Answers

Garden Apartment and Townhouse Fires

1) Why is it critical that all personnel know clearly what area they are operating in when conducting interior fire attack in garden apartments and townhouses?
A) In order to receive any requested assistance.
B) To report to the incident commander any fire extension.
C) To give a Mayday.
D) All the above.
Answer: D

2) One of the biggest difficulties that firefighters face when dealing with fires in rows of attached buildings such as Garden Apartments or Townhouses is -
A) Identifying where they are operating when inside the structure.
B) Identifying which unit is on fire.
C) Advancing hose from one unit to the next.
D) All the above.
Answer: A

3) Which of the following would you consider to be common problems for fire departments when operating at fires in townhouses and garden apartments?
A) Poor access for apparatus which slows hoseline and ladder placement and limits the usefulness of master streams.
B) The close spacing of the buildings, often of wood-frame construction and combustible roofing and siding, poses a serious threat of building-to-building fire extension.
C) Fire spreading through cockloft vents along the siding.
D) All the above.
Answer: D

4) One of the key differences between garden apartments, townhouses, and most other dwellings is -
A) The height of such structures.
B) The number of occupants that reside inside.
C) The number of egresses available to occupants.
D) The attached nature of combustible exteriors.
Answer: D

5) Which statement is true?
A) Garden apartments and townhouses often have a common cockloft over all apartments.
B) Garden apartments often have a common cockloft over all apartments, which is not common in townhouses.
C) Townhouses often have a common cockloft over all apartments, which is not common in garden apartments.
D) Both garden apartments and townhouses do not share a common cockloft over all apartments.
Answer: B

6) Which of the following rooms in the common cellar of a garden apartment building is responsible for a significant number of fires?
A) Personal storage rooms.
B) Laundry rooms.
C) Electrical utility rooms.
D) Plumbing utility rooms.
Answer: B

7) Which of the following describes a wall that separates adjoining townhouses and is not considered self-supporting?
A) Party wall.
B) Firewall.
C) Common wall.
D) A and C are correct.
Answer: D

8) In garden apartments and townhouses, what poses a conflagration hazard?
A) Combustible roofing materials.
B) Combustible siding.
C) The use of thermopane windows.
D) Lightweight combustible construction.
Answer: D

9) What tactic should be used in a common cockloft fire of garden-style apartment buildings?
A) Bring a 1 3/4 inch handline to the top floor of each exposure to control the fire from below.
B) Bring handlines behind a defendable barrier such as a firewall or party wall, and control the advance of the fire from that position.
C) Cut a large ventilation hole over the main body of the fire.
D) Perform trench cuts in unaffected areas to control the advance of the fire.
Answer: B

10) When planning a defensive strategy, you must be aware of which of the following factors that could defeat fire fighting efforts and possibly endanger firefighters?
A) Beware of mansard roofs and soffits, which warp around such division walls outside the building and allow the fire to sneak around firefighters in large volumes.
B) Be aware that most so-called fire walls in these buildings are not true fire walls, in that they are not meant to be totally self-supporting even if the entire fire side of the wall collapses.
C) Be aware of a fire that burns out the joists or trusses on the fire side of a party wall and may result in some structural damage to the party wall itself.
D) All the above.
Answer: D

11) Many new party walls are constructed of __ inch fire code gypsum on each side of a metal stud.
A) Single layer 1/2 inch.
B) Double layer 1/2 inch.
C) Single layer 5/8 inch.
D) Double layer 5/8 inch.
Answer: D

12) Garden apartment buildings in townhouses are often called -
A) Row houses.
B) Condos or condominiums.
C) Rat traps.
D) Tenements
Answer: B

13) Which of the following terms is used to describe a single-family unit attached on either side by other single-family units? These units are constructed of wood framing and typically have two or more floors.?
A) Garden apartment.
B) Townhouse.
C) Row frame.
D) Brownstone.
Answer: B

14) The largest losses at garden apartments and townhouses occur -
A) When they are occupied.
B) During the open framing stage of construction.
C) During the interior finish stage of construction.
D) When they have been abandoned, and they are vacant.
Answer: B

15) A realistic evaluation of the life hazard and the likelihood of collapse of garden apartments and townhouses should prompt -
A) An overwhelming blitz attack from a position inside the collapse zone.
B) An overwhelming direct attack from the inside with large hoselines.
C) An overwhelming blitz attack from a position outside the collapse zone.
D) A defensive attack from outside the structure while ventilation crews are opening up the roof over the seat of the fire.
Answer: C

16) Due to high friction loss, what is the maximum recommended lengths of 1 3/4-inch and 2- inch interior attack lines?
A) 150 feet.
B) 200 feet.
C) 300 feet.
D) 400 feet.
Answer: C

17) Which of the following statements is most correct regarding garden apartments?
A) The common cellar does not pose a significant threat to fire spread.
B) The common cellar poses a similar threat to fire spread like the common cockloft but is less dangerous to firefighters.
C) The common cellar poses a similar threat to fire spread like the common cockloft and is even more dangerous to firefighters.
D) These buildings are not normally constructed with common cellars.
Answer: C

18) Which of the following terms is used to describe a low-rise multiple dwelling, usually one to three stories in height, constructed of wood framing?
Often these types of buildings are surrounded by lawns and trees. A) Garden apartment.
B) Townhouse.
C) Row frame.
D) Brownstone.
Answer: A

19) In townhouses the room size and fire loading are -
A) Greater then what you would find in more traditional homes.
B) Less than what you would find in more traditional homes.
C) Very similar to what you would find in more traditional homes.
D) Greater than what you would find in more traditional homes, depending on the number of units that are adjacent to each other.
Answer: C