400 terms every FF should know

[Guest]

Well, I know I've got some things to brush up on.....

400 Terms Every Firefighter Candidate Should Know

............ 

STEVE PRZIBOROWSKI

MembersZone Contributor

Firehouse.Com Contributor

Becoming a firefighter is like learning a new language. Many candidates think that it is easy to become a firefighter, and there is not much to learn.

Once they start taking fire technology classes at the local community college or get hired by a fire department and have to now retain and understand the masses amounts of technical information that is thrown to them, they soon understand it is not as easy as they may have perceived it to be.

If you are one of those folks that think they know it all, please think again.

There are numerous terms and phrases unique to the fire service and to our industry.

Fully understanding those terms and being able to provide a personalized definition should someone ask (such as during an oral interview or during your probationary process), will help lead to your success as a firefighter.

At the bare minimum, every firefighter needs to know and understand the following words or terms, and also have a definition they can offer (that doesn't sound like it was straight out of the dictionary) to an oral board or to their probationary officers they work under.

In alphabetical order, here are some words to know and understand (to successfully become a firefighter):

Accountability

Adaptable

Adverse Impact

Aerial Device

Aerial Ladder

Aerial Ladder Platform

Aggressiveness

Alarm Assignment

All Clear

Anchor Point

Area of Origin

Arson

Assisting Agency

Attic Ladder

Automatic Aid

Automatic Sprinkler System

Backdraft

Backfire

Balloon Frame Construction

Base

Beam

Beam Raise

Bed Section

Belay

Bight

Boiling Point

Booster Line/Hose

Boundary Drop

Bowline

Budget

Building Construction

Bumper Line

Burn Index

Burning Out

Capital Budget

Caring

Cellar Nozzle

Central Station Alarm System

Chain of command

Chain Saw

Chief Officer

Circular Saw

Class A Fire

Class B Fire

Class C Fire

Class D Fire

Class K Fire

Cockloft

Code 2

Code 3

Code 4

Cold Trail

Collapse Zone

Combustible Liquid

Combustion

Command

Command Post

Command Staff

Commitment

Commitment to life-long learning and education

Communication

Company

Company Officer

Compassion

Concrete Tilt Up Construction

Conduction

Confined Space

Confinement

Control Zones

Convection

Cooperating Agency

Cornice

Critical Incident Stress Debriefing

Crowd Control

Cryogenic

Cultural Diversity

Customer Service

Decay Phase

Deck Gun

Decontaminate

Dedication

Defensive Mode/Strategy

Deluge Sprinkler System

Demobilization (or Demob)

Dependability

Determination

Direct Attack

Directive

Discipline

Division

Division of Labor

Diversity

Dogs

Double Female

Double Male

Dry Barrel Hydrant

Duff

Ego (or lack of)

Egress

Emergency Operations Center

Emergency Traffic

Empathy

Employee Assistance Program

Entitlement

Escape Route

Ethics

Evacuation

Expectations

Exposures

Extinguishment

Extended Attack

Extension Ladder

Extrication

Fast Attack

Finance Section Chief

Fire

Fire Attack

Fire Department Connection

Fire Flank

Fire Flow

Fire Investigation

Fire Line

Fire Load

Fire Mark

Fire Prevention

Fire Tetrahedron

Fire Triangle

Fire Watch

First Due

First Responder

Fixed Temperature Heat Detector

Flameover

Flammable Liquid

Flash Fuels

Flashover

Flashpoint

Flat Head Axe

Flat Raise

Flexible

Fly Section

Fog Nozzle

Folding Ladder

Forward Lay

Four-Step Teaching Method

Four-Way Hydrant Valve

Free Burning Phase

Friction Loss

Fuel

Fuel Type

Fusible Link

Gang Nail

General Staff

Goals

Good listener

Grommets

Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter

Ground Ladder

Group

Gusset Plate

Halligan

Harassment

Hard Suction Hose

Hazard Assessment

Head Pressure

Header

Heat Detector

Heat Transfer

Heel

Helibase

Helicopter Tender

Helispot

Helitack

Helitanker

Honesty

Honor

Horizontal Ventilation

Hose Lay

Hydraulic Ventilation

Ignition

Ignition Component

Ignition Temperature

Immediately Dangerous to Life and Health

Incendiary Fire

Incident Action Plan

Incident Base

Incident Commander

Incident Command System

Incipient Phase

Increaser

Indirect Attack

Information Officer

Initial Attack

Initiative

Inspection Hole

Inspector's Test Valve

Integrity

Interior Attack

Investigate

Ionization Smoke Detector

Isolate

Kelly Day

Kernmantle Rope

Lapping

Large Diameter Hose

Lateral Transfer

Leadership

Leeward

Level I Staging

Level II Staging

Lightweight Construction

Load Bearing Wall

Local Alarm System

Liability

Life Safety

Line Item Budget

Lobby Control

Local Alarm System

Lock Out/Tag Out

Logistics Section Chief

Loyalty

Lower Explosive Limit

Lower Flammable Limit

Management By Objectives

Manual Pull Station

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

Masonry

Master Plan

Master Stream

Maturity

Mayday

Mechanical Ability

Michigan Vs. Tyler

Mitigate

Mop Up

Motivation

Mushrooming

Mutual Aid

Negligence

Organized

Obedience

Objectives

Offensive Mode/Strategy

Operational Period

Operations Section Chief

Outside Screw & Yoke Valve

Overhaul

Oxidizer

Parallel Attack

Parapet Wall

Passion

Pawls

Performance Evaluation

Persistence

Perseverance

Personal Accountability Report

Personnel Accountability System

Photoelectric Smoke Detector

Pick Head Axe

Pike Pole

Placard

Plan Check

Planning Section Chief

Plectron

Point of Origin

Post Incident Analysis

Post Indicator Valve

Preconnect

Preaction Sprinkler System

Pre-Fire Plan

Primary Search

Private Hydrant

Progressive Discipline

Progressive Hoselay

Property Conversation

Prusik

Public Education

Public Information Officer

Public Safety Answering Point

Pump and Roll

Pump Panel

Punctual

Purlin

Pyrolysis

Quint

Radiation

Rapid Intervention Crew/Team

Rate of Rise Heat Detector

Rate of Spread

Reasonable Accommodation

Record Keeping

Reducer

Rehabilitation (or Rehab)

Rescue

Residual Pressure

Resource Management

Response Time

Responsibility

Reverse Lay

Ridge

Riser

Risk Management

Rollover

Sacrifice

Safety

Safety Officer

Safety Zone

Salvage

Scene Assessment

Scene Management

Scene Size-up

Secondary Search

Sector

Sexual Harassment

Shelter In Place

Shoring

Single Resource

Size Up

Smoke

Smoke Alarm

Smoke Detector

Smoldering Phase

Solid Stream / Smooth Bore Nozzle

Span of Control

Split Lay

Spontaneous Combustion

Spotting

Staging

Staging Area

Standpipe

Stang Gun

Static Pressure

Still Alarm

Stop Drop and Roll

Straight Ladder

Strategic Plan

Strategy

Street Box

Strike Team

Stud

Studious

T-Card

Tactics

Target Hazard

Task Force

Teamwork

Technical Rescue

Tenacity

Thermal Balance

Thermal Imbalance

Tiller Truck

Tilt Up Construction

Time Management

Topography

Tormentor Pole

Tower Ladder

Traffic Control

Training

Transfer of Command

Trench Cut

Triple Combination Pumper

Trunked Radio System

Truss

Turnout Time

Two-in, Two-out

Type I Construction

Type II Construction

Type III Construction

Type IV Construction

Type V Construction

Type I Engine

Type II Engine

Type III Engine

Type IV Engine

Under Control

Unified Command

Unity of Command

Upper Explosive Limit

Upper Flammable Limit

Utilities

Utility Rope

Validity

Values

Vapor Density

Vapor Pressure

Ventilation

Vertical Ventilation

V Pattern

Water Flow Alarm

Water Gong

Water Hammer

Water Shuttle

Water Supply

Water Tender

Water Thief

Wet Barrel Hydrant

Weather

Windward

Work Ethic

Working Fire

Wye

If any of the above items are new or foreign to you, please take the time to understand them and learn more about them.

Doing so will increase your knowledge of fire science and the fire service in general, and help prove your commitment and dedication to the best career in the world.

It is not uncommon to have people ask you what those above items mean, during an oral interview or during your probationary process. Don't be the one that says, "I don't know, but I'll get back to you," or the one that tries to B.S. their way through an answer because they have no clue what you are asking.

If you are planning to become a firefighter or if you already are a firefighter, you should have a personalized definition (as opposed to a standard textbook answer) and understanding of the abovementioned words, terms or phrases.

You never know when you will be put on the spot and be expected to provide a definition. The choice is yours - be prepared or unprepared.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Steve Prziborowski is a Captain with the Santa Clara County (Los Gatos, CA.) Fire Department and has been in the fire service for 12 years. He is also the Fire Technology Coordinator at Chabot College in (Hayward, CA.), where he has been instructing fire technology and EMT courses for 10 years. He is a state certified Chief Officer, Fire Officer, Master Instructor, Hazardous Materials Technician, and state licensed Paramedic. He has an Associate’s degree in Fire Technology, a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice, and a Master’s degree in Emergency Services Administration.

He also publishes a free monthly newsletter geared toward better preparing the future firefighter for a career in the fire service, “The Chabot College Fire & EMS News,†that is available on his website at www.chabotfire.com

[Guest]

You're not alone Hoss....thanks for posting.

[antiquefirelt 994]

The "Class K Fire" kills me! What happened, they invented a Kitchen exitinguishing agent so that you don't have powder everywhere and suddenly that chages teh class of fire itself? What a joke.

[x648eng119 2]

The "Class K Fire" kills me! What happened, they invented a Kitchen exitinguishing agent so that you don't have powder everywhere and suddenly that chages teh class of fire itself? What a joke. 

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I don't think it's such a bad thing. Remeber - protect lives and property. If you ruin 3/4 of the homeowner's kitchen appliances, yeah, you prevented further damage to the structure, but if you can prevent damage to the stuff inside the house, why not? Even if it means adding another class of fire.

[Remember585 815]

What about the word, "PRIDE?"

Taking pride in what we do, how we do it, and how it is suppost to be done.

Without the slightest bit of pride we don't have a prayer. If we go into our runs, our drills and everything else with no pride in what we do, then you can count on everything turning into $hit in only a few years.