NFPA Firefighter II cheat sheet

29 CFR 1910.134 two-in/two-out: when two members enter an IDLH atmosphere for interior structural firefighting, two trained and equipped members must remain outside and be capable of rescuing them.

NFPA 1500 requires an incident management system at every incident; every member works within one command structure with a known supervisor and assignment.

"Mayday, Mayday, Mayday" is transmitted when a member is lost, trapped, out of air, or unconscious; all other radio traffic stops until the IC acknowledges.

LUNAR content for a Mayday message: Location, Unit, Name, Air remaining, Resources needed.

A personnel accountability report (PAR) confirms the status of every assigned member; it is taken at benchmarks, after an evacuation signal, and whenever the IC orders it.

NFPA 1584 rehabilitation: a member whose heart rate remains above 100 beats per minute after 20 minutes of rehab is not returned to fireground duty.

The SCBA low-air alarm activates at roughly 33 percent of rated capacity; NFPA 1404 air management calls for exiting before the alarm sounds, with a 50 percent turn-around point as a practical margin.

Emergency evacuation signal: three cycles of three seconds on and three seconds off; members exit the structure and report to their supervisors for a PAR.

NFPA 1221 benchmarks: 95 percent of emergency calls answered within 15 seconds; 90 percent of alarms processed within 60 seconds and 99 percent within 90 seconds.

NIMS requires plain language (clear text) on the fireground; ten-codes and agency-specific signals are not used on multijurisdiction incidents.

Radio procedure: press the push-to-talk button, pause about one second, speak at a normal rate across the microphone, release, and listen.

CAN report = Conditions, Actions, Needs; it is the standard format for a unit progress report to the incident commander.

"Emergency traffic" clears the channel for a priority message; a Mayday outranks emergency traffic.

Benchmark reports: arrival/on scene, water on the fire, primary search complete (all clear or victims located), fire knocked down, PAR, and under control.

Status changes transmitted to dispatch: responding, on scene, available or in service, and returning.

Radios used in flammable or IDLH atmospheres must be intrinsically safe; NFPA 1802 covers two-way portable RF voice communication devices.

Simplex channels allow one transmission at a time on a single frequency; duplex systems use a repeater with separate transmit and receive frequencies.

NFA fire flow formula: needed flow in gpm = (length x width x number of stories involved) / 3; a 20-foot by 30-foot single-story building requires 200 gpm.

If the required fire flow exceeds the available water supply, the incident commander changes to a defensive strategy.

A 1 3/4-inch handline with a 15/16-inch smooth-bore tip flows about 185 gpm at 50 psi nozzle pressure; 2 1/2-inch lines are used when higher flows or master streams are needed.

Nozzle pressures: smooth bore 50 psi, combination fog 100 psi, unless the manufacturer specifies otherwise.

Reading smoke uses four characteristics: volume, velocity, density, and color; high-velocity, dense, dark smoke signals high heat and likely flashover.

Elevation loss is about 0.434 psi per foot, roughly 5 psi per story, and is added to nozzle pressure when pumping to upper floors.

Standpipe operations: pump into the FDC at the system's designed pressure, do not exceed the system working pressure, and check upper-floor outlets for pressure-reducing valves.

Overhaul opens concealed spaces and uses a thermal imager to find hidden fire; the area of origin and evidence are left undisturbed for the investigator.

Ventilation is coordinated with fire attack; venting before a charged line is in place can pull fire toward the opening and endanger occupants and crews.

Rescue priorities: life safety first, then incident stabilization, then property conservation.

Vehicle extrication order: stabilize the vehicle on all four sides, manage the glass, then disentangle the patient.

Cribbing stacks are limited to twice the width of the base (2:1 rule) to prevent toppling under load.

Permit-required confined space entry requires oxygen between 19.5 and 23.5 percent, flammable atmosphere below 10 percent LEL, and toxic gases within exposure limits; oxygen is tested first.

Water rescue sequence: reach, throw, row, go; water entry is a last resort for trained and equipped rescuers.

Structural collapse: identify void spaces where victims can survive; entry into an unshored collapse is prohibited without training and equipment.

NFPA 1983 life safety rope is dedicated to rescue, inspected after each use, and never used as a utility rope.

Ground ladder placement: 75-degree angle (1:4), tip three to five rungs above the roof for roof access, tip at the sill for window rescue.

The RIC/FAST stages outside the hazard zone with a charged hoseline, hand tools, thermal imager, rope, and ladders, ready to deploy on a Mayday.

Fire cause classifications: accidental, natural, incendiary, and undetermined; firefighters report observations and preserve evidence but do not make the official determination.

A V-pattern indicates fire spread upward and outward from its base; the point of the V locates the area of origin.

Extinguisher classes: A ordinary combustibles, B flammable liquids, C energized electrical equipment, D combustible metals, K cooking oils and fats.

NFPA 10 travel distances: Class A no more than 75 feet, Class B no more than 50 feet, Class D no more than 75 feet.

Preincident plan content: occupancy and construction, access and apparatus placement, water supply, utilities, special hazards, built-in protection, and emergency contacts.

NFPA 291 hydrant color code: blue 1,500 gpm or more, green 1,000 to 1,499 gpm, orange 500 to 999 gpm, red less than 500 gpm.

Smoke alarms are tested monthly and replaced every 10 years; ionization units respond faster to flaming fires and photoelectric units to smoldering fires.

Firefighter II may perform company-level inspections and preincident surveys; code violations and occupancy changes are reported to the authority having jurisdiction.