January 2001

January 2001 Questions:

After taking the quiz, you can post your answers or comments on Fire Talk.

1. Hemoglobin has a greater affinity for carbon monoxide than it does for oxygen. It has an affinity between ____ and ____ times greater.

Between 200 and 270 times greater

2. If a mattress fire reached the active flaming stage, it is important to see if the flames penetrated the ceiling or walls. What are the obvious areas to check?

Check at the ceiling light fixture, pipes that penetrate the ceiling, electrical outlets and switches and any other opening that might allow fire to extend behind the plaster.

3. A flat roof that is twenty feet by forty feet, with a parapet and clogged drain, has six inches of standing water on the roof.
How many cubic feet of water is on the roof?
How much does it weigh?

400 cubic feet of water - 24,960 pounds (Water weighs 62.4 pounds per cubic foot at 40 degrees Fahrenheit)

4. Why is it necessary to notify the gas utility of a minor gas leak at the stove in a private home, if your department was able to locate the leak and shut down the stove.

The utility will be required to relight the pilot lights before any appliance or full service is turned back on, as well as to test for and fix any leak in the distribution system piping up to and including the meter.

5. When monitoring a smoking electrical manhole, you should also monitor the ones on either side of it as well. Why?

Any of these holes may blow due to a buildup of pressure or the ignition of gasses formed by burning wires, or of natural gas that may have seeped into the vault.

Sorry, I seem to have lost December's Questions

e-mail Chief Montagna

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