Building Construction (1st Edition)
Chapter 1-Building Construction & the Firefighter
Test Review

• Size, materials, methods used in construction, and building configuration are basic features that influence fire behavior.
• The building configuration (joist spaces, vertical shafts, partition walls), determines the path that the heated products of combustion will follow, both horizontally and vertically.
• Pulling down ceiling in the room next to a fire can stop the fire's path of travel.
• In a small confined space, a fire may diminish due to lack of oxygen, however the heat produced will vaporize volatile combustible contents producing a fuel-rich, oxygen poor atmosphere (backdraft).
• An increase in temperature will produce an increase in the volume of gases.
• Buildings are not designed to withstand internal pressures.
• The temperatures that precede a flashover make human occupancy dangerous without full protective gear.
• Warning signs of flashover include:  a thick layer of smoke/hot gases and rising temperatures.
• Low ceilings, small rooms/compartments, and well-insulated walls or building construction tend to promote flashover.
• Well-insulated buildings tend to retain heat and redirect it to the building contents.
• Sparks can ignite a light fuel in the presence of oxygen.
• Fire grows and spreads dependent on the amount of fuel and oxygen.
• Backdrafts can create internal pressures capable of internal damage.