Fire Behavior and Combustion Flashcards
7 cards from real CPS practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Fire Behavior and Combustion flashcards as text
What are the three elements of the fire triangle?
Answer: Fuel, oxygen, and heat
The fire triangle consists of fuel, oxygen, and heat — all three must be present simultaneously for combustion to occur.
Which phase of combustion produces the visible flames seen during a structural fire?
Answer: Free-burning phase
The free-burning phase is characterized by visible, active flames and rapid consumption of available fuel and oxygen.
What is flashover in a structure fire?
Answer: The near-simultaneous ignition of all exposed combustible surfaces in a compartment
Flashover occurs when radiant heat raises all combustible surfaces in a compartment to their ignition temperature, causing near-simultaneous ignition.
Which type of heat transfer occurs when heat moves through a material by direct molecular contact?
Answer: Conduction
Conduction is heat transfer through direct molecular contact within or between materials, such as heat traveling through a metal door handle.
At approximately what oxygen concentration (by volume) will most fires self-extinguish?
Answer: 15%
Most fires cannot sustain combustion when oxygen concentration drops to approximately 15% or below, making oxygen removal an effective suppression strategy.
Which fire class involves fires in ordinary combustible materials such as wood, paper, and cloth?
Answer: Class A
Class A fires involve ordinary combustibles like wood, paper, cloth, rubber, and many plastics, which are the most common fire type encountered.
What is backdraft?
Answer: An explosion caused by the sudden introduction of oxygen into an oxygen-depleted, superheated environment
Backdraft occurs when fresh oxygen enters a hot, oxygen-starved compartment, causing rapid ignition of accumulated unburned gases and a powerful explosion.