs
assistance. The company assigned to the FAST truck is usually a highly
trained group and reports only to the incident commander. In some
departments, this group is call a RIT (Rapid Intervention Team). |
|
Fast
attack |
Fast attack is when the first arriving engine company attacks the
fire using water carried in the booster tank, relying on the second company
to secure a water supply. This tactic is used when the fire is in its first
stages and most likely can be controlled until additional help arrives. |
|
Fast attack
mode |
When the first arriving unit at a fire makes an offensive attack on
the fire. |
|
FD
|
Fire Department |
|
FDIC (Fire Department
Instructors Conference) |
Annual meeting of fire department officials. |
|
Federal
Siren |
The electric siren that emits the loud, long,
high pitched squeal that is heard almost continuously while the apparatus is
in motion. It is used in conjunction with the quieter (relatively) two tone,
yelp sirens. Majority of these are manufactured by Federal Signal
Corporation. Also has been referred to as a "Federal Q" |
|
Feeder |
A line used for water supply. Usually 4" or
5" LDH. Also known as a supply line. Common fire ground orders are to "lay a
line" |
|
Felt |
Tar paper. Installed under the roof shingles.
Normally 15 lb. or 30 lb. |
|
FEMA
|
Federal Emergency Management
Agency |
|
Ferrule |
Metal tubes used to keep roof gutters "open".
Long nails (ferrule spikes) are driven through these tubes and hold the
gutters in place along the fascia of the home. |
|
FHA strap
|
Metal straps that are used to repair a
bearing wall "cut-out", and to "tie together" wall corners, splices, and
bearing headers. Also, they are used to hang stairs and landings to bearing
headers. |
|
FHWA |
Federal Highway Administration; the DOT
division concerned with highway construction and usage. Other similar
divisions of DOT relate to air, rail, and water transportation. |
|
Field Operations Guide
(FOG) |
A pocket-size manual of instructions on the
application of the Incident Command System. |
|
Fifth wheel |
A device used
to connect a truck tractor or converter dolly to a semi trailer in order to
permit articulation between the units. It generally is composed of a lower
part consisting of a trunnion, plate, and latching mechanism mounted on the
truck tractor (or dolly) and a king pin assembly mounted on the semi
trailer. |
|
Fifth wheel pickup ramp
|
A steel plate designed to lift the front end
of a semi trailer to facilitate engagement to the kingpin into the fifth
wheel. |
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Fill
hose |
A short section of hose carried
on apparatus equipped with booster tanks to fill the tank from a hydrant or
another truck. |
|
Fill
opening |
An opening in top of a tank used for filling
the tank. Usually incorporated in a manhole cover. |
|
Fill
valve |
An inlet valve assembly used for loading
product into a tank. |
|
Finance/Administration
Section |
The Section responsible for all incident costs and financial
considerations. Includes the Time Unit, Procurement Unit,
Compensation/Claims Unit, and Cost Unit. |
|
Finger
joint |
A manufacturing process of interlocking two
shorter pieces of wood end to end to create a longer piece of dimensional
lumber or molding. Often used in jambs and casings and are normally painted
(instead of stained). |
|
Fire |
The rapid oxidation of
combustible materials accompanied by a release of energy in the form of heat
and light. Also, referred to as combustion. |
|
Fire
alarm |
An audible or visual signal
indicating a hostile fire. |
|
Fire
analysis |
The process of determining the origin, cause,
development, and responsibility as well as the failure analysis of a fire or
explosion. |
|
Fire area
|
An area of a building that is separated from
the remainder of me building by construction, having a fire resistance of at
least one hour and having all communicating openings properly protected by
an assembly having a fire rating of at least one hour. |
|
Fire
behavior |
The manner in which fuel ignites, flames develop, and heat and fire
spread. Sometimes used to refer to the characteristics of a particular fire. |
|
Fire
block |
Short horizontal members sometimes nailed
between studs, usually about halfway up a wall. See also 'Fire stop'. |
|
Fire
break |
An open, clear area maintained through ground
cover such as grass, brush, and trees to prevent the spread of fire. In rare
instances some structures are demolished ahead of a conflagration to attain
the same effect as a wildland fire. |
|
Fire
brick |
Brick made of refractory ceramic material
which will resist high temperatures. Used in a fireplace and boiler. |
|
Fire
brigade |
An organization of industrial plant personnel trained to use fire
fighting equipment within the plant and to carry out fire prevention
activities. In Canada, the local fire department may be referred to as the
fire brigade. |
|
Fire
broom |
A broom used in ground cover fire
fighting. The broom material maybe made out of thin wire or coarse wooden
sticks. The use is to sweep small amounts of combustibles away from a fire
line or to separate what is burning. |
|
Fire
bucket |
A bucket with a round bottom usually painted red and marked with
the word fire to discourage use for purposes other than fire fighting;
frequently kept filled with water, sand, or other fire extinguishing
material. Also called a fire pail. |
|
Fire
buff |
Person interested in firefighting operations,
fire equipment, and firefighters. A fire service enthusiast. |
|
Fire
bug |
A common term to describe an
arsonist or pyromaniac. Also describes a person who does not only set fires,
but enjoys watching them. |
|
Fire
building |
Used to describe the training building in which fire fighting is
practiced; the building in which a fire is in progress. |
|
Fire cause
|
The combination of fuel supply, heat source,
and a hazardous act that results in a fire. The circumstances, conditions,
or agencies that bring together a fuel, ignition source, and oxidizer (such
as air or oxygen) resulting in a fire or a combustion explosion. |
|
Fire
classes |
Fire is
classified by the material being burned. Class A fires are fires in
ordinary combustible materials (e.g., paper, wood, cloth); Class B fires
are those in combustible or flammable liquids, flammable gases, greases,
and similar materials; Class C fires are those in electrical equipment;
and Class D fires are those in combustible metals (e.g.. magnesium,
sodium, potassium, etc.). |
|
Fire
damper |
Device
installed in ductwork in which the duct passes through fire separations
to aid in preventing the spread of a fire. |
|
Fire Department
connection |
Applied to the connections at ground level through which the
fire department supplies sprinkler systems and/or standpipe systems. |
|
Fire detection
devices |
The devices and connections installed in a building to
detect heat, smoke, or flame. |
|
Fire
District |
A designated geographic area where fire protection is provided,
usually through a supporting tax, or an area where fire prevention codes
are enforced. |
|
Fire door |
A specially constructed, tested, and approved door installed to prevent
fire spread. Doors that building codes and the NFPA classify according
to a rating system related to their fire resistance, such as 3-hour, 1
1/2-hour, 1-hour, etc. |
|
Fire entry
suits |
Suits which
offer complete, effective protection for short-duration entry into a
total flame environment. Designed to withstand exposures to radiant heat
levels up to 2,000 F. Entry suits consist of a coat, pants, and separate
hood assembly. They are constructed of several layers of flame-retardant
materials, with the outer layer often aluminized. Typically used in
aircraft crash recovery firefighting. See proximity suits. Used with
SCBA's. |
|
Fire
escape |
A means of escaping from a building in case of fire; usually an
interior or exterior stairway, or slide independently supported and made
of fire-resistive material. |
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Fire extinguishers, classes |
Class A extinguishers rated for Class A fires may contain water,
aqueous-film-forming foam, dry chemical, or a halogen compound; Class B
extinguishers for Class B fires may contain carbon dioxide, dry
chemical, aqueous-film-forming foam, or halogenated agents; Class C
extinguishers for Class C fires may contain carbon dioxide, dry
chemical, or a halogenated compound; and Class D extinguishers for use
on Class D fires contain specially prepared materials, such as Met-L-X
powder, T.E.C. powder, etc. |
|
Fire
flow |
The volume of water required for fire protection in a given area. Fire
flow is measured in gpm and required duration. Water for fire flow is in
addition to the water supply required for normal consumption. |
|
Fire flow
test |
A procedure to test the rate of flow in gallons per minute (L/min)
in a predetermined area. |
|
Fire gases |
Those gases produced as combustion occurs and remain when products of
combustion are cooled to normal temperature. |
|
Fire
ground |
An area
around a fire or the area occupied by fire fighting forces. |
|
Fire
guard |
A person trained and assigned to watch for fires and life safety for
specific periods or events. Sometimes called fire watch. |
|
Fire hazards |
Conditions conducive to fire or that are likely to increase the
extent or severity of fire. The terms hazard or hazardous are also used
to indicate the type of material or rate of burning. |
|
Fire hose
float |
A water-rescue flotation device made from inflated fire hose. |
|
Fire
Investigation |
The process
of determining the origin, cause, and development of a fire or
explosion. |
|
Fire lane |
An area
around a commercial establishment where parking is restricted and left
open for fire department access. |
|
Fire
lines |
Boundaries established around a fire area to prevent access except for
emergency vehicles and persons having a right and need to be present.
Also used in ground cover fire fighting to describe a line scraped clean
of combustibles around the fire perimeter to remove fuel and contain the
fire |
|
Fire
load |
The weight of the combustible materials found in the structure and
contents of a building; expressed as weight per square foot. This
measure is employed frequently to calculate the degree of fire
resistance required to withstand a fire or to judge the rate of
application and quantity of extinguishing agent needed to control or
extinguish a fire. |
|
Fire mark |
A distinctive metal marker once produced by insurance companies for
their policyholders' buildings. |
|
Fire
Marshal |
The highest fire prevention officer of a state, province, county or
municipality. |
|
Fire partition
|
A partition
that serves to restrict the spread of a fire, but does not qualify as a
fire wall. |
|
Fire point |
The temperature at which a material evolves sufficient vapors that when
ignited will continue to burn. See ignition temperature. |
|
Fire
prevention |
That part of the science of fire protection that deals with
preventing the outbreak of fire and to minimize loss when fire does
occur by eliminating fire hazards through inspection, education, and
investigation programs. |
|
Fire Prevention Bureau
|
A division of the fire service responsible for conducting fire
prevention programs of inspection, education, and investigation. |
|
Fire Prevention Code or Ordinance |
A law enacted by a political jurisdiction to enforce fire
prevention and safety regulations. |
|
Fire prevention
week |
A week proclaimed each year by the President of the United
States to commemorate the anniversary of the great Chicago conflagration
of October 9, 1871; takes place the week in which October 9 falls. |
|
Fire
propagation |
See Fire
Spread. |
|
Fire Protection Engineer |
A graduate of an accredited institution of higher learning who has
specialized in engineering problems related to fire protection. |
|
Fire
pump |
A water pump used in private fire protection to provide water supply to
installed fire protection systems. Also, the water pump on fire
apparatus. |
|
Fire
report |
The official report on a fire, generally prepared by the officer in
charge of the fire operation, and kept as a permanent record. |
|
Fire resistance |
A relative term referring to the amount of time a material will
resist a normal fire as measured on a standard time-temperature curve. |
|
Fire resistance rating
|
The time
period, in hours or fractions thereof, that a building member or
assembly will resist a code-specified fire test without failure. For
example, a 2-hour rating indicates that the assembly withstood the
standard test for greater than two hours without failure by any of the
failure criteria listed in the fire test protocol. |
|
Fire
resistive |
Material and
design of building construction meant to withstand the maximum effect of
a fire for a specific period of time. |
|
Fire retardant
|
Chemicals,
paints, or coatings used for the treatment of combustible building
materials that provide a lesser degree of protection than a
fire-resistant material would have. |
|
Fire retardant chemical
|
A chemical
or preparation of chemicals used to reduce the flammability of a
material or to retard the spread of flame. |
|
Fire scene reconstruction
|
The process
of recreating the physical scene during fire scene analysis through the
removal of debris and the replacement of contents or structural elements
in their pre fire positions. |
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Fire separation |
The distance
in feet measured from the building face to the closest interior lot
line, to the center of a street or public way, or to an imaginary line
between two buildings on the same property and or adjoining property.
|
|
Fire
service |
Organized fire prevention, fire protection, and fire fighting
services; members of fire prevention, suppression, and training
organizations individually and collectively; all allied organizations
who assist in preventing and combating fires. |
|
Fire
spread |
The movement
of fire from one place to another. |
|
Fire station |
The building in which fire suppression forces are housed. |
|
Fire
stop |
A solid,
tight closure of a concealed space, placed to prevent the spread of fire
and smoke through such a space. In a frame wall, this will usually
consist of 2 by 4 cross blocking between studs. Work performed to slow
the spread of fire and smoke in the walls and ceiling (behind the
drywall). Includes stuffing wire holes in the top and bottom plates with
insulation, and installing blocks of wood between the wall studs at the
drop soffit line. This is integral to passing a Rough Frame inspection.
See also 'Fire block'. |
|
Fire
stopping |
Blocking off concealed spaces within the walls, floors, and
ceilings of structures to prevent the unseen spread of fire through
these areas. |
|
Fire storm |
An atmospheric disturbance caused by heat rising from a conflagration.
Violent convection caused by a rising column of heated air creates
intense winds toward the fire center encompassing the entire fire area. |
|
Fire
stream |
A stream of water from a fire nozzle used to control and combat
fires. |
|
Fire Suppression Rating Schedule |
A schedule
of by which underwriters insurance grade the fire defense of a
community. The grading schedule takes into account water supply, the
fire department, fire alarms and communications and other factors.
Community classifications run from Class 1, receiving the highest rate
recognition to Class 10, receiving no recognition. The lower the number
equates to better protection for that community. A community’s
classification can determine fire insurance rates. Typically these
ratings are used to calculate commercial property owners' insurance
premiums, but some insurance carriers use apply this to residential
property owners rates. |
|
Fire tetrahedron |
A model of the four elements required to have a fire. The four
sides represent fuel, heat, oxygen, and chemical chain reaction. |
|
Fire trap |
Usually an old structure in such a deteriorated state that it is highly
susceptible to fire, with inadequate protective equipment and exits, and
considered likely to contribute to major loss of life in case of fire. |
|
Fire triangle |
A plane geometric figure in which the three sides of an equilateral
triangle represent oxygen, heat, and fuel, the elements necessary to
sustain combustion. Keeping the three elements of the fire triangle
apart is the key to preventing fires, and removing one or more of these
elements is the key to extinguishing fires that do start. |
|
Fire wall |
A solid wall of masonry or other noncombustible material capable of
resisting fire for a prescribed time period. Fire walls extend through
roofs and use parapets above the roof to divide large sections of
buildings to prevent the overlapping or spread of fire. |
|
Fire watch
|
Individual
provided with fire extinguishing equipment and training in its use who
is posted (1) in the immediate area of welding or cutting operations
when other than a minor fire might develop; (2) where there is an
appreciable amount of combustible building material nearby; (3) where
sparks could ignite nearby combustibles; or (4) where combustible
materials are adjacent to the opposite side of metal partitions, walls,
ceilings, or roofs and are likely lo be ignited by conduction or
radiation (5) where large assembly of people reach maximum occupancy
load and exiting may become compromised. See Fire guard |
|
Fire whirlwind |
A revolving mass of air created by a fire, normally a forest fire. |
|
Fireboat |
A specially-built boat for fighting fires. |
|
Firefighter |
An enrolled,
active member of a fire department. |
|
Firefighter's axe |
A hand forcible entry tool equipped with a blade on one side and a
pick or flat head on the other. |
|
Firefighter's carry |
One of several methods of lifting and carrying a disabled victim to
safety. |
|
Fireplace chase flashing pan |
A large sheet of metal that is installed around and perpendicular to the
fireplace flue pipe. It's purpose is to confine and limit the spread of
fire and smoke to a small area. |
|
Fireproof |
The word fireproof is a misnomer because it means that something will
not burn. Other terms, such as fire resistive or fire resistant should
be used to indicate the degree of resistance to fire, since most items
will burn at some temperature. |
|
Fire-resistive or Fire rated |
Applies to
materials that are not combustible in the temperatures of ordinary fires
and will withstand such fires for at least 1 hour. Drywall used in the
garage and party walls are to be fire rated, 5/8", Type X. |
|
First alarm |
The initial alarm signal and fire department response. After the
emergency is evaluated, successive alarms may be issued, i.e., 2nd, 3rd,
etc., automatically calling for additional companies. |
|
First -in |
The
first company or apparatus to arrive at a fire location. |
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First responder |
The first
trained personnel to arrive on the scene of a hazardous material
incident. Usually officials from local emergency services, firefighters,
and police. |
|
First responder, awareness
level |
Individuals
who are likely to witness or discover a hazardous substance release who
have been trained to initiate an emergency response sequence by
notifying the proper authorities of the release. They would take no
further action beyond notifying the authorities of the release. |
|
First responder, operations
level |
Individuals
who respond to releases or potential releases of hazardous substances as
part of the initial response to the site for the purpose of protecting
nearby persons, property, or the environment from the effects of the
release. They are trained to respond in a defensive fashion without
actually trying to stop the release. Their function is to contain the
release from a safe distance, keep it from spreading, and prevent
exposures. |
|
Fish tape |
A long strip
of spring steel used for fishing cables and for pulling wires through
conduit. |
|
Fishplate (gusset) |
A wood or
plywood piece used to fasten the ends of two members together at a butt
joint with nails or bolts. Sometimes used at the junction of opposite
rafters near the ridge line. Sometimes called a gang nail plate. |
|
Fit check (respiratory
protection) |
Action by a
respirator user to determine if the respirator is properly seated to the
face. A positive or negative pressure check is made to ensure proper
respirator facepiece seal. |
|
Flagstone (flagging or
flags) |
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